MapLight

MapLight reveals the influence of money on politics, combining data on campaign contributions, votes, and more in groundbreaking ways.

  • Stage Full Product Ready
  • Industry Other
  • Location Berkeley, CA, USA
  • Currency USD
  • Founded March 2005
  • Employees 11
  • Website maplight.org

Company Summary

MapLight illuminates the connection between money and politics. Our groundbreaking transparency website combines campaign contribution data with how every legislator votes on every bill, providing citizens and journalists with the transparency tools to hold politicians accountable. Influence connections that used to require days or weeks of research to uncover are now available at the click of a mouse.

Team

  • Daniel Newman
    President and Co-Founder

    Dan, an entrepreneur and political organizer, was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2010. He is the author of 3 books on speech recognition software and the founder of Say I Can, a speech recognition firm. Dan has consulted for political and nonprofit groups, including the Center for Voting and Democracy and the Israel Venture Network. He is a Network Fellow at the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University.

  • Jeffrey ErnstFriedman
    Research Director

    With extensive experience covering politics and policy in DC, Jeff brings a deep editorial background to the MapLight team. As a Web producer for CQ.com, he was a writer, editor, and researcher for more than a dozen products and newsletters. As deputy editor of CQ Homeland Security, he managed the content production of 3 daily newsletters before moving on to a business analyst role developing new online products for CQ and CQ-Roll Call.

  • Pamela Heisey
    Communications Director

    Pamela has 21 years of communications experience in marketing communications, public relations, sustainability programs, community outreach, and events. She has integrated numerous innovative, high-impact communications programs into forward-thinking private and non-profit institutions. Pamela has a BS from UC Berkeley and completed a High Impact Leadership Program at the Walter A. Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

  • Mike Krejci
    Technical Director

    Mike is the former IT Director of the National Institute on Money in State Politics and also of Project Vote Smart. He has built and maintained comprehensive databases on the voting records, position statements, backgrounds, and campaign finances of tens of thousands of candidates for public office, along with managing websites and developing APIs and other tools. He brings 20 years of experience in nonprofit political databases and web needs.

Advisors

  • Lawrence Lessig
    Lawyer
    Unconfirmed
    Crosby & Kaneda
    Accountant
    Unconfirmed

Previous Investors

  • Open Society Foundations
    Unconfirmed
    Sunlight Foundation
    Unconfirmed
    New Progressive Coalition
    Unconfirmed

Starting a startup?

Join the world's largest startup network for guidance, tools, and fundraising opportunities.

Get Started for Free