Current Venture · Civic Technology

Convexus

A civic tech platform that transforms meaningful dialogue into coordinated action. Built for the moment democracy needs new infrastructure.

Visit convexus.us → Infrastructure for Participatory Change

The problem Convexus solves

Digital platforms reward outrage, not resolution. Existing civic tools address pieces of the problem — but none integrate structured dialogue, AI-assisted facilitation, and trackable real-world action outcomes into a single coherent platform.

Communities exhaust themselves in fragmented conversations that lead nowhere. Convexus provides the infrastructure to move from conversation to consensus to action.

Fragmentation — Conversations happen everywhere but lead nowhere
Toxic dynamics — Algorithms prioritise divisive content over constructive dialogue
No action pathway — Discussion rarely translates to coordinated change
Burnout — Advocates exhaust themselves without seeing progress
Accessibility gaps — Marginalised voices struggle to participate safely
How it works

Explore → Align → Act

01
Explore
Users enter moderated conversation spaces around specific issues with clear goals. AI facilitates by guiding tone, surfacing common ground, and summarising progress.
02
Align
Visual milestone tracking moves participants through phases. Progress is visible. Accountability is built in. The platform distinguishes between talking and converging.
03
Act
The Action Loop surfaces concrete next steps — petitions, events, stakeholder engagement. Outcomes are tracked, documented, and available for report-out.

About
the founders

Convexus was co-founded by Merrill Keating and Doña Keating. Merrill brings next-gen vision, an engineer’s mindset, and a strong leadership and advocacy background. Doña brings decades of strategic leadership expertise and turning fragmented conversations into collective action across sectors. Convexus is the digital scaling of her analog playbook. Together they also bring technical, ethics, and intricate AI experience – and are both authors and speakers.

The platform is currently at the functional prototype stage, with a live demo available at convexus.us demonstrating the complete Explore → Align → Act workflow with AI-assisted facilitation.

Merrill Keating
Founder, Convexus · merrillkeating.com
  • Mechanical engineer (UW)
  • NASA Space Grant Scholar
  • Robotics research at AIRLAB
  • 9 published books including The Merrill Protocol series on AI consciousness/ethics
  • Founder: Girls Ignited (226K+ followers), The Power of 100 Girls, Bainbridge Island Girl Up, two TEDx events
  • 10 years mentoring with West Sound CoderDojo
  • USA Today Woman of the Year 2024 (Washington State)
  • Grace Hopper Award
    • Doña Keating
    Co-Founder, Convexus · President & CEO, Professional Options LLC
  • 25+ years building civic infrastructure and strategic/leadership consulting
  • Co-founding member of West Sound Technology Association (8-county tech ecosystem)
  • Founder of West Sound CoderDojo
  • Founded Western Washington Summit on Tech & Economic Development (15 years)
  • Founding signatory, Cybersecurity Tech Accord (Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, Oracle, 150+ companies)
  • Advised Congress and White House on privacy, digital hygiene, and cybersecurity as an Advisory Task Force member of Voices for Innovation (a Microsoft-hosted advocacy forum)
  • Chair, City of Bainbridge Island Ethics Board
  • Speaker and published author, including The Merrill Protocol series on AI consciousness/ethics
    • Dr. Joseph Williams
    Advisor, Convexus
    Former adviser to WA Governor Inslee, former Seattle Director at PNNL, Executive Director of Northwest Quantum Nexus, and was recognized by GeekWire as its 2025 Public Policy Champion for Innovation.

    See it live.

    A fully functional prototype demonstrates the complete workflow with AI-assisted facilitation.

    Visit convexus.us →