One of Boston’s own startups - Agora - had the honor of stopping by the White House this week to engage in discussions as to how our government can better engage citizens with the help of technology. The venture, which has its roots in the Harvard iLab, has been making strides with its online platform that allows people to form their own town halls to discuss important political issues, stream live debates and have their voices heard by members of the local government.
And now, as part of the U.S. Open Government National Action Plans, Agora’s Founder and CEO Elsa Sze was invited down to D.C. to partake in the conversation on how government leaders can ensure members of the general public are more included in politics.
According to the latest version of the Open Government National Action Plan, “the United States has worked both domestically and internationally to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and transform the way the Federal government serves and engages with the American people.” As part of that process, Sze was able to share how her startup’s technology has created a local movement in people becoming active participants in political discussions, and it’s been met with enthusiasm.
Sze gave the low-down on the event, which wasn't open to the press:
I’ve been meeting a lot of amazing people here. The White House, President and everyone else here is very dedicated to making government conversations broader and more inclusive for the public. The gathering has brought together leaders from across the country and even internationally to see how we can use technology to encourage more people to be included in what’s going on in government.
I’ve had the chance to share Agora’s stories, including our successes...It’s been inspiring to the people here, especially in terms of the little differences we can make on the local level. It seems to have made an impact on national leaders, who have traditionally talked about change in terms of doing something drastic like passing a bill. But changes like that take time. We make a difference one town hall at a time. The lessons I’ve been able to share have helped everyone at the gathering think about what change means and what it means to build an engaged community on the local level.
Over the course of these conversations at the White House early this week, leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to driving public engagement and opened the floor to seeing which solutions are out there that are quick and ready to go. And, as Sze has relayed to me, everyone there has taken a more serious approach to the problem. It’s not just about talk anymore; it’s about action:
The main takeaway was that many of my conversations with national leaders isn’t them saying, ‘Just tell me about Agora. What’s the message?’ Instead, it’s, ‘Show me how it works. Let me go back to my team and see what I can do.’ Most of my discussions here have been action-driven. It’s not just about talking about the challenges anymore. It’s now about putting things in action. I’ve been introduced to people who have challenges and can grab Agora because it actually has a solution to their problem ready for them to use.
In the past, adopting technology throughout the public sector has been a painfully long and expensive process. But with the emergence of startups that are providing ready-to-use tech for governments, like Agora, our nation's leaders are getting all giddy with the reach and accessibility that these ventures promise. For Sze, this move toward embracing platforms like her own is encouraging. She's already detected a warm reception for her technology, but that's not the only positive feedback she's received so far. Oddly enough, the Agora CEO has had people approach her to give kudos for building her startup in Boston.
“Boston has been the best place to build Agora," Sze explained. "People have pointed out to me that involvement in our government is in our DNA. So the fact that we started in Boston, we’ve been able to do so much. I’m going to be coming back with a very renewed sense of commitment and, more importantly, a huge sense of pride.”
Image via Agora.
