When I first came to this country from India to join Microsoft Corporation in 2006, I was struck by the core American belief in the power of two-way communication between lawmakers and constituents. On a basic level, Americans believe in the impact that their voice can have on their leaders in government. That’s a very powerful belief and in stark contrast to other parts of the world. Even in thriving democracies like India, the only form of feedback available to citizens is to vote once every five years. An interactive relationship between people and their representatives is simply not part of the system.
Over the past year, that building block of American democracy has been fortified further. The 2016 election has awoken the drive for civic engagement and activism across the political spectrum. In this moment, we have an opportunity to solidify that drive by making it easier than ever for citizens to decode the black box of Washington and make their voices heard. So we are thrilled to be leading the Seed round of financing for Countable. They are bringing civic engagement into the palms of our hands.
Countable launched in 2014 with the goal of making it easier for citizens to communicate with their representatives in Congress. Founder Bart Myers always felt disillusioned with Washington and wanted to help the average American to better understand what Congress was up to and make their voices heard — a modern take on reading the paper, writing a letter to your lawmaker, and then telling your friends about it.
As an investor, one of the hardest thing to nail in early stage companies is product/market fit. In this case, Countable’s product predated this explosive market for civic engagement, but with recent events, we believe this startup has found its moment. Since Inauguration Day alone, Countable has seen 2,000% growth and Americans have sent more than 2.7 million messages to Congress through the app.
There are a few core buckets in every human’s mindshare: 1) family and friends 2) professional network 3) causes we are passionate about. While Facebook owns the first category and LinkedIn the second, the third is wide open. To date there has been no digital home for a discourse on issues and causes that ultimately affect policies. It is astounding since these policies affect our lives every single day!
With a leadership team of experts and advisors from across media and government, Countable is poised fill that void. Learn more and sign up at Countable.us.