Rising Star: Will Cahoe

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Getting government to adopt a venture capital mindset takes some serious effort. Luckily for the General Services Administration’s 10x program, Will Cahoe is keeping the team and other agencies working in unison.

The 10x program solicits and funds ideas from federal employees across government to improve citizen services through the use of technology. Selected projects receive support from GSA to ensure that they are successfully developed and can be shared or replicated in other agencies. One of Cahoe’s many jobs is to make sure all stakeholders are kept abreast of how projects are progressing and budgets are being spent.

He also developed several databases of past 10x projects to provide guidance to current teams and a new budget template system to help agencies better track their expenses and spending. His efforts have resulted in a more efficient use of funds because project teams are able to get up to speed more quickly.

To date, the 10x program has supported nearly 60 projects that touch on everything from acquisitions and website development to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Cahoe’s colleagues praise his ability to identify areas of overlap and ensure close coordination between similar projects.

He has “created an environment that fosters easy collaboration between project teams,” 10x Senior Strategy Advisor Sarah Crane said.