A technology accelerator, CivStart, has launched with a cohort of 10 start-ups to develop viable civic technology solutions to address state and local government challenges.

The early-, middle-, and late-stage start-ups will go through an intensive product-development and mentoring programme. This will be guided and led by leaders from established companies and state and local governments.

Avoiding development vacuums

According to CivStart, by providing state and local government leaders’ guidance and input from the outset, it will ensure that technology products serve the needs of the most vulnerable and underserved communities.

“CivStart meets a gap I’ve seen in the civic technology world and for state and local governments. These communities of dedicated technologists and public servants have been too isolated from each other when they could be accomplishing incredible things by working together,” said Anthony Jamison, founder and CEO of CivStart.

“The state and local government market is incredibly difficult to navigate for young entrepreneurs hoping to make a difference in their communities"

“CivStart aims to fill that gap, not only by connecting people, but by creating an intensive programme for start-ups at any stage to develop their products for maximum impact in the communities that state and local governments serve – with a particular focus on underserved and unconnected communities. That is why the cohort is comprised of diverse founders, each contributing a unique perspective and expertise based on varying identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences.”

The 10 start-ups in the first cohort are:

• Civis Analytics: aims to help governments use their person-level data to make smarter, faster decisions that drive real results
• CityGrows: claims to be the only accessible workflow automation platform designed for local government
• GovInvest: pension, OPEB and union contract software models, analyses and visualises your individual agency’s retirement plans and MoU/MOAs for instant calculations and comparisons. Supporting special districts, cities, counties and states of all sizes across the nation
• Kwema: connecting women in physical danger with immediate help through the most discreet wearables in the market
• Orbital Insight: geospatial big data company leveraging the rapidly growing availability of satellite, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and mobile location data sources
• Circuit: using fleets of all-electric cars to offer complimentary, on-demand rides around busy downtown areas
• Whyline: software that seeks to solve queuing bottlenecks for businesses and governments
• ProcureNow: a procurement solution that aims to help governments make better decisions, move faster, and simplify the procurement process
• Citibot: a tool for citizens and their governments to use for communication and civic change
• Gruntify: data collection product that harnesses a unique blend of mobile, mapping, and cloud technologies.

“The state and local government market is incredibly difficult to navigate for young entrepreneurs hoping to make a difference in their communities. Helping to bring their ideas and solutions to market can have enormous value,” added Jonathan Reichental, senior advisor, CivStart.

“I’ve been impressed with CivStart, [which] wants to help by facilitating meaningful connections, proving guidance and advice, and then, ultimately, helping to turn compelling solutions into viable, scalable solutions for state and local agencies.”

You might also like:

• City Innovate announces start-ups in residence
• London’s top tech start-ups bag £15,000 each
• Virginia launches smart city accelerator