Key facts
- Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox, former DOGE staffers, launched AI startup Special.
- Special aims to acquire companies and use AI to cut waste and improve efficiency.
- The company's first product, Figure Health, focuses on senior care.
- Figure Health acquired a Texas-based provider serving over 1,400 patients.
- The startup is backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Steve Davis, Brian Armstrong, and Shyam Sankar.
Two former employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox, have launched a new startup named Special. This venture aims to acquire companies within the $10 trillion Main Street services economy and leverage artificial intelligence to identify and eliminate waste. Their approach is inspired by the cost-cutting efforts they led at DOGE, which reportedly contributed to approximately $215 billion in estimated savings. Special is developing an operating system, SpecialOS, integrating AI models and proprietary tools to automate tasks like billing and scheduling. The company plans to vertically integrate by acquiring businesses rather than broadly licensing its technology. Their first product, Figure Health, targets the senior care sector and has already acquired a Texas-based provider serving over 1,400 patients. The founders intend to use AI efficiencies to increase nurse pay and improve care quality, and plan to open-source their Medicare and Medicaid billing claims. Special has secured backing from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, DOGE alumni like Steve Davis, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, and Palantir's Shyam Sankar.