Updates on 2024 Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge Contest Winner VisionCraft

NTXIA’s first Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge was an exciting moment in late 2024, spotlighting big ideas with the potential to shape the future of smart cities. The contest gave international companies a chance to pitch their tech, win funding and kick off pilot programs in the United States. Last year’s winner, VisionCraft, is already making waves — showing exactly how NTXIA’s efforts are opening doors for global innovation.

2024 SCEWC Pitching Contest

VisionCraft’s journey to the United States started with a submission for the 2024 Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge. The goal of NTXIA’s contest—made in partnership with Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners and the Texas cities of Frisco, McKinney and Forth Worth—was to foster international innovation and present startups with the opportunity to pilot their technology in the United States. The promise of funding and support to potentially enter the U.S. market brought in dozens of submissions from around the world.

After making the finals with four other companies, the Czech-based VisionCraft delivered an in-person pitch during the 2024 Smart City Expo World Congress in front of a judges panel. Their winning concept, a “digital data eye,” is the only IoT sensor on the market that processes video stream directly at the edge without electricity dependency. The real-time information gathered from its AI-based computer vision object detection algorithms can determine an object’s speed, direction, size, trajectory and more. The corresponding data can then be used to enhance safety and improve functionality across various industries, including IT, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, enterprises, retail and more. 

Deployment in the United States

Curiosity Lab awarded VisionCraft with $15,000 towards a pilot, along with one year of office space at its Innovation Center in Peachtree Corners, Georgia and access to a global partner network for additional market support. The opportunity allowed Peachtree Corners to be the first U.S. pilot location for the company’s sensors. 

Additionally, Frisco and McKinney, Texas, provided VisionCraft with travel and accommodations to the state as part of a long-term strategy to enter the U.S. market. The team made connections with the cities’ engineering teams to learn more about the intricacies of the current infrastructure. VisionCraft’s international perspective gave a unique look into possible solutions that could help Frisco and McKinney with existing solutions already available overseas, but not yet normalized in the United States. 

The cities also showcased the economic value that residents and businesses can take part in. The established innovation ecosystem and direct ties to government entities like departments of transportation allow companies like VisionCraft to easily plug in and test new technologies. In turn, residents get a special opportunity to provide feedback on new tech that can make their city smarter. 

Peachtree Corners, Frisco and McKinney make it easy for companies like VisionCraft to employ highly specialized workers thanks to nearby universities. This gives the company an edge in employing people with advanced skills to further advanced tech in ways they may not as easily be able to in the Czech Republic. 

Future Expansion Opportunities

VisionCraft continues to see direct advantages and results thanks to winning the 2024 contest. Along with hitting the ground running within the U.S. market, the company also secured commercialization grants from the Czech Republic government. The team attributes their pitch contest win as a main reason why they received the grant, giving VisionCraft’s technology international legitimacy. This continued funding will help them pursue even more opportunities in the United States and build on the technology they have been testing, including their sensor tech that they are hoping to expand by an additional six sensors in the near future. 

Winning the contest also allowed VisionCraft to explore how their technology can be used in other sectors, such as healthcare. Deploying the technology in the U.S. — which has a much different healthcare infrastructure compared to Europe — helped the company better understand what problems can be solved with their technology solutions. 

Interested in being a part of this year’s Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge? Apply here before September 10th deadline!