Photo: City of Peachtree Corners

Global startup challenge announced for Smart City Expo 2024

26 September 2024

by Christopher Carey

The North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA) has announced the creation of an international pitch event to be held at this year’s Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona.

The alliance – a regional consortium of over 40 municipalities, agencies, corporations and academic institutions across North Texas – will partner with Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, Georgia and Texas cities Frisco, McKinney and Fort Worth to select a startup that will have the opportunity to pilot in the US.

“Our goal in creating this pitch competition is to foster international innovation across smart cities,” said NTXIA Executive Director Jennifer Sanders.

“We are very fortunate to have strong cross-sector and cross-regional collaborations with organisations across the US.

“This pitch competition represents the opportunity for these companies to interact with some of the leading minds in this space, and the opportunity to pilot their technology and receive funding to help achieve their goals of developing their technology and potentially entering the US market.”

Focus

The 2024 Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge will focus on the future of transportation, sustainability and vulnerable road users (VRUs).

Companies interested in participating in the pitch event will need to ensure their solutions address one of seven key challenge areas: traffic congestion mitigation; kerbside management; autonomous delivery systems; pedestrian safety; heat island mitigation; energy and water efficiency and resiliency; crowd management at large events focusing on public safety and visitor experience.

Curiosity Lab will commit US$15,000 towards a pilot, one year of office space at its innovation centre and access to a global partner network for additional market support.

Frisco and McKinney, Texas will provide up to US$10,000 for travel and accommodation to the US for senior leadership.

Submissions for the pitch competition will close on 9 October and five finalists will be selected by a committee to pitch in person at the SCEWC USA Pavilion on 6 November.

Each company will have 10 minutes for their pitch, followed by a five-minute Q&A session with the judges before a winner is selected.

“We offer a very unique real-world environment for companies of all sizes to test their technologies,” said Curiosity Lab Executive Director Brandon Branham.

“Our smart city ecosystem allows international companies to have a soft-landing pad in the US to continue to develop their technologies and to, when ready, enter the US market.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this incredible pitch competition and to be helping support these international start-ups in their mission to improve our everyday lives with their various technologies.”

Image: Curiosity Lab

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