Stories from the 5th Startup in Residence Cohort; Application Deadline for the 6th Cohort
By: City Innovate
Tags: Startup, Innovation, Civictech, Government, Govtech

San Francisco, CA — Today, City Innovate announced new technology solutions developed through the 5th Startup in Residence (STIR) cohort, highlighting the importance of civic innovation and leveraging technology to improve government services. City Innovate is now inviting governments to apply to join the 6th STIR program cohort.

In the 5th cohort, 22 governments and 39 startups developed 43 new products that solve challenges related to property development, public safety and affordable housing services. The products were developed during a 16-week project period, where government staff and startup companies co-develop modern technology solutions for local and state governments. Nearly 700 startups from over 60 cities and countries vied for a chance to work with the 22 governments for the opportunity to secure a contract.

“The STIR program has provided countless benefits for the City of Syracuse,” Adria Finch, Director of Innovation, City of Syracuse, said. “Not only have we identified companies to help us solve City challenges, but we have also adopted new techniques to improve our procurement, advance innovation and technology budgeting practices, and identify new employees to drive change throughout the organization.”

City Innovate is inviting governments from the US and Canada to apply by June 30th, 2019 to join the 6th cohort of STIR. A limited number of new governments will be accepted as the STIR program is subsidized by Federal and philanthropic grants.

The internationally recognized STIR Program provides a framework for small companies to work with government departments throughout the United States and Canada. Through STIR, teams address civic challenges by co-creating new technology tools and services for government to better serve their staff and constituents.

Here are a few stories from the 5th program cohort:

The City of Boulder, Colorado collaborated with Neighborly Software to develop an easy-to-use digital portal for the City’s affordable homeownership program. The City also worked with Tolemi to develop an integration and analytics platform for City employees to report on housing data.

The City of Long Beach, California pursued four projects, and also collaborated with Tolemi to develop an online interactive mapping tool which informs stakeholders of the major development project in process throughout the City.

The City of Syracuse, New York also pursued four projects, including a collaboration with Camino to develop a permit management platform that allows collaboration and visibility between permit applicants and City employees. Syracuse staff also worked with Zivics to create a community engagement tool that communicates time-sensitive information to residents as public safety notices in the event of violent crimes and as announcements of community events and activities happening in Syracuse neighborhoods.

The City of Mobile, Alabama pursued a collaboration with Qwally to develop an easy-to-use tool that will allow potential City vendors to apply for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certifications and more effectively participate in government bid opportunities.

The STIR program originally started in the City of San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation. In 2018 the STIR program launched in 11 cities across the United States. STIR is now in 22 governments across the US and Canada and has helped recruit nearly 100 startups to work with government. See all 2019 STIR team partnerships here. The international STIR program is managed by City Innovate and its government partners.

“The Startup in Residence program is a model for civic innovation and national collaboration,” said Jay Nath, former Chief Innovation Officer for San Francisco and Executive Director for City Innovate. “This program is a unique opportunity for government agencies and startups to think creatively about how we can all work together to modernize government to benefit residents.”

Past projects in other communities have included working on issues such as streamlining the foster care application process, smart sensors on trash cans, homeless health services, volunteer engagement tools, and developing tools to assess the damage in the aftermath of an emergency like an earthquake or flooding.

The program also offers education for government and startup staff in areas including design thinking, lean project management methodologies, and procurement methodologies for technology purchases.

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Additional quotes and interview opportunities available upon request.

About STIR: Startup in Residence (STIR) connects startups with government agencies to develop technology products that solve real civic challenges through a 16-week program. See all the 2019 STIR team partnerships here. To learn more about Startup in Residence visit: https://startupinresidence.org.