Welcome to Civic Innovation
As one of the first cities, Boston has been creating solutions to civic challenges for over 300 years. It’s in our blood and right at the heart of who we are as a city. Today, we’re retaining our reputation as the torchbearer of civic innovation thanks to the concentration of world-class academic institutions, the original New Urban Mechanics, and the epicenter of technology that we cultivated.
At StartHub, Boston comes together to bear witness to those working to improve equity, increase transparency of government, and use data for forward-thinking policy. Our network is comprised of committed stakeholders including civic media, up-and-coming startups, programmers, government, and citizens who care about the wellbeing of one another.
We’re a city of innovators. That’s just who we are.
Startups
Voatz
Voatz enables citizens to vote in all kinds of elections or voting events via a secured smartphone or via a mobile ballot station.
Involved
Involved is a micro-polling software for local government, helping offices increase civic engagement and understand public opinion through single question surveys.
Soofa
Lovable technology for smarter placemaking. Our urban furniture combines community-centered design, smart technology & heart to enrich your public spaces.
Water Hero
Cloud-connected system to protect against water damage from broken pipes and provide data on water usage.
Donii
Donii is a donation matchmaking service. Through a network of local nonprofit partners, we connect donors to families who lack exactly what the donor has to spare.
Parkloco
Parkloco is a SaaS platform that provides real-time data analytics software to parking lot owners and operators.
Rate Gravity
Delivering lower mortgage rates and improving the customer experience through technology.
ParkWise
The ParkWise Intelligent Parking Platform solves the street parking problem for drivers, connected and autonomous vehicles.
Events
Code for Boston Weekly Hack Night
Code for Boston is a Code for America Brigade - a volunteer civic innovation organization created by Boston-area developers, designers, urban planners, data geeks, and researchers with an interest in solving civic and social problems through the use of creative technology. Weekly Hack Nights are our time to meet in person to work on and discuss civic tech projects.
Volpe Talks: Transportation Ideas Worth Sharing
Come and hear a series of short, live talks direct from Volpe team members working on emerging transportation issues such as maritime security, nonmotorized transportation, planning for climate change, or advancing the flow of aviation traffic.
SPARK Social: Newmarket feat. Bully Boy Distillery
The neighborhood SPARK Social is a monthly meet up celebrating each unique community in Boston and educating folks about the resources and amenities that each neighborhood holds. The SPARK Social is a fun, laid back way for SPARK members (plus their friends and family) to get out and explore the neighborhoods of Boston.
Boston Area Research Initiative’s (BARI) Spring Conference
This conference will explore how the region can be a leader in dealing with these issues—understanding inequality and its consequences, and designing and implementing informed solutions to counteract them.
Summer Institute in Global Leadership: Climate Change
Join Boston's largest startup accelerator and the Boston-based world car-sharing leader for a preview of the hottest innovations in transportation that Boston has to offer.
Initiatives and NPOs
New Urban Mechanics
As the City's civic research and development team, we pilot experiments that aim to improve the quality of life for Boston's residents. Our research and design projects tackle a range of topics — from civic engagement to city infrastructure to education.
Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT)
The Department of Innovation & Technology engages, empowers & improves life for citizens & partners through technology.
Code for Boston
Code for Boston is a Code for America Brigade - a volunteer civic innovation organization created by Boston-area developers, designers, urban planners, data geeks, and researchers with an interest in solving civic and social problems through the use of creative technology.
Spark Boston
Boston is home to a large and diverse millennial population. SPARK Boston, formerly ONEin3, is a City of Boston initiative that aims to empower the millennial generation to play a greater role in planning for the future of our city.
The Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School
The Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School explores the relationships between democratic governance and the persistence of urgent social problems. Our research advances the studies of democratic practice and effective governance worldwide.
MIT Center for Civic Media
Working at the intersection of participatory media and civic engagement, the Center for Civic Media's mission is to design, create, deploy, and assess tools and processes that support and foster civic participation and the flow of information between and within communities.
Engagement Lab @ Emerson College
The Engagement Lab is an applied research lab at Emerson College dedicated to innovating the ways people participate in civic life and expanding the study of citizenship in a digital era.
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is the regional planning agency serving the people who live and work in the 101 cities and towns of Metropolitan Boston. Our mission is to promote smart growth and regional collaboration.
Boston Area Research Initiative
BARI supports research-policy collaborations, BARI projects provide insights into daily life in greater Boston, help policymakers and practitioners to better serve their constituencies, and increase our understanding of human behavior.
Investors
Barr Foundation
Knight Foundation
Omidyar Network
The Boston Foundation
