The cost of sensors has more than halved in the 10 years to 2014, falling to an average of 60 cents per unit. Declining sensor cost is one of the main drivers of Internet of Things technology, and the proliferation of internet-connected devices in the built environment. Those sensors are allowing us to gather new data that was previously inaccessible, and one impact is the growth of companies with the potential to make our cities smarter and more efficient as a whole.
We used CB Insights data to segment the growing crop of companies that are working to build smart cities.
Click the image below to enlarge.
We define startups operating in the smart cities segment as those that are helping to connect services, utilities, and roads to the internet. These startups are providing data-driven services that help cities increase their efficiency in using resources and/or help increase public transit-related mobility for city consumers.
These are some of the areas that these startups are operating in:
- Parking – Startups are improving the efficiency with which we park our cars, doing everything from booking (ParkWhiz), parking analytics (Parkifi), and smart metering (MeterFeeder).
- Grid/Energy – These companies are using analytics, algorithms, and connectivity to keep supply and demand for electricity in balance.
- Data-Driven Urban Planning – These companies are providing access to new, hyperlocal data about our cities and helping planners understand neighborhood needs better.
- Smarter Transport – Startups that are working on new commuter shuttle transit options powered by data (Bridj, Shuttl), or smart bike-sharing programs (Zagster, Mobike, Ofo).
- Environmental Sensors – Companies that are developing hardware to better understand our urban environment, from weather data, to pollution, to ambient sound.
- Connectivity – Startups that are using different means to provide internet, connections, and infrastructure for new networks.
- Waste Management – Using data and connected devices to optimize waste collection.
- Traffic/Transit Data – Private companies that are using mobile and sensors to provide analytics around commutes and congestion.
- Water Software & Analytics – Tools that help analyze and test water in our cities.
- Disaster Management – Startups helping local governments make quicker and more informed, data-driven decisions prior to and during natural disasters.
Track all the smart cities startups in this brief and many more on our platform
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Track smart cities startups| Company | Select Investors | Category |
|---|---|---|
| ParkWhiz | Jump Capital, Amicus Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners | Parking |
| Parkifi | Crosslink Capital, Foundry Group, Drummond Road Capital | Parking |
| SpotHero | 500 Startups, Battery Ventures, Lightbank | Parking |
| ETCP | Wanda Group | Parking |
| Spot | Undisclosed Investors | Parking |
| Evopark | Porsche Automobil Holding | Parking |
| Get My Parking | Chennai Angels | Parking |
| EZParking | ZJAMP Holding Group | Parking |
| AppyParking | Aviva Ventures | Parking |
| CivicSmart | N/A | Parking |
| Passport | MK Capital, Relevance Capital, Grotech Ventures | Parking |
| MeterFeeder | Y Combinator | Parking |
| Telensa | Silicon Valley Bank, Environmental Technologies Fund | Grid/Energy |
| Gridcure | 500 Accelerator | Grid/Energy |
| Utilidata | Formation 8, Braemar Energy Ventures, American Electric Power | Grid/Energy |
| Space-Time Insight | EnerTech Capital, Novus Energy Partners, Opus Capital | Grid/Energy |
| AutoGrid Systems | E.ON, Foundation Capital, Voyager Capital | Grid/Energy |
| Varentec | 3M New Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates | Grid/Energy |
| Dispatchr | Floodgate, Backed VC | Grid/Energy |
| Energyworx | HenQ, SET Venture Partners | Grid/Energy |
| Trilliant | Selby Venture Partners, Zouk Capital, VantagePoint Capital Partners | Grid/Energy |
| Opus One Solutions | Engle New Ventures, Energy Impact Partners | Grid/Energy |
| Mapillary | Atomico, Sequoia Capital, LDV Capital, Playfair Capital | Urban Planning |
| Civic Insight | N/A | Urban Planning |
| Calthorpe Analytics | Undisclosed investors | Urban Planning |
| Neighborland | SV Angel, True Ventures, Lerer Hippeau Ventures | Urban Planning |
| Azavea | Dogpatch Labs | Urban Planning |
| Social Bicycles | SOSventures. New York Angels, SoundBoard Angel Fund | Smarter Transport |
| Zagster | Fontinalis Partners, LaunchCapital, Investors Circle | Smarter Transport |
| Mobike | Panda Capital, Sequoia Capital China, Tencent, Warbung Pincus, Hillhouse Capital | Smarter Transport |
| Ofo | Coatue Management, CITIC Capital, Matrix Partners China, GSR Ventures, Xiaomi | Smarter Transport |
| Shuttl | Sequoia Capital India, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Times Internet | Smarter Transport |
| ZipGo | Orios Venture Partners | Smarter Transport |
| Urbee | Amsterdam Klimaat & Energiefonds | Smarter Transport |
| Ubike | Yicun Capital, Black Hole Capital, Zhonglu Capital | Smarter Transport |
| Cityflo | IDG Ventures India | Smarter Transport |
| Bridj | NextView Ventures, Atlas Ventures, Suffolk Equity Partners | Smarter Transport |
| Plume Labs | Undisclosed investors | Environmental Sensors |
| Breezometer | Launchpad Digital Health, JumpSpeed Ventures | Environmental Sensors |
| Ambience Data | 500 Accelerator | Environmental Sensors |
| Clarity Movement | Undisclosed investors | Environmental Sensors |
| eLichens | Aereco, BPI France, Angels’ Bay Invest, Paris Business Angels, Grenoble Angels, Sofimac Partners, Business Angels des Grandes Ecoles | Environmental Sensors |
| Understory | RRE Ventures, True Ventures, SK Ventures | Environmental Sensors |
| Blyncsy | Pelion Venture Partners, Peterson Ventures, Subtraction Capital | Environmental Sensors |
| Aclima | N/A | Environmental Sensors |
| Veniam | Union Square Ventures, True Ventures, Verizon Ventures | Connectivity |
| Purple WiFi | Juno Capital, Bill Currie, Bob Willett, Terry Leahy | Connectivity |
| SigFox | Elaia Partners, iXO Private Equity, Intel Capital, Partech Ventures, BPI France | Connectivity |
| Qianhai Mobile | Baidu, Dongguan Zhongke Zhongguang Venture, Guangdong Zhongke Baiyun New Industry Venture | Connectivity |
| Filament | Resonant Venture Partners, Samsung Ventures, Bullpen Capital | Connectivity |
| Remix | Y Combinator | Traffic/Transit |
| Streetlight Data | Osage University Partners, Vision Ridge Partners, Deutsche Telekom Strategic Investments | Traffic/Transit |
| Transloc | Fontinalis Partners, SJF Ventures, Patient Capital Collaborative, Marc Benioff, Thomas McMurray | Traffic/Transit |
| Transit Labs | N/A | Traffic/Transit |
| Trafi | BaltCap, Practica Capital, Octopus Ventures, EBRD | Traffic/Transit |
| Transloc | Fontinalis Partners, SJF Ventures, Patient Capital Collaborative, Marc Benioff, Thomas McMurray | Traffic/Transit |
| Swiftly | Plug and Play Accelerator | Traffic/Transit |
| Ally | ERP-Startfonds | Traffic/Transit |
| WhereIsMyTransport | Horizen Ventures, Goodwell Investments, Omidyar Network, Infotech Ventures | Traffic/Transit |
| Ridlr | Matrix Partners India, Qualcomm Ventures, InnoVen Capital, Times Internet | Traffic/Transit |
| Inrix | August Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Intel Capital | Traffic/Transit |
| TransitScreen | 1776 | Traffic/Transit |
| Citymapper | Balderton Capital, Index Ventures, Greylock Partners, Benchmark | Traffic/Transit |
| Miovision | Plaza Venture Partners, Renewal Funds, Investeco Capital | Traffic/Transit |
| Metrotech | Undisclosed Investors | Traffic/Transit |
| Transit App | Real Ventures, Accel, Accomplice, BDC Capital, FounderFuel | Traffic/Transit |
| DoubleMap | N/A | Traffic/Transit |
| Moovit | BMW iVentures, Sequoia Capital Israel, Nokia Growth Partners | Traffic/Transit |
| Ayyeka | ImagineH20 | Water Usage/Quality |
| Flow Labs | Orange Fab | Water Usage/Quality |
| FATHOM | Silver Lake, XPV Capital | Water Usage/Quality |
| Pluto AI | Imagine H2O, 500 Accelerator | Water Usage/Quality |
| Emagin | Imagine H2O | Water Usage/Quality |
| Banyan Water | Cue Ball Capital, Catamount Ventures, Centennial Ventures, Owl Ventures | Water Usage/Quality |
| Rachio | Slow Ventures, Foundry Group, SK Ventures | Water Usage/Quality |
| Valor Water Analytics | Y Combinator, ImagineH20, 500 Startups, Apsara Capital, Urban Innovation Fund, Syzygy West | Water Usage/Quality |
| WaterSmart Software | Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Physic Ventures, Westly Group | Water Usage/Quality |
| One Concern | Pear | Disaster Management |
| Zenysis | Y Combinator | Disaster Management |
| Rubicon Global | Wellington Management, Goldman Sachs, Nima Capital, Suez Ventures, Henry Kravis, Paul Tudor Jones II, Blake Mycoskie | Waste Management |
| Compology | Sinovation Ventures, Fresco Capital, Kapor Capital, LaunchCapital, Silicon Badia | Waste Management |
| Enevo | Lifeline Ventures, Finnish Industry Investment, Draper Associates, Earlybird Venture Capital, Foxconn Technology Company, Ginko Ventures | Waste Management |
| ZeroCycle | N/A | Waste Management |
| AMCS Group | Insight Venture Partners, Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, Highland Europe | Waste Management |
Want more information on smart city companies? Check our our venture capital database below.
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