UK citizen engagement platform Commonplace raises £2.1 million to ensure the built environment positively impacts communities

UK-based citizen engagement platform, Commonplace, has raised £2.1 million to fuel its ‘continued expansion, enabling its growing client base to demonstrate the positive impact their work has on the communities they service’.

The funding round was led by Beringea and includes Grosvenor Property UK, The Conduit Impact Fund, Concrete Ventures, Oxford Innovation Finance and Foundation Ventures.

“Commonplace is the enabler of true citizen engagement. Its software enables all levels of government and organisations to listen to the voices of their citizens, customers, and communities, wherever they are. We are excited to be supporting Mike and his team on their journey,” says Eyal Malinger, Investment Director at Beringea. 

Commonplace is a social engagement tool for the built environment – an insights-based platform for infrastructure developers, local government, architects, and built environment consultancies to collect data from key stakeholder groups including residents and businesses.

“We’re super excited to be joining forces with these leaders in placemaking and proptech to accelerate our mission to inspire thriving places, powered by insights and collaboration. Moving beyond our sector’s aspiration to deliver social value, our work will allow users to define, plan for, target and then evidence the positive impact their buildings and places have on those who live and work in them. Just as environmental measurement frameworks are now supporting our decarbonisation journey, Commonplace’s increased product focus on social value will become a critical support to analyse and understand the ‘S’ in ESG,” says Mike Saunders, co-founder and CEO of Commonplace.

“It’s vital that people are connected to the places they live, work or play, and have a constructive voice in shaping them. As the government seeks to address housing shortages, cost of living and the pressing need for infrastructure, community collaboration will be key to its success,” he adds.

The platform has powered more than 3,000 projects for 200 councils and real estate developers, which have engaged more than 6.5 million people across the UK and is used in London, Leeds and Liverpool, and by Lendlease, Landsec and Barratt Homes

“Great places are only created and managed through early, open, and two-way engagement with the experts – the people who live and work there. This is a fact that Government and many businesses are now increasingly facing, but are unsure how to effectively augment traditional face to face conversations with digital platforms. Commonplace’s technology powers more inclusive and extensive participation and improves our ability to understand and respond to local knowledge and needs,” says Andy Doyle, Innovation Director at Grosvenor Property UK.

“As an investor, we see real value in the role Commonplace can play in improving the voice local stakeholders have in the future of their places and as a client we will be applying this within our portfolio to help evolve our own extensive engagement activity, and direct our passion to create high-quality places,” Doyle adds. 

Main image: Mike Saunders