A new smart cities incubator has been launched in the Dallas Fort Worth region. It will focus on smart cities related technologies. Big-name collaborators on the project include AT&T, Cisco, and Microsoft, as well as local academic institutions.
The new Innov8te incubator, led by the non-profit Dallas Entrepreneur Center (The DEC), will promote local innovators in early-stage development of data analytics and visualisation, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, blockchain, and augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) solutions.
Innovations out of Innov8te setup will be geared towards citizen engagement, equity and inclusion, infrastructure, governance, mobility, healthcare, public safety, and sustainability.
Innov8te will work out of the Dallas Innovation District (DIA), in the city’s downtown West End neighbourhood, which has been established as a district testbed to bring together civic, corporate, and startup innovation efforts. It is part the local Smart Cities Living Lab, a multi-phased smart cities project spearheaded by DIA, in collaboration with AT&T, Cisco, GE’s Current, IBM, and Toyota, among others.
The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) and the Dallas Innovation Alliance are also on board as ‘collaborators’ in the Innov8te group, said The DEC. Startups will receive access to education, enterprise, and capital channels.
Hugh Miller, chief information officer at the City of Dallas, said the initiative will create “new ways for the city to engage with emerging tech companies developing cutting edge solutions addressing our city’s greatest challenges”.
Alyce Alston, chief executive at The DEC, said the project will “accelerate startups” through education, mentorship, and community.
Mike Zeto, vice president and general manager of smart cities at AT&T, commented: “We can empower bright minds in our city to address today’s greatest challenges and effectively grow the smart city solutions marketplace.”
