About LookUp

LookUp is built on a simple belief: parliaments are learning institutions, and they deserve better learning support. We help legislatures step back, gain perspective, and grow into the institutions their societies need. Drawing on a global network of seasoned experts—from political philosophy to budget processes to public engagement—LookUp assembles the right team for each assignment. We work closely with national universities to ground learning locally and to reconnect parliaments with the citizens they serve. Whether through ecosystem diagnostics, onboarding strategies, or reflective dialogue, our work is about more than technical fixes. It’s about restoring purpose and confidence to an institution that too often goes overlooked.

About the Founder

Dr. Kristen Heim has worked with parliaments across Africa and Europe since 2008, supporting legislative development through hands-on projects and later through doctoral research into how parliaments evolve. She has studied international relations, conflict, and institutional design—but what drives her is learning: how people make sense of their world, and how systems either support or stifle that process. She loves teaching, thinking differently, and making complex ideas simple. She knows the promises and pitfalls of international development, and is passionate about breathing life into institutions that feel stuck. Today, she’s a research fellow at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Research on Democracy (CREDO), and started LookUp because she saw the need for something clear, collaborative, and deeply grounded. Because we need parliaments just as much as they need us.