‘Startup in Residence' Builds a Bridge Between Tech and City Hall

It’s easy to think that cities and startups operate at opposite ends of the spectrum. Startups are known for moving quickly and breaking from the traditional ways of doing things. Cities have to play the rules and are often restricted by bureaucratic processes. So it’s no surprise that when startups tackle public issues—think dockless bikes and the last-mile problem, or the many apps trying to make commuting less awful—they might be reluctant to work with the government.

To Jay Nath, the former chief innovation officer of San Francisco, that kind of thinking wastes skills and innovation that could be used directly to solve government challenges. “To date, we’ve seen mostly solutions from the private sector rebranded for the public sector,” he says. It’s much harder to find products that are designed specifically to meet a government’s needs.