That’s really the only way I can describe my single day experience at Smart City Startups (#scs414). Milk Punch, which apparently is in fact a color, will now be a reminder of actionable dialogue, delicious paella, and smart people from around the world solving tough problems. A select (limited to 100 seats) group of highly motivated entrepreneurs, investors, and urban leaders who aspire to make cities more efficient and enjoyable places to live convened for a two-day conference in Wynwood. The following will be a recap of my experience while in the Sangria group, which is also in fact a color.
The difficulties of fundraising and finding meaningful partnerships were the two major topics discussed the first day. Driving from Fort Lauderdale to Miami in rush hour is a feat of endurance and courage itself, so luckily breakfast was still out after arriving just slightly late, but safely. I was handed a red button declaring “C,” as in “related to a city” after my involvement with organizing Code for Fort Lauderdale, a local civic hacking brigade. Other attendee’s buttons showed F as in Founders, I for Investors, A for Advisors, and P for Press. The Lightbox was already packed and conversations had started. It wasn't long until I found fellow brigade organizer, engineer and epic tour guide Ernie, and later Code for America peeps Alex, Lane, and Dharmishta. The combined experience at this event was astounding, as Founders from as far away as Nairobi, Montreal, and Barcelona were in the house. I’d highly recommend checking out the list at the bottom on this Starting Gate post and a more in depth write up here.
We filled the seats and the first panel began. The discussion circled around strategies when raising money, including some potential missed opportunities and the consideration of stakeholders. Grants and crowdsourcing platforms can level the playing fields, and the idea of staffing a dedicated grant writer voiced by Doug was blindingly clear only after the fact. The troubles and pitfalls were acknowledged when realities of ownership, dilution, and runways drying thin were mentioned. Breakout sessions followed, and to my surprise some panel members joined our Sangria group. Stories like the Downtown Project in Las Vegas, well designed tax incentives, and capitalizing on existing knowledge areas (Agriculture startups in Fresno) were highlighted as “hacks,” or actionable ways to maximize success.
After some wandering in the mural laden land of Wynwood and settling on some lunch, we made the mandatory stop at Panther Coffee, chatted with Bryan and Peter from RefreshMiami, and headed back to the event. Yoga started at 2:00pm, and others had email to attend to.
The second panel focused on finding partnerships. Again, insights were abound and perspectives proved interesting as ideas like New York City’s Big City Apps, partnerships with educational institutions, and the always invigorating city-wide challenges were discussed. Also noted was the unique position Universities have as directories of talent, and the much needed development of student skills for the modern world, not years prior. A very interesting point raised by Micah was providing broadband as a public utility to combat the digital divide. Group sessions followed, Sangria (the color) round two. The top story we shared during presentations included San Francisco’s health inspection data being used in the foodie app Yelp. Hacks included finding those with complementary skills, being honest about real capabilities, and seeking a partner company, non-profit, or industry incumbent (after all other options are exhausted) to lead the way. The need for a much longer viewpoint, decades even, is commonplace when working with these product life cycles. An unfavorable reality for many with short attention spans.
Dinner followed, a delicious paella that I can still taste. Additional talks rounded out the night as companies prepared demos next door in The Lab Miami. Once again filled with techies, entrepreneurs, and city folk, the night ended with impassioned discussion and drinks. Startup highlights included Placemeter, Transit, PublicStuff, SmartProcure and BRCK. While listening to Mayor of Miami-Dade County Carlos Gimenez talk tech and taking home a Lego helicopter were personal highlights. I am bummed to be missing today’s challenge with the elephant in the room, Procurement. Here’s to hoping one of the other attendees can recap their Day 2, as these learnings should be shared far and wide in an effort to combat systemic inefficiencies everywhere.
Smart City Startups was organized by Urban.Us, a.k.a. Stonly and Shaun, two well connected and inspiring people creating lasting change. They did not hire me to write this, nor did any of the attending founders or organizations. This was written in order to reflect a larger movement that should be of interest to all of us. The shifting from an Industrialized society to an Information based society, what that means for all of us, and the need for further discussion on issues related to civic engagement, transparency, and access.
Thanks for reading down to the bottom!
