Pave The Way Innovation Lab - Demo Day Recap

Last Wednesday Flywheel, the City of Cincinnati and Tire Discounters welcomed nearly 70 community members, city leaders and partners to hear the final pitches from six finalists in the Pave the Way Innovation Lab at 1819 Innovation Hub. Nate Weyand-Geise was the big winner, earning top honors for a standout concept and creative framing of a proactive and engaging approach to pothole management. 

The event capped a week-long sprint to advance proactive, data-powered, resident-centered approaches to Cincinnati’s road maintenance. The Innovation Lab drew 68 applicants with 13 teams advancing to Sprint Week. Solvers worked with Flywheel coaches (Joan Kaup, De’Marco Kidd, Adam Little, Kathy Schwab, Sandra Hughes, Melisse May, Jon DiMichele) and leveraged insight from meetings with City Departments to develop and refine their solutions before finalists were selected. 

Finalists

  • Evan Garcia (ODIGUS)

  • Daniel Rayford (Journey Drones)

  • Nate Weyand-Geise (Accelerate)

  • Pradeep Ramtel (AI for Cincy Potholes)

  • Sahil Thakare & Advait Vagerwal (StreetSmart)

  • Roy Tal (CITYROVER)

Nine judges served, including Greg Long (DOTE), Eric Jamison (OPDA), Dan Bower (DPS), Ollie Kroner (OES), Andrew Dudas (Budget Office), Antony Seppi (Alloy Growth Lab), Josie Dalton (UC Venture Lab), Councilmember Evan Nolan, and Brandon Grubbs (Tire Discounters). Remarks were delivered by Donna Zaring (Executive Director, Flywheel), Councilmember Evan Nolan, and Brandon Grubbs (VP of Development, Tire Discounters). The event garnered 40 media stories including live local coverage from Channel 9, Channel 5, and Spectrum News.

First Place ($5,000 courtesy of Tire Discounters) & Most Creative Approach: Nate Weyand-Geise.

 Additional recognitions

  • Best Use of Data/Technology: Pradeep Ramtel (AI for Cincy Potholes)

  • Most Engaging Presentation: Sahil Thakare (StreetSmart)

  • Audience Choice: Daniel Rayford (Journey Drones)

Pave The Way was presented by the City of Cincinnati and Tire Discounters, with additional support from First Financial Bank, UC Venture Lab, and Alloy Growth Lab. Huge thanks to our finalists, judges, coaches, city partners, and every attendee who helped make the night a success. Stay tuned for photos and next steps as we explore pilot pathways with City partners!

Donna Zaring