TechCrunch Startup News New streaming channel launches to give viewers a peek into city council meetings
Dec 5, 2025
Hamlet TV aims to illuminate local government proceedings for citizens. It was inspired by Sunil Rajaraman's journey into city council, highlighting the need for transparency. The platform utilizes AI to transform meeting videos into searchable content. With around $10M in funding, Rajaraman envisions Hamlet as the Bloomberg of local intelligence. Engaging viewers through humorous snippets from meetings, it encourages civic interest. Serious decisions often unfold unnoticed, emphasizing the importance of accessible government insights.
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Losing Sparked A New Civic Startup
- Sunil Rajaraman ran for city council in 2022 and lost, which changed how he viewed local government transparency.
- That experience inspired him to build Hamlet to process meeting videos into usable intelligence.
Video Beats Minutes For Local Records
- Hamlet uses AI to process thousands of hours of council and commission videos into searchable intelligence.
- Video archives reveal more than minutes because they capture raw, unfiltered discussion and context.
Monitor Meetings With Alerts And Syntheses
- Track agendas and set alerts so organizations know when relevant topics surface across target cities.
- Synthesize post-meeting outcomes to avoid watching hours of footage and surface competitor mentions.