Higher Ground Labs was launched in May to support emerging digital tools for future national and state campaigns — Democratic campaigns, that is, since the fund was started by former Obama tech aides.
It’s a response to campaign investments from wealthy conservative backers like the Koch brothers.
“We haven’t built a culture around investors who invest in political tech in a real way,” Higher Ground co-founder Betsy Hoover told Wired. “I think there’s a real moment to think about this differently.” The fund has raised at least $2.5 million since it launched — 60% of which has been invested in a cohort of 10 companies that are part of Higher Ground’s accelerator.
They include: Hope, a mobile-communications platform that aims to help people understand and engage in political issues; surveying tool Qriously; and Field Day, a local data aggregator for campaign marketing.
