On Thursday, the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Innovation and Performance announced the four startups that will participate in the ninth cohort of its PGH Lab incubator program.
The four companies, selected from a pool of 20 applicants, are:
- Aimlight Sensors and Intelligent Systems Inc., which produces fiber-optics-based sensors. It will pilot installation of its proprietary technology to connect existing city network locations at a lower cost than current installation methods.
- Qarar, which provides a platform to help executives and managers make business decisions. It will be working with the City’s Office of Management and Budget, Procurement Division to use its technology to provide a comparison report of full lifecycle costs to the city for five of its procurement services.
- Velo AI Inc., which produces an AI-powered bike light that uses smart sensors to watch the roadway and alert the rider of driver behavior and potential danger. It will work with the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure to provide 20 of its sensors for the bikes of city staff and provide transit map data.
- Noteful, an app that uses games and daily streaks to promote music education. It will work with the City Department of Parks and the Department of Human Resources to pilot music education services with city staff and residents at five of the City’s Parks and Recreation centers.
PGH Lab is a six-month program that first launched in 2016.
“PGH Lab is an unparalleled opportunity to grow local business in our city, and we’re excited to announce this new cohort,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said in a release. “By connecting local startups with local government, we can watch them grow and thrive through civic collaboration and creative problem-solving.”
For the first time this year, participants in the program will receive financial compensation for their products and services, along with coaching and networking opportunities.
