Countable Corporation (known simply as Countable) is a left-leaning software company that provides social engagement tools to businesses to provide them with social engagement tools, including tools to contact elected officials or conduct get-out-the-vote campaigns.
The firm was founded in 2013 by Bart Myers and Peter Arzhintar and later acquired Causes, a consumer-facing community engagement and activism platform founded by Sean Parker. Countable has worked to implement left-of-center “social impact” programs at companies including Levi Strauss, Uber, Patagonia, and the New York Times. The firm also was a vendor for the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and provided technology hosting services for the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention. Countable also hosts the website for CEOs for Gun Safety, a gun-control advocacy project formed by the CEO of Levi Strauss and Co. and advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. 1 2 3
Background
Countable was founded in 2013 by Bart Myers and Peter Arzhintar, cofounders of SideReel, a web-based television company that they sold to TiVo in 2011. Myers had been involved with the 2004 presidential campaign of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) and sought to start a new company focused on politics, particularly around campaign finance reform and online privacy legislation. Dean’s 2004 campaign manager, Joe Trippi, has been an advisor for the company since its inception. 4
The first iteration of Countable was an application that summarized bills before Congress and allowed users to immediately email their congressional representatives to support or oppose bills. The software was initially only available as an application linked to Facebook. 5
In 2019, Countable acquired Causes and Brigade, both applications founded by Facebook co-founder Sean Parker that included a ballot guides and other voting and engagement tools. Brigade was the parent company of Causes and its sale to Countable was attributed to a lack of success in user adoption. 6
Activity and Clients
In addition to its consumer-facing application, Countable profits software as a service technology to most left-of-center notable companies, nonprofits, and political campaigns to help them conduct civic engagement campaigns. 7
Clients of Countable have included Starbucks, Uber, the McCain Institute, Red Nose Day, USA Facts, Levi’s, PG&E, the Environmental Defense Fund, Albertsons, Wondros, Patagonia, and Google. 8 9
2020 Democratic National Convention
Countable was major vendor for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which was held virtually. It operated the convention’s “stories hub” which allowed Democrats to share testimonials supporting the party platform and the Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. 10
CEOs For Gun Safety
Countable is also a vendor for CEOs for Gun Safety, a left-leaning public policy campaign that has released multiple letters from American business executives expressing support for federal gun control legislation. The group is organized by Everytown for Gun Safety and Levi Strauss and Co., a highlighted client of Countable. The CEOs of other Countable clients signed the CEOs for Gun Safety letter, including executives at Uber and Starbucks. 11 12
Investors
Investors in Countable include people affiliated with the firms Ulysses, Mighty Capital, Fernbrook, Canaan, and Global Catalyst Partners Japan. 13
References
- “About Us.” Countable. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.countable.com/company/
- “Home.” CEOs for Gun Safety. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.ceosforgunsafety.org/
- Constine, Josh. “Sean Parker’s Brigade/Causes acquired by govtech app Countable.” Tech Crunch. May 1, 2019. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/01/brigade-countable/
- Finley, Klint. “An App That Makes It Easy to Pester Your Congress Member.” Wired. May 14, 2014. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.wired.com/2014/05/countable/
- Finley, Klint. “An App That Makes It Easy to Pester Your Congress Member.” Wired. May 14, 2014. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.wired.com/2014/05/countable/
- Constine, Josh. “Sean Parker’s Brigade/Causes acquired by govtech app Countable.” Tech Crunch. May 1, 2019. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/01/brigade-countable/
- “About Us.” Countable. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.countable.com/company/
- “Client Success Stories.” Countable. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.countable.com/client-success-stories
- “Political Campaigns.” Countable. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.countable.com/solutions/political-campaigns
- “Powered By Countable: The DNC Stories Hub.” Higher Ground Labs. September 23, 2020. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://highergroundlabs.com/powered-by-countable-the-dnc-stories-hub/
- Primack, Dan. “Exclusive: CEOs call on Senate to pass gun legislation.” Axios. June 9, 2022. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.axios.com/2022/06/09/ceos-senate-gun-legislation-letter
- “2022 Letter.” CEOs for Gun Safety. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.ceosforgunsafety.org/pages/letter
- “About Us.” Countable. Accessed June 27, 2022. https://www.countable.com/company/