AWS, Esri Launch Partnership With Govtech Accelerator

Amazon Web Services and Esri, global leader in location intelligence, will provide CivStart's 2019 cohort of ten govtech start-ups with tools, services, and solutions to help grow and scale their businesses.

The start-ups in CivStart's cohort go through an intensive product-development and mentoring program guided and led by notable leaders from established companies and state and local governments. Access to Amazon Web Services technologies through the AWS Activate program, along with Esri's ArcGIS platform, will enable these companies to meet community need faster and more effectively.

Several of CivStart's cohort members are already successfully integrating these technologies into the solutions they offer for state and local governments. Orbital Insight, for example, is leveraging AWS infrastructure and Esri technology to give policymakers the ability to monitor economic and geopolitical activity using satellite imagery and AI, thereby allowing governments to deploy resources more efficiently.

Anthony Jamison, CivStart Co-Founder and CEO, issued the following statement ahead of the partnership announcement:
"CivStart brings people together around good ideas for the public good. Now, not only are we bridging the gap between startups and state and local government leaders, but we are proud to add the technology and tools of some of the most innovative established companies — all in the service of supporting the state and local government technologies that will have real impact on the communities these governments serve.

Christian Carlson Director of Local, State, Provincial Governments at Esri announced:
"By providing access to Esri's flagship ArcGIS platform at no cost, the CivStart 2019 Cohort startups can leverage new dimensions of data and visualization capabilities to create breakthrough advancements. This will allow them to deliver truly innovative products that meet challenges in civic areas such as public safety, disaster response, legislation, and weather impacts on energy sources."

Amazon Web Services, issued the following statement:
Using the power of cloud technology, CivStart's startups can launch their solutions quickly and securely, and scale to meet the diverse needs of state and local governments. The credits, technical advising and coaching from AWS will help facilitate the adoption of these civic solutions across state and local governments and beyond.

Together, access to expertise and technology from AWS and Esri, coupled with the guidance of government leaders, ensures that the best technology products don't get made in a vacuum — and that they reach the people who depend on essential governmental services.

For more information on the startups who will be a part of the first cohort, the notable leaders in established industry and state and local government, and more, please visit www.CivStart.org.

About CivStart
CivStart is creating a world where all members of our communities can be informed, engaged, and — when needed — cared for with the help of new technologies by their local governments. CivStart bridges the gap between early stage companies and local governments, first by identifying cutting-edge civic technology companies and then providing expert consulting while leveraging strategic partnerships with governments, established businesses, and investors for the benefit of all. The technologies that go through the CivStart program aren't just made in a sterile lab, but have been made with guidance from government leaders to ensure that once in the wild, the technologies serve community needs, not the other way around. For more information, visit CivStart.org.

About Esri
Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, offers the most powerful geospatial cloud available, to help customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations including 90 of the Fortune 100 companies, all 50 state governments, more than half of all counties (large and small), and 87 of the Forbes Top 100 Colleges in the U.S., as well as all 15 Executive Departments of the U.S. Government and dozens of independent agencies. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most advanced solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. For more information, esri.com.

About AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, offering over 165 fully featured services from data centers globally. AWS provides a large suite of cloud-based tools and services to empower developers and enable business owners to serve their customers quickly, efficiently, and at scale. From website hosting, data storage & analytics, to machine learning algorithms for complex problems, AWS has an incredibly broad solution set, and CivStart entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to take advantage of these tools. For more information, visit aws.amazon.com/what-is-aws.