The money, which follows ClearGov’s construction of infographic-style statistical portals for more than 20,000 local governments in 20 states, comes in a Kepha Partners-led round. MassVentures, a quasi-public investment corporation and angel investors, also participated in the funding, according to a press release. Kepha and MassVentures are both based in ClearGov’s home state, Massachusetts.
ClearGov, a Gov Tech 100 company, operates on a freemium business model. First it sets up hosted statistics portals for local governments, drawing on publicly available data, then offers premium upgrades to those governments. That data is benchmarked against similar, nearby communities to provide context.
“ClearGov’s team has a proven entrepreneurial track record and the company’s traction with local governments in Massachusetts speaks for itself,” said Eric Hjerpe, partner at Kepha Partners, in the statement. “The company’s solution is incredibly topical as governments are increasingly battling misinformation, making the need to improve transparency and build public trust ever-more important.”
The company’s upgrades include more detailed financials and back-office software that enables government officials to dig deeper into statistics and help generate reports.
“Ultimately, we believe our platform has the potential to positively impact millions of people through a more informed and efficient democracy,” ClearGov CEO Chris Bullock said in the statement.
ClearGov previously received a $35,000 grant from the Knight Foundation in 2015.
