NTXIA: Regional innovation success with global visibility
NTXIA: Regional innovation success with global visibility
Jon Glascow
Smart city innovation isn’t just for major metros—it offers real benefits to regional cities and communities as well. Strong smart regions emerge when cities and private-sector partners work together.
The North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA)—a consortium of municipalities, agencies, companies and universities—shows how a cooperative regional model can unlock innovation capacity that individual cities and peripheral communities rarely achieve alone.
Established in 2020 under the leadership of Jennifer Sanders, the NTXIA is recognized globally as a leading example of regional innovation. A major part of its recent momentum comes from tapping into the worldwide startup community and attracting entrepreneurs who can deploy scalable solutions with adoption readiness.
Building on the success of its 2024 Global Startup Challenge, the NTXIA launched a second edition, inviting startups from around the world to submit applications focused on connectivity, transportation, infrastructure and public safety. The finalists in this year’s challenge pitched to a panel of judges at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
Partners and anchors make a difference!
Strategic partners in this year’s startup challenge include the North Texas cities of Frisco and McKinney, Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, and Plug and Play.
As regional anchors, Frisco and McKinney offer global startups a supportive U.S. venue with:
📌 Collaborative testing environments
📌 Favorable deployment opportunities
📌 Direct ties to public-sector leaders
This competition underscores NTXIA's commitment to engaging local communities and scaling innovation across a fast-growing region.
What makes the NTXIA stand out?
➡️ For one, North Texas is doing something unique. NTXIA’s innovation engine isn’t driven by federal mandates or national programs. It's powered by a locally led, cross-sector consortium. That means the region can move faster, experiment more, and stay closely connected to the needs of regional cities, while collaborating with industry and universities.
➡️ And then there’s the startup experience. Companies like last year’s winner, VisionCraft, can plug in, deploy and fine-tune their solutions in real operating environments. Add the Smart City Expo with global media attention, and North Texas cities become visible examples of how regional innovation actually works on the ground.
The NTXIA story reveals how a cooperative, well-connected strategy can spark a smarter, more resilient region—enabling communities to make decisions at the local level.