A diverse panel of judges and a public audience, numbering in the hundreds and filling the venue to capacity, choose a winner: collabADU. While the specifics of all the pitches deserve consideration (read more about them here), it’s important to pay equal attention to the way Raleigh used to generate the innovative ideas that all local governments need, rather than just relying on the same old vendors selling the same products and services they already do.

ADU Pitchfest was organized as a part of a partnership between Raleigh’s Strategy and Innovation Office and CivStart, a nonprofit innovation hub, with support from the National League of Cities and the Marion-Ewing Kauffman Foundation. During the course of the nine-month City Innovation Program, Raleigh officials received training and resources for tackling city challenges with design thinking, a nonlinear, iterative problem-solving process that helps teams dive deep into city problems to determine exactly where the issue lies. With those insights, cities publish a challenge statement that describes the problem they’re trying to solve. Rather than posting a request for proposals that specifies a particular solution, challenge statements allow others to respond with creative ideas.

An expert panel of judges evaluated each pitch based on its feasibility, creativity, and potential impact on our community. Each presenter shared their proposed solution and answered questions from the audience and judging panel.

Read more about CivStart's approach to innovation here.