London’s Tech Heroes Grab Cash to Battle the City’s Biggest Challenges
During a cheeky awards night at City Hall, Mayor Sadiq Khan handed out a tidy £15,000 each to eight of the city’s brightest tech startups. These ventures will roll up their sleeves and work hand‑in‑hand with the public and private sector to tackle London’s most urgent social and environmental headaches.
How the Contest Unfolded
More than 100 bold ideas knocked it down to 14 finalists before the finalists were fed the Mayor’s “7 challenges” that have already been shimmering across this year’s London Tech Week. Think affordable housing, dementia support, electric‑bike hype, and getting Londoners to actually move a bit more. The whole thing sits snugly inside the Smarter London Together roadmap—London’s plan to become the smartest city on the planet.
What the Challenges’re About
- Affordable Housing – Keep prices sane for the average Londoner.
- Dementia – Reduce the toll that the condition takes on families.
- Electric Vehicles – Clean the air by swapping gas for volts.
- Loneliness & Isolation – Build communities that won’t feel like a one‑ocean sea.
- Physical Activity – Give people a pep‑per no‑gym to stay active.
- Financial Inclusion – Make banking easier for the curmudgeons who don’t fancy banks.
- Active Travel – Encourage walking and cycling like it’s 2020 again.
The Winners (and their Sidekicks)
- Dementia: Pearl Support Network (partnering with Our Healthier South East London STP)
- Active Travel: Go Jauntly (partnering with TfL)
- Electric Vehicles: Connected Kerb (joined forces with National Grid & Shell)
- Affordable Housing: VU.CITY & Crossmap (backed by TfL)
- Financial Inclusion: Quids In! (partnering with Lloyds Banking Group)
- Loneliness & Isolation: Buddyhub (powered by Hackney Council)
- Physical Activity: Elemental – The Social Prescribing People (partnering with Ealing Council)
Mayor Khan believes that London needs to keep riding the data wave—turning smart tech into solutions that actually matter for everyday life. Together with corporate allies and Bethnal Green Ventures, the city’s delivery team is offering mentorship, resources, and a splash of real‑world practicality for each of these projects.
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