Dashboards, Drones, and the Ecosystem of Pain
We went to a government innovation event to talk about AI. We ended up talking about dashboards.
Not because they’re flashy. Not because they’re groundbreaking. But because, across every founder pitch we heard—from drone deployments to GovTech AI platforms—the dashboard kept showing up.
And that got us thinking: Why does every innovation in complex ecosystems end up needing a dashboard?
Let’s dive into what we’re now calling the “Ecosystem of Pain.”
Welcome to the Ecosystem of Pain
When you’re selling into government or enterprise, the world gets complicated fast. You’re not just selling to a user. You’re navigating a network of stakeholders:
The user, who actually needs your product
The sponsor, who champions it internally
The economic buyer, who controls the budget
And the saboteur (yes, that’s a real role), who would prefer the status quo
Each of these people experiences different pains—and values different outcomes. That’s your job as a founder: map the pain, communicate the value.
Why Dashboards Matter (Even When They Shouldn’t)
At the event, we watched startup after startup demo their solutions. Drones, traffic cams, data aggregators. Different missions, different tools—but every single one ended their pitch with a dashboard.
Even the Elk Grove PD showed a dashboard visualizing response times over the past few months. Not because their drone pilots needed it. But because someone higher up—the economic buyer—did.
Dashboards became the universal translator of value across roles.
Not because anyone actually uses them day-to-day. But because they’re the easiest way to say:
“Look, we’re making things better.”
The Most Important Feature No One Uses
The dashboard isn’t usually the feature that drives the work. But it often becomes the feature that gets the sale.
Here’s why:
It validates impact for budget-holders.
It proves efficiency to skeptical stakeholders.
It demonstrates ROI for the procurement process.
It’s not about the data. It’s about the story the data tells.
And as a founder, your job is to tell a story that travels up the org chart.
Dashboards as Rapid Prototypes
Even if you’re not building a data product, dashboards can be a stealthy way to validate your value prop.
You don’t need a full-featured product. You need a few visuals that say:
Here’s what we save.
Here’s what we improve.
Here’s why it matters.
If the dashboard doesn’t resonate? That’s your cue to dig deeper into the pain.
We used this method ourselves during the Sacramento Innovation Challenge. The goal was to reduce ambulance patient offload time (APOT). The solution? A dashboard showing trends, outliers, and external variables like traffic patterns.
We didn’t prototype the process. We prototyped the outcome.
And that’s what got buy-in.
Founders: Start with the Story
If you’re selling into complex orgs—government, healthcare, enterprise—don’t just design for the user.
Design for the whole ecosystem:
The person who uses your product
The person who writes the check
The person who might block you out of fear, ego, or budget politics
Map their pain. Speak their language. Show the value.
And maybe, just maybe, put it on a dashboard.
About Josh David Miller
Over the past decade, Josh David Miller has empowered over 100 startup founders and innovators to launch and scale their ventures. As the driving force behind the Traction Lab Venture Accelerator,
Josh specializes in guiding early-stage startups through the intricate journey from ideation to product-market fit. His expertise lies in transforming innovative concepts into viable, market-ready solutions, ensuring entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of the startup ecosystem with confidence and strategic insight.
About Cameron R. Law
Cameron R. Law is a Sacramento native dedicated to building community, growing ecosystems, and empowering entrepreneurs.
As the Executive Director of the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at California State University, Sacramento, he leverages his passion for the region to foster innovation and support emerging ventures. Through his leadership, Cameron plays a pivotal role in shaping Sacramento's entrepreneurial landscape, ensuring that innovators and builders have the resources and support they need to succeed.
