A civic engagement group led by big-name investors in the tech industry is working to build a social network for politics.
Brigade — which launched in April and is backed and led by Napster co-founder Sean Parker — announced Wednesday that it has acquired the political social network tools Causes and Votizen.
{mosads}“This is one of the first steps we’re taking to re-energize interest in democracy by bringing together people who are passionate about different issues in their communities, cities, states and countries, and allowing them to take action,” Brigade said in a blog post.
“Overcoming 50 years of declining participation in democracy and feelings of powerlessness, disconnectedness and disenfranchisement by big interest groups and big money takes time, energy and resources,” the blog post said, pointing to the “great power in the technology that Causes and Votizen helped build.”
In addition to Brigade Chairman Parker, the group is backed by Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff and Silicon Valley investor Ron Conway, who has provided financial backing to Google, PayPal and Foursquare.
Brigade executives include Adam Connor and John Thrall, formerly of Facebook and Yahoo, respectively.
After the acquisition announced Wednesday, Brigade’s leadership team will include Votizen executives Jason Putorti, formerly of Mint.com, and Miche Capone, as well as Andrew Noyes, formerly of Facebook and Uber.
In a statement, Parker praised the new leadership additions, touting their “unique understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with civic engagement and advocacy” that will give Brigade “a massive head start in tackling a tremendous challenge.”
President James Windon said in a statement that Brigade will continue to grow as it tackles “one of the last areas of our society nearly untouched by technology: civic engagement.”
“Today’s announcement is just the beginning of an exciting journey for us all,” he said.