Helios, a fast growing technology company based in Delray Beach, has ambitious goals to change the world of public policy through the use of artificial intelligence. Joe Scheidler and Joseph Farsakh co-founded the company, which has recently come out of stealth mode. They introduced Proxi, an AI-driven operating system designed specifically for public policy practitioners, regulatory affairs, legal, compliance, and government relations departments. Now in beta testing, Proxi is looking to go above and beyond in supporting its users, tapping into the power of AI to deliver the best support possible.
Helios recently launched Decipher, our large-scale data analysis tool that helps users parse thousands of pages of bills, reports, and other filings. Decipher takes complicated documents and turns them into searchable, structured insights. It further produces risk alerts, increasingly equipping policy practitioners with the knowledge to identify those dangers. Helios has released a more recently developed product named Consult. This convenient tool assists public officials to produce high-quality interactions with stakeholders.
Joe Scheidler, the Chief Executive Officer of Helios, brings significant experience in government and public service to the firm. As White House czar and assistant to the president for cybersecurity, he was instrumental in standing up the White House’s new cybersecurity office. His other co-founder, Joseph Farsakh, is now company president. Together, they have attracted Brandon Smith, a machine learning veteran with prior experience at Microsoft and Datadog, to spearhead Helios’ technical vision.
Helios has recently closed $4 million in seed financing to help advance its mission. The company’s objective is to become synonymous with all government public and private interactions within the next five to seven years. Helios is currently conducting outreach and engagement with workers from federal, state and local agencies. They’re working with Fortune 500 companies and local startups to make their ambitious goal happen.
At the heart of Helios’ vision is Proxi, which has a mission to equip public sector professionals with tools to unlock their potential. Scheidler emphasized the importance of automation in their approach:
“We wanted to empower all public policy, legal and compliance professionals with end-to-end automation, deploying sort of a web of secure AI agents that are trained and fine-tuned against really robust public policy data sets to support them on anything from strategic advisement to very sensitive and complex writing products, data analysis and stakeholder mapping.” – Joe Scheidler
By leveraging this advanced technology, AI can be deeply integrated into a company’s day-to-day operations. This evolution enables technical experts and data-driven minds of public policy to thrive like never before. Scheidler further elaborated on the distinctive advantages Helios brings to the table:
“Our unfair advantage is bringing a super unique blend of domain expertise, contacts, and technical expertise to a really important problem.” – Joe Scheidler
This unique combination of design and analytical skills that is so important in tackling the challenges of today’s public policy practitioners. Scheidler noted the importance of fostering relationships with lawmakers, reflecting on his past experiences at the State Department:
“That’s a lot of what I spent my time doing at the State Department when I would have far preferred to just be on the Hill, building relationships with people who are actually making draft amendments and provisions.” – Joe Scheidler
Helios knows that changes in regulations and the legislature continue to develop at a breakneck pace. Finally, they understand the need for ongoing accountability and deeper assistance in this cutting-edge space. As the core of their sharing platform, their Proxi operating system is used as a “conversational AI agent.” The tool functions as an additional, always-on member of his public policy team, consistently scanning the legislative and regulatory landscape.
Scheidler pointed out the impressive market performance of similar companies to highlight the potential for growth within this sector.
“Palantir just surpassed a $300 billion market cap.” – Joe Scheidler
For Helios, security has always been at the heart of what we do by putting forth the highest encryption standards to our federal clientele. The company isn’t just coasting on success; it’s proactively going through compliance audits to ensure it is a best-in-industry standard bearer.