We at Democratize believe in transparency, we believe in inclusion and innovations that are improving our lives. We want to be a part of the better future and the Democratize app is our vessel for doing just that.

The vision formed early. At first it was blurry and abstract, but in time it got sharper and more concrete. We are here to improve democracy, transparency, and communication between the decision-makers and the people at every level.

We can bring you decision-making from the government, the EU, and city councils by using Open Data. You will know how decisions affect you, and by giving your opinion on the same issues as your representatives, you will know which party and which representative voted most like you. You will know who has actually been helpful in the issues that are important to you. All this data is based on facts and real votes by the representatives. The data that is reported through the app is made up of actions, not opinions.

This will improve accountability and transparency, but still covers only half of our everyday democracy. Decisions which affect your life are also being made in various other organizations such as NGOs, Universities, housing co-ops, unions, political parties, sport clubs and businesses. We want you to be part of those decisions as well.

We have created a web- based platform for those organizations to include their members into the decision- making process. This makes it possible for organisations be more transparent, more inclusive, and more accordant with their members. Through the platform, organizations can ask tailored questions from the correct audience, and keep their members informed on issues. This will lead to more satisfied members, as well as better decisions overall.

Combining Open Data and our platform makes us the comprehensive digital democracy solution which can be used in any democracy. At the moment, we are beginning to pilot the platform with selected partners all around Finland. We can still take on a few more organizations, so shoot us a message if you are interested!

Democratize is a team of three individuals coming together for a shared goal. Asko, our CTO and the tech architect — or, as he refers to himself, our designated “coding monkey” — handles the majority of the development. It absolutely comes in handy that he has over ten years of relevant expertise working with mobile and web apps, as well as startups. Sami, our newest member is all about front-end development. He is also currently employed as a consult by the largest media company in Finland. This guy knows his code! Our third member is Niklas, CEO, and the man with the plan. He has over ten years of experience in marketing and sales as well as in political science. Together we are bootstrapped, agile, and eager to learn and evolve.

**Additionally, we have an intern from the States on board named Grace Maguire. For her experience with Democratize and reasons for choosing to work with us, please check out her posts on our blog.

Forming a team that delivers results and motivates others can be a tricky job and needs attention. We have been lucky — through hard work — in creating an open and inclusive environment, where ideas, problems, and mistakes can be shared freely. Openness throughout the core team is one of the most important parts of running a startup and in Democratize, it is embedded into the root of our culture.

As we grow, we need more awesome people, who share our vision and our culture to join the team! If you are interested, feel free to reach out! And if you know somebody who would fit right in to Democratize, tell them about this opportunity!

We will release our MVP in the coming weeks and you can register for early access at democratize.fi . We also want to hear your opinion, so don’t be afraid of contacting us! We believe, that like democracy, Democratize is for us all. So, let’s make it better together!

Check out more at democratize.fi

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