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Tuesday, 1 July 2025
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Citizen Code
Aline Muylaert embodies a new generation of European innovators who use technology to serve democracy. As co-founder of Go Vocal (formerly CitizenLab), she is committed to bridging the gap between citizens and institutions by facilitating civic participation in public decision-making.
An inspiring figure in social innovation
A graduate in business engineering from Solvay Business School and Vrije Universiteit in Brussels (Belgium), Aline Muylaert co-founded CitizenLab in 2015 with Wietse Van Ransbeeck and Koen Gremmelprez. Their goal: to create a digital civic engagement platform that enables citizens to actively contribute to local policymaking.
The initiative emerged from their observation, whilst studying in the Belgian capital, of the often vast disconnect between citizens and local authorities, as well as the lack of effective channels for expressing and sharing ideas.
In recognition of her impact, Aline Muylaert was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the “Law & Policy” category in 2018.
Engaging 50 million citizens
Renamed Go Vocal in 2024, the platform aims to engage 50 million citizens in local decision-making processes. It is currently used by over 500 governments and organizations worldwide, enabling 5 million people to take part in more than 20,000 policy decisions.
For example, in the Newham district of London, 10,000 residents used Go Vocal to collectively decide how to allocate their participatory budget, distributing £1.6 million across various projects such as youth sports programs, the installation of chess tables in parks, and the creation of bicycle shelters.
In 2024, Go Vocal launched its Sensemaking AI tool to analyze citizen contributions and generate reports, enabling authorities to make informed decisions based on the real needs of communities.
The company also plans to invest further in making citizen participation more accessible, by facilitating online deliberation and creating automated processes, for example.
Towards a more open and inclusive democracy
For Aline Muylaert, technology is a lever to strengthen democracy by making decision-making processes more transparent, participatory, and inclusive. She champions a model of governance in which every citizen has the opportunity to speak out and influence the policies that affect them. This approach aims to restore trust between citizens and their institutions by promoting a culture of engagement and co-creation.
Beyond her role as an entrepreneur, Aline is the mother of triplets - a life experience she openly shares on social media, illustrating her commitment to balancing professional and personal life.
A digital platform for citizen participation like Go Vocal […] simplifies the public consultation process, reducing the time and resources usually required to gather citizen input and manage projects. This is a strong argument for policymakers, who might otherwise be discouraged by the cost and complexity of traditional approaches.
Aline Muylaert, a Committed Entrepreneur for a More Participatory Democracy
