Case Study: Getting Smart on Smart Cities (Smart Cities Experts)
The Problem
The venture capital arm of a multinational conglomerate needed help to prepare for high dollar conversations that would take place at an upcoming conference in Saudi Arabia on smart cities. The team lacked an up-to-date understanding of the obstacles impeding the development of smart cities in this region, and needed a clearer picture of the opportunities these challenges presented for their company. While the team was well-connected with experts across a number of relevant industries, they had very few contacts who possessed on-the-ground experience with smart city development in the Middle East.
Critical Issues
On-The-Ground Experience Multiple Industry Vertices Pressed for Time
The Solution
Maven identified 20 candidates that had on-the-ground experience with the development of smart cities in the Middle East and invited them to participate in an Virtual Ideation Panel for a thee-day interactive, round-the-clock discussion. The smart cities experts included thought leaders in urban sustainability, energy management, IT solutions, and Middle Eastern development.
Over the course of the three days the participants discussed and debated the most pressing challenges impeding the development of smart cities in the Middle East. The Ideation Panel revealed several technology opportunities within energy, infrastructure, internet infrastructure, and communications. Thanks to the insights from the smart cities experts, the ventures team felt confident going into the conference, and had a compelling presentation to deliver regarding their future investment prospects in smart city development.
“The Ideation Panel has proven to be an invaluable tool for our team. The insights we gathered were intriguing and we look forward to implementing the information we received.” — Director, Investments
