Bridgette Washington is the founder and CEO of RaveVenn, a social media platform built to help young adults, people of color, and women protect democracy through reliable information and civic action.
After spending over 25 years building successful businesses and managing teams across multiple states, Bridgette saw a serious problem: young people were getting their news from social media, but they were drowning in mis/disinformation, gaslighting, toxic arguments, and algorithms designed to keep them angry and divided. She founded RaveVenn in 2023 to give them something better—a platform where they can find credible focused news, have real conversations, and take action on issues that matter.
In 2023, Bridgette joined 1871, Chicago's top tech innovation hub, on a full scholarship. She completed their Pyros Explore and Build programs, plus WMNtech and BLKtech. At 1871, she built RaveVenn from the ground up, managing contract developers to create apps for both iPhone and Android that prioritize security, speed, and user experience.
Since launching RaveVenn, we've hit major milestones: three trademarks, a provisional patent, fiscal sponsorship through YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, a $20K grant from the Field Foundation, an $8K loan from Kiva Foundation, and acceptance into both Microsoft for Startups and Google for Startups programs. Most importantly, RaveVenn is now live on the App Store and Google Play, serving users who want democracy focused truth instead of propaganda.
Bridgette brings skills in strategic planning, relationship building, and getting results to everything she does at RaveVenn. She knows how to identify what people need, build solutions that work, and grow a business sustainably. Her vision is simple but powerful: create a democracy where every voice—especially those that have been ignored—can make informed decisions and shape the policies that affect their lives.
With over 41 million potential users aged 18-29, RaveVenn addresses an urgent need. We measure success not just by downloads and subscribers, but by our impact: increasing voter participation by 3-6% in targeted key states and building a generation of informed, engaged citizens.
Bridgette earned her B.S. in Advertising from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She's building RaveVenn with the urgency our democracy needs—one informed decision and one meaningful action at a time.
