Twin Cities Startup Week 2018

Why are Helsinki, London, Oslo, San Francisco, Singapore, Barcelona similar even though they are on different continents? They are the top Smart Cities in the world!

The United Nations and Mckinsey &Co predicts that by 2030 ~60% of the world population will live in cities.  By 2050, about 86 percent of people in developed countries and 64 percent of people in developing countries are expected to live in cities. Just imagine the impact on these cities, their infrastructure, the business ecosystem and current residents with this influx, in a very short time.

In both developed and developing nations, and several cities in the US,  municipal leaders are working to make sure their cities are competitive for attracting talent and businesses, and their urban populations and currrent ecosystems are thriving.  Similarly businesses and other institutions who have thousands of people living, working and playing in these campuses or communities are looking at deploying these technologies to provide better quality of life and/or work.

A big part of this is figuring out how to deploy smart technologies and smart devices  ( IoT, AI, Big Data, mobile devices etc) to redesign the physical infrastructure, improve operational efficiencies and more importantly support 'smarter' decision making.

While large companies have had a head start in helping build Smart cities and communities, there are several examples of startups globally who are revolutionizing the way we will live, better. Whether it is smart street lighting that also addresses safety, smart energy utilities, smart traffic and parking, air quality, digital kiosks, wayfinding in large cities and campuses, social impactand several others.
This is perhaps one of the greatest imperatives and opportunity of our times, as entreprenuers, technologists, designers, strategists, innovators to get involved both at home and in the world.

The panel will share what choices cities and companies are making in technology, applications, partnerships and where it is headed in the near and distant future, and most importantly 'what is the play' for entrepreneurs and start ups in this growing area of Smart Cities, Smart Campuses and Communities.

This will be followed by the audience to ask questions and network with the panel.