Helping Democrats be better at the Internet
Tech for Campaigns’ (TFC) mission is to fight extremism and help Democrats win at scale by using advanced commercial digital marketing and data techniques.
To do that, we look for the highest ROI opportunities to utilize digital marketing and data to change electoral outcomes. Our program, The Lab, is our new model for evolving Democratic playbooks to win, designed to push the Democratic ecosystem into the modern age. It’s where Democrats can finally test ideas the way commercial organizations do, replacing a long-standing resistance to experimentation with a structure that forces learning and iteration.
The Lab funds short, focused digital tests across AI, messaging, creative, targeting, email, texting and emerging platforms. These experiments produce real data and real lessons, not vibes dressed up as strategy. We pair political organizations with senior commercial operators from places like Netflix and Airbnb who help guide the work. And we share the results so the ecosystem stops reinventing the wheel in isolation.
In other words, The Lab is the R&D function Democrats have never had. It is the muscle we need if we want to compete in an information environment defined by speed, AI and fragmentation. We can keep talking about innovation, or we can finally build it.
TFC started as an idea between three tech entrepreneurs in early 2017: What if, instead of just volunteering time and money, they could volunteer their expertise in web development, social media, paid marketing, and data analysis? They created a Google Doc to share the idea with friends, and within 72 hours had 700+ volunteer signups from Silicon Valley’s most sought-after tech and digital talent. The TFC model was first deployed in 2017’s Virginia state legislative elections and has grown to have worked in scores of states and with hundreds of campaigns since.
Our past programs included: 1. Digital Campaigns Services provides swing-district, state level political campaigns with access to world-class talent to implement digital strategies needed to compete. These campaigns would not otherwise have access to this level of talent. 2. Digital Voter Turnout - we run a best-in-class digital voter turnout program to turnout low propensity Democrats. Turnout decides close elections. And, finally, we use our Leaning Engine platform to learn from all of our programs quickly and share that knowledge with our teams, campaigns and partners.
We've worked with over 840 campaigns on over 1,500 digital projects, registered over 750K people to vote by mail or vote early, and were pivotal in flipping or breaking supermajorities in 8 state chambers.
Julie is an experienced marketing leader who has driven high impact programs at tech companies including Meta, Uber, and Etsy. She has led dynamic teams to develop significant brand and product engagement initiatives and is passionate about applying her expertise to support democratic campaigns.
Julie is an experienced marketing leader who has driven high impact programs at tech companies including Meta, Uber, and Etsy. She has led dynamic teams to develop significant brand and product engagement initiatives and is passionate about applying her expertise to support democratic campaigns.
Jessica is a software engineer for TFC with an emphasis on data. She is focused on building tools that help campaigns learn quickly and make effective choices. Prior to joining TFC, Jessica had a decade of experience building products for applied math and data applications, first as a staff engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and then as a data scientist at an educational nonprofit. She holds a Master of Information and Data Science from UC Berkeley.
Jessica is a software engineer for TFC with an emphasis on data. She is focused on building tools that help campaigns learn quickly and make effective choices. Prior to joining TFC, Jessica had a decade of experience building products for applied math and data applications, first as a staff engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and then as a data scientist at an educational nonprofit. She holds a Master of Information and Data Science from UC Berkeley.
Steve Jacobs is a digital politics veteran, having served in leadership positions both in-house and as a consultant on President Obama's 2012 campaign, Colorado Governor Jared Polis's 2018 campaign, and Bill de Blasio's 2013 race for mayor of New York City, among others. An expert in digital fundraising and mobilization, Steve partners with campaigns to make it rain and get out the vote. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University
Steve Jacobs is a digital politics veteran, having served in leadership positions both in-house and as a consultant on President Obama's 2012 campaign, Colorado Governor Jared Polis's 2018 campaign, and Bill de Blasio's 2013 race for mayor of New York City, among others. An expert in digital fundraising and mobilization, Steve partners with campaigns to make it rain and get out the vote. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University
Jessica is a serial founder and investor. She works with companies to shape and scale their marketing and growth operations and is a Partner at Leap Forward Ventures. She was previously VP, BD at Figma. Prior, she was CEO of Tech For Campaigns, having founded the organization in 2017, Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at Social Capital, Cofounder & CEO of FounderDating (acquired by OneVest), the LinkedIn for entrepreneurs. Jessica led Business Development and was GM of Platforms at Bebo (acquired by AOL for $850M). She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from University of Michigan and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jessica is a serial founder and investor. She works with companies to shape and scale their marketing and growth operations and is a Partner at Leap Forward Ventures. She was previously VP, BD at Figma. Prior, she was CEO of Tech For Campaigns, having founded the organization in 2017, Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at Social Capital, Cofounder & CEO of FounderDating (acquired by OneVest), the LinkedIn for entrepreneurs. Jessica led Business Development and was GM of Platforms at Bebo (acquired by AOL for $850M). She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from University of Michigan and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Pete Kazanjy is a serial founder, and seasoned early stage Saas executive, advisor, and investor. Pete founded TalentBin, a category-defining talent search engine and recruiting CRM, which exited to Monster Worldwide in early 2014. Pete is passionate about HR tech, marketplaces, and tech-enabled sales and sales operations. Prior to TalentBin, Pete worked in product marketing and product at VMware, having graduated from Stanford in 2002.
Pete Kazanjy is a serial founder, and seasoned early stage Saas executive, advisor, and investor. Pete founded TalentBin, a category-defining talent search engine and recruiting CRM, which exited to Monster Worldwide in early 2014. Pete is passionate about HR tech, marketplaces, and tech-enabled sales and sales operations. Prior to TalentBin, Pete worked in product marketing and product at VMware, having graduated from Stanford in 2002.
Ian Ferguson is an entrepreneur and a designer in equal measure. Both analyst and artist, he believes that good design and tactical business objectives are inseparable. He currently develops software and user experiences for emerging brands in both the technology and non-profit sectors through his own creative studio, Res Facta. From 2011-2016, he oversaw product and brand development as a founder of Kitchit, a marketplace connecting diners with professional chefs for full-service, at-home dining. Prior to Kitchit, Ian was a Consultant at Bain & Co. and earned a BA at Yale and an MBA from Stanford.
Ian Ferguson is an entrepreneur and a designer in equal measure. Both analyst and artist, he believes that good design and tactical business objectives are inseparable. He currently develops software and user experiences for emerging brands in both the technology and non-profit sectors through his own creative studio, Res Facta. From 2011-2016, he oversaw product and brand development as a founder of Kitchit, a marketplace connecting diners with professional chefs for full-service, at-home dining. Prior to Kitchit, Ian was a Consultant at Bain & Co. and earned a BA at Yale and an MBA from Stanford.
Gina was a founding member and CMO of Blueland and VP Consumer Experience at Theory. She advises early stage mission-driven start-ups on strategic growth and marketing. Gina received her MBA from Harvard Business School and undergraduate degrees in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University.
Gina was a founding member and CMO of Blueland and VP Consumer Experience at Theory. She advises early stage mission-driven start-ups on strategic growth and marketing. Gina received her MBA from Harvard Business School and undergraduate degrees in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University.
After beginning his career in investment management at J.P. Morgan and First Republic, Greg worked as a product manager and account executive at Chartboost, a mobile ad platform, and was the Founding Business Lead at Myra Labs, which focuses on bringing artificial intelligence to customer care. Greg holds a BA from UC San Diego.
After beginning his career in investment management at J.P. Morgan and First Republic, Greg worked as a product manager and account executive at Chartboost, a mobile ad platform, and was the Founding Business Lead at Myra Labs, which focuses on bringing artificial intelligence to customer care. Greg holds a BA from UC San Diego.
Michael is a former VP of Innovation at Netflix and an advisor and investor providing product and business advisory services.
Michael is a former VP of Innovation at Netflix and an advisor and investor providing product and business advisory services.
Evan is the Director, Growth & Commerce Data Science at Netflix.
Evan is the Director, Growth & Commerce Data Science at Netflix.
Gustaf is a General Partner at Y Combinator and former Head of Growth at AirBnb.
Gustaf is a General Partner at Y Combinator and former Head of Growth at AirBnb.
We are looking for talented people to help us reshape the American political landscape in a meaningful way.
