Go Public is a new podcast from Government Technology and our sister publication Governing. Every episode, we'll be exploring successful public-sector innovations and stories of government getting the job done.
In this debut episode of Go Public, we look at two initiatives in New York City with similar-sounding names and goals but very different approaches.
One is an innovation challenge run by the mayor's office called NYCx; the other, called Urban-X, is a program for private-sector company founders run by a venture capital firm that specializes in startups that solve city problems.
Both programs share the view that there are no small problems in government, leading each to embrace a little hyperbole in describing the nature and scope of their work — they refer to their projects as moon shots.
Although these startups aim to solve government problems, Urban-X ironically avoids having anything to do with government to avoid the regulatory complications in that sector. Startups face the simultaneous challenges of finding a problem worth solving, building and running a business, keeping customers on board and courting potential investors.
Listen as we explore these two approaches to finding new ways to quickly solve challenges facing many cities.
On this episode:
• Miguel Gamiño, New York City Chief Technology Officer• Jeremy Goldberg, Deputy New York City Chief Technology Officer
• Shaun Abrahamson, Managing Partner, Urban.Us
• Benjamin Schmitz, CTO, Roadbotics
• Eric Ho, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Good Goods
• Ezra Goldman, Founder and CEO, Upshift
Follow the show on Twitter @gopublicpod
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