# Ask Sage **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/ask-sage **Vertical:** Government & Defense Tech **Subcategory:** Secure AI for Government **Tier:** Emerging **Website:** asksage.ai **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Secure generative AI for US government/defense. Acquired by BigBear.ai (NYSE: BBAI) for $250M. $25M ARR. $49M Army contract. Founded 2023 by ex-Air Force CSO. ## Company Overview Ask Sage is a secure generative AI platform built specifically for US federal government and defense organizations, founded in 2023 by a former US Air Force officer who experienced firsthand the gap between commercial AI capabilities and the security requirements of government use. The company was built to bring the productivity benefits of large language models to government workers operating in classified and controlled unclassified environments, where commercial AI tools like ChatGPT cannot be deployed. Ask Sage achieved FedRAMP authorization and operates on government cloud infrastructure to meet the data sovereignty and security requirements of its customer base.\n\nAsk Sage's platform provides government and military users with a ChatGPT-like AI experience that works within secure classified network environments, integrates with government data sources, and maintains the audit trails and access controls required for compliance. The platform supports mission planning, document drafting, regulatory research, and operational analysis use cases across defense, intelligence, and civilian federal agencies. A $49 million Army contract demonstrates the platform's operational deployment at scale within one of the US military's largest branches.\n\nAsk Sage was acquired by BigBear.ai (NYSE: BBAI) for $250 million at a time when the company had reached $25 million in ARR — a significant outcome for a company founded in 2023. The acquisition validates Ask Sage's market position and provides BigBear.ai with a proven, government-deployed AI product to accelerate its own federal AI strategy. The $250 million exit, achieved less than two years after founding, reflects the premium valuation commanded by FedRAMP-authorized AI platforms with proven defense procurement relationships. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does Ask Sage do? Secure generative AI platform for US government/defense at IL5 classification levels. ### Who acquired Ask Sage? BigBear.ai (NYSE: BBAI) for ~$250M cash (early 2026). ### What are Ask Sage's key contracts? $10M Pentagon CDAO partnership + $49M five-year Army contract. ### Who founded Ask Sage? Nicolas Chaillan, former first US Air Force Chief Software Officer, in 2023. ### What is Ask Sage and why was it built for government? Ask Sage is a secure generative AI platform purpose-built for US federal government and defense organizations. It was founded in 2023 by a former US Air Force officer who experienced firsthand the gap between commercial AI productivity tools (ChatGPT, Claude) and the security clearance and compliance requirements that prevent government workers from using those tools with sensitive information. ### What security certifications does Ask Sage have? Ask Sage has achieved FedRAMP authorization and operates on government-compliant cloud infrastructure (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government). The platform supports Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and is designed to meet the requirements of classified environments. These certifications are the primary barrier to entry for government AI vendors and represent Ask Sage's core competitive moat. ### What AI models does Ask Sage provide access to? Ask Sage provides access to multiple large language models including GPT-4, Claude, and other frontier models—accessed through government-compliant API configurations that ensure data stays within authorized boundaries. Government users can leverage leading commercial AI capabilities without data leaving FedRAMP-authorized infrastructure, solving the primary security concern that blocks direct ChatGPT or Claude use in government settings. ### Who founded Ask Sage and what is the company's go-to-market strategy? Ask Sage was founded by Nicolas Chaillan, a former Chief Software Officer of the US Air Force and Space Force—giving the company deep credibility with its target defense and federal customer base. The founder's background accelerates trust-building with defense agencies and enables faster procurement cycles compared to unknown startups navigating government security reviews for the first time. ### What is Ask Sage? Ask Sage is an AI platform built for government and defense use, providing a secure ChatGPT-like interface for federal employees that can operate on classified networks and complies with FedRAMP, IL4, and IL5 security authorization requirements. ### What security clearances does Ask Sage support? Ask Sage operates at multiple classification levels including FedRAMP Moderate, Impact Level 4 (IL4), and Impact Level 5 (IL5) environments, enabling government users to interact with AI on sensitive and classified government networks. ### How much has Ask Sage raised? Ask Sage is an early-stage govtech company with government-focused venture backing, growing alongside government demand for secure AI tools as federal agencies seek to leverage LLM capabilities within compliance-controlled environments. ### Who uses Ask Sage? Ask Sage is used by federal government agencies, military branches, and defense contractors that need secure, compliant AI assistants for document analysis, drafting, research, and code assistance on government networks. ## Tags b2b, saas, public --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*