Frisco – October 30, 2026 -- Geolava, Vaidio and Sensoneo won the 2026 North Texas Connected Innovation Pitch Competition, selected from 53 applicants representing 38 cities, seven countries and four continents.
The regional initiative is led by the Frisco Economic Development Corporation (FEDC), the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTXIA). Nearly 200 city leaders, department teams, investors, corporate partners, research institutions and entrepreneurs attended the live event at Hall Tower in Frisco on Oct. 21.
Cities Set the Challenges and Six Finalists Respond
The format reversed the usual pitch model. Participating cities first defined real operational problems, and companies answered with deployment-ready solutions. Six finalists presented across three challenge areas, and one winner was named in each.
- Public Works: SYBor Tech and Geolava competed; Geolava won.
- Transportation and Logistics: Vaidio and LuftCar competed; Vaidio won.
- Environmental Solutions: Sensoneo and Strategos competed; Sensoneo won.
Geolava Targets Infrastructure Failure Before It Occurs
San Francisco-based Geolava applies physical AI to the built environment. Its world model analyzes how assets change and predicts failures in facilities, roads, bridges and other physical assets.
Vaidio Converts Existing Cameras Into Traffic Analytics
Vaidio, based in Stamford, Connecticut, turns cities' existing cameras into monitoring tools through its AI Vision platform. The platform supports traffic-flow analysis, vehicle and pedestrian counts, incident detection and crosswalk safety.
Sensoneo Aims to Cut Collection Mileage and Fuel Use
Boston-based Sensoneo combines fill-level monitoring, software, route planning and asset management. The company says its tools help cities and service providers reduce unnecessary mileage and fuel use in waste collection.
Organizers Frame the Event as a Route to Deployment
NTXIA Executive Director Jennifer Sanders described the competition as "a practical bridge" between city challenges and companies ready to solve them. MEDC CEO Michael Kowski said the program gives companies market access and lets communities evaluate solutions with local value. FEDC's Gloria Salinas, SVP and Chief Growth Officer, said the contest connects emerging technologies with real-world opportunities for founders.
An Innovation Expo ran alongside the pitches, tracing a decade of regional milestones. Featured items included the McKinney Innovation Fund, partnerships with Plug and Play, Frisco's Origin Innovation Hub and 16 Corporate Innovation and R&D Centers in Frisco. The PGA of America headquarters and innovation center and the first joint Frisco-McKinney delegation to Smart City Expo World Congress in 2022 were also shown.
Salon Dinner in McKinney Targets Pilots and Investment
A curated salon dinner in McKinney followed the pitches. It brought finalists together with senior city and economic-development leaders, investors and ecosystem partners. Organizers designed it to accelerate potential pilots, strategic partnerships, investments and North Texas expansions.
Geolava co-founder Pierre Mombeleur said the company wants to bring data-driven intelligence for smart infrastructure to the region. Vaidio SVP of Strategy Douglas Hammer said the win opens a path to partner closely with regional institutions. Sensoneo Inc. CEO Martin Nestepny said the result shows North Texas is ready to lead on data-driven waste management.
North Texas Connected partners will begin follow-up discussions in the coming weeks, with pilot activity and additional outcomes to be shared as agreements advance.