Innovation campaign competitors
Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Louisville, Ky.; Memphis, Tenn.; Mountain View, Calif.; Nashville, Tenn.; Oakland, Calif.; Palo Alto, Calif.; Philadelphia, Penn.; Raleigh, N.C.; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Francisco, Calif.; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Durham, N.C.; Somerville, Mass.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Saint Paul, Minn.; Sacramento, Calif.; and Seattle, Wash. Non-city participants include Durham County, N.C., and Rhode Island.
Chattanooga has joined the Multi-City Innovation Campaign, an initiative started in 2014 by four members of the National League of Cities which offers prize money for technology-driven solutions to urban issues.
Cities work with local innovators develop and deploy technology to deal with health, public safety and economic challenges, and the best idea gets a $120,000 prize. The catch is that each city, including Chattanooga, must kick in $5,000 toward the prize pool.
"Chattanooga is full of innovative ideas - and the people to help see those ideas become reality," said Andy Berke, Chattanooga's Mayor. "This nationwide innovation campaign, along with our recent kickoff of the TechHire initiative, reinforces Chattanooga's position as a leader in the innovation economy."
Applicants to the contest will also have the opportunity to compete in the 2015 Jumpstart Foundry cohort, a Nashville, Tenn.-based startup accelerator. The winner of that accelerator could receive an additional $100,000 in startup capital.
The deadline for ideas is April 10. Chattanooga will compete against cities like Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, and cross-state rival Memphis. Durham County, N.C. and the entire state of Rhode Island are also competing.