Chris Watson, Vice President of Premise Data, joins Mike Shanley to discuss how AI innovation and federal procurement intersect, and what changes could facilitate greater innovation.

RESOURCES: GovDiscovery AI Federal Capture Support: https://www.govdiscoveryai.com/ Premise Data: https://premise.com/ Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwilliamwatson/

BIOGRAPHY: Chris Watson is an evangelist for digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, and increased use of commercial products in the global development industry. He currently leads Premise Data’s international development division, with a focus on scaling the use of Premise by country governments, development donors, and their implementing partners. Growing up in West Virginia, Chris became interested in issues of poverty, grassroots development, and the world outside his hometown. He began his international development career in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where he distributed $38 million in emergency seed and fertilizer to farmers returning to areas recently liberated from Taliban control. Not knowing whether this work had a real impact ignited his obsession with using real-time data collection and analytics to improve the efficacy of development programming. Over the last eight years, Chris has helped define and grow the use of Premise by stakeholders in global health, humanitarian assistance, and democracy and governance. He led go-to-market for the international development portfolio, securing support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to prove the value of Premise’s technology and subsequently scaling its use to 70+ development donors, implementing partners and governments. Chris and Premise deeply believe that local citizens should have an increased say in defining the challenges and improving development in their local communities. Shifting the task of collecting data and monitoring service delivery to thousands of local residents as gig work democratizes involvement in such issues while providing a supplementary source of income.

LEARN MORE: Thank you for tuning into this episode of the GovDiscovery AI Podcast with Mike Shanley. You can learn more about working with the U.S. Government by visiting our homepage: Konektid International and GovDiscovery AI. To connect with our team directly, message the host Mike Shanley on LinkedIn. https://www.govdiscoveryai.com/ https://www.konektid.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gov-market-growth/