The accelerator was already international, but this year the program — run by nonprofit Leading Cities and sponsored by insurer QBE — is creating a “West” division and an “East” division. The concept is somewhat similar to Startup in Residence in that it is focused on pilot projects addressing specific problems.
The “East” and “West” winners will receive $25,000 each, and there will be a $100,000 grand prize for the “solution of the year.” Additionally, the organizers will choose one company to conduct a pilot program focused on food-related innovation with the city of Gainesville, Fla.
“We value opportunities like the Smart City Challenge that will help the city of Gainesville reach its goals to deliver a sustainable food system to our neighbors,” said Sheyla Santana, smart city coordinator for the city of Gainesville. “Leading Cities’ assistance in identifying candidates ready to implement pilot projects will be invaluable to meet the needs of our challenge area.”
Past awardees in AcceliCITY include Pharem Biotech, a company that removes pharmaceuticals and other pollutants from wastewater, and DrugViu, which is crowdsourcing medical records for research into autoimmune diseases.
Leading Cities also runs AcceliGOV, which seeks to connect companies with municipalities interested in running pilot projects.
