Shawn Kahen ⁽⁷⁾

As an early-stage founder of a Govtech startup, building a product that solves a massive problem is only step one. Step two is navigating the notoriously complex world of government sales. Local governments are the exact partners we need to reach to fundamentally modernize community development departments. We know our AI can help cities digitize their workflows, meet state mandates, and untangle their zoning regulations. However, the path to securing a contract is not as simple as a standard software sales pitch; it is a road walled in by complex Requests for Proposals (RFPs), strict compliance requirements, and highly structured…

For nearly a century, the golden rule of urban planning was simple: zoning is a local matter. City councils, local planning commissions, and neighborhood councils held the keys to the built environment. They decided where the commercial corridors went, what the setbacks should be, and what kind of housing could be built. But today, we are witnessing a massive paradigm shift. In response to a crippling national housing shortage, states across the United States are taking the wheel. They are increasingly overriding local municipal codes to force increased housing production, fundamentally changing how we plan and build our cities. The…

Building a startup as a solo founder (so far) is a thrilling but often solitary journey. You wear every hat, make every decision, and constantly navigate uncharted territory to bring your vision to life. But the truth is, no successful company is built entirely in a vacuum. That is why I am incredibly proud and humbled to announce that Civic Decode has been selected as the winner of the Connect’d Strategic Advisory Grant! I want to extend a massive thank you to Alex Rose and the entire team at Connect’d for believing in our mission to digitize zoning and modernize…

In 2013, I was starting my graduate studies at UCLA, and the City of Los Angeles launched one of the most ambitious urban planning initiatives in modern history - re:code LA. The goal was clear and desperately needed. Los Angeles was operating on a bloated, Frankensteined zoning code originally written in 1946. It had thousands of pages of overlays, conditions, and contradictory amendments. It was a bureaucratic nightmare that choked housing production and confused everyone but the most expensive land-use lawyers. The promise of re:code LA was a complete, citywide rewrite. A modern, simplified code for the 21st century. Everyone…

With the recent passage of AB 920 and AB 253, Sacramento has sent a clear message to every city hall in the state: The analog era is over. For decades, the permit process has been a black box—a maze of paper forms, manual reviews, and unpredictable timelines. But under these new laws, cities are now on a strict deadline. By 2028, local governments must fully digitize their permit workflows to better serve their citizens and streamline housing production. The stick is real. AB 253 adds teeth to these requirements, penalizing cities that drag their feet on approvals. The days of…