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San Francisco Entrepreneurship in Residence Finalists Announced

Three to five of the announced finalists will work with government to help solve the city and county's problems.

Organizers of the San Francisco Entrepreneurship in Residence program are one step closer to the grass-roots solutions they hope will solve government problems across the nation. On Nov. 20, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office announced 11 program finalists, some of which will be selected to work alongside senior government officials to help solve the city and county’s problems.

These finalists, selected from an applicant pool of about 200 startups, will stay in contact with the city until organizers decide which companies will be selected to participate. In January, organizers will select three to five of the finalists for participation in the program, which will run for 16 weeks from February through June.

“We selected the finalists based on a number of criteria including the team’s caliber, product innovation, potential for high impact and relevance to critical areas of national importance,” said Rahul Mewawalla, senior adviser in Mayor Ed Lee's Office of Innovation. “We expect to drive tangible and measurable benefits – lower costs, increase revenue, enhance productivity and help save lives.”

In addition to working with city officials, startups will also have access to additional resources, such as a terminal of San Francisco International Airport that they can use to test their products and services.

Birdi, maker of smart smoke and air quality detectors. “With devices all over the country, we'll be able to start monitoring how air is impacting our daily lives,” the company’s website reads.

Compology, data-driven waste management service provider. The company is developing a wireless system for reporting the contents and available space inside dumpsters.

Transit Hero, developer of crowd-sourced public transit software. Using predictive algorithms, the company aims to provide its users with the ability to make smarter transit decisions.

Beyond Lucid Technologies, maker of an enterprise management platform for fire and EMS agencies. The aim of the company's software is to allow first responders to react faster, more efficiently and make better decisions through increased data awareness.

Buildingeye, a startup that is creating a platform that informs residents and businesses of changes such as repaved streets, new buildings and removed trees.

Indoo.rs, maker of indoor mapping services. The company's products provide mapping, geo-location and routing information for indoor environments -- like airports, shopping malls and conference centers -- that usually rely on static maps.

Leventis Labs, a startup that's developing a service to provide information to travelers in their native languages, when and where they want it.

MobilePD, a company that aims to give police, fire and emergency management agencies better two-way communication and citizen engagement.

Mozio, an airport transportation search engine that aims to help users find their way to and from airports. Mozio returns data on ride-sharing services, airport shuttle services, buses, limos, taxis and even helicopters.

Regroup, a service that provides functionality for sending group or mass messages with a single click, via email, text message, voice message, Facebook, Twitter, and physical platforms such as signs and sirens.

Synthicity, a simulated city platform for urban planning and development.

Colin wrote for Government Technology and Emergency Management from 2010 through most of 2016.