In October of 2023 we welcomed our 500th client to the CitizenLab network! This milestone is important for us in so many ways. From validating the relevance of our community engagement platform to confirming that participatory democracy is increasingly being embraced around the world, this milestone is an encouraging confirmation of our collective impact and mission.
When my co-founders and I launched CitizenLab in Belgium in 2016, we did so because of a deep, personal belief that it should be easier for local governments and communities to meaningfully engage with one another. While the three of us were convinced that this mission was worth pursuing, I’ll never forget how incredible it felt for that to be validated as we signed on our first pilot client, the City of Hasselt, and then our first official client, the City of Oostende. Their belief in our platform and mission gave us the energy to continue improving our product and growing our work to where it is today.
Scaling community engagement globally with CitizenLab
From our humble beginnings with our first clients in Belgium, we have grown globally and supported community engagement initiatives in 20+ countries. And this month, we’re proud to welcome our 500th client all the way across the world – in Montgomery County, PA, in the United States!
Our vision when we started CitizenLab was clear; we wanted to bridge gaps between local governments and residents, and ensure that every voice was heard. Today, as I reflect on our journey so far, welcoming our 500th client not only marks a significant milestone for CitizenLab, it also reiterates the trust that local governments worldwide continue to place in us. Together with our network of over 500+ local government and organizational clients, we’re empowering communities with community engagement tools to shape more inclusive policies and reshaping what the future of participatory governance looks like.
The next milestone for community engagement at CitizenLab
Our team’s dedication along this journey has been admirable, and this milestone has reinvigorated our continued commitment to making participatory democracy more innovative and more impactful than ever. While we’ve taken a moment as a team to cherish this success, we’ve also already started working on our next milestones as a company.
With every piece of feedback we receive from our community of clients, and with an eye on how technology can further advance democratic futures around the world, we’re already working on new features to ensure our platform continues to deliver for our 500 clients and every new city that joins on.
Join CitizenLab’s community engagement journey
Our mission remains unwavering. As we gear up for our next milestones, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our clients, team, and partners – we couldn’t have come this far without you.
And to the local governments that we have yet to work with – I invite you to join us on the journey. Together, we can reshape what a democracy of the future looks like. Schedule a demo with our team to learn more.
With sincere gratitude,
Wietse Van Ransbeeck
