Smart Cities Incubator – Innov8te – to Launch in Dallas’ West End to Support Emerging Technologies Driving Urban Transformation
Founding collaborators include The DEC Network, AT&T, Cisco, Microsoft, The University of Texas at Dallas and the Dallas Innovation Alliance.
DALLAS, TX February 14, 2019 – Today, The DEC Network[“The DEC”], announced a new smart cities incubator in its flagship West End location focused on supporting entrepreneurs and early-stage companies in sectors supporting urban and civic transformation. Founding public, private and academic collaborators include AT&T, Cisco,Microsoft, the University of Texas at Dallas(UT Dallas) and the Dallas Innovation Alliance. This incubator’s presence in the Dallas Innovation District and Smart Cities Living Lab continues to drive a focus on smart city technology research and development for the region.
“We are excited to launch the Innov8te Smart Cities Incubator out of our West End location,” stated Alyce Alston, CEO, The DEC Network. “We are grateful for the cooperation of these leading companies and universities in the Smart Cities space. And we are thrilled to support the great work that the Dallas Innovation Alliance has done in partnership with the City of Dallas and its collaborators through the Smart Cities Living Lab and the Dallas Innovation District. We look forward to bringing our background and experience in helping to accelerate startups through education, mentorship, and community to this important initiative.”
By taking a regional approach, the incubator’s mission is to support and highlight the burgeoning DFW ecosystem of companies focused on building products and technologies in sub-sectors including data analytics and visualization, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, blockchain, augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR), and beyond. The application of these technologies seeks to improve eight areas of civic innovation:
1. Citizen Engagement/Services
2. Equity/Inclusion
3. Infrastructure
4. Governance
5. Mobility
6. Public Health/Healthcare
7. Public Safety
8. Sustainability
“We have appreciated our partnership with The Dallas Innovation Alliance over the past three years,” stated Hugh Miller, Chief Information Officer at the City of Dallas. “We believe the creation of the Innov8te Smart Cities Incubator will create new ways for the city to engage with emerging tech companies developing cutting edge solutions addressing our city’s greatest challenges and opportunities for growth to secure the future of our region.”
Participating startups will receive exclusive access to education, mentorship, networking, programming, products and services, connections to leading corporations and access to capital channels. Programs and events open to the larger community will also be offered by the incubator.
“Through our work with the Dallas Innovation Alliance and Innovation District, we’ve had a front-row seat for Dallas’ entrepreneurial and civic innovation enabled by smart cities technology,” said Mike Zeto, vice president and general manager of smart cities, AT&T. “By providing resources, education and training to the Innov8te Smart Cities Incubator, we can empower bright minds in our city to address today’s greatest challenges and effectively grow the smart city solutions marketplace.”
“Microsoft continues to support our focus on Smart Cities and IoT solutions in North Texas” commented Raamel M. Mitchell, Director of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Microsoft. “We are excited to support and participate in Innov8te Smart Cities Incubator created by The DEC Network”.
“Innovation and entrepreneurship go hand in hand,” said Steve Guengerich, clinical associate professor at UT Dallas’s Jindal School of Management and lead for the university’s Innov8te partnership. “Our students and alumni are increasingly proposing new ventures in the Innov8te civic innovation themes. Further, our research faculty, led by the Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science, is already a leader in IoT and other baseline areas of smart cities innovation. We are excited to bring these UT Dallas stakeholders together, through joint education and projects at Innov8te, with the other founding collaborators.”
Applications and additional details are available through F6s.com at https://www.f6s.com/innov8tesmartcitiesincubator/apply.Throughout the spring, details on additional partnerships and programs, and formal launch timing will be announced. Please follow progress at @theDECtx, @Innov8te #SmartCitiesIncubator and @DallasSmartCity.
About The DEC Network
The DEC Network is a 501c3 non-profit organization driving innovation and economic impact by helping entrepreneurs start, build and grow their businesses. With a number of innovation hubs across DFW, we provide expert education, access to knowledgeable mentors, and a vibrant community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
We accelerate founder success through connections and collaboration from our work with investors, corporations, and public institutions. Since 2013, we have attracted more than 125,000 visitors, hosted over 1,000 educational events and worked with over 100 partner organizations.