Municipalities invited to apply for fully funded pilots

To date, Leading Cities has 32 projects underway or completed, selected from a global pool of more than 5,000 vetted startups, as part of a commitment to deploy 100 resilience projects in 100 communities by 2030.

Each project addresses an existing municipal challenge and is prepared for rapid public-sector deployment. The five ready-to-deploy solutions are:

RCOAST
Pinpoints shoreline erosion and evaluates which protective measures are working, helping coastal communities direct funding where it delivers the greatest impact.

True Flood Risk
Helps emergency managers identify which buildings are most likely to flood, enabling faster response planning and smarter resilience investments before disasters strike.

AquaSave
Detects leaks and inefficiencies in water systems in real time, reducing water and energy waste while generating reliable sustainability metrics and operational savings.

Whats Doing
Surfaces accessibility barriers faced by residents with disabilities, guiding improvements that make public spaces and services more inclusive.

Dosy Bikes
Expands safe mobility options for women across the Middle East and North Africa, while creating green workforce opportunities and reducing transportation-related emissions.

Most projects launch within 90 days and deliver results within three to six months. However, these deployments can evolve and expand as the utility of the solution becomes clear to the community.

In Dargo, Australia, a pilot with WEO helped the community visualise previously undocumented local climate risks, achieving 100 per cent coverage of priority areas within six months through combined satellite analysis and community input. The platform remains in active use today to support ongoing resilience planning.

Each deployment includes onboarding, technical support, and performance measurement. Cities are not required to issue an RFP, commit capital funding, or dedicate significant staff time.

“Public-sector teams are stretched thin,” said Katy Southall, chief of impact and innovation at Leading Cities. “We’ve done the heavy lifting, sourcing the solutions, preparing the providers, and structuring the pilots, so cities can focus on impact from day one.”

Smart city directors, CIOs, CTOs, chiefs of staff, mayors, and city managers are encouraged to apply for one or all solutions here and applications close 14 June 2026.