This document provides prompts and questions to help entrepreneurs refine their startup ideas at a Startup Weekend event in Cape Town. It discusses how cities and mobility are changing rapidly due to new technologies. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to consider these changes and how their ideas could address emerging needs and opportunities in areas like transportation, data analytics, citizen participation, and education to prepare youth for future jobs and technologies.

1. We
have
5
minutes
to
talk
to
a
group
of
tech
and
business
entrepreneurs
par8cipa8ng
in
a
weekend
of
startup
brainstorming
at
#StartUpWeekend
in
Khayelitsha,
Cape
Town.
This
is
a
“leave
behind”
toolkit
that
aEendees
can
use
throughout
the
weekend,
and
beyond.
It
consists
of
a
series
of
ques8ons,
prompts
and
resources
that
can
help
to
refine
the
idea
and
business
model
adopted.
These
are
not
necessarily
sequen8al,
but
can
be
seen
as
an
“itera8ve”
process
–
use
them
in
the
order
best
suited
to
you
and
your
team,
and
feel
free
to
come
back
to
any
ques8on
at
any
stage
of
your
process.
1

2. These
ques8ons
will
not
tell
you
what
to
see,
but
rather
advice
on
where
to
look
2

3. The
world
is
changing
at
a
rapid
pace.
Watch
some
of
the
“ShiL
Happens”
and
“Did
you
know”
videos
in
Youtube
for
some
ideas
about
the
pace,
scale
and
direc8on
of
change:
ShiL
Happens
(2014
Remix):
hEps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcZg51Il9no
Did
you
know,
in
2028:
hEps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpEFjWbXog0
This
has
implica8ons
for
(almost)
every
aspect
of
our
lives.
We
are
seeing
more
“city
data”
and
“city
tech”
research
groups
at
top
univers88es,
state
and
privately
funded
R&D
Labs
for
these
themes
We
see
economic
consul8ng
and
city
planning
and
engineering
shiLing
from
the
produc8on
of
sta8c
reports
and
plans,
to
dynamic
tools
that
respond
to
(almost)
real
8me
changes
in
variables
“Mobile
phones
are
the
new
mobility
–
with
Apps
that
tell
us
where
to
move,
what
mode
of
transport
to
use,
and
that
help
us
book
8ckets
or
call
a
cab,
our
mobility
is
inextricably
linked
to
our
phones”
–
do
you
agree?
What
will
be
the
next
“disrupter”
in
this
space?
Locally,
we
already
have
many,
like
GoMetro;
Locomute,
Uber
and
more!
3

4. “The
new
norm
is
uncertainty
and
technology
is
in
the
drivers
seat”
–
John
Rendon
At
the
same
8me,
globally
as
much
as
locally,
we
witness
a
disconnect
between
centres
of
power,
and
people
on
street.
People
want
par8cipa8on,
they
want
feedback,
and
they
want
responses
to
their
needs,
ideas,
complaints…
when
they
do
not
have
construc8ve
plamorms
for
this,
they
oLen
turn
to
one
of
the
oldest
plamorms:
the
street
With
rapid
urbanisa8on,
and
hard
economic
8mes
(now
more
than
ever?)
we
need
to
make
efficient
use
of
physical
infrastructure
(our
roads,
our
built
environment,
our
water,
energy
and
transport
networks
and
other
physical
assets).
Ar8ficial
intelligence
and
data
analy8cs
are
suppor8ng
not
only
this
–
but
also
economic,
social
and
cultural
development.
By
improving
the
intelligence
of
the
city,
we
can
learn,
adapt
and
innovate
and
thereby
respond
more
effec8vely
and
promptly
to
changing
circumstances
(Smart
City,
Wikipedia)
John
Rendon
divides
countries
in
to
four
types:
• those
who
have
already
ridden
the
wave
of
transi8on,
landed
on
the
beach,
and
are
saying
“what
a
ride”:
we
can
learn
lessons
from
these
places
• those
who
have
ridden
the
wave,
and
are
messed
up,
have
their
back
to
the
series
of
waves
s8ll
coming
• those
who
are
in
the
water,
but
wai8ng
for
the
wave,
ready
to
ride
it
• those
who
don't
even
see
the
water
yet
I
would
add
a
5th:
those
who
see
the
wave
coming,
are
watching
it
come
closer,
and
are
over-­‐analysing
the
size
and
speed
of
the
wave,
while
its
about
to
crash
right
over
them
Big
companies,
like
Google,
IBM,
Siemens,
SAP
–
they
see
the
wave.
They
are
benefi8ng
by
locking
Ci8es
in
to
proprietary
systems.
They
are
also
inves8ng
heavily
in
R&D:
Google
has
collaborated
with
Doctoroff
on
their
project
SideWalk
Labs,
with
applies
technology
to
solving
urban
problems
Young
popula8ons
+
high
growth
in
technology
=
new
expecta8ons
(of
service
providers,
of
democra8c
process,
of
employers…)
• we
are
currently
preparing
students
for
jobs
that
don’t
yet
exist,
using
technologies
that
don’t
yet
exist,
solving
problems
that
we
might
not
even
know
exist
• yet
our
classrooms
look
the
same
as
they
did
half
a
century
ago
4

5. There
is
an
emerging
emphasis
on
collabora8on
and
learning
together,
not
"being
taught"
-­‐
online
efforts
like
“brilliantminds.org”
–
and
then
we
see
15year
olds
developing
tech,
cures
etc
Disrup8ons:
“expect
the
staircase
to
move”
(John
Rendon
again)
• Ci8es
are
increasingly
recognised
as
prominent
as
centres
of
power
and
innova8on
• The
public
librariarian
now
needs
to
be
an
open
data
expert
• Ci8es
are
shiLing
from
policies
&
plans,
to
principles
and
tools
• From
sta8c
reports,
to
algorithm-­‐driven
models
Traffic,
8nkering
and
stop
lights:
• Business
as
usual
/
government
8nkering:
“we
don't
build
a
traffic
light
un8l
there
are
enough
accidents,
regardless
of
how
many
people
have
asked
for
a
traffic
light”
• the
tech,
par8cipatory
govt.
wave
is
not
one
that
can
be
8nkered
through.
Another
example:
“we
check
water
services
on
a
rota8onal
basis,
and
address
problems
as
we
find
them”
vs.
“we
respond
to
real-­‐8me
feeds
on
water
quality
and
flows
from
sensors
that
exist
through
the
water
system”
Don't
view
the
world
as
a
"transac8on
economy"
-­‐
compe88on,
and
transac8ons
on
set
terms
But
a
rela8onship,
a
nego8a8on,
collabora8on
and
compe88on
Ci#es
are
complex,
not
complicated:
Complicated
problem
is
unpacked,
solved
in
pieces
and
aggregated
for
a
broad
systems
engineering
solu8on
Complex
problems
change
when
you
engage
with
them…
5

6. Important
reading:
7
steps
to
a
smart
city:
hEp://theurbantechnologist.com/seven-­‐steps-­‐to-­‐a-­‐smarter-­‐
city/
6
inconvenient
truths
about
smart
ci8es:
hEp://theurbantechnologist.com/
2015/02/15/6-­‐inconvenient-­‐truths-­‐about-­‐smart-­‐ci8es/
Best
prac8ce
from
Responsive
Ci8es:
hEp://www.amazon.com/The-­‐Responsive-­‐City-­‐
Communi8es-­‐Data-­‐Smart/dp/1118910907
Open
vs
proprietary:
hEps://www.fiware.org/2015/03/25/fiware-­‐a-­‐standard-­‐open-­‐
plamorm-­‐for-­‐smart-­‐ci8es/
Towards
open
urban
plamorms
for
smart
ci8es
and
communi8es:
hEp://
ec.europa.eu/digital-­‐agenda/en/news/memorandum-­‐understanding-­‐towards-­‐open-­‐
urban-­‐plamorms-­‐smart-­‐ci8es-­‐and-­‐communi8es
Proprietary
is
oLen
easier
to
procure,
but
risks
locking
a
city
in
to
a
single
service
provider,
with
very
costly
licensing
fees,
update
fees
etc.
The
entrepreneur
also
has
more
opportuni8es
to
tap-­‐in
to
an
open,
global
system,
than
to
try
and
connect
to
a
proprietary
backbone.
6

7. Components
of
Smart
City
Architecture:
hEp://theurbantechnologist.com/seven-­‐
steps-­‐to-­‐a-­‐smarter-­‐city/
7

8. Please
find
more
info
on
the
local
open
data
ecosystem
here:
hEp://www.wcedp.co.za/eic/blog/edp-­‐presents-­‐at-­‐erln-­‐technical-­‐working-­‐group-­‐on-­‐
data
Open
data
for
Smart
Ci#es:
hEp://www.slideshare.net/soeren1611/open-­‐data-­‐for-­‐
smart-­‐ci8es
Why
Open
Data?
• Govt.
produces
a
lot
of
data
–
untapped
value
• Enhances
transparency
&
innova8on
• The
value
of
data
supports
the
business
case
for
digital
economy,
digi8cally
compe88ve
city,
smart
city
and
vica
versa
• There
are
no
at-­‐scale
“person-­‐centred
outcomes”
from
smart
city
ini8a8ves
if
its
not
also
open
• The
web
has
engendered
a
culture
of,
and
expecta8on
for,
openness
that
everyone
can
par8cipate
in:
we
expect
service
providers,
including
the
state,
to
respond
on
twiEer,
to
have
Apps,
to
adapt
to
real-­‐8me
feedback
and
trends
• The
outputs
of
open
data
can
be
complimentary
to
other
objec8ves:
e.g.
Intelligent
Mobility
and
Public
Transport
• This
requires
intermediaries
to
support
understanding
between
the
subject
maEer
experts
(e.g.
transport
planners)
and
techies.
Other
ci8es
have
8

9. Many
interests
converge:
• innova8on,
entrepreneurship
&
commercial
• govt.
solu8on
finding,
crea8on
of
efficiencies
and
greater
effec8veness
in
state
services;
increase
par8cipa8on
in
governmenE
process,
and
cool
apps
for
ci8zens
(transport
etc)
making
the
city
more
aErac8ve
to
live
in
• media
(e.g.
wWazimap)
• social
audits
• improve
local
government,
raise
the
civic
spirits,
increase
trust
between
ci8zens
and
state
(IF
state
is
responsive
to
new
tools
and
the
feedback
into
the
system
that
comes
from
that)
9

10. -­‐-­‐
inclusive
economic
growth
–
open
data
delivery
should
be
structured
in
a
way
that
helps
to
bridge
inequality,
not
entrench
inequality
-­‐-­‐
A
lot
of
govt
data
is
collected
in
order
to
measure
ac8vi8es
–
but
how
can
this
data
be
used
to
create
innova8ve
solu8ons?
10

11. ODF
is
convened
by
the
EDP
Different
interest
groups
working
on
the
implica8ons
of
open
data
for
their
sectors,
and
for
how
they
work
with
government
(and
vica
versa)
Join
in:
jodi@wcedp.co.za
Note:
while
membership
is
free,
this
programme
is
under-­‐resourced,
we
rely
on
partners
providing
their
own
#me,
venues
and
other
resources.
11

12. More
resources
on
the
green
economy
&
opportuni#es
in
tech:
Western
Cape
Green
Economy
Report,
2014:
hEps://www.westerncape.gov.za/
110green/sites/green.westerncape.gov.za/files/documents/WCG%20Green
%20Economy%20Report%202014_0.pdf
• Water
and
technology
in
a
transi8on
to
a
green
economy:
hEp://www.un.org/
waterforlifedecade/green_economy_2011/pdf/
info_brief_tools_technology_eng.pdf
• Agriculture:
How
we
can
improve
agriculture,
food
and
water
with
open
data:
hEp://www.godan.info/wp-­‐content/uploads/2015/04/ODI-­‐GODAN-­‐
paper-­‐27-­‐05-­‐20152.pdf
• Air
Quality
(access
Cape
Town’s
air
quality
data
on
CCT
Open
data
portal)
• Waste
(access
Cape
Town’s
recycling
data
on
CCT
Open
data
portal)
• Energy
(Have
you
see
Durban’s
&
Google’s
respec8ve
solar
panel
poten8al
mapping
tools?
Here
is
Durban’s:
hEp://www.durban.gov.za/City_Services/
energyoffice/Pages/Solar-­‐Map.aspx)
• Mobility
(low-­‐carbon
mobility
is
enabled
through
your
cell
phone...)
• Biodiversity
(access
on
relevant
data
and
research
on
the
CCT
open
data
portal,
CapeNature,
or
Sustainable
Livelihoods
Founda8on)
12

13. These
ques#ons
will
not
tell
you
what
to
see,
but
rather
advise
on
where
to
look
13

14. Here
is
an
overview
of
the
ques8ons
that
you
can
cycle
through
throughout
the
weekend.
The
following
slides
unpack
these
in
more
detail,
and
provide
you
with
useful
ideas,
examples
and
resources.
Many
of
these
steps
are
interchangable
–
some
of
you
might
already
have
a
client,
and
you’re
star8ng
with
empathy
for
their
needs.
Others
will
create
an
idea,
and
then
think
about
the
client.
Make
it
an
itera8ve
process,
and
always
make
sure
you
have
the
skills,
insight,
knowledge
required
to
understand
the
problem
you
are
addressing.
14

15. 15

16. 1) Spend
some
#me
thinking
about
the
Future
Ask
kids
what
they
think
the
future
will
be
like…
Be
the
catalyst
for
change,
not
the
obstacle,
or
at
the
very
least,
“ride
the
wave”
(vs.
not
even
seeing
the
wave
coming,
or
standing
on
the
shore
analysing
the
reality,
size
and
velocity
of
the
wave…)
Expect
the
staircase
to
shiL…
disrup8ons
in
health,
water,
educa8on,
transport
+
-­‐
are
you
the
next
disrupter?
16

17. 2)
Think
about
scale:
are
you
building
a
prototype
to
sell
on
&
use
for
experience
or
to
build
your
porPolio?
Or
are
you
growing
a
business?
Ar8cle:
Don’t
do
a
startup,
build
a
business:
hEp://ventureburn.com/2015/09/dont-­‐
startup-­‐build-­‐business/
17

18. 3)
Diversify
your
team,
consult
&
collaborate
This
image
is
just
an
example
–
the
exact
composi8on
and
skills,
(par8cularly
inner
circle
on
the
diagram)
will
vary
greatly
based
on
the
idea.
You
can
do
this
once
you
have
an
idea,
or
you
can
put
together
a
“dream
team”
of
mixed
skills,
and
collabora8ve
people,
and
see
what
problems
and
solu8ons
you
collec8vely
create.
Resist
the
tempta#on
to
lead
with
the
tech,
lead
with
the
issue
you
are
solving.
With
ci#es,
it
is
almost
certain
that
understanding
the
issue
will
requires
more
than
just
technical
knowledge!
Chat
to
your
ethnographer,
anthropologist
or
marke#ng
friends…
A
note
on
language:
“Technical
Specialists”
=
“Subject
MaZer
Experts”
(SMEs)
In
“government
speak”
these
are
technical
or
professional
officers;
in
“soLware
developer
speak”
these
are
Subject
MaEer
Experts
(SMEs)
18

19. 19

20. 4)
“Technology
is
the
answer,
but
what
is
the
ques#on?”
(Cedric
Price,
1956)
What
city
or
ci8es
are
you
designing
for?
(tech
is
easily
exportable:
your
idea
doesn’t
have
to
be
for
Cape
Town
–
Durban
also
has
Open
data,
as
do
many
African
ci8es;
you
can
even
target
a
leading
Smart
City
in
Europe
or
America)
Get
to
know
your
market(s).
Don’t
copy
and
paste
from
a
totally
different
context
and
think
it
will
work
here
in
Cape
Town
–
our
system
fundamentals,
and
our
cultural
and
socio-­‐economic
factors,
must
be
taken
in
to
considera8on
20

21. Think
big,
and
start
with
where
you
are:
what
is
something
that
you
would
find
useful?
Is
this
something
that
many
e.g.
African
ci8es
might
also
benefit
from?
• Ci8es
are
complex
and
made
up
of
lots
of
parts:
• Housing
&
land
use
planning
• Transport
and
mobility
• Healthcare
• Educa8on
• Water
quality
• Air
quality
• Sanita8on
• Energy
• Social
care
(ECD
tools,
Apps
for
M&E
on
social
services?)
• Public
spaces,
parks,
libraries,
community
halls
–
can
we
have
an
app
to
find
the
nearest
community
facility
(this
data
is
on
the
CCT
Open
Data
Portal)
and
rate
our
experiences
of
them?
• Par8cipatory
structures
and
processes
(“have
your
say”,
open
budgets
and
open
tenders
data
on
CCT
website)
–
what
other
ways
can
people
par8cipate
and
co-­‐
create
the
city?
• Here
are
examples
of
all
the
poten8al
that
street
lights
offer:
hEp://
www.oecd.org/s8/ieconomy/smart-­‐streetlight-­‐smart-­‐street-­‐smart-­‐city.pdf
21

22. There
are
lots
of
typologies
out
there
to
help
you
find
your
niche…
Here’s
one
from
the
Ripple
Effect
Group
that
looks
at
top-­‐down
vs
boEom-­‐up
processes:
hEp://rippleffectgroup.com/2014/05/21/smarter-­‐smart-­‐intranets-­‐and-­‐
digital-­‐workplaces/
22

23. Here
are
some
more
typologies…
(And
Google
image
will
lead
you
to
many,
many
more…)
23

24. 5)
Think
outside
the
box
While
a
cliched
saying,
do
think
about
integra8on
services,
or
meta
services.
An
example
of
this
is
an
App
that
helps
city
&
private
property
planners
and
engineers
evaluate
the
universal
accessibility
of
their
design
–
its
not
doing
universal
design,
its
helping
designers
think
about
this.
This
has
been
developed
locally
by
Universal
Design
Africa:
hEp://www.udafrica.com
Can
you
make
an
App
that
helps
city
planners
think
about
“smart”
when
doing
their
designs?
How
would
a
transport
engineer
think
differently
using
a
tool
you
create
for
her?
24

25. 6)
Where
in
the
city
are
you
intervening/supply
a
solu#on
for?
System
(read
the
fundamentals
from
boZom-­‐up):
• Algorithms
(translates
data
into
value:
analy8cs
and
visualiza8on,
alerts,
reports)
• Screens
(this
is
an
access
issue
–
open
data
is
not
accessible
to
everyone;
we
need
a
portal,
APIs,
and
visualisa8ons
and
applica8ons
of
the
data;
we
also
need
people
to
have
access
to
screens
connected
to
the
web;
and
have
the
literacy
to
use
and/
or
produce
technology
and
related
content)
• Data
Governance
(policy
must
in
touch
with
security
concerns,
and
ci8zen
concerns
more
than
poli8cal
concerns
–
luckily
global
standards
for
privacy,
cleaning
data
of
iden8fying
informa8on,
and
meta-­‐data
standards
exist;
policy
might
also
inform
aspects
around
data
colleciton
that
influence
the
“Vs”
of
Big
Data)
• Sensors
(sensors
in
water,
energy,
traffic
lights
etc
-­‐
environmental
quality,
water
quality,
light,
noise
etc
-­‐-­‐
real
8me
transmission
to
open
data
portal
as
per
Chicago,
builds
trust
in
govt.
Collec8ng
more
and
more
data)
and
(the
old
way,
but
important
for
qualita8ve
and
demographic:
surveys
-­‐
can
these
also
be
electronic
and
more
regular?)
• Database
management:
start
with
inventory
of
what
is
known
(databases)
and
what
could
be
known
(what
is
known:
how
can
this
data
applied
to
be
more
valuable?;
what
is
not
known:
are
their
opportuni8es
for
collec8on
through
smart
25

26. Reuse:
• Your
product
or
service
may
create
new
data
available
for
–re-­‐use
in
another
process
(e.g.
GoMetro
produces
data
of
poten@ally
of
use
to
transport
planners
and
operators)
ISOs
exist
for
sensors,
data
governance,
portals
and
more
Look
for
OpenSource
plaIorms,
tools,
chips
and
more
26

27. 7)
Who
is
your
client?
And
what
is
the
model
(once
off
sale,
regular
subscrip#on
service,
partnering..?)
UX
is
a
specialised
field,
understand
your
user
needs,
build
so
that
they
don’t
need
to
“think”
If
government
is
your
intended
client,
THINK
CREATIVELY:
government
procurement
systems
are
very
difficult
to
navigate,
and
typically
do
not
favour
innova8on
or
pitches
(“unsolicited
bids”)
• Consider
going
“over
the
top”
direct
to
the
consumer,
or
to
a
service
provider
of
government
(e.g.
the
transport
consultants;
or
the
traffic-­‐light
light
bulb
suppliers..)
• Engage
with
public
sector
reform
for
procurement
of
innova8on
for
smarter
and
greener
ci8es
through
the
Open
Data
Forum
or
the
Regional
Innova8on
Network
27

28. 28

29. 29

30. Some
local
and
global
players
who
can
approach
for
insight,
skills,
services,
networking
or
collabora8ons.
30

31. 31

32. 32

33. 33

34. There
are
many
research
and
private
and
non-­‐profit
efforts
around
the
growth
of
urbanisa#on,
the
growth
in
data
and
tech;
and
how
these
intersect,
here
are
just
a
few
MIT
has
no
fewer
than
four
separate
research
groups
focusing
on
this
issue
34

35. This
is
not
an
advocacy
effort
for
techno-­‐topia…
There
are
many
limita8ons
to
technical
solu8ons
for
human
challenges.
Let
us
not
be
convinced
that
we
can
solve
poverty,
inequality,
rapid
urbanisa8on,
economic
and
environmental
instability
from
behind
our
laptops.
PEOPLE
must
be
at
the
heart
of
your
process.
We
will
always
need
qualita8ve
insights
and
nuances
and
stories
from
the
ground
and
site
visits…
35

36. Get
in
touch
&
follow
our
updates!
36