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co:census
Techstars '21New York City, US · 1 known investors
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Co:census conducts research, design, and community engagement projects for transportation agencies and architecture firms. The company integrates social science and cultural competency with technology to inform public infrastructure projects through community feedback.
Also known as Co:Census · Cocensus
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026co:census is a certified MWBE/DBE firm based in New York City that leads research, design, and community engagement projects for cities across the United States. Its stated practice areas are transportation, research studies, and community engagement, extending to urban planning, economic development, and public health. Typical engagements include culturally competent engagement plans, language access plans, translations, community facilitation and workshops, analysis of public comments, and community-informed recommendations that feed into comprehensive plans, long-range plans, and Vision Zero plans.
Alongside consulting services, the firm operates its own technology portfolio: an SMS and online survey platform paired with AI tools for transcription and analysis of public feedback. Its text analytics product line includes the Explore dashboard, built around a patent-pending text classifier called The Dubois, which groups open-ended responses into "Community Solutions" (ideas) and "Community Concerns" (pain points), and civicX, which applies quota-based sampling with target groups and benchmarks so agencies can assess whether collected data is representative of the community being served. A Techstars company listing also describes a Co:Lab offering of digital learning workshops for civic leaders alongside the Co:Census enterprise SaaS solution.
Business model
The company combines professional services — research studies, engagement planning, facilitation, translation and language access work — with a proprietary SMS and online survey platform and AI-based comment analysis software delivered to clients, described in one listing as an enterprise SaaS solution, plus digital learning workshops for civic leaders.
Traction
Since its founding in 2018 the firm reports collaborating with public and private sector institutions on more than 50 studies. Named engagements include the City of Lynn, Massachusetts comprehensive plan SMS survey in eight languages (2022), analysis of more than 1,000 public comments for the City of Tucson's First Avenue corridor redesign (2022), and analysis of more than 2,000 multilingual comments for the San Francisco County Transportation Authority on reopening the Great Highway (2021), plus 2024 projects on equitable data frameworks in Tulsa, a Flex Streets Initiative community survey, and a nationwide equitable workforce development program.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
co:census positions itself as a community engagement and research firm that pairs social science and cultural competency with proprietary analytics technology for public infrastructure and planning projects. Its work and technology have been featured in Business Insider, Crain's New York, GovTech, and Next City.
Technology
co:census operates a portfolio of patented technology comprising an SMS and online survey platform with AI tools for transcription and analysis of public feedback. Its text analytics stack includes the Explore dashboard, powered by a patent-pending text classifier named The Dubois that separates rider and resident comments into community solutions and community concerns, and the civicX dashboard, which applies quota-based sampling against target groups and benchmarks to measure representativeness of collected data. Surveys are supported in multiple languages.
Go-to-market
The company markets through its website, inviting online inquiries that are followed by an evaluation of a prospective client's data collection methods and a personalized product demo, and publishes a capability statement, project case studies, and a text analytics white paper. Public-sector work is supported by its MWBE/DBE certification.
City, state, and regional transportation and transit agencies, city and transportation planners in cities, towns and counties, economic development and public health programs, and major architecture and engineering (A&E) firms with which the company collaborates.
Geography
Headquartered in New York City, with project work in cities across the United States, including Lynn, Massachusetts; Tucson, Arizona; San Francisco, California; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
History
The firm was founded in 2018 and has since worked on more than 50 studies with public and private sector institutions, appearing on the Techstars company and job board.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Related companies · 3
Companies working in the same space as co:census.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsProject write-ups published covering an equitable data framework for policy and engagement in Tulsa, a Flex Streets Initiative community survey, and a nationwide equitable workforce development program.
The City of Lynn, Massachusetts launched its comprehensive plan with a co:census SMS survey conducted in eight languages.
The City of Tucson's Department of Transportation and Mobility needed to analyze more than 1,000 public comments to re-design its First Avenue corridor.
The San Francisco County Transportation Authority received more than 2,000 public comments in multiple languages on concepts for re-opening a major thoroughfare, analyzed as a co:census project.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- co:censuscocensus.io · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does co:census do?
- co:census is a New York-based MWBE/DBE research and community engagement firm with an SMS and online survey platform for public agencies.
- Who are co:census's investors?
- co:census's investors include Techstars.
- Where is co:census headquartered?
- co:census is headquartered in New York City, US.