During COG’s April Board of Directors Meeting, Paul Kihn, Deputy Mayor for Education for the District of Columbia, and William Lopez, co-founder of BuildWithin, provided an update on Talent Capital, the region’s first AI-powered workforce platform, centralizing career resources and vetted training opportunities for job seekers across the metropolitan Washington region.
Launched in the fall of 2025 by COG and regional partners, including government officials like DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, and leaders in the business, nonprofit, philanthropic, and higher education sectors, the platform has become a go-to resource serving tens of thousands of area residents and was honored with a Product of the Year Award from Technica.ly, an online news organization focused on innovation and entrepreneurship.
COG Executive Director Clark Mercer stated that Talent Capital is working to secure joint funding from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia to sustain operations for an additional two years. Through strategic partnerships with local workforce boards and the technology firm Build Within, which created Talent Capital, the region is actively supporting displaced federal workers and preparing the broader workforce for in-demand jobs and an AI-enabled economy.
Deputy Mayor Paul Kihn highlighted how Talent Capital is expanding: "This is a truly regional effort. We're talking to all the local community colleges about the idea of creating a shared course catalog, and we are working with economic development agencies and workforce boards to figure out how we can integrate our training more effectively, regardless of what jurisdiction you're in."
William Lopez of BuildWithin shared engagement statistics that show the platform currently connects more than 83,000 active users to 65,000 full-time jobs. Data from Talent Capital is also providing real-time insights into our regional job market. Lopez noted that regional hiring demand remains particularly strong in the healthcare sector, like home health aides and nurses, as well as engineering and trade sectors. Lopez also mentioned how the Talent Capital platform can match candidates directly to eligibility-verified training programs, eliminating traditional American Job Center wait times.
Looking ahead, Talent Capital will launch free virtual AI foundational skills training in May. Developers are also building an employer-facing portal to match candidates directly based on validated skills rather than traditional keyword searches. By co-designing cohort curriculums with industry leaders, COG and its partners are building a resilient, fully integrated workforce pipeline for a prosperous regional future.
To learn more, visit TalentCapital.AI