Date: 2026-10-05 Source: Email “New Gov Data Project” (michael@ryevalley.co SENT, Oct 5 2026) Recipient: Matt (role/last name not in email; implied OpenAI contact)
Signal
Michael emailed someone named Matt about the gov data project he and Emil Barr are building together - state-level government data that could be useful for AI labs. Email subject: “New Gov Data Project.” Michael introduced himself with his LinkedIn and noted “a friend and I are working on a project that secures state-level government data that could be useful for y’all at OpenAI.” He asked to reconnect or get pointed to the right POC on their team.
This is a new outreach leg of the gov data project beyond micro1 (see meeting: Gov Data Chat with Emil and Hunter (micro1)). The micro1 meeting flagged “the labs” as a potential buyer category - this is Michael acting on that.
Business Facts
- Gov data project is actively being shopped to multiple potential buyers: micro1 (Oct 2 meeting) and now OpenAI (Oct 5 email)
- Project is a partnership between Michael and Emil Barr; Emil’s company has state-gov SaaS relationships in 25 states with access to non-PII operational data
- Outreach to Matt at OpenAI is cold/warm (past relationship implied by “This is Michael Houck (new email / company)”)
- No response yet; watch for Matt’s reply or referral to another POC
Watch
- Matt’s reply or OpenAI POC referral
- Whether this becomes a data licensing deal and at what scale
- Whether Emil is aware Michael is now pinging labs directly
Update: 2026-10-15 - Two data-buyer inbounds: Handshake AI and Ooak Data
Source: Emails “Handshake AI data partnership follow-up” (Maura McFalls, Handshake AI) and “Hello from Ooak Data” (Christian Vavuris, Ooak Data, YC S26), Oct 15.
Michael submitted the dataset (assumed to be the gov data project, filed in Rye Valley’s name) to data-partnership intake at both:
- Handshake AI: Maura McFalls (Data Partnerships) says Rye Valley “could be a good fit” based on the intake form and asked to book a 15-minute call covering the opportunity, NDA, and initial review process. Handshake was already on Emil’s pilot-buyer outreach list (Houck / Emil Weekly - Oct 9, 2026).
- Ooak Data: Christian Vavuris (Data Partnerships Lead) asked for a tearsheet. Michael declined to send one yet, saying the situation is unique and better explained live, and asked for 15 minutes Friday Oct 16 or Monday Oct 19.
Watch: whether Michael books the Handshake call, Ooak call outcome, and whether a tearsheet is needed as a standard asset for these buyers.