Incubator Provides Bridge for Civic Startups

Rebecca Grant reports on the incubator program announced last week that will see a deepening of the relationship between the web giants and Gov 2.0 leader. "Code for America and Google for Entrepreneurs are partnering to form an incubator that will support Code for America fellows as they try to turn their ideas into companies."

"This new 'no-nonsense, highly focused experience' will last for six months and help transition early-stage civic entrepreneurs into startup mode as they develop business strategies, improve their products, and acquire customers," explains Grant. "The first companies to participate are LocalData, BlightStatus, and Textizen."

“Google’s been with us from the start, and we’re excited about their continued interest in transforming government by investing in a new generation of disruptive entrepreneurs,” said CfA’s founder Jennifer Pahlka in a blog post. “These startups are developing light-weight, flexible, affordable tools that help cities work better and are becoming the foundation of a new market for civic innovation. Google’s support in this effort is invaluable.”