The NewCities Foundation has selected eight startups and social enterprises as 2017 Global Urban Innovators. These promising young enterprises from around the world have been chosen for their innovative use of technology to address urban challenges and will join the NewCities celebrated the community of Global Urban Innovators.
The Global Urban Innovators initiative highlights companies that have an impact in a range of areas. The Class of 2017 notably focuses on startups and social enterprises using technology to enhance and improve wellbeing for city dwellers, through mobility solutions, shaping greener neighbourhoods and using data to create a safer urban environment.
The Global Urban Innovators will play a leading role at the NewCities Summit in Incheon Songdo from 7-9 June 2017, where they will present their innovative approaches to hundreds of global leaders gathered to discuss the theme Thriving Cities: The Building Blocks of Urban Wellbeing.
WhereIsMyTransport provides an open platform for integrated transport data that provides users, developers, and cities with a comprehensive look at formal and informally run public transportation options, particularly in emerging African cities.
Alt-A seeks to make spaces shared by human and vehicle traffic safer and smarter. Using 3D mapping, real-time data collection, and intelligent sensor technologies, their alert system increases safety for pedestrians and vehicles alike.
Leveraging the Internet of Things and smart water meters, CityTaps partners with local utility companies to guarantee water access to households, including the urban poor, allowing users to use mobile money to pre-pay for water and secure access directly at home.
Green City Solutions are the creators of CityTree, combining a vertically installed moss culture with Internet of Things technology to address air pollution in cities. Each CityTree has the environmental equivalent of 275 urban trees, at a fraction of the space and maintenance costs.
Safetipin is a map-based mobile application that works to make cities safer, with a focus on women’s safety. The app collects and disseminates safety-related information to both users and city decision-makers on a large scale through crowdsourcing and geospatial analysis.
Small Change is a real estate equity crowdfunding portal to help fund transformational real estate projects, helping communities identify and deliver change-making, high-impact urban development.
Spin's mission is to help people move around cities. Their first product reimagines bikeshare - Spin's GPS-equipped smart bikes are unlocked via a mobile app, and can be dropped off at any bike parking spot. By offering a convenient, affordable, and environmentally-friendly mode of transport, Spin aims to reduce congestion and improve last mile transportation in cities.
An Artificial Intelligence-based analytics dashboard, ZenCity tracks social media, municipal platforms and 411 telephone lines to provide city governments with real-time, actionable insights about citizens and municipal services to improve citizen experience of the city.
John Rossant, chairman, NewCities says: “In many cities, visionary entrepreneurs are creating solutions to some of the most pressing urban challenges. Global Urban Innovators represent the very best, as their grassroots solutions make our cities easier to navigate, make them safer and leverage the internet of things to create a better life for citizens. We look forward to working with these startups, introducing them to our global network of industry and public sector players and helping them scale so their solutions may help cities around the world.”
For more, go to www.newcitiesfoundation.org.
