Cubic announced its Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) business division is joining with industry partner City Innovate to announce over 80 civic challenges for the Startup in Residence (STIR) program. The 28 government partners participating in STIR will start accepting applications from startups to address public-sector challenges. Over the course of this 16-week program, selected startups will work with governments to co-develop and test solutions, with the goal of securing a contract at the end of the program.
“Cubic is pleased to support City Innovate and the STIR program as one of the ways we can support cities in exploring how new technologies can be applied to improve how people move and cities operate,” said Boris Karsch, vice president, strategy for CTS. Karsch represents CTS on City Innovate’s Technical Advisory Board (TAB) which is comprised of global technology organizations providing technical advice and guidance to startups. Other TAB members include Microsoft, Visa, Oracle, Google Cloud for Startups, Mexichem, Forgerock and Panasonic.
“Our partnership with STIR represents our commitment to our customers to help them extend the benefits of the smart mobility solutions we provide through the energy and innovation brought by America’s start-up community to solve today’s civic challenges in new and innovative ways,” said Karsch.
For startups working in the urban innovation space, this is a great opportunity to understand the unique perspective of government leaders and a way to overcome hurdles in the procurement process. For international startups, the STIR program provides an entry-point into the U.S. market by collaborating with large potential customers. The program can be done remotely and does not have to be full time, allowing flexibility for participation.
Some of the emerging themes identified by local governments center around data analytics services, crowdsourcing platforms and urban planning tools, among other topics. Notable challenges include:
- IoT sensor platform for reducing traffic congestion and improving safety;
- Automated HOV lane enforcement;
- Disaster management and communication platform for residents and officials;
- Crowdsourcing platform to connect low-income renters and people willing to provide 21-day loan for security deposits;
- Smart assistant integration to enable residents to have a voice interface to city services;
- Planning tool to predict traffic impact of new real-estate development; and
- Reduce congestion from construction using data and sensors.
The program launched in San Francisco in 2014 and is now in 28 cities, counties, regional governments and states across North America, including Miami-Dade, Memphis, San Jose, Long Beach, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Boulder and Mobile. Each government partner has leadership buy-in, a dedicated project manager and budget committed to each of the challenges.
The call for startup applications will be open through November 7th. Click here to apply.
Source: Cubic
