From Data to Power
In an era overflowing with information, why do so many citizens feel powerless to influence the systems that govern their lives?
This paradox sits at the heart of our democracy: governments produce mountains of public data—legislation, budgets, contracts, and grants—yet this information remains functionally inaccessible to most people. Locked behind impenetrable jargon, endless PDFs, broken portals, and bureaucratic mazes, these crucial documents shape our neighborhoods, impact our rights, and determine how billions in public resources are spent.
That's why we built Agora.
More Than a Tool: A Platform for Civic Power
Agora isn't just another civic-tech app or dashboard collecting dust in the digital landscape. It's a platform born from a fundamental belief: democracy thrives when people understand how it works—and can shape what comes next. Our mission isn't to simply make government "smart." It's to make it human.
It's Not Just About AI—It's About People
While artificial intelligence dominates headlines with its capacity to code, write, analyze, and automate, at Agora, we focus on what matters most: answering the questions real people are already asking. Who represents me, and what are they doing? What's in this bill, and how does it affect me? Can my business apply for this grant or contract? How can I take meaningful action—not just click "like"?
We harness machine learning to translate complexity into clarity, surfacing what's relevant from a sea of noise. Our goal is to support action, not just awareness.
From Public Data to Civic Power
Here's the truth: this data already belongs to you. It's public. But public data doesn't translate to public power until it's usable. Agora connects the dots between public datasets (legislation, contracts, grants), personal context (your business, your representative, your neighborhood), and action tools (summaries, alerts, testimony, search, and more). We're building an ecosystem where you are at the center of the civic experience—not an afterthought.
Human Insight Is Our First Technology
Our work doesn't start with code. It starts with listening. Before building anything, we talk with immigrant entrepreneurs navigating government contracts, sit with advocates overwhelmed by legalese, and study how communities find workarounds when systems don't serve them. We transform these insights into tools that don't just "automate" or "optimize"—they respond to real human needs. This is civic design. We believe it's the only kind that matters.
What Agora Is (and Isn't)
Agora isn't a chatbot gimmick or another flashy civic dashboard that looks impressive but goes unused. It's not a startup chasing scale before purpose. Agora is a platform, a growing space, a digital public square where people can learn who holds power and how it's used, track public decisions that affect their lives, and take informed action with smart, accessible tools. We're built by a diverse team of technologists, policy leaders, community researchers, and organizers who care not just about what technology can do—but who it's for.
Why Agora? The Need for Civic Power
Despite the explosion of data, civic engagement remains stagnant. Most people feel disconnected from the decisions that shape their lives—overwhelmed by complexity and underwhelmed by the tools meant to help. What's missing is accessibility, as most public data is unreadable to ordinary citizens. People need context—not just raw data but understanding what it means for them. They need actionability because awareness isn't enough; people need tools to act, participate, and influence outcomes. And they need trust, as civic tech must be built with—and for—the communities it serves.
Agora addresses these gaps by transforming public data into public power, making information accessible, relevant, and actionable—so everyone can participate meaningfully in democracy.
We're just getting started. In the coming months, Agora will roll out tools that summarize and tag legislation using AI, match businesses with government contracts, help residents track how their representatives vote, and translate civic opportunities into accessible, actionable formats.
The Future Is Participatory
The future of democracy isn't just about transparency. It's about tools that turn information into action—and power that's shared, not hoarded. Agora is where civic data meets real life. Let's build it together.
Ready to step out of the dark and into the Agora? Sign up, share your story, or reach out to collaborate. The public square is open—and you belong here.
