What Movement Labs does

Movement Labs is an Oakland-based, privately held LLC that operates as the self-described R&D engine of the pro-democracy movement, combining academic-grade randomized controlled trial (RCT) methodology with national-scale voter contact infrastructure to identify and deploy only the political tactics proven to move voters. Its core products include Contest Every Race (down-ballot candidate recruitment, founded 2018, nearly 12,000 candidates recruited at roughly 50% win rate), scaled evidence-based SMS/MMS texting (reaching tens of millions of voters per day), Polling Place Images (Google Street View images sent via text to boost turnout, tested since 2021), Political & Technical Innovation (a continuous experimentation portfolio including social-media-to-voter-file matching and creator-led outreach), and the Neighborhood Captains Program (a Virginia pilot converting non-voters).

The organization is funded entirely by donors and political organizations rather than commercial product sales; donors fund specific programs or provide unrestricted support, and results are reported as outcomes (135,277 net Democratic votes in 2024 across 110+ RCTs in the top 7 battleground states, audited by a third party, at under $400 per net vote) rather than as traditional SaaS pricing. Its go-to-market is partnership-driven: founder-led outreach to major donors and campaign managers, supplemented by a downloadable impact report, a careers portal, a volunteer portal, and partner referrals from organizations such as SEIU, Analyst Institute, Vote Rev Action Fund, Everybody Votes, and One PA. The 2026 plan targets one additional percentage point of vote share across 161 congressional and Senate races, with 20 million GOTV targets and 35 million persuadable voters in scope.

Revenue mechanics are donor-contribution-based and not commercially priced; the company employs 51-100 staff and is led by founder Yoni Landau (also referenced as CEO). The technical backbone—RCT design infrastructure plus scaled SMS/MMS delivery—is rare in the political space and represents the company's primary defensible capability, though financial disclosure is limited and revenue figures are not publicly reported.

Name

Movement Labs

Legal name

Movement Labs LLC

Website

https://movementlabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Movement Labs is an Oakland-based political R&D organization that uses randomized controlled trials and scaled SMS/MMS texting infrastructure to deliver evidence-based voter contact programs for Democratic campaigns, candidates, and major donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Campaign Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Political Organizations (813940)

akta.pro primary industry

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Voter mobilization programs
• Political randomized trials
• Election research services
• Voter contact technology
• Civic engagement consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donor-Funded Programs: Movement Labs is funded entirely by major donors and political organizations. Donors invest in programs backed by evidence. The organization offers tailored opportunities to fund specific programs and initiatives, as well as flexible, unrestricted support that enables rapid response to emerging needs, testing of new ideas, and scaling of effective tactics. Revenue is derived from contributions and grants, not commercial product sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Movement Labs is a political technology and research organization that combines data, technology, and experimental methods to build power for Democratic campaigns and causes. The organization runs randomized controlled trials to test voter mobilization tactics, then scales evidence-based voter contact programs nationally, with particular emphasis on down-ballot races that traditional campaigns often overlook.

Product overview

Movement Labs is an R&D engine for the pro-democracy movement that combines the scale of a national voter contact operation with the rigor of an academic research lab. The company operates a unified platform centered on evidence-based voter engagement, consisting of five interconnected programs: Contest Every Race (candidate recruitment and support), Scaled Evidence-Based Texting (large-scale SMS/MMS voter contact), Polling Place Images (turnout mobilization via location imagery), Political & Technical Innovation (continuous experimentation pipeline), and the Neighborhood Captains Program (organizing-focused voter conversion). All programs are validated through randomized controlled trials, with results informing which tactics get scaled across elections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Contest Every Race (CER): A nationwide initiative that recruits and supports potential Democratic candidates at scale. Since 2018, CER has recruited nearly 12,000 Democrats to run for office across the country, helping almost 50% win their races.
• Polling Place Images

Products and services

• Contest Every Race Program supporting Democratic candidates contesting down-ballot races (state legislatures, local offices) that are frequently left uncontested. Aimed at building Democratic power beyond top-of-ticket races.
• Scaled, Evidence-Based Texting SMS/MMS voter contact program that mobilizes supporters and communicates with voters using messages validated through randomized controlled trials. Operates at national scale for Democratic campaigns and causes.
• Polling Place Images Database and tool providing imagery of polling places to help voters locate their correct polling location and reduce confusion on Election Day.
• Neighborhood Captains Program Community organizing program that recruits and coordinates neighborhood-level volunteer "captains" to drive voter contact and turnout within their local communities.
• Political & Technical Innovation Research and development program developing new methods, tools, and tactics at the intersection of political organizing and technology, with findings fed back into Movement Labs' voter mobilization programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 135,277 net Democratic votes delivered in 2024 in top 7 battleground states, at under $400 per vote, independently validated
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SEIU (Service Employees International Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU is a major labor union partner that co-designed and participated in a randomized controlled experiment with Movement Labs testing creator-led voter communications among Black voters in Detroit (~247,000 participants). SEIU used the findings to shape its 2025 research agenda. The partnership involves joint experiment design, paid digital ad deployment, and MMS messaging in combination, demonstrating deep co-development collaboration.
• Analyst InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as a partner organization on Movement Labs' About page. Analyst Institute focuses on rigorous research and evaluation in the progressive and Democratic ecosystem, making it a natural strategic partner for an organization built on RCT methodology.
• Vote Rev Action FundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner organization on Movement Labs' About page. Vote Rev Action Fund is a progressive voter registration and mobilization organization.
• Everybody VotesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner organization on Movement Labs' About page. Everybody Votes is a civic engagement organization focused on increasing voter participation.
• One PAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner organization on Movement Labs' About page. One PA appears to be a Pennsylvania-based civic engagement or progressive political organization.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Analyst Institute: Progressive research and evaluation organization that conducts rigorous experimental research on voter contact programs — the closest methodological peer to Movement Labs. Both operate RCT-driven R&D functions serving the Democratic ecosystem and share significant strategic overlap.
• Impactive: Distributed organizing and texting platform built for progressive campaigns and nonprofits, offering peer-to-peer texting, relational organizing, and voter contact tools. Directly comparable on the SMS/MMS voter contact delivery side of Movement Labs' stack.
• Hustle: Peer-to-peer texting platform widely used by Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations for large-scale voter outreach. Comparable on text messaging infrastructure, scale, and target customer base.
• Mobilize: Volunteer and event management platform serving progressive campaigns and Democratic organizations. Overlaps with Movement Labs on the voter mobilization and organizing infrastructure that supports turnout programs.

Broad incumbents

• Catalist: Established progressive data and analytics platform providing voter file infrastructure, targeting, and modeling for Democratic campaigns and allies. Operates in the same ecosystem at greater scale and broader scope than Movement Labs.
• NGP VAN: Largest Democratic campaign technology provider, offering integrated fundraising, organizing, and voter contact tools. A broad incumbent in the same ecosystem where Movement Labs operates its narrower R&D and contact offerings.
• TargetSmart: Voter data, targeting, and political technology provider serving Democratic, progressive, and nonprofit clients. Comparable on the data infrastructure underpinning targeted voter contact programs.
• ActBlue: Dominant Democratic fundraising platform processing contributions for thousands of campaigns and organizations. Operates as critical infrastructure in the same Democratic ecosystem that funds Movement Labs' programs.
• EveryAction: Nonprofit and Democratic campaign CRM supporting fundraising, email, and organizing workflows at scale. Broader incumbent serving the same Democratic-aligned organizational customers as Movement Labs.

Emerging players

• Reach: Digital voter contact platform focused on texting and mobilization for progressive campaigns. An emerging player with narrower scale than Movement Labs but directly overlapping voter contact capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/movement_labs
• Facebookfacebook.com/movementlabsus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Movement Labs