PGH Lab Cohort 8.0: Local Companies Partnering with City Government to Solve Urban Challenges
At PGH Lab, we believe one answer to innovating Pittsburgh lies in partnerships between local government and local startups. That’s why we’re excited to introduce the 8th cohort of our program, where 7 cutting-edge companies will collaborate with city departments to test new products and services for the public.
PGH Lab Overview
PGH Lab is a 6-month city partnership where local companies pilot products and services in Pittsburgh and gain feedback while networking with subject matter experts and municipal leaders. Participating companies receive a city government crash course and in turn, the city gets to solve problems and improve its practices. From air quality monitoring to organic fertilizer production and food access, this year’s cohort is full of companies that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in their respective industries. With the support of PGH Lab’s City Champions, they’ll be able to integrate their projects into relevant city departments while making a real impact on the lives of Pittsburgh residents.
The 2023 PGH Lab 8.0 Cohort is made up of 7 companies and 6 partnering city departments, compared to 4 companies and 3 city departments from the 7.0 Cohort. We are excited to be working with additional companies this cohort cycle and increasing our social impact through PGH Lab. Let’s meet the innovators of Cohort 8.0:
Cohort 8.0
Airviz Inc
Ian Magazine, CEO of Airviz Inc
Flore Marion, Energy Advisor for the Office of Sustainability
Johnathan Decker, Associate Project Manager for the Department of Public Works
Felipe Palomo, Project Manager for the Department of Public Works
By collecting data through many small sensor devices, Airviz tracks harmful substances like Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), and particulate matter in the air that have been known to cause respiratory distress. In addition to air monitoring, the company and their city champions will consider how to tackle existing network access issues that have been an obstacle for sensor devices. This will have the added benefit of helping city staff better understand potential network access issues residents may be facing and where access gaps could exist.
Ecotone Renewables
Kyle Wyche, COO of Ecotone Renewables
Aftyn Giles, Project Manager from the Department of City Planning, Sustainability, & Resilience Division
Ecotone Renewables’ pilot will intercept food waste destined for landfills and turn it into organic fertilizer. The city is looking to use this pilot program to inform any potential future city composting services, and as a bonus, help reduce overall city food waste. Communities with digesters will also see a benefit by having a percentage of the company’s fertilizer, called Soil Sauce, donated back to its local gardens. The PGH Lab pilot will consist of one digester to test proof of concept. You can look out for Ecotone’s first ZEUS compost digester located at the Homewood Senior Center.
Element Exo Inc
Tim Pote, CEO of Element Exo Inc
Shawn Wigle, Superintendent E/S for the Department of Public Works
Element Exo Inc is developing an exoskeleton that will be worn like a backpack and will physically supports users through bending and lifting tasks. Through Public Works, they will help manual laborers complete work duties such as garbage collection more safely by redistributing the total weight workers must carry. The team will pilot the product with a handful of city waste workers and gather data to innovate their design further while providing safer working conditions.
Green Bean Perks
Wilson Morse, Co-founder of Green Bean Perks
Khyla Freeman, Training and Development Coordinator for the Department of Human Services
Green Bean Perks is partnering with the city to reduce city employees’ carbon footprint and increase employee engagement with sustainability efforts. Though this partnership they hope to provide increased access to green technology, education, and policy support. Co-founders Wilson Morse and Wyatt Miller are working to reposition decarbonization as a fundamental human rights issue on a city level. With the collaboration of Human Resources, this team will focus on finding ways to provide support to city employees facing slow and ambiguous adoption processes.
Pittsburgh Drone Services
Dr. Lori Paluti, owner of Pittsburgh Drone Services
Neil Grbach, Data Solutions Architect from the Department of Permits, Licenses, & Inspections
Kurt Schaefers, Construction Inspector Supervisor from the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure
Pittsburgh Drone Services wants to provide drone pilot training to residents in underrepresented racial identity groups, bring equity and equality into focus for this emerging field. The city-company team will be finding ways to survey the city for improvement needs without disturbing residents while reducing risk for city staff. Though this partnership they will review infrastructure assessments by leveraging the mobility and safety associated with drone use.
Poly Platform
Kamel Greene, founder and CEO of Poly Platform
Rebekkah Ranallo, Neighborhood Services Manager from the Office of the Mayor: Office of Neighborhood Services
Poly Platform is designed to provide cities a combined front-facing mobile app and administrative dashboard, while making it easier for citizens to stay plugged in to local government affairs. The platform focuses on civic engagement at the neighborhood level, notifying users when a project or community meeting is happening in their backyard. The city-company team is currently aiming to achieve 2,000 downloads by the end of their pilot project with the intent to elevate resident civic engagement.
Roto Software
Mahtabin Rozbu, co-founder of Roto Software
Shelly Danko-Day, Urban Agriculture and Food Policy Adviser from the Department of City Planning, Sustainability and Resilience Division
Partnering with Shelly Danko-Day from the Department of City Planning, Sustainability and Resilience Division, Roto Software is piloting a service that connects food vendors in possession of excess food with residents facing food accessibility concerns. By providing this access, Mahtabin Rozbu and fellow founders hope to minimize food waste across the city while also decreasing food scarcity. Together, Roto Software and City Planning will start by piloting the project in one Pittsburgh neighborhood prioritizing food safety and access for the duration of the pilot.
Looking Ahead
The PGH Lab team is excited to see the improvements and impact that these teams will have on Pittsburgh, while they continue to innovate local government and empower residents. You can follow along more closely on the Department of Innovation and Performance Twitter page and the PGH Lab LinkedIn page. You can also find more information on the PGH Lab website.
