democracyCo
democracyCo is an Adelaide-based deliberative democracy consultancy that designs and facilitates citizens' juries, community panels, co-design, and engagement roadmaps for Australian and international government, NGO, and infrastructure clients. Founded in 2015, the firm has completed 120+ processes involving nearly 20,000 participants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAdelaide, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What democracyCo does
democracyCo is a privately held Australian professional services firm founded in 2015 in Adelaide, South Australia, that specialises in deliberative democracy and community engagement consulting. The firm designs, implements, and facilitates structured engagement processes — including citizens' juries, community panels, co-design programs, deliberative forums, and whole-of-community conversations — to help governments, NGOs, utilities, infrastructure operators, and regional development authorities reach evidence-based decisions on complex policy issues. Over a ten-year operating history the firm has delivered more than 120 democratic processes involving nearly 20,000 participants, with documented outcome metrics such as a 30 percentage point increase in community support for offshore wind, a 102% increase in participant knowledge, a 21 percentage point improvement in trust for a regulated utility, and consensus on 15 of 17 recommendations in one major panel.
The company is led by Co-CEOs Emma Fletcher and Emily Jenke, with Dan Popping as Director. Fletcher brings direct senior government experience spanning the NSW Upper House, the SA Department of Premier and Cabinet, and advisory roles to the SA Premier and Treasurer; Jenke is recognised internationally for deliberative democracy practice. Revenue is generated through project-based, nonpartisan advisory engagements procured primarily via government tender processes and direct client outreach, with international delivery extending to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Philippines, the United States, and Denmark. The business model is bespoke consulting: pricing is not publicly disclosed, contracts are project-defined, and there is no SaaS or platform product.
democracyCo's product surface includes advisory services, training programs, engagement roadmaps, co-design services, strategic planning, and engagement policy/framework development, supplemented by a 2023-launched initiative called The People's House that supports Members of Parliament in community representation. The firm is a member of Democracy R&D and the International Parliamentary Engagement Network, and co-published the Six Foundations of Deliberative Democracy framework with the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. The technology stack is standard productivity tooling (Microsoft Office 365, Nimble CRM, Monday.com, Basecamp, Survey Monkey) with no proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, or disclosed funding rounds.
democracyCo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- democracyCo
- Legal name
- DemocracyCo
- Website
- https://democracyco.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- democracyCo is an Adelaide-based deliberative democracy consultancy that designs and facilitates citizens' juries, community panels, co-design, and engagement roadmaps for Australian and international government, NGO, and infrastructure clients. Founded in 2015, the firm has completed 120+ processes involving nearly 20,000 participants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
democracyCo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Participation Consulting
- NAICS
- Political Organizations (81394)
- SIC
- Services-Management Services (8741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)
Keywords
Where democracyCo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Adelaide
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
democracyCo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Deliberative Democracy Consulting Services: Professional services revenue from designing, implementing and facilitating deliberative democracy processes for government and organisational clients. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements including citizens' juries, community panels, co-design programs, facilitation, training, and strategic advisory services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
democracyCo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
democracyCo is a deliberative democracy professional services firm that designs and facilitates structured community engagement processes for governments, NGOs, and organisations. The firm employs methods such as citizens' juries, community panels, co-design processes, deliberative forums, community assemblies, and community climate conversations to help diverse groups reach considered judgement on complex policy issues. Their work spans advisory services, training programs, engagement roadmaps, facilitation, strategic planning, and engagement policy development across Australia and internationally.
Product overview
democracyCo offers deliberative democracy professional services rather than a software product. Their portfolio includes advisory services, training programs, and engagement roadmaps that help clients integrate deliberative democracy into policy development. They employ various engagement methods including Citizens' Juries/Panels, Community Assemblies, Community Climate Conversations, and Community Conversations, along with facilitation design and delivery, co-design services, strategic planning, and engagement policy/framework development. The company works with governments, NGOs, and organisations to facilitate community engagement on complex policy issues.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The People's House: An initiative to support Members of Parliament in representing their communities through deliberative processes.
Products and services
- Deliberative Democracy Advisory Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 30% increase in support for offshore wind development after deliberative process
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use democracyCo
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
democracyCo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
democracyCo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Democracy R&DminorDemocracyCo is a member of Democracy R&D, a global network of organisations from many countries that meet virtually to discuss innovations and challenges relating to deliberative practice. DemocracyCo participates in annual conferences and knowledge sharing.
- International Parliamentary Engagement NetworkminorDemocracyCo presented to the International Parliamentary Engagement Network in mid-2023 on The People's House initiative. This is a global network of parliamentarians and politicians who connect monthly to discuss parliamentary engagement practices.
- Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG)minorDemocracyCo collaborated with ANZSOG to publish the Six Foundations of Deliberative Democracy - a framework publication developed with the school.
- L3 ConsultingminorL3 Consulting provides security oversight for DemocracyCo's information management systems and supports cyber security measures.
- Seventy-Six CreativeminorSeventy-Six Creative provides website development and security oversight for DemocracyCo, including review of security systems and storage procedures.
- ManniferaminorProject sponsor for the SACOSS Community Panel on State Government Concessions.
- Wyatt TrustminorProject sponsor for the SACOSS Community Panel on State Government Concessions.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
democracyCo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Healthy Democracy: US-based nonprofit that designs and runs deliberative events including citizens' initiative reviews and community panels, sharing methodology and government client base.
- MASS LBP: Canadian civic engagement and deliberative process design firm that designs and runs citizens' assemblies and juries for governments, mirroring democracyCo's core offering.
- The Jefferson Center: US-based nonprofit and pioneer of the citizens' jury method, providing deliberative democracy facilitation and design services to governments and communities.
- Sortition Foundation: UK-based organisation promoting and supporting citizens' assemblies using sortition; operates as a practitioner in the same deliberative democracy niche.
- Involve UK: UK charity that designs and delivers public participation and deliberative processes for government and civil society, directly comparable in methodology and client base.
- newDemocracy Foundation: Australia-based research and practice organisation specialising in deliberative democracy and citizens' juries; directly competes for the same Australian government and NGO engagements as democracyCo.
Others
- Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue: Mediation and dialogue organisation where democracyCo has delivered training (e.g., Bosnia); comparable in the dialogue/facilitation methodology but focused on conflict resolution rather than civic engagement.
- ANZSOG (Australia and New Zealand School of Government): Public sector education institution that collaborated with democracyCo on the Six Foundations of Deliberative Democracy; adjacent as a government training and capacity-building partner.
Broad incumbents
- International IDEA: Intergovernmental organisation supporting democratic governance and electoral processes worldwide; overlaps with democracyCo's democracy and governance advisory work.
- Kettering Foundation: US nonprofit foundation focused on advancing deliberative democracy research and practice globally; operates as a thought leader and convenor rather than direct service provider, but addresses the same field.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
democracyCo social profiles
Digital presencedemocracyCo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
democracyCo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
democracyCo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
democracyCo 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 democracyCo
What does democracyCo do?
democracyCo is a deliberative democracy professional services firm that designs and facilitates structured community engagement processes for governments, NGOs, and organisations. The firm employs methods such as citizens' juries, community panels, co-design processes, deliberative forums, community assemblies, and community climate conversations to help diverse groups reach considered judgement on complex policy issues. Their work spans advisory services, training programs, engagement roadmaps, facilitation, strategic planning, and engagement policy development across Australia and internationally.
Is democracyCo a public or private company?
democracyCo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was democracyCo founded?
democracyCo was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is democracyCo based?
democracyCo is headquartered in Adelaide, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does democracyCo make money?
One revenue line is on record: deliberative Democracy Consulting Services.
Who are democracyCo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Healthy Democracy, MASS LBP, The Jefferson Center, Sortition Foundation, Involve UK and newDemocracy Foundation. Others are Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and ANZSOG (Australia and New Zealand School of Government). Broad incumbents are International IDEA and Kettering Foundation.
Does democracyCo have an API?
No public API is recorded for democracyCo.
What industry is democracyCo in?
democracyCo's product category is Public Participation Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAGAJ, Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform, with a secondary code of BPAGAFAJ, Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy. Its NAICS code is 81394 and its SIC code is 8741.