As we bid farewell to 2023, it's with immense pride and gratitude that we reflect upon the remarkable journey that has defined our company. This year has been a testament to our commitment to evolution, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of our team goals. From groundbreaking milestones to transformative initiatives, we've navigated the dynamic landscape of the government government innovation industry with resilience and determination, solidifying our position as a trailblazer in procurement and GovTech. 

Over the last years, we've experienced substantial growth, undergoing significant transformations and refining our flagship product -Glass Commerce-, a pioneering e-commerce platform built to streamline daily government purchases and help buyers access an increased range of high-quality products and services, from pre-verified vendors, with a couple of clicks. In 2023, we've laid foundations that will guide us forward, enabling us to fulfill our mission of revolutionizing the way governments buy goods and services. We know for sure that our work will leave an indelible mark on the evolution of government procurement, reshaping the landscape and ensuring a lasting impact.

Join us in celebrating the moments that have shaped our year, acknowledging the incredible strides made possible by the dedication of our one-of-a-kind team and the unwavering support of our valued government clients, investors, advisors, and partners.

A Year of Milestones: Reflecting on Our 2023 Achievements 
Our rapid growth and adoption in the last years of operations has allowed us to streamline procurement operations for over 46 Federal, State and Local government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the States of Illinois and Florida, Dallas County, Pierce County, and the Cities of Seattle, Pittsburg, Miami, Oakley and others. 

We’ve facilitated the procurement of over 5.8 Million items to date, and have successfully transacted over $4.3 Million dollars through our government marketplaces. Our work has been featured on Bloomberg News, Stanford, ILSR, Business Insider, and Bloomberg Radio, and ranked in the Top 10 GovTech Solutions and as a 2022 Open Contracting Champion by Open Contracting Partnership.

We began the year with the wonderful news that the Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), a part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), selected one of our most valuable and significant projects, the Tianguis Digital Pre Bases module, to be included in the OECD Case Study Library.

As the year unfolded, we reshaped our approach to a product-centric focus with Glass Commerce. Our commitment remained steadfast in crafting robust procurement tools that elevate our government user experience, finely tuned to the unique requirements of our public sector clients and partners.

By May, we had successfully secured a $3.7 Million seed round, led by investors from New Age Capital, with participation from Newtopia VC, Alcove Capital, SV Links, Kittyhawk Ventures, One Planet VC, Worldgate Group, Alchemist Accelerator, Tubbs Ventures, Capital Plus Financial, Corporación Inmex - NOA Capital Corp., PeopleFund Inc., and others.

Sara Gandini Gubinelli, Associate at Newtopia VC, told us they “Look for founders who are aiming to solve massive problems and transform the industries where they operate. Glass’s goal is to build the next generation of public procurement platforms in a multibillion-dollar and legacy industry that can not remain immune to the technological and digital revolution. Moreover, the founding team deeply understands the industry, which is necessary for strategically achieving its vision. We are happy to have partnered with Glass to continue working towards a more efficient process that impacts the allocation of public funds, making Glass the number one platform for government procurement.”

July brought us more amazing news! We received funding from Google, becoming part of one of the fastest-growing technology ecosystems in the world and accelerating our vision of revolutionizing how governments buy goods and services from small businesses worldwide.

"Google will accelerate our efforts of bringing 32 million U.S. small businesses into the government economy. With this support, we expect to heavily leverage and integrate Google's AI and ML capabilities into our pioneering government marketplaces," Paola Santana, our Founder and CEO, reflected.

In August, we introduced our brand-new Glass Commerce, an enhanced and more powerful iteration of our pioneering government e-commerce platform. We proudly rolled out two groundbreaking features tailored for small businesses: 1) Automatic Inventory and Price Syncing, and 2) Automatic Ordering Processing.

In September, we made it in the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield 200, a competition that spotlighted the most disruptive technology startups across multiple global industries.

In October, we presented the GLASS vision on the Forbes stage and had our very own Head of Research & Development, Gerardo Mateo, listed in the Forbes Under 30 ranking. We also debuted on our first Times Square’s billboard during New York Tech Week, thanks to the support of our valued investor, Newtopia VC, in partnership with Brex.

Paola highlighted that: “For GLASS, this opportunity transcends the spotlight; it serves as a testament to our tireless dedication to government innovation. Our presence in Times Square symbolizes our commitment to redefining the future of government procurement through Glass Commerce, our pioneering e-commerce solution. This moment is not only a source of pride for our team but also a profound milestone that reaffirms our pursuit of progress and excellence in the GovTech industry.”

Finally but not least, in December, Paola, along with the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic, introduced the Constitutional Intelligence Lab, marking a milestone for our presence in LATAM and our debut in using and applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the field of justice.

Our Vision Beyond the Achievements of 2023
2023 has been a magnificent one for all of us: we've grown as a team, reinvented ways to advance our company’s mission, and continued positioning ourselves as pioneers in the government e-commerce space. The journey continues, and we eagerly anticipate the next set of challenges and triumphs that await on the horizon. Thanks to our government partners, vendors, investors, advisors, friends, supporters, and to everyone who has been part of our growth! The best is next!

This blog was written by Gisela Montes, GovTech Community Lead at Glass.