Newfounders
Where TED meets SXSW meets politics . . . resulting in real change
The Problem
NewFounders, founded by Genevieve Theirs, was a Chicago-based organization of tech and political leaders founded to bring together political and tech organizations and leaders to harness the power of technology and coalitions to modernize the Democratic Party and its system and defend democracy during the Trump Administration.
The Annual Conference was attended by over 700 leaders from across the country each year, featuring performances from the cast of Hamilton Chicago, elected officials such as 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates, IL Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, WI Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, DNC, DLCC, Indivisible, MoveOn, Women’s March, Flippable, It Starts Today, 5calls, Voterunlead, SheShouldRun, Runforsomething, RockTheVote, DoSomething.org, BrandNewCongress, Emerge, and many more.
Our job was to create the program, recruit speakers and performers, fundraise through sponsorships and partnerships, manage ticket sales and promote the conference.
The Strategy
The team recruited a coalition of tech and political organizations to empower discussion and collaboration. Much like SXSW, we started program creation and speaker recruitment through proposals and submissions from the coalition members. The team then created the program, recruited keynote speakers, and selected special musical performers and entertainers.
Once the line-up was solidified, the team managed all aspects of building out the two-day conference each year. From event logistics to managing a robust sponsorship program to off-set costs, the small team of 4 built out the conference, facilitated coalition-building and problem-solving conversations, and led an aggressive sales, marketing, and PR strategy to sell out the conference each year.
The Result
The political tech conference was attended by 100+ political and tech organizations and leaders, which led to sharing information, new technology, and coalition and partnership building. With over $500,000 sponsorships, donations, and attendee freebies, the conference served as the TED Talk meets SXSW for politics throughout the Trump administration. It also led to research white papers, new organizations, and served as a launchpad for emerging leaders.
