Humphrey Chen: How CLIPr Used One Use Case to Break Into the U.S. GovTech Market

In Taiwan, many businesses and government agencies still rely heavily on manual labor for meeting notes, data organization, and interdepartmental communication.

In the U.S., however, we heard a very different story—where police departments are using AI tools to reclaim thousands of hours from administrative work, allowing more officers to return to the streets. This leap in efficiency is driven by American entrepreneur Humphrey Chen and the company he co-founded: CLIPr.

For many startups, breaking into the government market (GovTech) often feels like facing a fortress: hard-to-reach stakeholders, lengthy procedures, unclear needs, and drawn-out procurement cycles. But during a recent session in New York, we saw a path forward through the real-world experiences shared by Humphrey Chen.

What inspired startups most from this session was the realization that the government market isn't an impenetrable wall—it just requires the right entry point and a champion on the inside.

The CLIPr Journey: From Video AI to a Government Solution

Humphrey Chen has a cross-disciplinary background: MIT undergrad, Harvard MBA, and former executive at Microsoft, Verizon Wireless, and Amazon. Today, he leads CLIPr, a company focused on AI-powered video transcription and summarization, helping users extract key insights from large volumes of video content.

CLIPr’s tools aren’t just used by private companies—they’ve successfully entered U.S. government agencies, using automation and smart data management to reduce repetitive tasks.

During the session, Humphrey shared an important insight:

Once the first implementation is done, it creates a "demonstration effect"—making it easier for other departments or organizations to adopt new technology.

In GovTech, the real challenge isn’t the tech itself, but getting that first successful use case.

Takeaway 1: A Real-World Pilot Is More Valuable Than a Market Vision

Startups often pitch their “big vision”: market potential, long-term goals, and impact. But public sector buyers care less about blue-sky thinking and more about tangible outcomes and measurable results.

That’s why the first use case matters more than any market map.

Getting just one department or leader to take a chance and see real results—that’s what opens the door to further adoption.

So rather than pushing for a full-scale rollout, startups should focus on a small, high-impact pilot that clearly solves a real problem. That’s what makes your product credible in an unfamiliar market.

Takeaway 2: Building Trust Is Harder Than Building Tech

Humphrey pointed out that launching CLIPr wasn’t just about proving the stability of the tech—it was about designing onboarding processes and training programs that helped non-technical users trust the AI-generated results.

In other words:

No matter how good your tech is, if users don’t trust it, it won’t get used.

This is a crucial lesson for startups: it’s not enough to have a strong product. You also need to design a seamless adoption journey that guides and reassures users—especially those outside the tech bubble.

For Taiwan’s digital transformation to accelerate, this same principle holds true: we must build strong connections between users and technology, not just better software.

Takeaway 3: Collaboration Requires a Shared Understanding of the Problem

According to Humphrey, successful implementation starts with both sides having a shared awareness of the problem.

Even if your solution delivers great results (e.g., "efficiency improved by X%"), it won’t matter if the user doesn’t feel the pain point firsthand.

This struck a chord with the startup founders in the room. Many realize that instead of asking “How do I sell my product?”, the real question is: “Does the user recognize the problem I’m solving?”

When pain points are clearly understood and shared, you don’t have to push your product—the demand speaks for itself.

This challenges founders to reflect: Do you really understand your users’ most urgent needs?

Final Thoughts: Going Global Is About Gaining Perspective

We witnessed how one founder brought his product into one of the most demanding markets in the world: the U.S. government. And in doing so, he taught others a valuable lesson—strategy and implementation matter more than technology alone.

To succeed, startups must ask themselves:

• Can you replicate the “first use case → demonstration effect” strategy?

• Can you build trust with non-technical users through thoughtful communication?

• Can you identify shared pain points that resonate in each new market?

CLIPr’s story reminds us: great startups don’t just build products—they design the adoption process.

That’s why we encourage founders to join acceleration programs that offer real-world market access. It’s not just about showcasing your product or hearing startup success stories.

It’s about returning with a broader perspective and practical insights—and turning that into your next bold move.