Member Article

Deputy Mayor joined by smart city startups for Barcelona trade mission

The Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, is to be joined by fifteen of the capital’s fastest-growing smart city startups on a trade mission to Barcelona this week.

Drawn from a range of smart cities offshoots, including big data, cleantech and transport, the participating startups will be showcasing London’s world-leading role in urban tech innovations at the Smart City Expo World Congress.

As part of the mission, Agrawal will be meeting with business leaders and politicians from Europe’s major cities to discuss opportunities for collaboration, and will use a keynote speech to reassure businesses on the continent that London remains open post-Brexit.

The companies joining the Deputy mayor include:

• Taxi app Gett
• Parking app JustPark
• NFC Ring, developer of wearable devices for contactless payment
• Real-time building analytics firm BlockDox
• Big data business Mastodon C
• Smart meter group Smart Energy GB
• Civic crowdfunding platform Spacehive
• WiFi solutions business WiFi Spark
• Intelligence gathering firm Design for Social Change
• Geouniq, developers of cloud geolocation services
• Intranet software company Invotra
• Energy business Open Energi
• Photovaltaics firm PolySolar
• Waste business SEaB Energy
• Space Syntax, advisors on planning and the environment.

Agrawal said that the companies selected for the trade mission were at the ‘forefront of developing cutting edge technologies’ which have the potential to fundamentally change the way cities operate.

He said: “The Mayor and I are clear that digital technology and data have a vital role to play in the future of our public services, in energy, water, safety, transport and city infrastructure.

“And our progress in these areas, supported by an exceptional talent pool, will create opportunities for all Londoners and realise our ambition to becoming a truly smart city.”