Brigade Media has acquired a majority position in the holding company that owns Causes and Votizen. Causes is known for its days as a platform for Facebook users to organize around issues. Votizen provided social networking tools for voters. Causes acquired Votizen in 2013.
Also, amid a number of executive changes, Sean Parker will step down as interim CEO at Brigade but remain chairman. Matt Mahan, who was previously the CEO of Causes, will become CEO. James Windon, who held the VP of revenue position at Causes, will become the president of Brigade, responsible for its future monetization and partnerships. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company will eventually shutter Causes.
Brigade has been notable for the involvement of Parker, and its initial $9.3 million funding round earlier this year.
To date, Brigade has been quiet about what it’s up to, preferring to remain in near stealth. Sources close to the company told TechCrunch that it expects to launch in early 2015, after the current election cycle. The product, which remains occluded, will likely be a platform or network of sorts that is centered around issues facing voters at various levels of government.
In a blog post, Brigade said that its product will “serve as a tool to empower people civically, enabling any person to engage with their representatives in a way that is easy, social and enjoyable.” Beyond that, what it will look like, and do, remain to be seen.
Speaking to TechCrunch, Parker stated that voter “apathy is a direct result of feeling of disenfranchisement, or lack of empowerment.”
The acquisition of Causes and Votizen is sensical, given Brigade’s goal: Causes has 186 million registered users that have shown an interest in political action, and the Votizen team has experience in social networking for the politically active. Brigade can use both. It is also likely happy to pick up the relevant engineering assets.
The moment I get my hands on images of just what the heck Brigade is building, I’ll bring them to you.