Fig is an AI-powered platform revolutionizing how local governments handle citizen phone calls. Our solution uses advanced voice AI to answer routine inquiries—like about garbage pickup schedules or permit applications—freeing up municipal staff to focus on the delivery of other necessary public services. By integrating directly with public databases and websites, Fig delivers 24/7, multilingual, and GDPR-compliant support at a fraction of the cost of human operators. Our mission is to modernize citizen service, making it faster, more efficient, and more accessible.
Local governments receive thousands of repetitive calls daily, overwhelming staff, causing long wait times, and driving up operational costs—up to £500k annually per 100,000 residents. Most of these queries can be answered with public information, yet municipalities lack scalable tools to handle this volume efficiently.
Fig addresses:
- high costs of human call centers
- citizen frustration from slow response times
- limited service hours and accessibility
- lack of multilingual and automated support.
Founding team
Magan Chin
Magan Chin is an MPhil student in Technology Policy at Cambridge. She has a background in digital content creation and early-career advising, founding GenZBestie to help students navigate college, careers, and emerging tech fields. She recently graduated from Columbia University where she studied computational neuroscience and international affairs. She has also worked across many industries including finance, consulting, medicine, and government and thus personally knows the struggle of trying to figure out her career. Magan is passionate about the future of work and developing solutions to equip people for an AI-driven economy.
Stan van Baarsen
Stan van Baarsen is an MPhil student in Technology Policy at the University of Cambridge, with a dual background in Computer Science (Leiden University) and International Business (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam). He is passionate about the intersection of technology, policy, and innovation, with a particular interest in sustainable development and technology’s impact on society. Stan focuses on fostering innovation through both technical and business perspectives. His diverse academic background in technology, business, and public economics equips him with a deep understanding of business and policy challenges. Stan has studied in the Netherlands, the US and the UK, giving him the broad global perspective needed to address many of today’s complex challenges.