Candor - Win Government Funding With AI

Announcing Candor: Win Funding for Your Startup from the US Government with AI

Four years ago, startups barely worked with the U.S. government. Today, the ecosystem is shifting—fast. Now, the government looks to Silicon Valley and startups to fix its biggest problems.

Tens of billions in non-dilutive funding are available for startups through SBIRs, STTRs, and other federal programs, especially in Defense, BioTech, Aerospace, and Energy. However, most founders either don’t know about them or can’t afford the time and effort required to apply.

That’s why we built Candor— an AI search and application drafting platform that takes the application process from weeks to days while ensuring full compliance.

What Candor Does

AI-Powered Search – No more scrolling through SAM.gov, Grants.gov, or DSIP to see if your startup can access government funding. Candor automatically matches your company with the most relevant funding opportunities.

AI Proposal Drafting – Generate 80% of your proposal by simply uploading your company’s past proposals, technical documents, and slide decks.

Compliance Checks & AI Red Team Review – Never get disqualified on a technicality. Candor’s AI evaluates your application against agency-specific formatting and evaluation criteria.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuB3fjhy9Jo

Why This Matters

Winning can unlock $2M+ in government funding(per win), but today:

• Startups miss out because finding opportunities is painful and opaque
• Most founders don’t have time to write long technical proposals that can take a month
• Expensive consultants charge $10K+ per application with no guarantees.

Why We’re Building This

Marcus helped lead Stanford’s DEFCON Tech and National Security Network. He also worked as a fellow at Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, where he worked on building a campus accelerator for startups that were building in American Dynamism. He saw enough value in helping the massively growing community of startups wanting to access the US gov that he dropped out with 2 quarters left. In the past, he did Growth/Product at an ex-YC Startup.

Ethne did CS & Math at Stanford before dropping out. As a fellow at Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security, she interviewed dozens of government/defense officials and worked on a Department of Defense PEO Directory. She spent past summers Quant Trading at Morgan Stanley, interning at the Space Force, and doing compilers research.

The Ask

• If you’re a startup building something that is considered technically innovative, you’re probably eligible for government funding. Talk to us, and we’d love to help.
• If you’re a consultant or grant writer in the space, we have built a workspace meant specifically for you guys. We want to make it so you spend less time writing and more time on everything else— all without sacrificing win rates.

Reach out to us at founders@usecandor.ai