Zencity acquires UK’s Commonplace to expand global community engagement
Zencity acquires UK’s Commonplace to expand global community engagement
The deal, estimated in the millions, will double Zencity's UK presence and integrate Commonplace's zoning and planning expertise.
Zencity, a community engagement platform for local governments, has acquired Commonplace, a British engagement software company. While the purchase price has not been disclosed, it is estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
Commonplace customers include the City of London, Westminster Council, Leeds City Council, Camden Council and the Mayor of London. The company’s technology has powered engagement with over 10 million community members on behalf of more than 3,500 individual projects across the UK. Commonplace is particularly recognized in zoning and planning, with its map-based features and subscriber management widely adopted into the Zencity platform.
With this acquisition, Zencity is able to offer its customers in the UK – which include central government agencies, police forces, local councils and developers – an even higher level of service and responsiveness through its new office in central London. Together, Zencity and Commonplace will help over 400 governments and agencies around the world engage with their communities efficiently and effectively.
The combined company serves cities, counties and agencies in 45 US states, 6 countries, and covers a global footprint of over 200 million people. Zencity’s client roster includes 8 of the 10 largest cities in the United States (such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix), the City of London, the UK Home Office, the British Transport Police, and numerous other authorities in England, as well as Israeli cities like Netanya, Eilat, and Petah Tikva.
Zencity leverages technology to analyze resident discourse across multiple information channels. Over the past year, the platform has analyzed over 800 million public responses from more than 45,000 projects. Recently, the company launched a tool that simulates the work of a municipal analyst, enabling various public participation activities to be automated, including creating quick polls and satisfaction surveys, establishing and managing public engagement websites, analyzing data, monitoring social media, and generating comprehensive reports that integrate information from multiple sources.
The acquisition of Commonplace is expected to double Zencity's activities in the UK and strengthen relationships with its customers there.
Zencity was founded in 2016 by Ido Ivri (CTO) and CEO Eyal Feder-Levy. Since its inception, the company has raised $91 million from investors, including StepStone Group and TLV Partners. Zencity employs 120 people, with most based in its Israeli offices and others in New York, London, and Vancouver. The company is currently expanding and hiring for development and product roles in its Tel Aviv office.
“This acquisition not only allows us to expand our presence in the UK market but also gives every Zencity customer access to unique capabilities in zoning and planning,” said Feder-Levy. “We are excited to work together to continue setting the standard for community engagement globally.”
