Applying for or renewing a government document has never been a fun process for anyone. In fact, most people dread it, as they have to journey out to a government office, line up for a few hours, and fill out cumbersome paper forms. The process, which was not built with the regular person in mind, is also prone to delays, causing stress and frustration for everyone. This is partly why only 56% of adult Americans have a valid passport, as many people deem it too much trouble to go through the process if they don’t have any immediate plans to go abroad.
Digital startup GovPlus was founded by technology enthusiast and entrepreneur Guy Lelouch and business partner Katie D’Amore to address this issue. It seeks to provide a seamless and convenient alternative to the archaic manual system through an innovative and fully digital platform. GovPlus’ platform handles seven different government document applications – passports, Employer Identification Numbers, birth certificates, Social Security cards, address changes, and airport check-ins – with more types to be added in the coming months.
The GovPlus platform has an intuitive, easy-to-use interface and uses a patented auto-fill technology, enabling users to retrieve their information with a single click. This also means that they no longer need to key it in each time they file an application. The dashboard displays all of the user’s active applications, so they can keep track of them and avoid duplication. GovPlus offers multiple other services: online notary, digital signature, passport photos, and online payment of mandatory government fees.
Guy highlights GovPlus’ versatile and convenient passport photo function. Normally, applicants must go to a photography studio to have a picture taken that meets the State Department’s standards. With GovPlus, applicants just need to take a selfie and upload it to the platform. GovPlus then uses artificial intelligence to improve the image’s quality and crops it to passport dimensions, allowing it to meet government requirements.
GovPlus places huge importance on digital data security, due to the nature of the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) it handles. It employs qualified cybersecurity experts and implements 256-bit encryption, multi-factor authentication, and malware protection to safeguard the data.
According to Guy, he has been passionate about computers and programming since he was seven years old. He grew up admiring the tech company founders in Silicon Valley, as well as the innovations they’ve brought into the world. After finishing his studies, he migrated to the US with plans of building his own technology business.
In the process of setting up his company, Guy needed to obtain an Employer Identification Number, but it was a weekend and the federal website was closed. He believed that this defeated the purpose of having a website at all, so he created a program that would complete this process, even on the weekend. And, thus, the idea behind GovPlus was born. Guy and Katie extended the effort to several similar projects, and they realized that having all these solutions hosted on a single platform would be incredibly convenient for everyone, which led to the creation of the GovPlus platform.
“As a tech entrepreneur, I am always looking at how it can be harnessed to make life easier,” Guy says. “Government document applications are one of those things that people dread because of the sheer inefficiency of the process, and I’ve experienced it firsthand. This is why I co-founded GovPlus, to create a better experience for everybody and help them save their time and effort. Our team is constantly developing new solutions and looking at additional ways to serve our users and remove the friction in obtaining important government documents.”
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