As the tech world's elite, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, attended President Donald Trump's inauguration, dozens of startup founders were busy networking with the new administration's inner circle at parties across Washington D.C. According to these founders, getting an audience with the president's team wasn't as challenging as one might expect.

Valar Atomics founder Isaiah Taylor, for instance, managed to score three separate invites to Mar-A-Lago in the last month by sending a two-page document on changes he'd like to see to nuclear regulations to anyone he knew with DC connections. His company aims to use nuclear power to generate synthetic hydrocarbon fuel. Taylor's experience was surprisingly common, with many founders enjoying the fruits of their industry's political jockeying.

These entrepreneurs attended exclusive events, such as David Sacks' Crypto Ball, a crypto rave sponsored by the Milady NFT group, and a "Coronation Ball" hosted by a publishing company associated with Curtis Yarvin, a thought leader cited by both Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel. The atmosphere was one of optimism, with founders sensing an opportunity to shape the new administration's policies and secure lucrative government contracts.

Tyler Sweatt, CEO of defense tech startup Second Front Systems, expressed a common frustration among founders: bureaucratic opacity. However, after attending events like the vice presidential dinner and Trump's pre-inauguration candlelight dinner, Sweatt felt that the country might be entering a rare moment where the federal government, big tech, and the startup ecosystem are aligned, and the shroud surrounding the government's inner workings might be lifted.

Jacob Martin, general partner of crypto fund 2 Punks Capital and co-founder of gaming guild Ready Player DAO, was keeping a close eye on news that Trump had immediately pardoned Silk Road's infamous founder Ross Ulbricht, currently serving life in prison. Although the pardon didn't materialize, Martin hopes the Trump administration can create an environment where "people are able to utilize blockchain technology to make better things, launch tokens when necessary, and not have to worry about jail time."

Several founders believe that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency will open the floodgates for startups to pitch the government on their products, aiming to fulfill its promise of making the government more efficient. James Layfield, chief sales officer of Samplify.ai, created a website called "DogeProof.com" to offer his company's products to government agencies for free, helping them rid themselves of extraneous subscriptions before Musk comes along to slash their costs. Layfield pitched his idea to Florida Representative Byron Donalds at an inauguration ball and reported that the congressman seemed intrigued.

Rabi Alam, founder of Counter Health, hopes that DOGE might support his company's mission to streamline the healthcare system while keeping the quality of care high. Alam scored an invite to the Inauguration Ball, where he intended to scout some DOGE employees and gain a better understanding of the initiative's approach.

The weekend's events underscore the importance of staying focused on their day jobs, amidst the glamour of DC parties and events. As Valar Atomics' Isaiah Taylor noted, "There's people who are trying to be in the right room, and there are people trying to get the work done." As the tech industry navigates this new era of government-startup collaboration, it remains to be seen which founders will successfully balance networking with delivering results.