Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge to be held at SCEWC

Finalists will be given passes to the SCEWC in Barcelona, where the final pitch will take place. Winners of the competition will be rewarded with travel, pilot and funding.

Prizes include:

• Curiosity Lab will commit $15,000.00 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 travel and accommodations to the US in Texas and Georgia for senior leadership, up to $10,000.00. This includes airfare, hotel, ground transportation, food and office/co-working space in McKinney and Curiosity Lab for the initial visit
• NTXIA, Frisco and McKinney, Texas and Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners will create a curated itinerary of high-level meetings with decision makers in city departments to explore pilot implementation
• Winners will also be introduced to high-level individuals at Plug and Play, University of North Texas, the Dallas College system, major healthcare institutions in Texas like Baylor Scott & White Health, Fortune 500 corporations, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, Chambers of Commerce and major sporting and entertainment venues in Texas.
• Winners will receive global exposure through various media channels.

“We offer a very unique real-world environment for companies of all sizes to test their technologies,” said Brandon Branham, executive director of Curiosity Lab. “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 startups in their mission to improve our everyday lives with their various technologies.”

Submissions for the pitch competition are open. Five finalists will be selected by the Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge committee to pitch in person at SCEWC on Wednesday, 6 November in the USA Pavilion. Each company will have 10 minutes for their pitch, followed by a five-minute Q&A session with the judges. Once all presentations and Q&A sessions are final, the judges will deliberate for 10 minutes and will then announce the winner.

"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"

The North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA) is a 501(c)3 consortium of key cross-sector stakeholders working to develop and implement a smart region strategy for North Texas.

The NTXIA is seeking to build the “most connected, smart and resilient region in the country” – bringing together government entities on all levels, transit agencies, utilities/infrastructure, public safety, educational institutions and some of the world’s top technology developers in the private sector to pave the way for a brighter tomorrow.

The organisation’s mission is to break down silos and drive the collaborative use of data, technology and community to address the most pressing topics and create solutions that will improve quality of life, drive inclusive economic development and promote resource efficiency.