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CrowdJustice<\/a>, a startup that brings crowdfunding to \u201cpublic interest\u201d litigation<\/a>, has raised $2 million in seed funding for U.S. expansion.<\/p>\n First Round Capital, and Venrock led the round, with participation from Bessemer, and previous investor Kindred Capital. The company also counts Bela Hatvany (first investor in JustGiving) and Jonathan McKay (Chairman of JustGiving) as backers.<\/p>\n Founded in London in 2015 by ex-United Nations lawyer Julia Salasky, the idea behind CrowdJustice is to bring the Kickstarter model to legal cases that would otherwise find it hard to get funded. More broadly, the aim is to widen access to justice and use the law for social change \u2014 something that Salasky says is needed in the U.S. at the current time more than ever.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not just words, either. I understand the CrowdJustice founder actually moved to New York in December, effectively relocating the company across the pond, though I\u2019m told the U.K. operation \u201ccarries on undiminished\u201d regardless.<\/p>\n High profile cases that have utilised the platform to date include the \u201cPeople\u2019s Challenge<\/a>\u201d to Brexit that won in the Supreme Court, which said that Parliament had a say in triggering Article 50, and the first federal case challenging the Trump immigration ban<\/a>.<\/p>\n To coincide with today\u2019s U.S. seed funding announcement, a new campaign is launching on CrowdJustice<\/a>. It\u2019s seeing Mike Hallatt (\u201cPirate Joe\u201d) attempt to raise money to defend a lawsuit being brought by corporate giant Trader Joe\u2019s against Hallatt\u2019s small Canadian startup Pirate Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n Hallatt drives across the US-Canada border to buy Trader Joe\u2019s products in bulk \u2013 and then resells them at his Vancouver store for a mark-up. Trader Joe\u2019s, which does not exist in Canada, has tried multiple times to litigate Hallatt out of business.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never been a more important time to ensure that the law can be used by anyone, large or small, to defend and protect rights, or hold the government to account,\u201d says Salasky in a statement. \u201cAt CrowdJustice our goal is to revolutionize how legal cases are organized and funded, level the playing field and democratize access to justice. Whether that\u2019s a David bringing a case against a Goliath, or a non-profit holding the government to account, we want to give people access to the law.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/salasky-headshot.jpg?w=680\")
CrowdJustice, a startup that brings crowdfunding to “public interest” litigation, has raised $2 million in seed funding for U.S. expansion. Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/img><\/a>
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