Pradnya Desh, the founder and CEO of legal tech startup Advocat, is entering politics with a bid for Bellevue City Council in Washington state, hoping to bring her tech-rooted problem-solving mindset to local government. Desh, a former U.S. diplomat and attorney, says she believes that the public sector can benefit from the iterative, builder-style approach that drives startups forward.
According to GeekWire, her platform focuses on improving housing, transportation, social equity, and public safety, with a heavy emphasis on building Bellevue into a leading hub for startups and innovation.
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Bellevue's Startup Ecosystem Gets A Tech Insider Candidate
Desh launched Advocat to provide AI-powered legal tools to small businesses priced out of traditional services. Now she's applying the same logic to civic challenges, advocating for smarter processes and more efficient systems, GeekWire reports.
"I want to bring a founder's mindset to government, the kind of thinking that we've used to solve problems," Desh told GeekWire. "Because in tech, if something's broken you don't just wait, you have to solve it. We study a problem, we build, we talk to users, we iterate, and we constantly make it better. And that is missing from government."
She is running against incumbent Councilmember Jared Nieuwenhuis for one of five open seats on the seven-member council, GeekWire says. According to her website, Desh has already secured endorsements from the King County Democrats, 41st Democrats, and several other local leaders.
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As a trustee of Bellevue College and a mother of three, Desh told GeekWire that her commitment to the region is both professional and personal. “I want to see what I can do to help Bellevue now,” she said.
Big Tech Has Moved In But Infrastructure Still Trails Behind
Bellevue has become a magnet for major tech companies including Amazon AMZN, Meta META, Zoom ZM, Shopify SHOP, Shein, TikTok parent ByteDance, and Snowflake SNOW, all of which have opened offices in the city. Microsoft MSFT also had a significant presence in the area in previous years, GeekWire reports.
Desh believes the city needs to act faster to keep up with the pace of innovation. "We have a lot of the dots, but they're not all connected," she told GeekWire, referring to the region's fragmented approach to infrastructure and economic development.
Desh envisions a more coordinated tech ecosystem that includes better transportation, more affordable housing, and deeper partnerships between local government, founders, and investors, according to her website.
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Desh Wants To Help Washington Rival The Bay Area For Startups
One of Desh's concerns is the recent push for new business taxes in Washington state, which she told GeekWire could drive innovation elsewhere. "We need to solve it in a different way," Desh said, expressing her frustration with policies that she believes contradict efforts to make Washington more attractive to startups.
She told GeekWire she sees her City Council campaign as a launchpad for broader impact, potentially leading to future roles at higher levels of government. For now, she's focused on Bellevue, a city she believes is uniquely positioned to set the tone for tech-centered growth across the Pacific Northwest.
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