Five Phoenix app developers are about to get a big dose of expert help from Seed Spot, a Phoenix incubator and accelerator of entrepreneurship.
Seed Spot is partnering with the City of Phoenix to help the five finalists in the Phoenix Smart City App Hack develop their ideas as they compete to win the civic-focused app competition. The winner will move on to represent Phoenix in the international competition at the Smart City Expo in Barcelona in November, according to a press release from the City of Phoenix.
The five finalists will get technical support and expert guidance in taking their ideas and making them into a reality. They’ll get to participate for free in Seed Spot’s evening program for entrepreneurs, where they’ll have access to their curriculum, their experts and mentoring programs.
Phoenix Vice Mayor Daniel Valenzuela said the public-private partnership between Seep Spot and the City shows that Phoenix is becoming the most generous community for entrepreneurs.
“Entrepreneurs with drive and vision can fuel their dreams right here in Phoenix with all home-grown resources and talent,” he said in the press release.
Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton called the five finalists like the City’s tech-Olympic team.
The app builders had to provide a solution to one of five global civic challenges: urban mobility, energy and emissions, shopping and retail, culture and tourism, and the collaborative city.
Here’s a little bit about each of the five finalists, according to the City of Phoenix:
· ParkX allows drivers to pay for parking at parking meters directly from their smartphone.
· Synergy AZ is an app designed to build teams for civic projects in metro Phoenix.
· HER is described as an app where “Amazon meets Siri,” allowing users to shop, book travel, pay online and place local food delivery via text or voice on their smartphone.
· Bloodhound is used to help track down some suffering from dementia or someone who has been diagnosed with a mental disability when they have gone missing.
· And Bus Plus makes it possible for commuters on Valley Metro Public Transportation to track buses within a mile radius and find out where they are headed, how fast they’re going and more.
The winner for the Phoenix Smart City App Hack will be announced in October.
