Ten tech startups to graduate from Denver's Smart Futures Lab 2024 accelerator program

The Smart Futures Lab program launched in early 2023 with the intent of offering a program to accelerate growth of companies in the civic innovation space that are run by women, people of color and those with disabilities. Solutions built by the companies in this year’s cohort include an AI system to detect sewer leaks, an app that helps people with cognitive disabilities navigate indoor spaces and an advanced sensor system designed for early detection of wildfires and chemical spills.

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How vehicle-grid integration can strengthen US infrastructure

A three-year research initiative funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to enhance the resilience and efficiency of America’s infrastructure through vehicle-grid integration (VGI) system development. The project, Electric Vehicle Integration to power infrastructure by Behavioural, Economic and Sociotechnical (E-Vibes), is led by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Colorado-Denver, North Carolina State University, Gettysburg College, and Colorado Smart Cities Alliance.

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Colorado launches latest smart cities challenge

The Colorado Smart Cities Alliance is launching the fourth annual C² Challenge to source technology solutions that address four specific problems faced by Colorado communities: missing middle affordable housing, infrastructure asset analysis, public park and open space usage, and crime prevention.

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Colorado Smart Futures Lab programme cohort unveiled

The University of Colorado Denver College of Engineering, Design and Computing (CU Denver) has named 11 companies participating in its Smart Futures Lab incubator and accelerator programmes. The companies, local, national and international, are led by New Majority entrepreneurs, which includes Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, Women and People with disabilities.

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Eleven Companies Graduate from CU Denver's Smart Futures Lab

Companies participating in CU Denver’s Smart Futures Lab program shared some of their successes and how the program helped them during their graduation ceremony earlier this month at the University of Colorado Denver. The participating companies are led by individuals representing the New Majority, which includes Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Women, and People with Disabilities.

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Eight smart tech products to be tested in Colorado Cities

This year’s C² Challenge, launched in June, sought innovative smart cities solutions that address three specific problems faced by Colorado communities: accessibility, safe streets and public safety. Eleven local government jurisdictions across Colorado participated in an evaluation process of 75 proposals, which resulted in 35 solutions being selected as finalists. Eight of the final solutions were selected as winning solutions for scoping and demonstration in Colorado communities.

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CU Denver’s Smart Futures Lab Launches with Preview Event on May 16 – Promises to be an Innovation Hub in Downtown Denver

The Smart Futures Lab at the University of Colorado Denver, which houses a new incubator and accelerator program for companies led by women, people of color and those with disabilities, is hosting a launch event on May 16, which includes presentations, tours, and exhibits from entrepreneurs working on developing transformative technology in the smart cities industry.Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock and CU Denver Chancellor Michelle Marks are scheduled to provide remarks, and several entrepreneurs that are part of the Lab will exhibit some of their technology. The invitation-only event will be held at the CU Denver Building at 1250 14th St. near Larimer Square.

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What Is a Smart County?

Smart cities continue to pop up all over the country, as many municipalities implement technologies that make public areas safer, more effective and more efficient. But there’s another element of the smart community movement that’s perhaps lesser known: the smart county.Smart counties involve large-scale operations and have multiple jurisdictions, presenting unique smart technology challenges and opportunities. Counties play an essential role in managing certain services, including transportation, water systems, public health, law enforcement and infrastructure, which provide opportunities for the use of smart devices.

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Smart Cities Tech Giving Rise to the ‘Digital Twin’

It’s no longer necessary to gamble on the effect a new development or other change to a cityscape might have on, say, traffic or parking. Good data and a digital twin of the area can help to erase guesswork.
Digital twin technology is quickly becoming synonymous with smart cities — an outgrowth of related areas like artificial intelligence or IoT devices.

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CU Denver accepting applications for new startup accelerator and incubator

Startups can apply now to be part of new accelerator and incubator programs at the University of Colorado's Denver campus that will focus on businesses developing applications for 5G technology.
The programs will be operated by the Smart Futures Lab, a collaboration between CU Denver, the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance and Innosphere Ventures, a nonprofit business accelerator based in Denver. The effort is being funded by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration..

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These 11 tech products will be tested in Colorado cities

Eleven technology companies will partner with Colorado municipalities to test new solutions that aim to improve housing stability, transportation, urban planning, safety and civic engagement. The companies won the Connected Colorado Challenge, an annual competition hosted by the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance to pair Colorado cities and counties with new technologies. Nine jurisdictions put out requests for proposals for various projects, which garnered 87 applications, said Tyler Svitak, executive director of the alliance.

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Smart cities incubator and accelerator program takes place in Colorado

A partnership in Denver plans to use a $2 million federal grant to form an incubator and accelerator that will train people for high-tech jobs that improve municipal services and environments. The Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to advancing Colorado communities through new technology, will leverage the grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Economic Adjustment Assistance program, which was established through last year’s American Rescue Plan Act. The alliance will work with the University of Colorado Denver and Innosphere Ventures, a science and technology incubator. In this article, Colorado Smart Cities Alliance Executive Director Tyler Svitak talks through plans to bolster technology workforces and companies with the help of federal grant money.

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Colorado Smart Cities Alliance Launches C² Challenge

The Colorado Smart Cities Alliance has announced the start of the the Connected Colorado Challenge (C² Challenge), seeking technology solutions in four areas: housing, community resilience, safe streets and civic engagement. The submissions will be evaluated by a development board made up of city technology officials from cities of various sizes and locations such as Colorado City, Denver and Centennial.

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City Living: CU Denver and Colorado Smart Cities Alliance Partnership Addresses Growing Need for Urban Solutions

Through its physical office at InWorks in the CU Denver Building, the Colorado Smart City Alliance’s staff have access to the university’s world-class faculty and students, and the Alliance brings a built-in ecosystem of government and business stakeholders.

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8 trends shaping cities in 2022

The trend of regional smart city consortiums and their private partners joining forces will likely continue in the year ahead as smart city leaders seek to learn from each other and make more data-informed decisions while also leveraging new federal dollars. These types of partnerships also are coming at a time when many local leaders may feel jaded about the lack of impact that new smart city tech, or "bright shiny objects," has had compared with what it originally promised to deliver, according to Tyler Svitak, executive director of the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance.

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City Living: CU Denver and Colorado Smart Cities Alliance Partnership Addresses Growing Need for Urban Solutions

The new partnership represents efforts of regional smart city organizations from Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Arizona and Florida to make it easier to scale projects and work through some of the larger issues like privacy, connectivity and data sharing.

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Nation's largest self-driving electric shuttle network launches

The country’s biggest fleet of low-speed, self-driving electric shuttles hit the road on Tuesday in a major step forward for the electric vehicle sector.

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Hands-free on a whole new level: Driverless shuttles debut on Colorado School of Mines campus

Schools says it’s the largest fleet of autonomous electric shuttles in the nation.

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Driverless Electric Shuttles Are Bussing The Future To The Colorado School Of Mines In Golden

If you’re walking around the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, don’t be alarmed if you notice the campus bus doesn’t have a steering wheel.

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CU Denver formalizes partnership with Colorado Smart Cities Alliance

The university, which is Colorado’s only public urban-research university, will open its campus to researchers and members of the nonprofit Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, a statewide group of businesses, higher education institutions and state and local government agencies.

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Colorado Smart Cities Alliance Announces Revive! Winners

Six technology providers were selected as part of the challenge for solutions in areas like transportation and economic development to assist cities in the Denver region with their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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During extreme heat, Denver company uses electric cars to help cool its building

The Alliance Center, a coworking and event space in Denver, thinks a creative approach to electric vehicle charging could help in extreme temperature circumstances like the heat wave Colorado experienced in June. In a collaboration facilitated by the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, the Alliance Center with Fermata Energy installed one of the first V2B (or Vehicle-to-Building) technologies in the nation.

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Smart city challenge tackles COVID-19 recovery in Colorado

The Revive! Challenge, organized by the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, accepted low- or no-cost tech solutions to help communities in a post-COVID world. The proposals will help strengthen resilience and equity, two themes that have emerged in the last year as top concerns across cities of all sizes.

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Autonomous vehicles could come to Golden

Read this coverage, picked up by the Arvada Press and Golden Transcript, of the Alliance's presentation to Golden City Council with partner, EasyMile, about the plan to deploy autonomous vehicles around Golden as part of a year-long pilot.

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The 'smart community' trend is growing across the nation

Watch this coverage from Denver Channel 7 on the growing trend of "smart communities" around the country. Tyler Svitak, Executive Director of the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, is interviewed about the impact and emergence of this area of work.

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Collaborative technology lab may help develop 'smart cities' technologies

Arrow Electronics of Centennial, Colorado opens the Colorado Open Lab in collaboration with the Smart Cities Alliance. Read this piece from the Littleton Independent about its launch.

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Smart city transformation for Aurora, Colorado

Read this piece about the digital transformation and smart city journey Aurora is undertaking. The Gigabit Magazine includes perspective from Aleta Jeffress, Chief Information and Digital Officer at the City of Aurora.

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See inside Arrow Electronics' state-of-the-art Open Lab (Photos)

Click this link to get a glimpse at what the Colorado Open Lab at Arrow Electronics has been up to. The article provides a brief overview and pictures of the Open Lab.

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The economics of energy in Colorado

This article discusses the Colorado Energy Office, as well as the future of energy in Colorado and the need to innovate in this industry.

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4 New Ways Tech Companies Are Watching Your Every Move

Read about and discover 4 new technologies that have the potential to impact data collection, pollution, surveillance, and security in cities!

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Colorado Smart Cities Alliance and Arrow Electronics Launch Colorado Open Lab

Click to view this press release from the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance discussing the founding and launch of the Colorado Open Lab at Arrow Electronics!

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