Colorado Governments Select Three AI Solutions in Fifth Annual Connected Colorado (C²) Challenge
The most recent C² Challenge from the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance celebrates four new winning collaborations and expands its reach across Colorado communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver, CO [April 29, 2026] –
Three cutting-edge AI companies emerged as winners in this year’s Connected Colorado (C²) Challenge, earning the opportunity to implement their innovations across four unique Colorado municipalities. Cembla will deploy AI-powered development plan review tools with the City of Centennial, Go Vocal will implement a community engagement platform that averages AI for deeper insights in partnership with the City of Colorado Springs, and Arterial (a Smart Futures Lab cohort graduate) will partner with both the City of Lakewood and the City of Loveland to bring automated infrastructure inspection to city streets.
The Challenge, run annually by the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance (the Alliance), creates a streamlined pathway for global innovators to connect with Colorado’s state and local governments, helping jurisdictions discover, evaluate, and acquire breakthrough solutions.
The 2025 C² Challenge launched last year and sought ways new technology could help address three specific problems faced by Colorado communities: Asset Management for Accessibility, Streamlining Development, and Reimagining Digital Services. 41 total solution applications were submitted across the three problem statements. The following are detailed descriptions of the winning solutions and how they will be demonstrated in partnership with their respective jurisdictions:
Cembla | City of Centennial
Cembla is an AI plan check solution that automatically reviews building permit submittals to identify missing documents and code violations based on each jurisdiction’s specific codes and requirements. Cembla flags issues to applicants prior to submission, improving application quality and reducing review cycles, while also providing an initial plan check report to staff, cutting review time from months to days.
Go Vocal | City of Colorado Springs
Go Vocal is a community engagement platform that empowers local government to collect resident input. It streamlines project workflows and leverages AI for deeper insights.
Arterial (Colorado-based) | City of Lakewood
Arterial helps cities catch infrastructure problems like potholes, ADA violations, and faded crosswalks before they become dangerous. Arterial can turn any city vehicle or bike into a rolling inspector, supplying cities with real, up-to-date data without additional operational burden.
Arterial (Colorado-based) | City of Loveland
Arterial will also partner with the City of Loveland to bring the same rolling infrastructure inspection capability to Loveland’s streets and pathways, providing actionable, continuously updated data to support proactive maintenance and accessibility improvements.
The winners will now work to co-develop demonstration projects that test how each solution can be applied to the specific challenges faced by their partner jurisdictions. Each project will have its own unique deployment timeline and scale to be defined over the coming months.
“Colorado is using AI to solve problems that matter to people. We’re thrilled to announce that several Colorado communities found solutions to important issues through our Challenge, which connects emerging technology innovations with community needs and government staff through a competitive procurement process,” said Alliance Executive Director Tyler Svitak. “Over five years, the result has been the deployment of 37 new solutions across cities, counties and districts across Colorado”.
The problem statements driving this year’s Challenge were developed through a robust community process: 44 Challenge statements were submitted, distilled into 17 summarized themes that went out to vote, with 36 people across 15 jurisdictions participating in the prioritization process.
Jurisdictions who reviewed applications as part of this year’s C² Challenge Deployment Board include: Arapahoe County, Arapahoe Libraries, Boulder Public Library, City of Centennial, City of Colorado Springs, City and County of Denver, City of Greeley, City of Loveland, and City of Lakewood.
The C² Challenge is the nation’s only statewide initiative that unites multiple governments to source and implement smart city technologies. This one-of-a-kind collaboration, pioneered by the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, fosters a unique procurement model teaching governments how emerging technology can be applied to pressing public infrastructure needs.
Each year, the Alliance hosts a challenge centered on distinctive problems identified by participating communities, offering the multi-billion-dollar smart cities industry a platform to showcase cutting-edge solutions to interested government partners. Simultaneously, it empowers governments to reimagine their approach to community challenges through innovative and transformative ideas.
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About the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance (CSCA)
The Colorado Smart Cities Alliance is the first state-wide alliance of its kind in the nation, bringing together public, private, federal research, and academic sector leaders committed to advancing smarter communities. The organization aims to enhance quality of life in Colorado by fostering sustainability, equity, resilience, and humanism in urban environments. Through partnership development, education, and capacity-building, the Alliance has facilitated some of the most innovative government technology projects in the state.
Contact
Chelsea Richwine
Colorado Smart Cities Alliance
chelsea@coloradosmart.city
