BigPulse
BigPulse is a private, Australia-founded online voting and nomination platform that serves 1,000+ organizations across 35 countries—primarily universities, associations, unions, shareholders, and NGOs—through a Fully-Managed election service starting at $899 USD and a Self-Managed subscription product.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What BigPulse does
BigPulse is a privately-held online voting and nomination software company founded in Sydney, Australia in January 2000 by Ralph McKay. The company provides a web-based platform that enables organizations to conduct secure online elections, nominations, and ballots, with differentiated features including a proprietary 7-process Vote Count Verification Protocol, one-click voting via authenticated email links, multi-factor authentication (SMS-PIN, CAS, Shibboleth, LDAP, and other SSO methods), four-tier anonymity controls (A0-A3), and support for advanced voting methods such as STV, IRV, weighted voting, and split voting for shareholder structures. The platform is delivered as a multi-tiered web application with physically separated subsystems hosted in SSAE18/CSAE3416/ISAE3402-certified data centers in Canada and the UK with live data replication, and is maintained under ISO 27001, PCI DSS Level 1, HIPAA, GDPR, and EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework compliance.
The company serves 1,000+ customers across 35 countries, with primary verticals in universities, professional associations, unions, shareholders, and non-profits/NGOs, plus emerging segments in K-12 schools, homeowner associations, and corporate employee voting. Notable customers include ICANN, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, British Olympic Association, Cambridge University Press, RIPE NCC, Australian Computer Society, and a range of universities led by a 60%+ share of the Australian university market. BigPulse operates from offices in Sydney (global headquarters), San Francisco (North America headquarters), Liverpool (UK/Europe), with data center operations in Canada and the UK.
BigPulse operates a dual GTM model: a Fully-Managed Service starting at $899 USD per election with dedicated project managers, and a Self-Managed subscription service (3, 6, or 12-month terms) for tech-savvy administrators using the in-platform Election Manager. Distribution is direct via website-driven demo and quote requests, with enterprise field sales for managed engagements and PLG motion for self-serve subscriptions. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent organization, no public revenue, and an 11-50 employee footprint; founder Ralph McKay passed away in 2019 and the company continues to operate under the BigPulse Voting Pty Ltd, BigPulse Inc., and BigPulse Europe Ltd corporate structure.
BigPulse firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BigPulse
- Legal name
- BigPulse Voting
- Website
- https://bigpulsevoting.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BigPulse is a private, Australia-founded online voting and nomination platform that serves 1,000+ organizations across 35 countries—primarily universities, associations, unions, shareholders, and NGOs—through a Fully-Managed election service starting at $899 USD and a Self-Managed subscription product.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BigPulse industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Voting / Election Management Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Business Service Centers (56143)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)
Keywords
Where BigPulse is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
BigPulse business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Fully Managed Election Service: BigPulse manages the entire election setup process for customers. Includes project management, election configuration, testing, and ongoing support. Priced starting at $899 USD with fixed price quotes based on number of voters and election complexity. This is a one-time per election revenue model with dedicated support throughout.
- Self-Managed Service Subscription: Subscription-based access to the BigPulse Election Manager platform. Customers pay for subscription periods of 3, 6, or 12 months and can create unlimited elections and ballots during their subscription. Additional fees may apply for adding voters beyond initial allocation.
- Non-Profit Discounts: Discounted pricing offered to non-profit organizations. Contact-based pricing varies by organization requirements and voter count.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Fully Managed Service starting at $899 USD per election |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Self-Managed Service subscription |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
BigPulse product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BigPulse sells a web-based secure online voting platform that organizations use to run elections, ballots, and nominations. The platform supports multiple voting methods (STV, instant-runoff, weighted and split voting), multiple anonymity levels, multi-factor and SSO-based voter authentication, and a proprietary seven-process Vote Count Verification Protocol for independent audit. It is delivered as either a Fully-Managed Service (per-election, starting at $899 USD, with BigPulse project managers handling setup) or a Self-Managed subscription service for organizations to run their own elections via the Election Manager / Poll Manager tool.
Product overview
BigPulse is a feature-rich online voting platform comprising the core BigPulse Online Voting System and Nomination System as distinct but integrated modules. The platform offers two service models: the Fully-Managed Service (starting at $899 USD) where BigPulse project managers handle setup and support, and the Self-Managed Service for organizations to independently administer elections using the Election Dashboard and BigPulse Poll Manager. Additional features include the Vote Count Verification Protocol for independent audit, Integrated Bulk Emailer for voter communications, and multi-factor authentication options including SSO integration with CAS, Shibboleth, LDAP, and other systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BigPulse Online Voting System Core web-based secure online voting platform that enables organizations to run elections and ballots on any device, with one-click voting, vote receipts, real-time results, and the proprietary Vote Count Verification Protocol.
- BigPulse Nomination System Standalone online nominations module that automates harvesting of nominees, statements, pictures, attachments, seconders, and seconder confirmations, with approved nominees automatically transferred to the voting ballot.
- Fully-Managed Service Service where BigPulse project managers handle election setup, configuration, testing, and ongoing support, with fixed-price quotes based on eligible voter count (starting at $899 USD), dedicated 24/7 email and emergency telephone support during the election, and elections often launchable within 24 hours.
- Self-Managed Service Subscription-based service (3, 6, or 12 month terms) for tech-savvy administrators to independently create and manage unlimited elections and ballots using a fully featured Election Manager / BigPulse Poll Manager, with no software installation required.
- BigPulse Poll Manager Web-based poll administration service that customers use to create and manage their own polls (under the Self-Managed Service) or that BigPulse can administer on their behalf (Smart-Managed Service).
Quantifiable outcome
- Voter turnout increases by 50-100% compared to traditional voting methods
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use BigPulse
Customer profileNamed customers29 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles8 records
BigPulse technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature13 records
BigPulse partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BigPulse competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Scytl: Electronic voting and election modernization vendor serving government and political election clients globally. Comparable as a voting technology peer but operating at a much larger scale and focused on regulated public-sector elections rather than organizational ones.
- SurveyMonkey: Mass-market online survey platform that increasingly supports voting, polls, and member-engagement use cases for SMBs and associations. Broader incumbent to BigPulse's specialized voting focus — overlapping in lower-stakes elections but lacking dedicated verification/audit tooling.
- Qualtrics: Enterprise experience management platform owned by SAP that supports voting-style polling, member engagement, and 360 surveys. Broad incumbent serving large enterprises; overlaps with BigPulse on corporate and association engagement use cases but is not specialized in high-stakes elections.
Direct peers
- OpaVote: Specialized online voting platform known for advanced voting methods (STV, IRV, Condorcet, Borda) used by associations, political parties, and academic institutions. Highly comparable to BigPulse on voting-method sophistication and association/customer overlap.
- Polyas: European-based online voting platform for associations, universities, and unions with strong GDPR/European data residency positioning. Comparable to BigPulse on customer verticals and security-first architecture, though with European geographic emphasis.
- Survey & Ballot Systems: Voting and election services provider for associations, cooperatives, credit unions, and professional societies with both online and hybrid voting. Comparable to BigPulse in member-organization focus and managed-service delivery model.
- eBallot: Online voting and election management provider for associations, HOAs, credit unions, and universities with managed and self-service models. Direct comparable to BigPulse's verticals, dual GTM (managed + subscription), and SMB/mid-market pricing.
- ElectionBuddy: Online voting platform serving associations, universities, unions, and member-based organizations with managed and self-service election offerings. Directly comparable to BigPulse in target customer, pricing model, and core feature set (anonymous voting, weighted voting, audit trails).
- SimplyVoting: Long-standing web-based voting platform offering managed and self-managed elections with strong security positioning. Closely comparable to BigPulse in target verticals, security certifications, and verification/audit features.
Others
- VotingWorks: Non-profit provider of open-source election technology primarily serving U.S. public-sector election officials. Thematically related to BigPulse through secure voting technology but operates in a non-overlapping public-sector/charitable model with different procurement dynamics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BigPulse social profiles
Digital presenceBigPulse compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
BigPulse financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BigPulse leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
BigPulse subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
BigPulse funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BigPulse M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BigPulse
What does BigPulse do?
BigPulse sells a web-based secure online voting platform that organizations use to run elections, ballots, and nominations. The platform supports multiple voting methods (STV, instant-runoff, weighted and split voting), multiple anonymity levels, multi-factor and SSO-based voter authentication, and a proprietary seven-process Vote Count Verification Protocol for independent audit. It is delivered as either a Fully-Managed Service (per-election, starting at $899 USD, with BigPulse project managers handling setup) or a Self-Managed subscription service for organizations to run their own elections via the Election Manager / Poll Manager tool.
Is BigPulse a public or private company?
BigPulse is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BigPulse founded?
BigPulse was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BigPulse based?
BigPulse is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does BigPulse make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Fully Managed Election Service is the primary driver. The others are self-Managed Service Subscription and non-Profit Discounts.
Who are BigPulse's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Scytl, SurveyMonkey and Qualtrics. Direct peers are OpaVote, Polyas, Survey & Ballot Systems, eBallot, ElectionBuddy and SimplyVoting. VotingWorks is listed as an others.
Does BigPulse have an API?
No public API is recorded for BigPulse.
What industry is BigPulse in?
BigPulse's product category is Online Voting / Election Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAGAA, Electoral Support & Election Observation. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7370.