Higher Ground Labs
Venture capitalActively deployingChicago · Pre-Seed–Late Stage · 56 people tracked
Investment thesis
Higher Ground Labs backs technology companies that advance political progress for Democrats and progressives, with a mission focused on strengthening democracy and improving electoral outcomes. It invests across stages from pre-seed to exit and functions as both an investor and ecosystem builder, supporting a portfolio of political and campaign technology tools. Since 2017 it has invested in more than 80 startups across five funds, deploying over $50 million. Its companies span areas such as message testing, voter mobilization, donor advising, and influencer engagement, and it also produces research like the Political Tech Landscape Report to inform the progressive tech ecosystem.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 56 people
from the firm's website
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Higher Ground Labs went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 11 of 80 portfolio companiesSaaS ×8AI & Machine Learning ×5GovTech ×5Enterprise Software ×4Marketing Tech ×3Media & Entertainment ×3AdTech ×2Impact & Social Good ×2
HQs:United States×12
Who they back
founder profiles across 8 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×32 founders×5
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
Investments · 80 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 12024 · 22019 · 12017 · 16 dated
BallotReady provides nonpartisan data on ballots, elections, and elected officials, along with tools for voter registration, polling place lookup, contacting officials, and running for office.
ConsumerData & InfrastructureGovTechImpact & Social GoodSaaSChicago, US
Aviva Rosman(Founder)Alexandra Niemczewski(Founder)Alex Niemczewski(Founder)in
Board seatBetsy Hoover· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsFlow CapitalInvestHER VenturesWakestream Ventures37 Angels
Lexington, US
Nicholas Angelo Mele(CEO)
BoardMichael Frias(Board of Directors)inJason Rosenbaum(Board of Directors)Nathaniel Pearlman(Board of Directors)Josh Wolf(Board of Directors)
Board seatBetsy Hoover· per SEC Form D
Accelerator company that built and piloted a revamped product during the HGL program.
BattlegroundAI is an AI platform that generates compliant video, display, and text ads with built-in disclaimers, governance controls, and regulatory safeguards.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningGovTech
Maya Hutchinson(Founder & CEO)Henry Cyranka(Co-Founder — AI & Data Science)
Civitech builds technology infrastructure for political candidates, social causes, and local governments to increase voter registration and engagement.
Enterprise SoftwareGovTechSaaSSan Antonio, US
Jeremy Smith(CEO and Co-founder)Dan Graham(Director)Stephanie Fisher(Executive Officer)Erin Fahy(Chief Technology Officer of Issuer)Sarah Jackel(Executive Officer)
BoardTamer Mokhtar(Director)
Co-investorsAIN VenturesBuilders + BackersMercury FundScout VenturesScout VenturesGaingels
Campaign tools platform where users performed 3.5 percentage points better than non-users in 2020.
DonorAtlas is an AI-powered prospect research and wealth screening platform for nonprofit fundraising teams, generating cited donor profiles that detail a prospect's wealth, giving history, interests, and relationships.
AI & Machine LearningImpact & Social GoodSaaSNew York, US
Co-investorsAudacious
Message testing platform that ran 457 tests on 1,700+ ads for the presidential campaign in 2024.
Hovercast is a live streaming engagement platform that lets creators and event organizers interact with audiences across multiple platforms simultaneously, featuring chats and donations on screen and adding gamification points and badges.
Creator EconomyMedia & EntertainmentSaaSChicago, US
Eli Stonberg(Executive Officer, Director)Jeff Greco(Executive Officer, Director)
Hustle is a mobile communication platform for text, calls, and video messaging that lets organizations broadcast bulk messages, automate responses, and hold 1:1 conversations.
Enterprise SoftwareMarketing TechMedia & EntertainmentSaaSSan Francisco, US
Robert T. Lindsay(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardPerry Rosenstein(Director)Chamath Palihapitiya(Director)in
Co-investorsDesigner FundGSV VenturesKapor CapitalIndex VenturesMatrixSocial Capital Partnership
Volunteer engagement platform that resulted in 4% more vote share for campaigns in 2020.
JusticeText builds technology solutions for the criminal justice system, serving public defenders and marginalized communities to improve legal representation access regardless of income.
AI & Machine LearningGovTechLegalTechMedia & EntertainmentIrvine, US
Devshi Mehrotra(CEO)Leslie Jones-Dove(CTO)
Co-investors500 GlobalParameter VenturesStand Together Ventures LabTechstarsBloomberg BetaTrue Ventures
Campaign platform where users earned 3.6% more vote share in the 2020 cycle.
Paladin develops autonomous drones and operational software for emergency response and public safety.
Advanced ManufacturingDefense TechGovTechHardwareRoboticsSaaSHouston, US
Divyaditya Shrivastava(Founder)in
Co-investorsAngel Collective Opportunity FundCathexis VenturesGradient VenturesY CombinatorHike VenturesToyota Ventures
Paladin operates a pro bono infrastructure platform that connects low-income individuals with volunteer attorneys and helps legal services organizations, law firms, and in-house legal teams manage volunteer programs.
Enterprise SoftwareLegalTechSaaSNew York City, US
Co-investorsAmerican Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social ImpactBackstage CapitalChaac VenturesCleveland AvenueHyde Park Venture PartnersRackhouse Venture Management Lp+7 more
UK market research and polling company that surveys mobile app users via ad units; acquired by Brandwatch.
Wilmington, US
Christopher Kahler(Executive Officer, Director)Julian Kenny(Executive Officer)Gerald Mueller(Executive Officer)Abraham Mueller(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardRussell Buckley(Director)Santo Politi(Director)in
Co-investorsAccelSpark Capital
Influencer engagement platform focused on Gen Z social platforms.
Swayable provides a cloud-based platform that measures and optimizes the effectiveness of media content in changing public opinion.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSector AgnosticNew York City, US
James Slezak(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsRecurring Capital PartnersY Combinator
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesGrow Progress · growprogress.ai · Jul 31, 2026
Hustle · techinafrica.com · Jul 23, 2026
Paladin · marketscreener.com · Jul 1, 2026
Paladin · marketscreener.com · Jul 1, 2026
DonorAtlas · prospectresearchinstitute.org · Jan 5, 2026
Quiller · grassrootsanalytics.com · Nov 20, 2025
JusticeText · law.berkeley.edu · Jun 6, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Higher Ground Labs made?
- Higher Ground Labs has 77 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited via acquisition or IPO, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Higher Ground Labs invest at?
- Higher Ground Labs invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What is Higher Ground Labs's typical check size?
- Higher Ground Labs typically writes checks of $100K.
- What sectors does Higher Ground Labs focus on?
- Higher Ground Labs focuses on AI & Machine Learning, GovTech, Impact & Social Good.
- Where is Higher Ground Labs located?
- Higher Ground Labs is headquartered in Chicago, US.
- Does Higher Ground Labs lead rounds?
- Higher Ground Labs typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does Higher Ground Labs co-invest with?
- Higher Ground Labs most often shares deals with Y Combinator, Kapor Capital, Mercury Fund, among 20 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamWatch: Betsy Hoover shares Insights on the Role of A.I. in the 2024 Election - Higher Ground Labs
Betsy Hoover · highergroundlabs.com
Betsy Hoover, Higher Ground Labs | #fortheWIN2018 NewFounders Conference
NewFounders · Betsy Hoover
Higher Ground Labs' Shomik Dutta: "Nothing clarifies the mind like losing” | Danny In The Valley on Acast
Shomik Dutta · play.acast.com
Images
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