Five Startups to Unveil Innovative Solutions for Enhancing Citizen Safety, Security, and Community Engagement; Compete to Win $18,000 in Prize Monies

Sunday, June 10, 9:30 am | Marriott Copley Place

Washington, DC—As part of its 86th Annual Meeting, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) will host a Civic Tech Pitch Competition to spur the development of new technologies to enhance citizen safety, security and community services.  Five startups, selected from more than 40 applications, will compete for a total of $18,000 in prize monies as they present and defend their apps and solutions before a panel of judges and those in the audience,  who can use the USCM mobile app to cast their votes. The first-place winner will be awarded $10,000 and an invitation to attend the Civic I/O Mayors Summit at South by Southwest (SXSW) in March 2019.

The entrepreneurs who will be competing are:

  • Nathan Armentrout, Founder & CEO, Casper Security – Casper Security improves neighborhood safety by monitoring abandoned properties and alerting neighbors and cities when danger is imminent at a fraction of the cost of demolition.
  • Elle Hempen, CEO, The Atlas – The Atlas is the online community of public officials and innovators to replicate what is working in other communities.
  • Paul Salama, Chief Evangelist, ClearRoad – ClearRoad is a system that allows for digital per-mile fee collection, a more efficient, fair way to charge for roads.
  • Noelle Marcus, Co-Founder, Nesterly – Nesterly connects households with spare space to younger people seeking a place to stay. In a twist that’s unique to Nesterly, young people can also exchange help around the house for lower rent.
  • Joel Mahoney, Co-Founder & CEO, OpenCounter – OpenCounter builds tools for local governments to help streamline service delivery to residents. The portals guide applicants through complex permitting workflows so applicants can understand the full scope of projects before they get started.

Starting on June 8, more than 250 of the nation’s mayors will meet in Boston for USCM’s 86th Annual Meeting.  Under the leadership of USCM President Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and host Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, mayors will discuss a wide variety of priorities that contribute to the overall health of America’s cities, as well as consider and adopt the policy resolutions that guide the advocacy agenda of the organization. The Meeting will run through Monday, June 11, 2018.

A draft agenda and list of pre-registered mayors are available here. Members of the media are encouraged to register in advance. See this link.  All business/day-time sessions are open to the press unless otherwise indicated.  All evening events are closed to the press. On-site registration will be available with current press credentials.

Note to producers, editors and hosts: For more information on interview opportunities, please contact Sara Durr at 202-215-1811 or by e-mail at sara@durrcommunications.com.

PRESS GUIDANCE:

  • All business sessions are OPEN to the press unless otherwise indicated (EVENING EVENTS ARE CLOSED TO PRESS).
  • All press MUST register to attend the meeting here.
  • On-site registration at the Marriott Copley Place will also be available during the meeting.  ONLY reporters with proper, up-to-date press credentials will be allowed access.

For planning purposes, a DRAFT AGENDA and list of PRE-REGISTERED MAYORS is available here.

WHEN:

Sunday, June 10  | 9:30 AM – 11:15 AM

WHERE:

Marriott Copley Place

110 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02116

Grand Ballroom, 4th Floor

RSVP:

Sara Durr, sara@durrcommunications.com