StartupRealities

Startup No 188 - StartupRealities 2020 series  PhotoPlatforms is a city branding and promotion company which installs free viewing platforms at major urban landmarks to allow tourists and visitors to have photos taken of them at the respective attraction. Some of the platforms are permanent structures, while others are temporary ramps that can be moved in and out for the tourist season. The location of the photo platform is optimised to allow the best angle, sunlight and exposure for a quality Instagram photo that the tourist would not hesitate to post on social media. The platforms are user-friendly for taking selfies as well as for having photos taken by others. CEO QUOTE " In a world of social media, we let tourists and visitors do the advertising of the city. All it takes is to have a nice photo taken of you and, say, the Eiffel Tower, and then posting it on social media. It is guaranteed that social proofing and social jealousy will make at least several of your friends, acqu...

Startup No 181 - StartupRealities 2020 series CitiesOfFounders is an urban planning company that helps philanthropists found new cities and give their name to the city, Alexander-of-Macedon-style. The company's primary focus is Africa, where population growth and urbanisation pressure create a need for new sustainable cities. Most of the new cities are built on desert land on the African coast; are powered by nearby solar energy farms; and desalinate seawater for their water supply. The water mains and sewer systems of new coastal cities run parallel salt water and fresh water networks, with saltwater used exclusively for flushing toilets. CEO QUOTE " Alexander of Macedon founded or renamed more than 20 cities in the 4th century BC. Our modern founders aim to have one city named after them, but this is already a great achievement. " - said CitiesOfFounders founder and CEO Citar Fountaine . Alexandria, Egypt (image source: Wikipedia )

StartupRealities No 169 LandfillConverter is a real estate developer which acquires landfill sites and sewage treatment plants in urban areas, relocates the waste operations to outside the city and converts the sites to residential and commercial real estate. The company's business model is partly based on the increase in value of the sites after they are developed and partly on receiving local and national subsidies for reducing pollution in urban areas. The landfill and sewage processing sites are levelled and the ground is sealed with layers of polymer and concrete to guarantee a clean environment for the residents and workers at the new developments. CEO QUOTE "Cities around the world keep growing and often outgrow their essential services. This is how landfill sites, recycling plants and sewage works end up in relatively central locations or even end up surrounded by the city. This happens to airports as well but airports are easy to convert into real estate. While ...

StartupRealities No 161 CityBrander is a branding and PR company which helps global cities rebrand and reinvent themselves, primarily by expanding the reach of the city to include interesting and important sites in their vicinity. For example, CityBrander defines London as the triangle between Oxford, Cambridge and Brighton. This notional expansion increases the impact of the city on the world stage, while also promoting the development of transport infrastructure to better connect the expanded areas (as a secondary effect). CEO QUOTE " Hemingway says that everything far from the sea is province. I say that everything not included in a global city logically falls outside the global city and has therefore missed the boat. Sometimes people can get very agitated about their local sense of belonging. However, the world does not care about the minutiae of local senitmentalities. " - said CityBrander founder and CEO Cindy Brangelina . City of London (image source: Wikipedi...