Entrepreneurs invade a government enclave.

Washington DC might be the political centre of the world’s largest economic and military power but its inhabitants seem to harbour niggling doubts that the city itself is asmuch fun and as interesting as other cities, such as New York.

Whatever the cause of such insecurities, the region is looking to become more innovative as a way to offset an expected slowdown in government, or federal, spending, which accounted for about 27% of jobs in 2008.

In an interview…