Interviews, takeaways and stories from the urbantech community, including our annual reports with data-rich insights into the problems our startups face and the ecosystem in which they exist.
WHAT IS NEAR SPACE LABS, AND WHAT TO DO YOU? We are democratizing high-quality earth imagery. We turned the satellite…
Welcome back to our in-depth series on early stage startup acceleration. If you missed our previous series you can find…
People worldwide are rallying behind the idea that collective action and collaboration can fix the climate crisis. Cities, by and…
Welcome back to our in-depth series on early stage startup acceleration. If you missed it, you can find the first…
City-building happens on different time scales than technology advances, and the adoption of urban innovation to tackle critical issues around…
"We design every experience to be an improvement from the very beginning. We're constantly saying, how does this compare to…
If we are to succeed in the fight against climate change, we need new, better models to using our planet’s…
"For many people in cities, biking is their life. They're road warriors. In the 21st century, we have so many…
For the fifth issue of the URBAN-X Zine, contributor Katerina Athanasiou has selected six books about equity to read or…
“People in underserved communities feel that extreme heat is a big issue, but it’s just one more thing they need…
"Ekene Ijeoma brings digital data to analog life. Through his lab and studio art, Ijeoma creates sculpture, sound, video and…
"As soon as stay-at-home orders were issued in the New York area in March, The Do Good Auto Coalition sprang…
"Have you ever taken an Uber before? Then you are familiar with road pricing, or road charging, it just happens…
“The lower [the] income you have around [bus] stops, the worse the air quality is, so a particular bus will…
"But Americans have struggled to pay their water bills long before the pandemic—and there’s already research on what cities can…
"One pain point is to finance multifamily housing at scale. There has been no innovation in this space for decades,…
What’s the first and most vulnerable casualty of climate change? Two founders of water data startups say it’s water quality.…
"The noticeable problem is that neighbors don’t interact in meaningful ways. We have a loneliness epidemic. According to research, 50%…
"Ten foot piles of sand twelve blocks in from the shore. A parking garage just filled with clothes. All the…
An interview with Therma Co-Founder Manik Suri around the inception of his company, his inspirations, and his experience working with…
On the heels of a backlash in the venture industry, 2020 started out with leading voices in tech, like a16z…
As we entered a new decade, few of us could have predicted what the following 12 months would have in…
For the fourth issue of the URBAN-X Zine, editor Andrew Small has selected six books and a podcast about roads…
Over the past year, we’ve watched the world burn. Fires have devastated Australia, consumed parts of California, and caused outrage…
How can design and branding take a startup to the next level? Why are brand values so important and how…
How do we reimagine streets to create more just and equitable cities? How do we ensure safe, accessible, and affordable…
URBAN-X portfolio companies are doing their part to respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in urban design,…
Most buildings function as small businesses, not big corporations. 90% of commercial buildings are smaller than the average grocery store.…
Food waste and refrigeration are two of the three leading causes of global warming. According to the U.N. Food and…
"Out of sight, out of mind” is how most city-dwellers think of sewer infrastructure. There are over one million miles…
What’s the biggest blocker to EV adoption in 2020? The world still doesn’t have enough places to plug in. That’s…
Sometimes the best ideas come when you are sitting in traffic. Former Tesla executive Olivier Le Lann, who is now…
Seyi Fabode's path to URBAN-X Cohort 06 started with a recommendation. An acquaintance in his network in Chicago recommended Seyi, co-founder…
URBAN-X Cohort 07 company, Metalmark, is designing technology inspired by nature to improve air quality. Sissi Liu, co-founder of Metalmark,…
Times are changing. Construction teams report issues on iPads directly from the job site. Developers and construction companies now store…
"Creating a narrative that this is the freight train that you better grab on to. As a Founder, you have…
The “Green New Deal” has quickly become shorthand for a last-ditch effort to prevent climate change – one in which…
Six ways to save the planet, one solar-powered, plant-based burger at a time.
As vast and complex as the climate change crisis is, there is no ambiguity regarding the costs.
This year, a flower came back from the dead. The Hawaiian National Tropical Botanical Garden announced in April that a…
"To wriggle free from the paradox, both Toggle and Treau are aiming for a larger transformation in how we design,…
Thrilling CEO Shilla Kim-Parker is making second-hand clothing the first choice for fashionistas seeking the thrill of the new without…
Cranes. A linchpin to New York City’s ever-evolving skyline and symptomatic to a nation-wide surge in construction and infrastructure projects.…
Studies have shown that gender and racial diversity helps create stronger business outcomes, however, companies can not retain these employees…
MINI. The name is synonymous with the Mini Cooper, an icon of automotive engineering and minimalist design second only to…
Up until now, most of us have never thought of ourselves as something that can be hacked. A computer? Yes.…
There is often a disconnect between climate change and action in architecture practices. Even though most architects and consultants are…
Preparation is key to raising your startup’s first or next round.. During our 20-week accelerator program our startup founders get…
IS THIS ON BRAND? This is a question founders ask a lot. As companies grow from ideas to startups to…
Three opportunity areas calling for singular solutions, mold-breaking fixes and scalable business models that render our cities healthier, more sustainable…
THE FUTURE IS BEHIND COMPANIES THAT ARE STUBBORN AND EXTREMELY HARD TO DISHEARTEN. That’s Hripsime Rema Matevosyan, co-founder of URBAN-X…
Numina had a power problem. Founded in St. Louis, Missouri, the data startup brought a thoughtful approach to smarter cities…
Water tech — specifically, technologies that enable water conservation and the distribution of safe, clean and easily accessible water to…
Not too long ago, the cutting edge of tech for older adults was a medical alert device made pop culture-famous…
More and more, cities spanning the globe are finding themselves embracing new technologies that make traversing the urban landscape safer,…
Last summer, New York City struck back against the congestion caused by Uber and Lyft, adopting a one-year cap on…
Every startup begins with an innovative idea. But the key to success, though it might sound counterintuitive, might actually lie…
What we've learned from the global tech community.
