Our Biggest Investment Round Yet: $1.2 Million for Progressive Startups

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By Julie Menter

In the categories:

We’re proud to to announce our largest round of funding to date—$1.2 million in grants and investments to a new cohort of progressive organizations working at the intersection of tech, media, and political organizing.

After receiving nearly 740 applications, up from last year’s 500, we’ve narrowed down the field to 13 outstanding startups. These founders are changing hearts and minds and building the movements and campaigns of the future – we’re delighted to welcome them to the NMV portfolio:

  • BallotReady provides customized voter turnout tools for campaigns, advocacy groups, and nonprofits to inform voters about their entire ballot and encourage them to vote.

  • EARN’s mission is to create prosperity for working families by helping them save through products like SaverLife, a new online platform that provides financial coaching tips and matches portions of family savings for six months.

  • Equality Labs provides digital security curriculum, trainings, and assessments that help campaigns and advocacy groups make informed decisions about which tools to use and other ways to reduce their risk.

  • MobilizeAmerica is a volunteer and events management platform and network that enables progressive activists, organizations, and campaigns to connect and win.

  • The Movement Cooperative is a member-led organization that serves to sustainably provide the best available data, technology, and resources to the progressive community and to increase its collective power and impact.

  • mRelief’s mission is to restore dignity by transforming access to social services. This easy-to-use text message and web platform helps low-income Americans find out if they qualify for SNAP and enroll end-to-end in the program.

  • Jolt builds the collective voice, power, and influence of the Latino community in Texas through year-round issue organizing, storytelling, and voter registration and mobilization.

  • Pay Your Tuition helps families access capital to pay for education costs. The focus is on the last-mile loan needed to ensure the student will cross the finish line and obtain a degree.

  • Resistance Labs uses mass peer-to-peer texting to support movements and campaigns at critical moments. Resistance Labs sent 7 million texts to organize, resist, register voters of color, and recruit and support candidates over the last year.

  • Run for Something recruits and supports young diverse progressives running for local office for the first time.

  • Spread the Vote (STV) obtains government-issued photo IDs for eligible voters in voter ID states. STV’s volunteer chapters obtain necessary documents, pay fees, and provide advocacy and transportation to help voters obtain IDs, register to vote, and get to the polls – not to mention access critical services the rest of the year.

  • Swayable predicts how content changes people's minds and helps campaigns tell important truths more effectively by directly observing the impact their storytelling has on the opinions of their audience.

  • Weird Enough Productions is a media company that uses superheroes and comic books to teach middle and high school students how to combat fake news.

We’re so inspired by the founders in this new cohort. They’re leveraging technology in innovative ways to help progressives win on the issues, win hearts and minds, and win at the ballot box. And right now, anything is possible, but nothing is guaranteed. That’s why we need your help.

If you’re a funder, please join us in supporting these groups. Last year, we mobilized $4 million, and this year we’re upping the ante and raising a $5 million fund so bold entrepreneurs have the capital they need to scale their impact. Contact Shannon for more information.

Of course, while funding is crucial, it’s not sufficient. This cohort of founders needs advisors, collaborators, vendors, and other partners to scale their impact. We hope you’ll join us in supporting their work. Interested? Contact Wes.