YesSF launches initiative to bring 14 innovators to revitalize downtown SF
"Yes SF" initiative brings 14 top innovators and a new innovation hub to revitalize downtown San Francisco
Fourteen innovators in sustainability solutions came to San Francisco Wednesday night to launch a new initiative aimed at revitalizing San Francisco's downtown and make the city a model of sustainable urban solutions that can be replicated in other cities worldwide. The "Yes SF" coalition of companies includes Salesforce, Deloitte, and Citi. They are partnering with the city of San Francisco, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and the World Economic Forum to help companies set up headquarters or branch offices in San Francisco to spur job growth and keep the city at the forefront of innovation.
SAN FRANCISCO - Fourteen top innovators in sustainability solutions, named by the World Economic Forum, are in San Francisco this week to meet with funders and city leaders to bring their companies to the city.
The effort is being launched by Yes SF, a coalition of San Francisco companies that is working to put San Francisco on the world map as a model of sustainability solutions.
The goal is to revitalize the downtown area and continue the momentum and excitement around the city that was generated from the APEC summit.
The "Yes SF" collaboration includes the World Economic Forum, San Francisco-based companies Deloitte and Salesforce, along with Citi, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the City of San Francisco.
On Thursday, those fourteen innovators will meet with Citi to get funding support to open offices in San Francisco.
The innovators come from the Bay Area as well as from overseas, including Singapore, China, and Australia.
The Yes-SF coalition launched the effort with a reception at the top of Salesforce tower on Wednesday night.
The 14 companies were chosen from nearly 150 applicants worldwide to bring their innovations to San Francisco.
Entrepreneur Tiya Gordon, co-founder of "it's electric" in New York was one of those selected.
"40 million drivers in the United States park on the streets. They don't have a driveway. They don't have a garage, so they have no place to charge," said Tiya Gordon, the co-founder & COO of the Brooklyn-based company that makes curbside EV charging stations.
"You carry your EV charger with you. You can throw it in the back seat or trunk," said Gordon.
Andrew Crimston, founder & CEO of Washbox, is based in Australia. His company Washbox creates recycled water stations for construction sites.
"To be presented with the opportunities that we are now just blew our minds. It's so exciting," said Crimston, "Our starting projects have been in New York, but we're really looking forward to making SF our West Coast regional base."
The goal of Yes-SF is to bring these cutting-edge companies of the future to the city and help ramp up their growth at an accelerated rate by connecting them with key funders, city departments in charge of permitting, and local resources.
"We're expecting in the next 6-9 months to see most all of these innovators actually deploying their sustainability solutions here in the city but also setting up shop so as they're growing they're creating jobs that benefit SF and the local economy," said Jeff Merritt, who represents the World Economic Forum in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce also made a big announcement that they'll open the very first Yes SF office downtown to help the companies make local connections.
"This is the first Yes SF HQ and it's an innovation hub. We'll have a coffee shop there by Red Bay Coffee...and so a little coffee shop, meeting space, event space," said Rodney Fong, President of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, "We're opening a bricks and mortar store in the quintessential corner of downtown and bringing these companies in at the ground floor."
Deloitte says the goal is to have an impact that San Francisco residents can see within the next year.
"Using innovation to spur what we hope is our next boom that brings more sustainable and equitable growth to San Francisco, so in the next five years it grows in a different way," said Kerri Folmer, a Managing Director of Deloitte.
"To come into our community, to hire our people, to come into the brick and mortar here, help revitalize downtown San Francisco and do it in a way that's meaningful for them and San Francisco will benefit," said Hydra Mendoza, VP and Chief of Strategic Relationships for the Office of the CEO at Salesforce.
The Yes SF coalition plans to present the results at the next World Economic Forum meeting in Davos in January.
The group hopes that the pilot project in San Francisco will spur innovations that can be replicated in other cities worldwide.