ElectNext rebrands as Versa

ElectNext pivoted this past October, launching sponsored comments on news sites.

Now, the transformation is complete: ElectNext has become Versa.

Founded in 2011 by Wharton grad Keya Dannenbaum, the startup began as a way to connect voters and politicians, using a quiz to show voters which politicians’ views most aligned with their own. But their most recent business model wasn’t making money, Dannenbaum said this fall, and that’s why it pivoted to sponsored comments.

Versa now counts publishers like Philly.com, Hearst and the McClatchy Company as customers, according to its site. It’s a media software move others have waded into: think about how Brooklyn-based RapGenius is selling its annotating software to publishers like the New York Times.

Before the rebranding, its team was split between San Francisco, New York City and Philadelphia and this has not changed, said founder Keya Dannenbaum.