* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] MEETING MINUTES. [1. Approval of the August 26, 2019 Innovation and Technology Committee Meeting Minutes.] UH, AND, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SULLIVAN, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE MINUTES? I THINK THEY SHOULD BE APPROVED. WE GOT A MOTION SECOND. WE GOT A SECOND FROM, UH, MS. SQUARE. I WOULDN'T HEAR. WELL GO, GO AHEAD. HE'S, MR. PERRY WANTS TO SECOND 'EM. NO, NO, I CAN'T. I, I DON'T, YEAH. UH, MS. BELL, SECOND THEM. UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. MOTION PASSES. [2. Briefing and possible action on the Geekdom Incubator, Civic Tech Division Project [Brian Dillard, Chief Innovation Officer]] WE'RE, UH, GOING TO MOVE ON NOW, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE GEEK DEM INCUBATOR. UM, AND THAT'S YOURS, RIGHT? GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. UM, SO WE ARE HERE TODAY AT HAM'S EVENT CENTER. UH, FIRST OFF, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO GEE THEM FOR HOSTING US. UH, WE ARE HERE AT THE EVENT CENTER BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT GEE'S CTEC INCUBATOR. YES. EMILY, I EXPECT YOU AT LEAST CLAP. UH, SO KIND OF GIVE YOU A BRIEF OVERVIEW BEFORE CHARLES AND JOYCE GET UP HERE AND GIVE YOU A MUCH DEEPER DIVE INTO WHAT THIS PROGRAM'S ALL ABOUT. UH, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE CIV TECH SA PROGRAM? SO, EXCELLENT. GOOD? YES. UH, SO CTECH SA HAS BEEN A, A PROGRAM THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH, UH, IN COORDINATION WITH OVER THE PAST. WE'RE GOING INTO YEAR THREE, AND THIS IS ALL ABOUT ENGAGING, UH, OUR CITIZENS ON HOW DO WE SOLVE CIVIC CHALLENGES USING TECHNOLOGY AND DATA. UH, WE, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE GOING INTO YEAR THREE. UH, IT'S KIND OF FOUR, UH, DIFFERENT CHANNELS AND AVENUES FOR THAT PROGRAM GOING FROM K THROUGH 12, UH, TO COLLEGE OF UNIVERSITIES, TO STARTUP COMPETITIONS, ALL OF THE THS, UH, HACKATHONS, C***S, ALL THOSE. UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, OUR RESIDENCY PROGRAM, WHICH, IF YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SHOW UP, UH, TO OUR DEMO DAY, UH, LAST WEEK WAS THAT LAST WEEK. MAN, IT WAS TREMENDOUS, EXCELLENT EVENT. UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS RECORDED. UM, SO GREAT EVENT, AND THANK YOU AGAIN TO GEEK THEM FOR BEING A GREAT PARTNER ALONG THE WAY WITH CTEC SA, UH, YEAR THREE IS GONNA BE OUR MOST IMPACTFUL YEAR EVER. UH, I SAY THAT WITH A PERIOD AND EXCLAMATION MARK. UH, SO STAY TUNED. BUT TODAY WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT KIND OF THE NEXT LEVEL TO THIS SITUATION. SO, CTEC SA HAS ALWAYS COME OUT WITH SOME REALLY COOL SOLUTIONS, SOME REALLY COOL PRODUCTS, UH, BUT SOMETIMES THEY DON'T COME OUT WITH SOLID BUSINESSES. UH, SO THESE ARE OFTEN KIND OF ENTREPRENEUR TEAMS, TEAMS THAT JUST HAVE AN IDEA AND FORMULATE IT INTO AN ACTUAL SOLUTION, ACTUAL PRODUCT, BUT THEY MAY NOT HAVE A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS FORMED. THIS IS WHERE THE CTEC INCUBATOR GEEK THEM INCUBATOR IS COMING INTO PLAY. NOW, LET ME CLARIFY. THIS IS NOT CIV TECH SA AND THIS IS NOT EXCLUSIVE TO CTEC SA TEAMS. JUST CLARIFY THAT. UH, CTEC SA IS AN AWARD-WINNING PROGRAM. THIS INCUBATOR IS A TIME TO GROW FURTHER. THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO GROW A LITTLE BIT BIGGER, AND WE DO THAT THROUGH SOME, SOME COMPONENTS OF THIS PROGRAM TO HIGHLIGHT ARE LOCAL AND SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. SO WHEN WE GET THE SOLUTIONS THAT COME OUT OF A CTEC SA PROGRAM, OR MAYBE JUST GET, UH, PROPOSED TO THE CITY, BUT MAYBE IT MAY NOT BE A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS, THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME EEC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SOME WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND, AND, UH, MOST IMPORTANTLY, SOME LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO WITH THE FOCUS ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND CIVIC TECHNOLOGY. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE SOME RESULTS THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, THROUGH METRICS TRACKING, AS WELL AS FINDING OUT IF ACTUAL COMPANIES CAN PERFORM IN THIS SPACE. UH, SO I'M GOING TO, UH, START TO HAND IT OVER TO CHARLES. UH, CHARLES WOODEN IS A C E O OF GEEKDOM. UH, CHARLES, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN C E O NOW? ABOUT FIVE MONTHS. ABOUT FIVE MONTHS. SO WE'RE BOTH NEWBIES TO THIS SPACE. UH, SO, AND WE'RE BOTH KICKING BUTT PRETTY WELL. SO I'M, I'M EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH CHARLES IN THIS PROGRAM. UH, AND, AND AGAIN, LET ME THANK GEEKDOM. UH, LET ME THANK THE REST OF MY INNOVATION OFFICE. UH, THANK E D D, UH, THANK YOU TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN. UH, AND ALSO THANK YOU TO I T S D. UH, CRAIG AND I ARE GONNA BE CO-LEADING THIS AND CO-OWNING THIS PROGRAM. CRAIG'S GIVING ME A SIDE EYE LOOK, UH, THANK YOU TO ALL THE PARTNERS. REALLY EXCITED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROGRAM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR APPROVAL AT THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION. THANK YOU, CHARLES. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING US OUT HERE, UH, SO FAR. YOU GUYS ARE EXCELLENT HOSTS. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. WE'RE A PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO HOST YOU GUYS. IT'S GREAT WORKING WITH THE CITY SO FAR. TO BRIAN'S POINT, UH, IT'S GREAT WORKING WITH THE INNOVATION DEPARTMENT. AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN WITH THIS PROGRAM IS THE SUCCESS THAT HAVE COME OUT, NOT ONLY WITH THE ESTABLISHED COMPANIES THAT WE SAW LAST WEEK DURING THE RESIDENCY, BUT ALSO THE YOUNGER IDEAS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THIS PROGRAM. WE'RE SEEING STUDENTS AT ALL LEVELS FROM SIX THROUGH 12 ALL THE WAY UP TO COOCH GRADS, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, STARTUPS THEMSELVES COMING UP AND BEING CIVICALLY ENGAGED, COMING UP WITH TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO SOLVE SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS. AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A PROPOSED GEEK DEM INCUBATOR TODAY. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST [00:05:01] TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW ABOUT GEEK, AND WE'VE BEEN IN EXISTENCE NOW FOR GOING ON EIGHT YEARS. IT'LL BE EIGHT YEARS NEXT MONTH, UH, IN THE, UH, SEVEN TO EIGHT YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN IN EXISTENCE, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF COMPANIES COME THROUGH OUR SPACE, UH, AS A COLLABORATIVE COWORKING SPACE, BEING ABLE TO HELP CREATE COMPANIES. AND WE LOOK AT THAT THROUGH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPACT BY THE AMOUNT OF COMPANIES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED OVER THE TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN IN EXISTENCE AND THE AMOUNT OF JOBS THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE. WE LOOK AT OUR, UH, 20 YEAR MISSION OF EXISTENCE AT GEEK THEM TO BE ABLE TO CREATE THE NEXT 10,000 JOBS IN SAN ANTONIO. AND WE LOOK AT THE CREATION OF SMALL COMPANIES BEING A LARGE DRIVER FOR THAT IMPACT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE FOCUS ON PRIMARILY TECH COMPANIES. IT'S NOT EXCLUSIVE TO TECH, BUT A PRIMARY LARGE FOCUS IS, IS TOWARDS THAT. AND WE'VE HAD SOME GREAT SUCCESSES WITH MERGE VR CODE UP, UM, YOU KNOW, AND A FEW OTHERS LIKE PAR LEVEL AND MEDS SPOKE. UH, BUT WE LOOK TO CONTINUE THAT DRIVE AND SPECIFICALLY CONTINUE THAT DRIVE IN THE CIVIC INNOVATION REALM. UM, LUCKILY I HAVE AN AMAZING TEAM THAT SUPPORTS ME. UH, YOU KNOW, JOYCE WILL BE STEPPING UP HERE IN A MINUTE, IS AN MORE, IS AN AMAZING PIECE TO OUR ECOSYSTEM. AND WITHOUT SOMEBODY LIKE HER, THE KNOWLEDGE THAT SHE HAS AND WHAT SHE'S ABLE TO BRING TO THE TABLE, WE WOULDN'T BE WHAT WE ARE. AND WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER MEMBER OF OUR STAFF, JAN IN THE ROOM, WHO'S A DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AND HELPING US LEAD SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT YOU SEE UP ON THE SLIDE. WE LOOK AT A SHIFT FOR GEEKDOM BACK ABOUT, UH, THREE YEARS AGO WHEN TECHSTARS LEFT OUR SPACE AND US CREATING NEW PROGRAMS TO HELP FUEL THE ECOSYSTEM AND CREATE THE COMPANIES THAT ARE NEEDED. AND UP ON THIS LIST, YOU SEE A TON OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT HELP SUPPORT THAT FROM OUR MENTORSHIP, OUR WORKSHOPS, CTEC SA AND ALL OTHERS. AND WE'RE HOPING THAT ADDING THIS TO THE LIST IS GOING TO CREATE EARLY STAGE IDEAS INTO COMPANIES, AND THEN CONTINUE TO MAKE THAT ECONOMIC IMPACT AND HELP SUPPORT THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'D LOVE TO BRING UP JOYCE TO BE ABLE TO COME AND TALK ABOUT THE INCUBATOR IN GREATER DETAIL, GIVE YOU GUYS A LITTLE BIT MORE HIGHLIGHTS. CAN I GET A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR HER, PLEASE? OH, THANK YOU. UH, YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND ALLOWING US TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE IDEAS AND THE VISION THAT WE HAVE FOR TAKING, NOT JUST CTEC SA, BUT GEEKDOM KIND OF TO THE NEXT LEVEL. UM, I'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO BE A MEMBER OF GEEKDOM SINCE ITS VERY BEGINNING AND HAVE BEEN ON STAFF FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW, AND WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO ALSO GET TO HAVE MY HANDS ALL OVER THE CIV TECH ESSAY PROGRAM IN YEAR ONE. AND HAVING THE ABILITY TO TALK TO YOU NOW IS A REAL TREAT. UM, SO THE DEM INCUBATOR IS REALLY GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT ENHANCES LOCAL TALENT, IS GOING TO ENCOURAGE INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT DRIVES ECONOMIC GROWTH HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE 12 MONTH PROGRAM WITH EXCELLENT MENTORSHIP AND ADVISEMENT, WE HAVE WORKSHOPS AND EDUCATION AS WELL AS STRATEGIC PROGRAMMING TO DEVELOP NOT JUST THE IDEAS AND SOLUTIONS, BUT THE PEOPLE WITHIN THESE TEAMS. THERE WERE SEVERAL IDEAS THAT WERE COMING OUT OF THE CTEC SA PROJECT OUT OF STUDENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL PROJECTS THAT DIDN'T QUITE HAVE A FORMALIZED CHANNEL. AND HOW DO WE TAKE THIS NOT JUST FROM CONCEPT STAGE, BUT INTO A POSITION WHERE THE DEPARTMENTS AND THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITY CAN REALLY BENEFIT FROM THIS STUFF. AND PREVIOUSLY IN CONVERSATIONS AT GEEKDOM, YOU KNOW, WITH CHARLES AND WITH SOME OF THE OTHER LEADERSHIP, GEEKDOM HAS A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, WORKED TO DEVELOP THESE ENTREPRENEURS AND TO STARTUP ECOSYSTEM FOR SOME TIME AND SORT OF SERVES AS A NATURAL INCUBATOR. AND THE CULMINATION OF THE STUFF THAT'S COMING OUT OF CIV TECH AND WHAT GEETA ALREADY HAS, THIS WAS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY PUT THAT STUFF INTO MOTION. AND AS WE KNOW WITH THE TECHNOLOGY PIECES AND THE SERVICES THAT WE DEVELOP, IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE MAKE, BUT IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WE IMPACT AND WHO WE SERVE. AND SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT KIND OF SPARKED THIS NEW CHANNEL OR THIS NEW PILOT PROGRAM. SO I WANNA START WITH CODIFY. WE HAVE EMMA DEJONG AND LAURA RASKA, AND I FIRST MET THEM AT A CODE UP LUNCH AND LEARN PRESENTATION THAT WE GAVE FOR CIF TECH. AND THEY WERE SO EXCITED ABOUT THE ANIMAL CARE PRESENTING ON IT WAS DURING THEIR GRADUATION DAY CEREMONY. AND I FILMED IT ON TWITTER, AND I CALLED UP KATE KINISON, WHO WAS ONE OF THE CO-CREATORS FOR THE CTEC SA PROJECT. AND I WAS LIKE, WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO SHOW THIS TO THE A C S DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT SOMEONE HAD WORKED ON THIS AND THEY NEED TO SEE IT. SO IT WAS AN SUPER EXCITING TIME TO TAKE THESE RECENT TECH, YOU KNOW, BOOTCAMP GRADUATES AND PUT THEM INTO A ROOM WITH THE A C S DEPARTMENT TO PRESENT ON THIS ALERT NOTIFICATION SYSTEM THAT WAS GOING TO HELP MATCH PEOPLE PETS. AND AS SOON AS THE PRESENTATION WAS DONE, WE HAD A C S SAYING, YES, HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD ON IT? AND THE BARRIERS THAT KIND OF CAME FROM THAT WAS THE STUDENTS WERE ABSOLUTELY WILLING, THE DEPARTMENT WAS ABSOLUTELY WILLING, [00:10:01] BUT THERE WAS NO REAL CLEAR PATH FORWARD. BUT PEOPLE WANTED TO REMAIN IN CONTACT AND DEDICATED TO FIGURING OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. BUT THEY WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES THAT SORT OF WERE PURSUING THESE KINDS OF THINGS AND DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A CLEAR PATH YET WHERE TO GO, WHICH IS WHERE SOLO VAGO COMES IN. SO THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY UNIQUE TEAM. WE HAVE EMILY RODRIGUEZ AND JENNIFER WALKER, AND WAYNE SAL, AND THEY ALSO CAME OUT OF THE CODE UP PROGRAM. UM, BUT THEIR UNIQUE SORT OF THING IS I HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY WERE EVEN WORKING ON THIS ONCE AGAIN UNTIL AT THEIR FOLLOWING GRADUATION DAY, BECAUSE THIS WASN'T A SPECIFIC CIV TECH SA CHALLENGE. THIS WAS A PERSONAL MISSION THAT JEN WALKER REALLY HAD ENVISIONED FOR HOW TO INCREASE SAFETY AND AWARENESS AND, UM, GENERATE REALLY INTERESTING NEIGHBORHOOD METRICS THAT WOULD ENCOURAGE, LIKE PEOPLE TO FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT MOVING FORWARD IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE PARKS AND THE SIDEWALKS AND INDEPENDENTLY. UM, AND SHE WAS REALLY COOL BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH I SAW HER GRADUATION DAY PROJECT, I BROUGHT HER IN FOR A MEETING WE TALKED ABOUT, I SAID, THIS WAS PHENOMENAL. WE WANNA FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK. SHE THEN REACHED OUT INDEPENDENTLY TO CRAIG HAWKIN ON LINKEDIN, I BELIEVE, AND TOLD HIM, HEY, I HAVE THIS PROJECT AND THIS IDEA, I'D LOVE TO KNOW HOW WE CAN MAKE THIS FURTHER. AND IT WAS A SURPRISE WHEN HE SAID, JOYCE, I THINK YOU SHOULD MEET SOMEBODY AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE WORKED ON. UM, AND IT TURNS OUT THAT MANY OF THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE PRESENTING THESE IDEAS WANNA STAY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE NOW THAT THEY HAVE LEFT THEIR PROGRAMS, THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO TAKE WORK HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, SOME OF THEM RIGHT DOWN THE STREET, AND SOME OF THEM ARE HOUSED AT GEE, THEM, AND THAT'S NOT ALL. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OR THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF, YOU KNOW, CTEC SA OR THESE KINDS OF PROJECTS AND CHANNELS, IT KIND OF GOES BEYOND JUST THE DOWNTOWN CENTER AND TO THE EDUCATION INITIATIVES. AND TRINITY UNIVERSITY, WE HAD TWO TEAM MEMBERS, MATT MONROE AND COLBY, UM, DOYLE WERE IN THE INTRO TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLASS AT TRINITY, AND THEY DECIDED THAT THEY WANTED TO TACKLE TWO CHA PARK AND REC NAVIGATION AND GAMIFICATION CHALLENGE AND A CONNECTIVITY CHALLENGE ON THE RIVERWALK AND COMBINE THEM AND USE THAT, NOT WITHIN THEIR CLASSROOM, BUT INDEPENDENTLY TO PURSUE THIS IN THE STERNBERG PRIZE COMPETITION. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD INTO THE SUMMER ACCELERATOR PROGRAM, BUT THESE TWO INTREPID ENTREPRENEURS DECIDED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CONTINUE WORKING ON THIS OUTSIDE OF THE CTECH PROGRAM. THEY HAVE PURSUED ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS WITH PARTNERS WHO MIGHT BE WILLING TO GIVE THEM HARDWARE AND DEVICES AS WELL AS INVESTMENTS. THEY'VE SOUGHT OUT ADDITIONAL MENTORSHIP. AND AT THE TIME THAT CRAIG AND THE CITY AND I AND CTEC SA WERE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE MAYBE MAKE THIS A REAL THING, WE ASKED THEM TO COME IN AND PRESENT TO BE FORMALLY CONSIDERED FOR THIS POTENTIAL PILOT. AND I'M VERY PLEASED TO SAY THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT. BUT IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THIS, THEY WERE INTRODUCED TO ANDRE GOMEZ, WHO HAPPENS TO WORK FOR GOMAR SOLAR, UM, HERE AT GEEKDOM, IS A VENTURE FOR AMERICA FELLOW, HAS A BACKGROUND AS SOME SORT OF TECH PRODIGY, UM, AND WAS WORKING ON IOT AND BEACON TECHNOLOGIES OUT IN CALIFORNIA, AS WELL AS THE WORK THAT HE DID THROUGH THE V F A. UM, AND THEY SORT OF BROUGHT HIM ONTO THE TEAM. AND SO THAT COLLABORATION AND PROXIMITY WAS VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT COULD KIND OF BE FOSTERED HERE AT GEEK DEM AND THROUGH THESE KINDS OF PROGRAMS. UM, AND NOW WE CAN KIND OF GET INTO THE PROGRAM ITSELF AND WHAT THAT REALLY LOOKS LIKE. YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING THE GEEK GEEKDOM INCUBATOR AND THE CIVIC TECHNOLOGY PILOT DIVISION ON CONCEPT TO EARLY STAGE COMPANIES. THERE ARE TEAMS THAT HAVE NOT FULLY FORMALIZED YET, BUT HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY HAVE REALLY GREAT INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS, THAT THEY HAVE DONE SOME MEASURE AMOUNT OF WORK, AND THAT THEY HAVE THE, THE DETERMINATION TO MOVE FORWARD ON IT REGARDLESS OF KIND OF WHOEVER IS INVOLVED. BECAUSE WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT ALL OF THEIR IDEAS SEEM TO HAVE LEGS THAT COULD EXIST BEYOND, YOU KNOW, A, A PILOT OR, UM, A, I GUESS A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT. AND SO WE WANT TO GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS 12 MONTH PART-TIME PROGRAM BECAUSE ALL OF THEM WILL BE WORKING FULL-TIME, OR THEY WILL BE FULL-TIME STUDENTS AND THEY WANT TO GIVE THEM NOT JUST A SPACE AND GENERAL MENTORSHIP WHERE THEY CAN KIND OF COME IN AND NOODLE AROUND, BUT PUT TOGETHER A HUNDRED PLUS HOURS OF PROGRAMMING THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THIS PROGRAM AND REALLY DEVELOP THEM, NOT JUST AS A COMPANY, BUT AS BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS AND AS PEOPLE. SO THE SELECTION PROCESS MOVING FORWARD, AS WE START WORKING OUT THE FRAMEWORK AND WE FINE TUNE SOME OF THESE THINGS, WE WANT TO EXPAND THIS PROGRAM AND OPEN IT UP TO OTHER PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE. AND THE SORT OF THE FUNNEL FOR THAT LOOKS LIKE THE CTECH SA PROGRAM. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TONS OF STUDENT PROJECTS, THEY HAVE COMPETITIONS, THEY HAVE, UH, STRATEGIC SORT OF INITIATIVES THAT WE'D REALLY LIKE TO CONSIDER AND HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE VALUE OF WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THERE AS SEVERAL OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS CAME FROM CIV SA. BUT WE ALSO WANT TO EXPAND THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, DOESN'T EXIST IN A VACUUM. AND THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL INITIATIVES THAT ARE HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE CITY, [00:15:01] UM, IN THE SAN ANTONIO SURROUNDING AREAS. AND WE WANNA OPEN THAT UP TO COMPETITION WINNERS OUTSIDE OF THIS. SO THE STEINBERG PRIZE COMPETITION OR ANY OF THE OTHER POTENTIAL HACKATHONS, I BELIEVE VELOCITY TX IS GONNA BE HOSTING A HACKATHON MOVING FORWARD. UM, AND THEN ALSO STUDENT PROJECTS. AND SO WE WANNA HAVE SOME KIND OF AN APPLICATION AS WELL AS INVITATION TO, FOR PEOPLE TO APPLY. THERE WILL BE A SELECTION COMMITTEE THAT WILL BE FORMED OUT OF GEEK AND STAKEHOLDERS AND THE CITY STAKEHOLDERS AND THE E D D AS WELL TO COME IN. AND ONCE THOSE APPLICANTS HAVE APPLIED, WE WOULD DO AN INITIAL ROUND OF SELECTION AND ASK THAT THEY COME IN AND PRESENT ON THEIR PROJECTS OR IDEAS AND REALLY KIND OF SEE IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD ALL LIKE TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE, UM, THROUGH THE PRESENTATION PROCESS. BUT WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE? UM, YOU KNOW, 12 MONTHS IS AND IS NOT A LONG TIME ALL IN THE SAME VEIN. AND SO ONCE A TEAM HAS BEEN SELECTED AND OR POTENTIALLY ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM, WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T DO SOMETHING WITHOUT REALLY CONSIDERING WHAT OUR APPROACH AND WHAT OUR METHODS WILL BE FOR MILESTONES AS WELL AS WHAT SUCCESSES LOOK LIKE. SO THERE'S A TIME PERIOD TO REALLY KIND OF DIG INTO WHAT THOSE UH, REQUIREMENTS MIGHT LOOK LIKE, CREATING AN INITIAL SCOPE OF WORK BROKEN UP INTO QUARTERLY MILESTONES SO THAT WAY EVERYBODY IS AWARE OF WHAT WE HAVE ON TASK. AND THEN MOVING THROUGH THAT. A HUGE PART OF THIS PROGRAM THAT WE WANNA EMPHASIZE IS MARKET RESEARCH AND VALIDATION, AS WELL AS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION, BECAUSE ON THE OUTSIDE OF ALL OF THIS, THESE SOLUTIONS NEED TO NOT JUST SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, BUT SERVE THESE BUSINESS OWNERS AS WELL. AND THEN THEY GET INTO THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE. AND SOMETHING THAT THE INNOVATION ZONE PROJECTS AND THE SMART SA PARTNERS HAVE ALL SPOKEN ABOUT IS THIS DESIRE TO PARTNER, PILOT, LEARN, PIVOT BEFORE THEY DO LARGE SCALE APPLICATIONS. AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE INCORPORATING THOSE VISIONS AND THOSE APPROACHES INTO THIS PROGRAM AS WELL FROM A PRODUCT AND FROM A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE AND MOVING INTO THE PROTOTYPING AND THE PIVOTING PHASE AND THE PILOT STAGE. NOW, PART OF THIS IS SO THAT IN THE HOPES THESE TEAMS CAN TAKE THESE TECHNOLOGIES AND DIRECTLY APPLY THEM INTO OUR COMMUNITY, THAT DOESN'T STRICTLY MEAN THAT THERE IS A STRAIGHT PATH TO PROCUREMENT BECAUSE THAT IS NOT THE CASE. IT IS MORE OF A PARTNERSHIP MENTALITY OR A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THIS COULD BE APPLIED. SOME OF THESE SOLUTIONS MIGHT NEVER BE PROCURED BY THE CITY AT ALL BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S NOT HOW THEY'RE SET UP. UM, SOLO VAGO IS AN, A MOBILE APPLICATION THAT THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WOULD BE ABLE TO USE UPON IMMEDIATE LAUNCH OR RELEASE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF ROOM FOR CONVERSATION HERE, BUT THERE WILL BE A DETERMINATION POINT IN WHICH THE CITY WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO COME IN AND SAY, YES, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN A CLOSER PARTNERSHIP CAPACITY, OR IF THERE IS A POTENTIAL PATH TO PROCUREMENT, THAT'S WHEN THOSE DISCUSSIONS WOULD START. BUT REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY MOVES FORWARD ON THOSE PROJECTS, THE TEAMS WILL STILL REMAIN WITHIN THE INCUBATOR PROGRAM TO FINISH THAT OUT AND FINISH DEVELOPING THEIR STUFF. BECAUSE WHILE THE CIVIC TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION IS AMAZING, IT'S REALLY ABOUT ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY IMPACT. SO THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY IS ANOTHER REALLY UNIQUE ASPECT TO THIS. AND WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SUCH AMAZING BACKERS AND SUPPORTERS OF GEEKDOM AS A WHOLE, AS WELL AS THESE INITIATIVES THROUGH CRAIG HOPKINS WITH THE I T S D DEPARTMENT AND THE OFFICE OF INNOVATION OUT OF BRIAN DILLARD'S LEADERSHIP. UM, WITHIN THIS AND THE DISCOVERY PHASE, WE'D REALLY LIKE FOR THESE TEAMS LIKE PO TO BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN AND TO TO DO DISCOVERY ME, UM, MEETINGS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENTS TO HELP UNDERSTAND SPECIFICALLY LIKE WHAT IT IS TO WALK IN THEIR SHOES, BUT NOT JUST THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, BUT THE OTHER CUSTOMERS WHO WOULD BE IMPACTED AS WELL. BUT SPECIFICALLY, UM, FOCUSING ON HOW DO WE INTEGRATE A LITTLE BIT MORE FULLY THE STEPS TO PREPARE A STARTUP TO WORK WITH THE CITY. BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, THEY MOVE DIFFERENTLY. THEY SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, THEY DON'T ALWAYS NECESSARILY HAVE THE SAME VISION OR GOALS. AND SO IF WE CAN HELP THESE COMPANIES BEST LAY OUT AND PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE AND THEIR FUTURE CUSTOMERS, THEN I THINK THAT WE HAVE GIVEN THEM A HUGE STEP UP AND ALLOW THEM TO VALIDATE THEIR COMPANY ON A LEVEL THAT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE NECESSARILY BEEN ABLE TO DO OTHERWISE. THE ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENTS, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IS REALLY ABOUT ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION AND WORKSHOPS. AND SO WE'LL BE DOING THIS BETWEEN SIX TO EIGHT SATURDAY WORKSHOPS WITH STRATEGIC, UM, EDUCATION AROUND MARKET VALIDATION, IP STRATEGIES, HOW DO YOU REALLY TAKE THIS CONCEPT IN YOUR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PHASE, UM, AS WELL AS BUSINESS MODELING AND OPERATIONAL MODELING AND, UH, SOME FINANCIAL, UM, PIECES AS WELL. THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO BE HIGHLY ENGAGED. SO AS PART OF THE PROGRAM, AND I'LL EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THESE TEAMS ARE NOT JUST IN THIS PROGRAM, THAT THEY ARE IN THIS COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO IT WILL BE PART OF THE ASK THAT THEY ARE VISIBLE AND ENGAGED IN OUR COMMUNITY ACROSS A VARIETY [00:20:01] OF EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND ACCESS. SO THE ACCESS IS TO THESE QUALITY MENTORS AND EXPERTISE AND ONE-ON-ONE ADVISEMENT THROUGH A CERTIFIED ADVISOR. UM, I WAS RECENTLY CERTIFIED IN GROWTH WHEEL, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE A MANAGEMENT PLATFORM FOR ADVISEMENT OF COMPANIES AND SMALL BUSINESSES THAT IS ACTUALLY BECOMING MORE STANDARDIZED ACROSS THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY. THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER PARTNERS IN OUR SPACE WHO ARE UTILIZING THAT PLATFORM AS WELL. SO IT'S A WAY TO KEEP TRACK AS WELL, TO PROVIDE NECESSARY FRAMEWORKS AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS TO HELP FOCUS AND HELP DEVELOP AND BASICALLY BLUEPRINT THESE IDEAS. UM, AND AS PART OF, I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED MORE ESSAY, BUT IT'S THE MENTORSHIP AGREEMENT THAT WAS SORT OF PUT OUT THAT STANDARDIZES THE QUALITY OF MENTORSHIP ACROSS SAN ANTONIO. SO WE'LL BE LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE MENTORS INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM FIT WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THAT NEW INITIATIVE AS WELL. UM, AND THEN THE POST INCUBATOR OPPORTUNITIES. PART OF MY JOB AS THE PROGRAM MANAGER IS TO HELP IDENTIFY NOT JUST OPPORTUNITIES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT ALSO HOW DO WE HELP THEM IDENTIFY WHAT THEIR FUTURE GOALS ARE, WHETHER THEY WANNA BE ON AN INVESTMENT TRACK, WHETHER THEY WANNA GROW ORGANICALLY, WHETHER THEY WANT TO PURSUE OTHER UNIQUE PROGRAMS. IT'S MY JOB TO HELP THEM IDENTIFY WHAT THAT IS AND PROVIDE THAT AT THE RIGHT TIME TOWARDS THE END OF THE PROGRAM. SO THE GOALS ULTIMATELY IS THAT THE, THAT WE CREATE STARTUPS AND, UH, WITH COMMUNITY AND CITY IMPACT, THAT WE DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THROUGH LOCAL TALENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. AS WELL AS THAT WE CULTIVATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND TALENT HERE TO SAN ANTONIO. UM, BUT THE OTHER THING THAT WOULD COME THROUGH THIS IS THAT THE CITY HAS THE ABILITY FOR THE RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL SO THAT THESE KINDS OF SOLUTIONS THAT MAY BE APPLIED THAT COULD BE OF INTEREST WOULD BE OFFERED TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND ITS COMMUNITY FIRST BEFORE THAT THIS WOULD BE TAKEN ELSEWHERE. SO METRICS, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRACKING THE METRICS, WE'VE DEVELOPED PROGRAM METRICS SPECIFICALLY AS PART OF THE A HUNDRED PLUS HOURS OF DEVELOPMENT. THIS COVERS A VARIETY OF CATEGORIES ON WHAT IS EXPECTED FOR THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS TO PROVIDE TO US, AS WELL AS WHAT WE'RE PROVIDE TO PROVIDE TO THEM ON A QUARTERLY BASIS. UM, BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE SPECIFIC PROJECT MILESTONES OR THEIR INDEPENDENT SCOPES OF WORK. IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO STANDARDIZE THE EXPECTATIONS FROM THAT BECAUSE EACH OF THESE SOLUTIONS ARE VERY DIFFERENT. AND HOW THEY WOULD GO ABOUT DEVELOPING OR DEPLOYING OR PILOTING THESE SOLUTIONS WOULD ALSO VARY. SO BEFORE ANYONE FORMALLY BEGINS, THERE IS AN INITIAL SCOPE OF WORK THAT IS AGREED UPON WITHIN THE GEEKDOM PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT SO THAT WE AND THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE INVOLVED KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE TACKLING ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THIS IS THAT EACH TEAM HAS A PROFILE WHERE WE WILL BE MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE ATTENDING ALL OF THEIR MEETINGS, THAT THEY'RE SETTING UP TIME WITH THEIR MENTORS, THAT THEY ARE GOING TO THOSE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS, THAT THEY'RE AT THE SATURDAY WORKSHOPS, THAT THEY'RE HITTING THEIR PROJECT MILESTONES, AND THAT THEY'RE BEING VISIBLE, ENGAGED, AND COMMITTED TO WHAT WE'RE MOVING THROUGH, UM, AS WELL AS QUARTERLY PRESENTATIONS TO STAKEHOLDERS. AND SO AT THESE QUARTERLY PRESENTATIONS, THIS IS WHERE WE REALLY DECIDE HOW MUCH FURTHER WE CAN TAKE THESE CONCEPTS OR IDEAS BASED ON PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH. THERE IS ABILITY TO ALTER THE SCOPE OF WORK IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, ACCOMMODATE FOR DISCOVERIES BECAUSE ALL OF THIS IS DISCOVERY. NONE OF THESE SOLUTIONS HAVE FULLY BEEN BUILT OUT YET, OR APPLIED. AND SO BECAUSE THIS IS A LEARNING PROCESS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE FLEXIBLE WITHOUT LOSING TOO MUCH SIGHT OF WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO BE HITTING ON. AND SO, UM, WE'LL BE REVISITING THAT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THESE QUARTERLY PRESENTATIONS AS WELL. SO WE'VE BEEN IN DISCUSSION WITH THE OFFICE OF INNOVATION, UM, I T S D AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, AND WE HAVE REQUESTED A $250,000 GRANT OVER A TWO, WELL, THAT WOULD BE A ONE-TIME PAYOUT FOR A TWO YEAR PROGRAM WHERE WE COULD SUPPORT UP TO SIX TEAMS WITHIN THIS INCUBATOR PROGRAM. UM, WE REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON THE PROMOTION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP. WE WANNA SPUR INNOVATION, WE DEFINITELY WANT TO BE ABLE TO COMMERCIALIZE LOCAL TALENT, HELP THEM GET THOSE IDEAS TO MARKET, AS WELL AS GROW UP STARTUPS IN THE IT INDUSTRY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND THE REPORTING FOR THAT REALLY LOOKS LIKE THAT IN ADDITION TO THESE QUARTERLY PRESENTATIONS THAT THE E D D, IT AND IT, UM, AND INNOVATION WILL BE ABLE TO SIT IN ON THAT GEET AND WILL BE PROVIDING TO THE CITY SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS ON THE BUDGETS OF HOW THINGS ARE BEING SPENT, NOT JUST FOR US, BUT A POTENTIAL STIPEND THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO RELEASE TO THE TEAMS THAT WOULD NOT BE FOR, UM, WE'RE STILL NEGOTIATING THOSE TERMS RIGHT NOW WITH THE E D D THROUGH THE CONTRACT, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ENCOURAGE THEM FOR, UM, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND BUDGETARY MANAGEMENT BECAUSE REAL COMPANIES USE REAL FUNDS TO PAY FOR REAL THINGS, AND YOU HAVE STAKEHOLDERS AND BOARD MEMBERS AND THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO JUSTIFY THAT TO. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE INCORPORATE THAT INTO OUR PROGRAMMING AS WELL. UM, AND THEN THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PROGRAM YEAR OVER YEAR AND HOW WE ARE MEETING THOSE MILESTONES AND METRICS. AND OF COURSE, BECAUSE [00:25:01] THIS IS ABOUT FUTURE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE WANNA BE ABLE TO TRACK POST-PROGRAM SUCCESSES AND GROWTH. AND AS PART OF THE PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT FOR THESE TEAMS TO SIGN INTO THE GEEK THEM PROGRAM, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO KEEP, IF THEY FORM A, IF THEY FORMALIZE A COMPANY, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO KEEP IT WITHIN SAN ANTONIO, UM, ON, FOR ITS HEADQUARTERS FOR TWO YEARS. AND OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM CONSISTS OF MYSELF AND CHARLES WOODEN, AS WELL AS CRAIG HOPKINS AND, UH, BRIAN DILLARD. AND OTHER THAN THAT, THAT'S IT. AND SO WE COULD LIKE TO OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS, PLEASE. GREAT. THANK YOU, JOYCE. YOU DO, UH, YOU'RE REALLY GOOD AT THIS. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR PRESENTING AND DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB AT IT. UM, I'LL, I'LL SAVE MY COMMENTS FOR THE END, BUT WE CAN GO AROUND THE HORN. UM, AND, UH, MS. SQUARE, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? HOW DO YOU DEFINE A STAKEHOLDER? LIKE, GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF A COUPLE OF STAKEHOLDERS. YEAH, SO I GUESS I WOULD SAY THAT THE STAKEHOLDERS CURRENTLY CONSIST RIGHT NOW OF GEEK THEM IN THE CITY. WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT ON THE SELECTION COMMITTEE, MAYBE OPENING IT UP TO SOME COMMUNITY BUSINESS LEADERS AS WELL, TO HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY IMPACT PERCEPTIVE OR PERCEPTION OF, YOU KNOW, HOW THESE SOLUTIONS COULD BE APPLIED AND THE WHAT THE REAL IMPACT OR BENEFIT IS. UM, BUT AT THE MOMENT IT'S GEEK THEM LEADERSHIP AND, UM, INNOVATION, I T S D AND E D D LEADERSHIP. IF I COULD JUST CHIME IN THERE, COUNCILMAN, UH, UH, DEPENDING ON THE SOLUTION, I THINK THE STAKEHOLDERS WILL BE DIFFERENT. SO THERE'LL BE, UM, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BASED ON WHAT PARTICULAR CHALLENGE IS BEING ADDRESSED, ESSENTIALLY. MM-HMM. . ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. THAT'S IT. COUNCILMAN ANDREW SULLIVAN. THANK YOU. UM, SO I, I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. AS FAR AS I KNOW THAT AT SAM HOUSTON, THE PTECH PROGRAM HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED, IS, IS THERE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN GEEKDOM AND, AND SAM HOUSTON RIGHT NOW TO BRING THOSE STUDENTS INTO A PROGRAM? NO, NOT YET. AND THAT'S NOT BECAUSE WE WOULD NOT BE OPEN TO HAVING THOSE KINDS OF STUDENTS BE INVOLVED OR TO REACH OUT TO OTHER COMMUNITY PEOPLE. BECAUSE THIS IS A BRAND NEW PROGRAM AND A BRAND NEW PILOT, WE HAVE NOT OPENLY STARTED DISCUSSING THESE OPPORTUNITIES. BUT BECAUSE GEEK DE'S PROGRAM AS A WHOLE IS GOING TO EXIST LARGELY OUTSIDE OF THE CIV TECH, THIS IS OUR PILOT. WE WANNA PROVE OUR PILOT AND THE VALUE, AND THEN WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CREATE A PROCESS TO, UH, FUNNEL INTO OTHER WONDERFUL AREAS OF OUR CITY AND OUR COMMUNITY. OKAY. BUT THERE IS A, THERE'S A EXPLORATION HAPPENING RIGHT NOW WHEN IT COMES TO THE OUR TECH AND SAFE PROGRAM, UH, BECAUSE WE WORK IN HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL, ELEMENTARY, SO WE'RE OPPORTUNITIES. SO, UM, THE NEXT QUESTION I HAVE, I KNOW A LOT OF STARTUPS AND, AND INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LOOKING TO GO INTO TECHNOLOGY, THERE IS STILL THAT DIGITAL DIVIDE BETWEEN WHAT THEY GAIN HERE COMPARED TO WHAT THEY HAVE AT HOME. UM, ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THOSE THAT ARE COMING INTO THE PROGRAM, HOW TO REALLY CONNECT THAT, THAT DIVIDE ONCE THEY LEAVE FROM GEEKDOM AND GO HOME? YEAH, SO WE ARE GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO MEET THOSE NEEDS. PART OF THE BENEFIT OF THIS KIND OF INCUBATOR, UM, AND HAVING SOMEONE LIKE ME MANAGE IT, IS THAT GEEKDOM IS OPEN 24 7, WHEREAS SOME OF THE OTHER RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE HERE EXIST ON A NINE TO FIVE BASIS, WHICH CAN ACTUALLY REALLY SHUT OUT PEOPLE WHO MAYBE ARE JUGGLING DIFFERENT KINDS OF JOBS OR OUR STUDENTS OR, YOU KNOW, ARE NOT ABLE TO MEET IN THOSE REGULAR TIMES. SO I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN MEETING WITH THESE TEAMS AFTER HOURS TO SIT WITH THEM AS WELL AS ON WEEKENDS, UM, TO DISCUSS WHAT THIS MIGHT LOOK LIKE. AND I THINK THAT AS WE CONTINUE TO OPEN UP THIS PROGRAM AND IT FORMALIZES MORE FULLY, WE CAN PURSUE ADDITIONAL SPONSORSHIP AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO GET THE TOOLS INTO THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM MOST. OKAY. SO HAVE YOU STARTED WORKING WITH THE UNITED WAY FOR DAYCARE AND VIA FOR TRANSPORTATION AND, NO, MA'AM. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THOSE ARE JUST MY QUESTIONS, BUT GEE, THEM DOES HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH LYFT WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE KINDS OF SERVICES THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP. AWESOME. AND VIA FOR DISCOUNTED MEMBERSHIP AS WELL. COOL. THANK YOU. I'M DONE. COUNCILMAN PERRY? SURE. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND I WANNA SAY A COUPLE WORDS AT THE END. YEAH, SURE. BUT, UH, FOR, FOR THE PRESENTATION, UM, I'M REALLY A STICKLER ON RETURN ON INVESTMENT. ABSOLUTELY. UH, YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY THAT MANY TIMES OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS AND, AND FOR THIS PARTICULAR AREA, UM, IT'S GONNA BE VERY INTERESTING ON WHAT METRICS ARE ACTUALLY GONNA BE DEVELOPED. MM-HMM. , HOW THEY'RE GONNA BE TRACKED, AND WHAT THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM IS FOR THAT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, FOR THE CITY'S INVESTMENT, THOSE ARE TAX DOLLARS COMING ABSOLUTELY. OUT PEOPLE'S POCKETS. SO, UH, IT'LL BE VERY INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THIS DEVELOPS OVER TIME. AND, UM, I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT AND WILLING TO PUT MY SUPPORT TOWARDS IT. SO THANK YOU, SIR. UM, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. THANK YOU. GREAT. UM, SO, UH, [00:30:01] FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T REMEMBER, UH, INSTAGRAM STARTED OFF, UH, WITH TWO REAL YOUNG FELLAS, LIKE THE ONES WE SAW UP THERE, UM, AND THEY HAD NOTHING. UH, THEY'D COME UP WITH A LITTLE APP CALLED BOURBON. UM, THEY REALIZED THAT THAT WASN'T AS COOL AS, UH, IT COULD BE. AND THEY CHANGED GEARS AND STARTED FOCUSING ON PHOTOGRAPHS INSTEAD OF, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST SIMPLE CHECK-INS, LIKE THEIR ORIGINAL APP WAS DOING. I THINK THEY SOLD THAT TO FACEBOOK FOR MORE THAN A BILLION DOLLARS LAST TIME, A CHECK. UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT SNAPCHAT, SAME STORY. UM, AGAIN, YOUNG FOLKS, YOU KNOW, WITH A BRIGHT IDEA, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TOO FAR. UH, THERE'S A GUY THAT WE ALL KNOW NAMED DIRK MONDOR. MM-HMM. , UH, YOU KNOW, CAME UP WITH A BRILLIANT IDEA AND SOMEBODY BELIEVED IN HIM. AND, UM, THESE INCUBATORS, THEY WORK, UH, AND WE'VE SEEN THEM WORK IN ALL MAJOR CITIES AROUND THE PLANET. UM, AND I'M EXCITED THAT WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA BE SUPPORTING THIS. SO YOU GOT MY SUPPORT, MY, MY QUESTION, THANK YOU, SIR, TO YOU IS, UM, IF WE GO BACK TO THE FUNDING, UM, AND WE GET RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL, IS THAT, UH, RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL, SOMETHING THAT IS COMMON IN INCUBATORS OR, UH, IS DO THEY ALSO INCLUDE, UM, YOU KNOW, A PIECE OF THE IP, UH, IN EXCHANGE FOR THE SUPPORT? SO THE REASON WHY WE'RE PURSUING GRANT FUNDING FOR THIS IS BECAUSE, ESPECIALLY ON UNTESTED IDEAS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROTECTING THE PEOPLE WITH THOSE IDEAS FIRST AND FOREMOST. UM, AND SO WE HAVE STRUCTURED THIS TO BE A NO IP AND NO EQUITY PROGRAM. OKAY. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER PROGRAMS IN THE INCUBATOR AND ACCELERATOR SPACES THAT WOULD LAY CLAIM TO, YOU KNOW, EQUITY PERCENTAGES AS WELL AS THE, THE RIGHTS TO SOME OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES THROUGHOUT THE CTECH SA PRO PROJECT OR PROGRAM. NONE OF THE CITY DOESN'T KEEP ANY OF THE IP OUTSIDE OF I THINK, SPECIFIC DATA THAT COULD BE POTENTIALLY GENERATED AND OR REPORTED THROUGH THE RESIDENCY PROGRAM. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THE IP AND THE EQUITY BELONGED TO THE TEAMS, AND WE WANTED TO CARRY THAT OVER INTO THE CIVIC TECHNOLOGY DIVISION OF THIS PROJECT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN UNTESTED ALSO. A LOT OF THESE FOLKS ARE EXPERTS IN DEVELOPING AND CODING AND, UH, BUT THEY'RE NOT EXPERTS IN GOING OUT AND FINDING THEIR FIRST, YOU KNOW, ROUND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, FUNDS AND ALL THAT. MM-HMM. , I KNOW THAT YOU'RE, IS IT, YOU'RE CERTIFIED IN GROWTH WHEEL? YES. IS THAT, IS THAT PART OF THAT? SO I HAVE A, I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING. THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT I SORT OF TRIPPED INTO WHEN I WAS HERE AT GEETA INITIALLY. AND I HAVE WORKED FOR TWO DIFFERENT CONSULTING FIRMS IN THAT VEIN, ANYWHERE, ANYWHERE BETWEEN ENTERPRISE LEVEL AND STARTUP COMPANIES. AND, UM, SO BETWEEN MY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE AS WELL AS WHO OUR PARTNERS ARE IN THIS ECOSYSTEM, AND THE FACT THAT, UH, INVESTMENT, UM, OPPORTUNITIES IN TEXAS ARE GROWING EXPONENTIALLY YEAR OVER YEAR, UM, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I THINK THAT WE'RE FAR MORE VALUABLE THAN WHAT PEOPLE WOULD REALIZE AND THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE COMMERCIALIZATION ON A SCALE THAT HAS YET TO FULLY BE ACTUALIZED, BUT IT'S COMING IN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS. AND SO I THINK THAT THE TIME IS RIGHT TO PREPARE THESE TEAMS AND THEN TO HELP THEM IDENTIFY WHAT REAL OPPORTUNITIES LOOK LIKE, AND ALSO HELP THEM REALLY CONSIDER HOW THEY WANNA GROW. BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY IS ENCOURAGED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS OF GENERATING, UM, FINANCING OR INVESTMENT OR ORGANIC GROWTH. AND THAT IT REALLY JUST COMES DOWN TO YOU AS THE BUSINESS OWNER, WHAT YOUR GOALS ARE, AND THEN MAKING IT AVAILABLE TO YOU TO PURSUE WHICHEVER PATH YOU THINK IS MOST STRATEGICALLY BENEFICIAL. AND IS THERE ONE FLAVOR OF PROJECT? IN OTHER WORDS, IS THERE JUST A CATEGORY OF PROJECTS THAT Y'ALL WILL CONSIDER FOR THE INCUBATOR, BUT OTHERS THAT YOU WON'T? UH, I MEAN, DOES THAT, DOES IT HAVE TO BE A TECH COMPONENT TO IT? SO THE GEEKDOM INCUBATOR AS A WHOLE WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE OTHER PROJECTS OUTSIDE OF CIVIC TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE SEVERAL PROJECT COMPANIES THAT ARE NON-TECH RELATED OR, UM, COMPANIES THAT ARE SERVICE ORIENTED THAT MAYBE POTENTIALLY UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY, BUT THERE'S LOTS OF ROOM TO EXPAND. HOWEVER, THE FUNDS FROM THE INNOVATION FUND AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WOULD SPECIFICALLY GO TOWARDS THIS CIVIC TECHNOLOGY PILOT DIVISION. I HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I KNOW COUNCILMAN PERRY WANTED TO FINISH THE, FINISH THE ROUND ROBIN HERE, SO, YEAH. THANK YOU. UM, AS I LOOK AROUND THE ROOM HERE, I THINK I'M THE OLDEST ONE HERE IN THE ROOM, . UM, BUT NO, I, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL KNOW MY BACKGROUND AND HISTORY. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR COMMITTEE. I DIDN'T ASK TO BE PUT ON THIS COMMITTEE. I WAS JUST PLACED ON IT. I DON'T KNOW. DID YOU ASK FOR IT? I DID. OH, AWESOME. AWESOME. BUT ANYWAY, MY BACKGROUND IS, I, I SPENT 21 YEARS IN THE AIR FORCE AND PART OF THAT CAREER WAY BACK IN THE EIGHTIES, I WAS ON A TEST AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM ON FIRST COMPUTER BASED CIVIL ENGINEER SYSTEM CALLED, EVER HEARD OF THE WAW COMPUTER SYSTEM. ANYWAY, CRAIG, SOME OF THE OLDER FOLKS KNOW, SIR. YEAH, YEAH. ANYWAY, [00:35:01] THAT WAS VERY EXCITING AND I GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT AND REALLY ENJOYED IT. IT WAS THE FIRST BASE ENGINEERING AND MAINTENANCE SYSTEM FOR THE AIR FORCE IN TRACKING REAL PROPERTY RECORDS, PROJECTS, UH, ALL KIND OF DATA, AND THAT IT WAS A DOSS BASE SYSTEM, WHICH THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT TOUGH, BUT, UH, UH, MUCH UNLIKE THE SYSTEMS WE HAVE TODAY. BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, I DO HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE IN THAT IN LOOKING AT RESEARCH IDEAS, BECAUSE WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT? IT'S ABOUT IDEAS, RIGHT? UH, COMING UP WITH IDEAS ON HOW BEST WE CAN OPERATE A SYSTEM, SUPPORT THE CUSTOMERS. UH, IT'S UNLIMITED, REALLY. I MEAN, AND YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, AND I TAKE A LITTLE UMBRAGE WITH YOUR YOUNG COMMENTS AND AGE COMMENTS, , UM, BECAUSE I DARE ANYBODY STAND UP TO BILL GATES, STEVE JOBS, HE'S GONE NOW, BUT BILL GATES, TIM BURNERS, LEE, THOSE KIND OF FOLKS, AND SAY, EH, YOUR BRAIN IS 60. THAT'S NOT THE CASE. YOU HAVE MANY, MANY IT AND, UH, SOFTWARE ENGINEERS AND IT FOLKS THAT ARE UP IN THEIR AGE, YOU KNOW, OVER 60, AND THEIR, THEIR BRAINS AREN'T DEAD. THEY'RE STILL COMING UP WITH THOSE IDEAS, UH, FOR US. SO I WOULD, I WOULD CAUTION EVERYBODY TO SAY, WELL, HE'S OLD, HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND, UM, HE DOESN'T KNOW THE SYSTEM. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT HAVE INVENTED A LOT OF THESE SYSTEMS. SO JUST BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT. THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOU'RE OUT HIRING, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FOLKS. THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD OLDER IT, I DON'T WANNA SAY, LET'S SAY MORE MATURE , UH, IT FOLKS. SO, UH, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL UNDERSTAND THERE'S A LOT OF TALENT OUT THERE, AND UNFORTUNATELY IN TODAY'S JOB MARKET, A LOT OF FOLKS ARE BEING LET GO BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO OLD, THEIR BENEFITS ARE TOO HIGH, THEIR SALARIES ARE TOO HIGH. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? THOSE PEOPLE WILL COME BACK TO WORK IF WE GIVE 'EM THE OPPORTUNITY AT LOWER SALARIES, LOWER BENEFITS, THAT KIND OF THING, TO STAY PRODUCTIVE, STAY PRODUCTIVE IN SOCIETY. SO I WOULD ASK ALL OF YOU TO KEEP THAT IN MIND MOVING FORWARD WITH THESE, I'M NOT TAKING ANYTHING AWAY FROM THE YOUNGER GENERATION AND THE IDEAS AND EVERYTHING THAT'S COMING OUT IN TODAY'S APPLICATION. SO, UH, BUT LET'S REMEMBER THOSE OTHER FOLKS THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH TO THIS INDUSTRY AND THE FUTURE ON WHERE WE'RE GOING. SO, UM, I'M HAPPY TO BE ON THIS COMMITTEE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO COMING UP WITH SOME OWN NEW IDEAS MYSELF TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH APPRECIATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, AND, UH, YOU INSPIRED COUNCILWOMAN ANDREW SULLIVAN TO PIPE UP AGAIN, . SO I APOLOGIZE, I JUST HAD NO, PLEASE. JUST, SO IF THE PROJECT IS CHOSEN OR THE TEAM HAS CHOSEN, WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR OFFICE SPACE, WOULD THEY CONTINUE TO STILL BE HOUSED HERE BUT THEN GEEK THEM? OR WOULD THEY HAVE TO THEN FIND THEIR OWN OFFICE SPACE? HOW, HOW DOES THAT, THAT YOU MEAN IF THEY GRADUATE OUT OF THE PROGRAM? RIGHT. SO AS PART OF THE PROGRAM, WHAT THE FUNDS WILL GO TO IS, IS TOWARDS, LIKE HOUSING THEM HERE AS WELL AS PROVIDING THEM PARKING OPTIONS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT PARKING IS A, IS A CHALLENGE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. SO WE DEFINITELY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THESE FUNDS GET APPLIED TO THAT SO THAT WE CAN HELP THEM SAVE COSTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. UM, BUT ONCE THEY GRADUATE, THE IDEA IS THAT THEY GRADUATE INTO A RELATIONSHIP EITHER WITH THE CITY AS A CUSTOMER OR AS OTHER CUSTOMERS OR ANOTHER PROGRAM. AND THAT THERE IS A PATH TO FUNDS. BUT I CAN'T SPEAK FOR CHARLES, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THEM A HOME AT PIZZA. I MEAN, I THINK THE ANSWER, THE ANSWER IS THAT IT'LL BE UP TO THEM AT THAT POINT. IF THEY'RE A SUCCESSFUL COMPANY AND THEY CHOOSE TO STAY HERE AND THEIR SPACE, IT MIGHT WORK, BUT THEY CHOOSE NOT TO, NOT TO, YOU KNOW. OKAY. IS THAT FAIR? I WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE, THE TWO YEAR WINDOW THAT THEY HAD TO, BUT YEAH, IT'LL BE A ONE YEAR PROGRAM TO BE CLEAR. RIGHT. THE TWO ONE YEAR PROGRAM. I'M SAYING WHEN THEY GET CHO IF THEY'RE CHOSEN OR IF THEY THE PROJECT GETS PICKED UP YEAH. ONCE THEY SAY ONCE THEY GRADUATE, YEAH, ONCE THEY GRADUATE, RIGHT? ONCE SAN ANTONIO IS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? YES. NO, THEY DO. IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT THAT THEY STAY AT GEETA, BUT WE WOULD LOVE TO HOUSE THEM IN THAT TIMEFRAME, BUT THEY DO NEED TO BE IN SAN ANTONIO AND GROWING OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR WORKFORCE. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT, AND THEN AS FAR AS PATENTS, THAT, THAT STAYS. SO PART OF THE BUDGETARY FUNDS, THAT WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE STIPEND THERE IS A POTENTIAL BREAKDOWN OF COSTS OF WHAT IT MIGHT GO IN FOR A POTENTIAL PATENT. WE DO WANT TO HAVE SOME FORM OF EDUCATION AROUND THE IP LANDSCAPE, ESPECIALLY IF THEY WANNA PURSUE INVESTMENTS. AND SO WE HAVE SEVERAL LAWYERS HERE IN OUR GEEKDOM COMMUNITY, AND PARTICULARLY SUMMER SHAW WITH SHAW IP IS A WONDERFUL MENTOR AND ADVISOR AND PATENT ATTORNEY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YES, MA'AM. OKAY. I'M DONE. SO WE'VE, UH, [00:40:01] GOT A REQUEST, UH, THAT WE TAKE ACTION ON THIS AND SEND IT UP TO, UH, B SESSION FOR A FURTHER DISCUSSION WITH THE REST OF COUNCIL. UH, I CERTAINLY, I LIKE THE IDEA AND SO, UH, A MOTION TO MOVE, UH, WE'VE GOT A MOTION TO APPROVE AND, UH, I THINK COUNCILMAN PERRY LIKED IT SO MUCH THAT HE WANTS A SECOND. SURE. WE GOT A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. MOTION PASSES. UH, THANK YOU EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. I THINK THIS WAS, UH, THE ONLY ACTION ITEM. YES, SIR. WHICH MEANS THAT, UM, UNLESS ANYBODY ELSE HAS GOT ANYTHING FURTHER, UH, WE'RE ADJOURNED. WE'RE GOOD. OH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.