Name

Smart Cities Council

Legal name

Smart Cities Council

Website

https://smartcitiescouncil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smart Cities Membership Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA), Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

Keywords

• Smart cities ecosystem
• Membership network services
• Urban technology advisory
• Smart city education
• Digital transformation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Reston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Tiered membership fees in USD for Private Sector (Startup, Small, Large), Public Sector (Small, Large), and Individual (Student, Professional) categories. Bespoke global membership options available for very large organizations. Regional pricing available upon contact.
2. Education and Training: Revenue from Smart Cities Academy courses (Introductory, Practitioner, Professional levels) and partner education programs. Discounts available for members (20% Academy Discounts, 10% Partner Discounts). Master's program through Zigurat at approximately USD 12,800.
3. Events and Conferences: Revenue generated from event participation, sponsorships, and Partner & Investor Week discounts. Events include global conferences, webinars, and regional summits across multiple geographies.
4. Marketplace Participation: Marketplace platform connecting trusted organizations with global opportunities. Organizations express interest and upon approval receive dedicated profile pages within the SCC Marketplace ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Smart Cities Council is a global membership-based industry coalition that connects public sector, private sector, and academia members across the smart cities ecosystem. It sells tiered memberships providing education courses, event access, business introductions, marketplace visibility, and advisory services. Core revenue is generated through subscription-style membership fees for organizations (Startup, Small, Large tiers across Private and Public Sector categories), complemented by paid advisory engagements, paid training programs via Smart Cities Academy, event sponsorships, and marketplace participation.

Product overview

Smart Cities Council operates as a global membership organization rather than a single software product company. Its core offerings include: (1) SCC Membership - tiered membership programs (Private Sector, Public Sector, Individual) providing education, events, visibility, and business connections; (2) SCC Marketplace - a digital platform connecting trusted organizations and innovative solutions across the smart cities ecosystem; (3) SCC Advisory - advisory services for technology, governance, AI, and transformation challenges; (4) Smart Cities Academy - education and training programs including introductory, practitioner, and professional courses; (5) SCC Events - global event portfolio including summits and conferences; (6) Urban Insights - a global publication for city leaders; and (7) SCC Global Network - connecting public sector, private sector, and academia. The organization also features marketplace member products including Tr3dent (AI-powered transformation platform), Neuweb (AI video analytics), XQ Message (secure messaging), Convera (global payments), IFZA (business setup), and Smart AI Connect (AI assurance platform).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smart Cities Academy: Education and training platform offering courses including Introduction to Smart Cities, Practitioner Courses, and Professional Courses for members.
• SCC Marketplace
• SCC Advisory
• Urban Insights

Products and services

• SCC Membership Tiered subscription-style membership program for organizations and individuals in the smart cities ecosystem, with tiered levels (Startup, Small, Large for Private Sector; Small, Large for Public Sector; Student, Professional for Individual members). Members receive education courses, event listings, task force participation, business introductions, marketplace visibility, and access to advisory and capital resources.
• SCC Marketplace Digital marketplace platform that lists and showcases third-party member organizations, technology providers, and service providers so buyers can discover trusted smart-cities solutions across categories such as AI Assurance, Cyber & Digital Trust, Digital Transformation, FinTech, and Video Analytics.
• SCC Advisory Paid advisory service for cities, organisations, and industry clients, offering strategic planning, implementation support, and expert guidance across technology, governance, AI, infrastructure, procurement, and transformation challenges. Includes specializations in Public Sector, Capital Strategy & Investment, Branding, Communication & Marketing, Integrity, Technology Recruitment, and Technology Services.
• Smart Cities Academy Paid education and training program offering introductory, practitioner, and professional level courses on smart cities, AI implementation, sustainability, and related topics. Includes a Master's in Global Smart City Management in partnership with Zigurat Institute of Technology (approximately USD 12,800), with member discounts available.
• SCC Events Global events portfolio encompassing Smart Cities Summit, Partner & Investor Week, regional summits, and participation in major external industry events such as GITEX GLOBAL, Smart Cities Expo Poland, and ANZ Digital Twin Summit. Generates revenue through sponsorships, booth sales, hot-desk opportunities, and member event participation.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• ALGIM (New Zealand)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2025ALGIM and Smart Cities Council entered a strategic partnership through reciprocal membership to improve collaboration, knowledge exchange, and support for mutual priorities across New Zealand's local government and smart cities ecosystem.
• GITEX GLOBALcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 September 2025SCC partnership with GITEX GLOBAL 2025 (October 13-17, Dubai) - the world's largest technology and AI event in its 45th edition. Partnership includes exclusive 40% member discount on passes, booth/hot desk opportunities for members, and collaborative presence across 40 exhibition halls covering AI, Cybersecurity, Digi Health, Green Impact, Data Centres, and more.
• Zigurat Institute of TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2025SCC partnership with Zigurat for Smart Cities Management education, including a Master's in Global Smart City Management program (USD 12,800). SCC also collaborates with Zigurat on events including ZIGURAT ConstruWeek covering BIM and digital construction topics.
• PwC Middle EastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2025Smart Cities Council signed a strategic MoU with PwC Middle East on July 14, 2025, in Dubai, to collaborate on national and regional smart city initiatives across the GCC region. The partnership covers three key areas: capability-building at scale through upskilling programs (SCC Academy and PwC Academy), co-branded research and thought leadership, and potential joint participation in national transformation projects. IFZA hosted the signing ceremony. Corey Gray (President, SCC) and Hazem Galal (Partner, Cities and Local Government Global Leader, PwC) participated.
• IFZA (International Free Zone Authority)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 July 2025IFZA, a UAE-based dynamic free zone community headquartered in Dubai, hosted the SCC-PwC MoU signing ceremony. IFZA serves as a strategic gateway for international businesses to establish and scale operations in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Europe. IFZA specializes in smart mobility, ICT, AI, and advanced industries, and offers SCC members ecosystem introductions, curated events, and market expansion support for UAE and regional opportunities.
• Smart AI ConnectmajorTechnology or Integration · 14 May 2025SCC and Smart AI Connect collaborated to launch 'Understanding AI Implementation' course through Smart Cities Academy. Smart AI Connect is a global platform connecting organizations with AI assurance, governance, and implementation solutions. The course helps organizations navigate AI adoption, governance, assurance, cybersecurity, risks, and practical implementation.
• Smart Cities AmericasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart Cities Americas and SCC signed a strategic partnership to foster innovation, sustainability, and citizen-centric solutions through joint initiatives in policy development, technology deployment, and knowledge-sharing across the Americas region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Smart City Expo World Congress: Fira Barcelona's flagship smart cities event and expo, the largest global gathering focused on urban innovation. Directly comparable to SCC as both target the same municipal and technology provider audiences, operate membership/community models, and run flagship conferences; competes for sponsor and member mindshare.
• GSMA: Global mobile industry membership organization operating industry events (MWC), working groups, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable as a tiered-membership industry coalition serving operators and adjacent ecosystem with events, research, and policy work; provides a structural analogue for SCC's coalition economics.
• Mastercard City Possible: Mastercard's smart cities coalition convening cities, merchants, and technology partners to develop inclusive urban commerce solutions. Directly comparable as a corporate-anchored global smart cities membership network with paid membership tiers, working groups, and curated events targeting municipal and enterprise members.
• Smart Cities Americas: Regional smart cities membership network serving the Americas with policy, deployment, and knowledge-sharing programs. Directly comparable as a peer coalition that recently signed a strategic partnership with SCC; competes and collaborates in the same member pool and shares overlapping public/private sector audiences.
• Open & Agile Smart Cities (OASC): European non-profit coalition of cities focused on deploying interoperable smart city solutions using minimal interoperable mechanisms (MIMs). Directly comparable as a city-led smart cities coalition competing for the same municipal membership mindshare, particularly across Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg Philanthropies - Bloomberg Global Mayors Challenge: Bloomberg's philanthropic arm funds the Global Mayors Challenge, working directly with city halls on innovation challenges (e.g., Wellington's climate action project). Comparable as a global convener and capability-builder for mayors, but operating from a philanthropic funding base rather than membership fees, and serves as an alternative channel for the same government audience SCC targets.
• World Economic Forum (WEF): Broader global convener running initiatives on urban transformation, governance, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution with significant smart cities content. Comparable as a high-credibility platform convening governments, corporates, and policy leaders — a much larger but thematically overlapping incumbent that competes for executive attention and sponsorship.

Emerging players

• Cities Today: Global media and research platform covering smart city policy, technology, and leadership with a paid membership/newsletter offering. Comparable as a content-led community serving the same municipal decision-maker audience; partial overlap with SCC's Urban Insights publication and member content library.

Others

• GovTech (e.Republic): Media and events business covering state and local government technology, including the annual GovTech 100 list and conferences. Comparable as a peer information/ecosystem intermediary serving the same government technology buyer audience, though operating as a media/events company rather than membership coalition.

Regional players

• GITEX GLOBAL (Dubai World Trade Centre): Middle East-anchored but globally-attended technology and AI event (45th edition, 200,000+ attendees) where SCC holds an official partnership. Comparable as the dominant regional convener for the same enterprise and government audience; functions as both an SCC channel partner and a competitor for sponsorship and member attention in the MENA region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smartccouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/smart-cities-council-470796592946736

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smart Cities Council