Turnout, a US-based platform that guides Americans through complex government processes with real human support and AI-powered technology, has raised $35 million in Series A funding led by HighPost Capital. The company combines its AI agent Jake with licensed advocates to simplify claims for Social Security Disability, Veterans Benefits, healthcare navigation, and education advocacy. The capital will expand the Jake AI platform and human advocate workforce.
AI Meets Record Benefits Claims Surge
The timing aligns with record government claims volumes and accelerating AI adoption in benefits processing. Advocate raised a $4 million seed round to target similar Social Security and veterans claims. Turnout's hybrid model addresses a broader set of services with integrated human escalation.
High Denial Rates and Long Waits
SSDI applications face a 70% initial denial rate, while veterans encounter multi-month waits for claims processing. Traditional processes involve lengthy paperwork, hold times, and fragmented support across agencies. The company has already logged more than 10 million minutes of advocacy since its 2025 seed round and served over 10,000 people.
Hybrid AI Agent with Human Escalation
Turnout built Jake, an AI agent that handles phone waits, document retrieval, form filling, and triggers human handoff when needed. This differs from pure algorithmic platforms like Advocate by maintaining licensed advocates across four service lines. Onboarding now takes under 30 minutes compared to days or weeks traditionally.
As CEO Itai Hirsch stated:
"We started Turnout because the gap between what Americans are entitled to and what they actually receive is inexcusable. We're building the advocate they deserve. One that knows them, stays with them, and doesn't disappear when the matter closes."
Family-Backed Capital Validates Model
HighPost Capital led the round with participation from Shine Capital, LGVP, Mangusta Capital, Honeystone Ventures, and angel Omri Casspi. HighPost, backed by the Bezos family, previously focused on consumer bets. Prior seed investors Shine and LGVP increased their commitment, signaling continued conviction in the AI-consumer-govtech thesis.
$2.3B Advocacy Market Expanding
The advocacy software market stands at $2.3 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $3.8 billion by 2035 at a 10.12% CAGR. Separate research values the benefits navigation platform market at $13.47 billion with 10.8% growth. Record VA disability claims exceeded 2.5 million in FY2025, while the AI claims processing market grows at 16.2% CAGR. Turnout's multi-benefit positioning targets this fragmentation.
Lifetime Advocacy Model Scales
Turnout positions itself as a consumer advocacy platform charging software fees rather than legal services. A Steve Harvey partnership extends reach to its core demographic. Average customers use 1.8 services, supporting the lifetime model at a $400 million post-money valuation.