Firm Opens Door for Start-ups and Other Innovative Companies to Provide New Solutions
New York, N.Y. – Manhattan-based firm Citymart has signed contracts with several major U.S. cities—including New York, Philadelphia and Long Beach—to improve their access to innovative and entrepreneurial ideas from businesses and citizens. By opening up city government to new players, Citymart offers the possibility of transforming the way these urban areas solve problems and “has almost single-handedly taken the concept from a neat idea to something cities all over want to figure out how to do,” according to the New York Times.
“We are delighted to be working with these cities to help them learn how to use the open market to find proven, innovative solutions addressing the pressing needs of their citizens,” said Citymart CEO Sascha Haselmayer. “We look forward to helping governments access more innovative solutions so they become more efficient and responsive to citizens, improving city life for everyone.”
In the past two months, the firm has launched collaborations with New York City, Philadelphia, Long Beach and New Orleans, working on innovation-focused initiatives in all three cities. The groundbreaking nature of Citymart’s work has been recognized as a force for serious work and is supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Citymart helps cities rethink their contracting process so they focus not just on buying goods and services, but on solving problems. Citymart starts by working with a city to help them define their problems and capabilities. Then the firm conducts intensive research and outreach to identify the market leaders and proven innovators with possible solutions and issues an open challenge – to those leaders, to local businesses and citizens, and to a global network of businesses, entrepreneurs, and universities – in a search for the most effective and affordable solution.
From London to Paris, Citymart has been helping cities solve problems since 2011. Now, the company is applying its methods to American cities across the country.
“We are able to tackle any problem—from helping a city make it easier to find parking to changing the way they deliver care to the elderly,” Haselmayer said.
Citymart’s ultimate goal as a company is to teach cities how to adopt its methods and run its challenge-method process without Citymart’s help. “If we’ve done our job well, the city eventually doesn’t hire us back,” Haselmayer said.
Citymart plans to announce additional U.S. city partnerships in the coming months and will announce the results of its first challenges later this year. To learn more about the company go to www.citymart.com.
