Sheffield startups and entrepreneurs to come together to drive innovation

Entrepreneurs and startups are set to reveal new solutions which will re-energise Sheffield and help its residents live independently at an event on Thursday 29th September.

The ‘Demo Day’, which will take place at Sheffield Hallam University, will showcase innovative ideas that have been developed in the city over the past year as part of the Sheffield Smart Lab programme.

The Sheffield Smart Lab initiative, a partnership between Sheffield City Council, Amey and the Ferrovial Services Centre of Excellence for Cities, invited entrepreneurs and startup businesses to submit ideas that would help to address the two different challenges.

Over 50 ideas were received from entrepreneurs and startup businesses around the world, which were narrowed down to just nine winning solutions.

The nine solutions, which are set to change the way Sheffield deals with everyday challenges by energising the city centre and supporting people to live independently, range from a solution with sensors that enable housebound people to alert their carers quickly and discreetly when they need them, to tools that collect and analyse movement data to help the city plan cycle routes.

The winning entrepreneurs and startups were awarded with an incubation and acceleration programme, sponsored by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, and the opportunity to develop their solutions in the city.

They are now set to present their developed solutions at the Demo Day event, showing how their solutions can benefit Sheffield’s residents and visitors.

The event will take place on Thursday 29th September 2016, 3-6pm, at Hallam Hall in Sheffield Hallam University’s Owen Building.

Cllr Leigh Bramall, deputy leader and cabinet member for business, said: “As a council, it is important to us that we drive innovation in Sheffield. There’s an energy and appetite for it in the city and we recognise that in order to do this we need to partner with startups and innovators.

“That’s what Sheffield Smart Lab is all about and by supporting entrepreneurs and helping them to build on their ideas and making them a reality; we have benefited both them and the city.

“The challenges that the solutions solve are hugely important to Sheffield and this has given us a great opportunity to offer a better quality of life for the people of Sheffield and attract visitors to the city centre.”

Iñigo Jodra, Ferrovial’s director for centre of excellence for cities, added: “This will be an exciting day where people can learn about innovative solutions that could be transformative for Sheffield.

“Over the past few months, the entrepreneurs have been sharing ideas, while discussing with the council and others how their projects can be best realised. All the solutions, from different perspectives, aim to enhance Sheffield and the lives of its citizens and visitors.”

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