Naeim Khanjani on The Role of Technology in The Modern World

Tell us about yourself and what your company does, & how long you've been working on it.

About a year and a half ago, Naeim Khanjani started to think critically about how he consumes information online and how he can keep himself informed without being influenced by the media's biases. His focus was on finding a way to stay told directly from the source without spending hours locating the information he was looking for.

Electo was founded in 2019, and was designed as an alternative to having to follow elected officials on social media, and having to locate their records on various government websites, to become the first civic technology company to provide streamlined access to information to all Americans, in an unbiased, nonpartisan and easy to use format.

Over the last year, Electo has continued to grow its offering. Users began requesting additional features, particularly in preparation for the upcoming general election in 2020, to become an all-in-one platform for all voters' needs. As our product and team continue to grow, one thing stays the same: Naeim's mission to provide access to unbiased information, straight from the source.

Electo's senior leadership team and advisors draw on decades of experience across industries to guide the civic technology company towards its strategic goals.

What inspired you to start your own company - tell us the story?

As someone who came to the US as a refugee and had experienced difficulty accessing unbiased, nonpartisan voting information, I took it upon myself to think of a creative and user-friendly way to ensure that others do not encounter the same challenges that I faced.

How did you decide on your company name and logo?

The name "Electo" came to use after hours of brainstorming names that we felt would immediately connect users with words like "election" and "elector," and was still short enough to be catchy. Our logo represents our brand - American, united, and user friendly.

Who were your first customers? (Or: Tell us about your first sale. Or: Tell us about your opening day.)

Our first users were members of Congress and congressional staffers. We went to several events on the Hill, and demoed the app and asked if contacts wanted to become beta users of the app.

What's been the right way of growing your customer base and sales? Can you share a few success stories with us?

We are using connections to collaborate and partner with like-minded organizations. We believe in supporting other minority founders, and do what we can to ensure to promote their ideas and incredible products.

Can you share some insights that your customers often overlook?

We have gone above and beyond to ensure that nothing on Electo can be linked to biased or partisan views. We have interviewed and spoken with thought leaders, government officials and consultants on ways to ensure that Electo is nonpartisan, and inclusive.

What are you looking forward to in the next week/month/quarter or year, and what are your aspirations for your company?

We look forward to contributing to educating Americans with raw and unbiased data directly from the source. This year's election is different from any previous election, and we hope our voters are informed about their candidates.

What's been your biggest challenge in life thus far, and how did you overcome it?

A refugee coming to the US, I have faced many challenges and had to make many difficult decisions. I overcome all of the obstacles in my life by working hard and not losing faith in the future.