A city department with a problem.
A global startup with the answer.
Traditional procurement is slow. Innovation labs are expensive. The City as a Lab program takes a different approach: Richardson's department heads identify real operational challenges — problems they are actively trying to solve — and Startup Runway opens those challenges to a curated global audience of startups and scaleups with proven, deployable solutions.
This is not a hackathon. We are not looking for ideas. We are looking for companies that have already built the solution and are ready to demonstrate it to a live civic client. The City of Richardson becomes the first US reference customer — and Startup Runway's network ensures the best-matched solutions reach the table.
The program runs in parallel with Startup Runway's corporate reverse pitch model — the same infrastructure, the same global pipeline, the same discipline around matching problem to solution. The difference is the buyer: a city government with real budget, real authority, and real civic impact at stake.
City of Richardson — Problem Statements
The following departments are actively participating in the City as a Lab program. Each has submitted real operational challenges open to global startup and scaleup solutions.
How to pitch your solution
Bring City as a Lab to your city
The City as a Lab model is not exclusive to Richardson. Any city with operational challenges and an appetite for innovation can activate this program through Startup Runway's platform — gaining immediate access to a global pipeline of vetted startups and scaleups.
Your city's department heads define the problem statements. Startup Runway handles the global sourcing, screening, and matching. You evaluate solutions from companies that have already built and deployed them — not prototypes, not pitches from first-time founders.
We source solutions from our global startup network.
Startup Runway maintains an active pipeline of international scaleups across 8 active corridors — India, UAE, Singapore, South Korea, Israel, Finland, and beyond. When a city opens a problem statement, we match it against our network and invite qualified startups to pitch directly.
If you represent an international startup with a proven civic or enterprise solution, you can apply through the City as a Lab Track on our For Startups page.
Deepen Your Understanding of US Government Access
Interested in bringing the City as a Lab model to your city?
City Partnership Program →We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze site traffic. Privacy Policy