mySidewalk partners with the White House on its open data initiative
October 10, 2016 | Meghan LeVota
Editor’s note: In response to readers’ desire for quick-hitting stories, Startland News is launching a new segment, “News Flash,” to enable more coverage. Let us know what you think!
Kansas City tech firm mySidewalk is working with the White House.
The firm on Friday announced its participation in The Opportunity Project, an initiative that will use open data in efforts to expand opportunity for all.
The project was established in March to put data tools in the hands of civic leaders across the country. The mission is to make it easier for leaders to navigate information on critical resources such as access to jobs, housing, transportation and schools.
Twelve pilot cities were chosen for the project, including Kansas City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Francisco and Washington.
mySidewalk CEO Nick Bowden and chief operating officer Stephen Hardy are taking on projects from the Department of Transportation and the Office of the Surgeon General. With the DOT, mySidewalk will focus on connecting community leaders with transportation information. With the OSG, the platform will equip parents and community leaders with tools to measure emotional well-being.
Founded in 2010, mySidewalk created a data tool that allows communities to easily access relevant statistics by location — and even compare to other communities. Working with municipalities, elected officials, education groups and more, the platform aims to engage communities to share ideas and stay informed of new initiatives. The company has raised $23.2 million and in 2013 acquired VoterTide for an undisclosed amount.
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Black & Veatch constructs ideation platform with new accelerator
A new program at area construction giant Black & Veatch hopes to hatch and accelerate innovative ideas by adopting a concept common among startups. The Overland Park-based corporation recently created the B&V Growth Accelerator, which hopes to challenge the global firm’s traditional methods of generating and launching ideas. The internal program is led by nine…
Women in entrepreneurship: How KC stacks up to other cities
Late in 2015 and without much fanfare, the U.S. Census Bureau released its 2012 Survey of Business Owners. The survey is taken every five years and polls more than 1.75 million enterprises, gathering, compiling and releasing the results in a process spanning several years. The survey is the only regularly-collected source of economic and demographic…
KCMO transit plan sets route for automated shuttles to KCI airport
Area residents will ride to the airport on automated shuttles by 2020 if Kansas City officials have their way. In a note to the American Planning Association, Kansas City chief innovation officer Bob Bennett shared the city’s “three pillars” of its bid for a $50 million transportation award. The note details Kansas City’s pitch for…
Civically-minded techies aim to ‘Hack Kansas City’
Tech startups often get a bad wrap for churning out impractical gizmos. It’s not hard to see why when a search of the app store turns up hundreds of applications that all turn on your phone’s flashlight, and even more knockoffs of a popular angry, bird-bombing game. To put techie minds to a more magnanimous…