ClearGov Raises $1.2 Million Seed Round to Help Drive Government Transparency and Efficiency

HOPKINTON, Mass., March 30, 2017 -- ClearGov, a leading provider of local government transparency and benchmarking solutions, announced today that is has raised a $1.2 million seed round to fund its rapid expansion.  Local governments use ClearGov's enterprise SaaS solution to reduce operational inefficiencies, make informed budgetary decisions, and improve communication with citizens.  The seed round was led by Kepha Partners and included MassVentures, as well as a host of angel investors.

“ClearGov’s team has a proven entrepreneurial track record and the company’s traction with local governments in Massachusetts speaks for itself,” said Eric Hjerpe, partner at Kepha Partners.  “The company’s solution is incredibly topical as governments are increasingly battling misinformation, making the need to improve transparency and build public trust ever more important.”

Founded by serial entrepreneurs, Chris Bullock and Bryan Burdick, the company has transformed complex, public data sets from state and national entities into a network of easy-to-understand financial profiles on over 20,000 local governments across 20 states.   Each town profile includes an infographic-style breakdown of revenues, expenditures and debt, which are compared to statistically similar towns to provide taxpayers with context to every figure.

“ClearGov has created an invaluable tool not only for citizens, but also for government officials to access and, more importantly utilize public spending, taxation and budgeting information,” said Jennifer Jordan, vice president at MassVentures.

The company’s premium Insights^TM service allows local governments, such as Brookline, MA and Decatur, GA, to enhance their basic ClearGov profiles with more granular financials and commentary on fiscal trends.  Local governments then promote their ClearGov site as a “transparency center” to the public via their town website, social media and town meetings to help drive trust through transparency. 

ClearGov Insights^TM also includes web-based software that enables government leaders to identify potential areas for improved efficiencies by comparing their finances against similar communities via the company’s extensive database of over $1.8 trillion of government expenditures.  A local government could, for example, analyze the cost efficiency of its snow and ice removal program by comparing expenditures to neighboring towns with similar road miles.

“This investment is an important step in our vision to make democracy work better.  ClearGov is much more than financial transparency; we are providing insights to taxpayers and officials that can help improve the effectiveness of their local government,” said Chris Bullock, CEO and founder of ClearGov.  “Ultimately, we believe our platform has the potential to positively impact millions of people through a more informed and efficient democracy.”

To explore ClearGov’s local government network visit http://www.cleargov.com.

About ClearGov

ClearGov transforms city and town financial statements into accessible, easy-to-understand infographics to help citizens better understand how their tax dollars are being put to use.  Local governments use ClearGov's SaaS solutions to reduce operational inefficiencies, make informed budgetary decisions, and improve communication with citizens.

PRESS CONTACT:

Chris Bullock
508.308.0440
[email protected]