Announcement - January 7, 2021 IGNITE CITIES Announces Partnership With Brown Girls Code as its 2021 Tech Sponsor
IGNITE CITIES focuses on supporting our next generation of young unrepresented women with STEAM to change their future.
CHICAGO (Jan. 7, 2021) — During its U.S. Mayoral Roundtable in December, IGNITE CITIES announced it would partner with Brown Girls Code (BGC) to work toward closing the gender and diversity gap in technology by investing in STEAM education for girls from underrepresented communities. There were over 1,500 attendees at the event, including Mayor Suarez of Miami, Mayor Benjamin of Columbia, Mayor Caldwell of Honolulu and George Burciaga of IGNITE CITIES.
“We are thrilled to become BGC’s technology sponsor this year,” said George Burciaga, managing partner of IGNITE CITIES. “It is our responsibility to invest in our underserved communities. If we plan on rebuilding a stronger future across the country, we need to include everyone.”
“I completely agree, George, that a larger investment needs to be made in our youth across the country,” said Mayor Suarez of Miami. “As mayor, I have made it a priority to accelerate Miami’s technology position in order to lead as a city across the country and develop new jobs.”
BGC is a nationally recognized nonprofit that is working to close the gender and diversity gap within technology. The program provides advanced learning within STEAM for young unrepresented girls ages 8 to 18. Along with providing educational resources, BGC also helps girls develop self-confidence and enthusiasm for different STEAM fields.
“We are so excited that IGNITE CITIES is serving as our technology partner in 2021,” said Ebony Brown Hicks, founder of BGC. “By aligning ourselves with the IGNITE team under the leadership of George Burciaga, BGC will position itself for further expansion throughout the U.S. as it seeks to close the gender and diversity gap in technology for underrepresented girls across the nation.”
Through the partnership, IGNITE CITIES will be providing funding, expand Latina participation, provide mentoring, and introductions to global tech firms for students, along with involving them in smart city projects to gain professional experience. Ignite has engaged Aida Flores, Harvard graduate and lifelong educator, to expand the growth of the program and tailor the curriculum to serve and impact Latinas.
During the U.S. Mayoral Roundtable at the 2nd Annual Smart Cities Accelerate event in December, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. donated laptops utilizing the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor and is looking forward to future opportunities to continue to support IGNITE CITIES’ partnership with Brown Girls Code.
“We are proud to support IGNITE CITIES and Brown Girls Code in their commitment to closing the gender and diversity gap to help create a more inclusive future,” said Sanjeet Pandit, senior director, business development and global head of Smart Cities, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “As part of our collaboration with IGNITE CITIES, we’re pleased to donate critical connectivity products and solutions to help close the digital divide and address the needs of remote-education in underserved communities across the United States.”
In 2020, IGNITE CITIES also partnered with mayors across the country to deploy free Wi-Fi relief across vulnerable communities as a response to the unbalanced delivery of critical technologies in underserved communities.
IGNITE CITIES is working closely with mayors across the U.S. to resolve human based issues at an accelerated pace. The organization has also developed a group of partnerships with ecosystem partners, including Qualcomm Technologies, MasterCard, Microsoft and others focused on broadband, inclusion, education and other critical issues needing resolved across the country.
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., JLC Infrastructure (“JLC”) and IGNITE Cities (“IGNITE”) today announced a strategic collaboration to develop and deliver a suite of smart and connected technology solutions to help meet the needs of customers in the commercial, industrial and municipal sectors. This collaboration aims to further advance the Qualcomm® Smart Cities Accelerator Program in the key municipal, university, school and hospital (“MUSH”) segments, as well as the infrastructure construction industry. To help make the collaboration a commercial reality, Qualcomm Technologies intends to bring its technology innovation and leadership, JLC intends to leverage its vast network of essential municipal and construction relationships, and IGNITE intends to provide its expertise in building municipal partnerships and successfully resolving complex city issues. In conjunction with its participation in the Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program, JLC also announced it plans to allocate an initial $75 million in capital for investment in projects developed in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies and IGNITE, with the goal of driving transformational initiatives in cities worldwide alongside a diverse community of companies.
The Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program, launched in 2019 as part of the Qualcomm® Advantage Network, is designed to connect cities, municipalities, government agencies, and enterprises with an ecosystem of providers to help deliver greater efficiencies, cost savings, safety, and sustainability. With expertise in commercially deployed solutions, program members include hardware and software providers, cloud solution providers, system integrators, design and manufacturing companies, as well as those offering end-to-end smart city solutions. By connecting members looking for smart city solutions, the program aims to enrich lives through the accelerated transformation of city infrastructure and services.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with JLC and IGNITE to expand the adoption of smart cities applications and accelerate digital transformation across various sectors” said Jeffery Torrance, vice president, business development of IoT, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “By providing universities, the construction industry and other clients with our smart, technology-based solutions, we hope to help these key sectors become more efficient, reduce their costs and resources, and increase the agility and safety of their operations. The extensive experience, relationships and project capital which JLC and IGNITE possess will be instrumental in accelerating the deployment of solutions across the nation.” “Our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies and its network of accelerator program smart technology partners presents an immense opportunity for JLC to significantly improve the quality of life on campuses and provide facilities managers with enhanced tools to manage limited resources in an economically sustainable manner. We look forward to providing the financial support needed to implement smart projects across the nation,” said Andrew Kim, managing director, JLC Infrastructure. “Our work is not about small calculated projects – it’s about delivering a strategic plan and solutions that reshape our future,” said George Burciaga, managing partner, IGNITE. The collaboration plans to focus initial efforts on the education and construction industries. In the education sector, the companies plan to bring smart devices to school campuses. Additionally, JLC and Qualcomm Technologies are evaluating opportunities to utilize smart technology to enhance construction management digitization and construction safety, especially on critical infrastructure construction sites. As cities and states begin to reopen their economies in phases, the collaboration aims to develop integrated solutions to enable vital construction projects to move forward while concurrently monitoring social distancing guidelines and establishing heightened health and safety standards.
About Qualcomm Qualcomm is the world’s leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.
About JLC Infrastructure JLC Infrastructure is an investor and asset management firm focused on the sustainable energy, utilities, transportation and social infrastructure sectors in the U.S. JLC has committed over $100 million to date in energy efficiency and renewable energy investments for MUSH customers across the U.S. The firm was formed in 2015 by Magic Johnson of Magic Johnson Enterprises and Jim Reynolds of Loop Capital. JLC has a broad network of long-standing relationships with municipalities, governments, infrastructure companies, strategic partners, advisors and financing providers throughout the country and seeks to invest in critical infrastructure projects that provide long term benefits to the communities they serve. For more information, please visit JLC’s website.
About IGNITE Cities After years of designing solutions for cities and global deployments, IGNITE is a global consulting practice designed to develop, engage and ignite relationships with mayors, CIOs, and global technology firms. The objective is to architect a connected city by placing people at the center of our purpose. IGNITE has refocused the connected city space and developed a smart framework that can scale, replicate and generate profit. The result creates a visible impact that is measured by people through citizen engagement, transformed infrastructure, and improved city services. For more information, visit www.ignitecities.com or @ignitecities.
National League of Cities (NLC) and IGNITE Cities IGNITE) have partnered to showcase the voice of local leaders with the launch of On the Frontlines: Conversations with Mayors. The new video showcase will allow mayors to tell how they are responding to the COVIC-19 pandemic in their communities and actions they are taking to protect the health and welfare of their residents.
From stay-at-home orders, the deployment of new technologies, to eviction moratoriums, mayors across the United States are being decisive and making tough decisions to ensure the safety of their communities. NLC and IGNITE are inviting mayors to tell the story of their communities in their own words. NLC and IGNITE will share these stories globally to showcase the leadership and urgency of response during this crisis.
“NLC is excited to partner with IGNITE Cities to raise the voice of mayors, local leaders who are on the frontlines fighting this pandemic protecting their communities and helping their residents respond,” said NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence Anthony.
“We believe it’s our responsibility to support every mayor, across every city to ensure we overcome this global pandemic. Our partnership with NLC is a powerful example of the collaboration required to push through these unprecedented times, “said George Burciaga,” Managing Partner of IGNITE.
About us: NLC is the voice of cities, towns, and villages across the United States. Our mission is to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions.
IGNITE is a smart city consulting practice designed to develop, engage and ignite relationships with mayorsand global technology firms to architect a connected city by placing people at the center of our purpose. IGNITE has refocused the connected city space and developed a smart framework that can scale, replicate and become profitable. www.ignitecities.co or @ignitecities
Our partnerships
We would like to take a moment to extend our gratitude to our mayors for their willingness to partner with IGNITE. We are the only firm humanizing critical smart city issues and accelerating solutions for mayors across the globe. Ignite delivers pro-bono advisory services to mayors surrounding smart city initiatives while keeping people at the center of our purpose.
From our mayor:
"We are excited to partner with George and team as we continue to transform the cities infrastructure and development new efficiencies and sustainability for the City of Miami.” said Mayor Francis suarez
