25 Nov WATCH OUR Y4 LAUNCH EVENT!
We held a live presentation and Q&A on Crowdcast.io for launch event Dec 2nd at 6pm to talk about big changes in year 4.
6-12 GRADE EDUCATION: Civic Spark Challenge
CivTechSA is introducing a new grab & go project-based learning packet for educators to bring into their virtual or in-person classrooms anytime of the year, at any pace they’d like. Meet the Civic Spark Challenge!
Students are tasked with solving a civic challenge in their community with technology by working in teams to research, build, and pitch their solutions. The challenge begins by introducing local government, civic technology, and entrepreneurism to the students, along with a challenge bank of real-world problems our community faces. Over the course of the project, students research and develop key business concepts to inform their solution, complete a civic business model canvas, and create a prototype. The project culminates in a Shark Tank style pitch competition where students pitch their solution to a panel of guest judges.
After completing and submitting their projects, students receive CivTechSA completion certificates, and walk away with a tangible example of their 21st Century workforce skills and a project to prove them.
Sign up HERE to bring the Civic Spark Challenge into your classroom!
HIGHER EDUCATION: IgniteSA Pitch Competition
CivTechSA is introducing a new grab & go project-based learning packet for educators to bring into their virtual or in-person classrooms anytime of the year, at any pace they’d like. Meet the IgniteSA Pitch Competition.
Students are tasked with solving a civic challenge in their community by working in teams to research, build, and pitch their solutions. The challenge begins at the beginning of the Spring semester by introducing local government, civic technology, and entrepreneurism to the students, along with a challenge bank of real-world problems our city faces. Students may also choose to identify and solve for a challenge they personally see in their community. Over the course of the project, students research and develop key business concepts to inform their solution, complete a civic business model canvas, and create a prototype.
Mid-way through the semester, CivTechSA will host a city-wide Mentor Day for higher education students participating in IgniteSA to connect with subject matter experts and mentors from municipal institutions, research institutions, and the startup tech ecosystem. At the end of the semester, students pitch their projects to their peers in the classroom, and apply for the city-wide CivTechSA pitch competition. Finalists will be selected to pitch to a panel of guest judges for prizes.
Sign up HERE to have your students participate in IgniteSA!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
May 2021- Veterans Codeathon
Coders, designers, and tech experts are encouraged to come and build something extraordinary to improve the quality of life for our active-duty military members, veterans, and their spouses.
July 2021- SmartSA Datathon
CivTechSA and the SmartSA partners team up to share datasets with the public in order to connect communities, ideas, and data to improve the quality of life today as we build a smarter tomorrow. We are hoping teams can discover and identify opportunities and/or missing data elements in the data sets and explain how those insights could be applied in practice for the potential benefits of the community and/or partners in three impact areas: affordability, environmental quality, and access to services.
August 2021- Techstars Smart Cities Startup Weekend
Techstars Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. Beginning with Friday night pitches, the event continues through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation, culminating in Sunday night demos and presentations.
THE RESIDENCY
The CivTechSA Residency Program is a 16-week program where the City invites startups to solve civic challenges in an effort to foster collaboration and growth. The CivTechSA Residency Program is an open invitation to companies as defined in the application. This means anyone who has a filed business entity (for-profit and nonprofit) that thinks their company can provide an innovative solution to the City of San Antonio’s Residency challenges is welcome to apply!
January 2020 // Residency & 2021 Challenges Announcement
February 2021 // Applications open
April 2021 // Residency companies are selected
May 2021 // Residency begins
September 2021 // Residency ends, Demo Day