What Innovation Collective does

Innovation Collective is a privately held economic transformation agency founded in 2013 by Nick Smoot in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The firm designs and implements community and economic development programs for state and local governments, corporations, real estate developers, universities, and venture ecosystems. Its core product is Build_, an AI-powered community operating system with two principal components: Build Cities, a visual game board mapping projects, places, and momentum in a community; and UdayOS, a per-city conversational AI guide trained on local data that directs residents to relevant people and projects. The firm also operates a proprietary community health metric, the Flourishing Score, and integrates performance dashboards into client engagements.

The company monetizes across five streams: professional services to governments and EDOs (economic strategy, AI readiness, workforce development, industry recruitment, grant strategy, P3s); professional services to corporations (expansion strategy, site selection, workforce pipelines, AI adoption); real estate and place services to developers (innovation districts, adaptive reuse, mixed-use development); venture and corporate ecosystem development (founder pipelines, mentorship, capital network access); and a Build Cities community membership subscription priced at $40 per month with voting rights in the Community Builder Fund. Physical assets include the 34,000 ft² Innovation Den in Coeur d'Alene and the 232,000 ft² Oddie District in Sparks, Nevada — co-developed with The Generator and Foothill Partners and officially designated by Nevada in 2026 as the world's largest makerspace, innovation campus, and art park. Build Nevada, launched in 2026 with the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development and Battle Born Growth, extends Build_ at state scale with a pathway to $112.9M in venture and lending capital.

The firm is active in 62 cities across six continents as of 2025, with Coeur d'Alene as its blueprint case study — producing measurable outcomes including +47.5% high-tech GDP growth and +50.4% wage growth in Coeur d'Alene between 2019 and 2024, and Top-10 Milken best-performing small city ranking every year since 2022. Go-to-market is field-based enterprise sales for the services side, complemented by a self-serve Build Cities platform for community memberships, with demand generated through founder-led content (BETTER book, VentureBeat), public speaking, and 1,000+ entrepreneur events over 13 years.

Name

Innovation Collective

Legal name

Innovation Collective

Website

https://innovationcollective.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Innovation Collective is an economic transformation agency founded in 2013 that designs and implements community development programs for governments, corporations, and developers, powered by its Build_ AI platform (Build Cities and UdayOS) and active in 62 cities across six continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Consulting

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Enablement & Adoption Services (Change Management, Adoption, Champions) (BPAEANAC), Product & Innovation Summits (Roadmap, Launch Readiness, Innovation Days) (THAHAMAG), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Community operating systems
• AI innovation strategy
• Workforce development programs
• Place-based transformation

Headquarters

HQ city

Coeur d'Alene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Government & Economic Development: Engagement-based consulting services for state governments, cities, tribal governments, and economic development organizations. Includes economic strategy, AI readiness, workforce development, industry recruitment, rural development, and grant strategy. Revenue recognized through project-based engagements with structured 90-day activation programs.
2. Professional Services - Corporate: Expansion strategy, site selection, government relations, innovation strategy, R&D partnerships, workforce pipelines, AI adoption, and relocation assistance for corporations. Strategic consulting engagements to help corporations integrate into communities.
3. Real Estate & Place Services: Advisory services for developers on innovation districts, downtown revitalization, adaptive reuse, mixed-use development, tenant strategy, community programming, entrepreneur ecosystems, and public-private partnerships.
4. Build Cities Membership: $40/month subscription membership providing access to local Build Cities community with entrepreneur training, projects, events, mentorship, AI guidance from UdayOS, challenges, funding opportunities, and networking. Includes a vote in the Community Builder Fund which supports community-selected projects.
5. Venture Ecosystem Development: Building founder pipelines, entrepreneur training, mentorship networks, and connecting to venture capital and family office network. May include deal sourcing or ecosystem facilitation fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Innovation Collective is an economic transformation agency that helps governments, corporations, developers, and community leaders build their next economy through AI, strategy, real estate, and hands-on implementation. It delivers four professional service practices (Government & Economic Development, Community Development, Real Estate & Place, Venture & Corporate Ecosystems) powered by its proprietary Build_ AI community operating system, and provides a $40/month community membership for individuals to participate in local Build Cities networks.

Product overview

Innovation Collective offers a unified platform-plus-services model centered on Build_, an AI-powered community operating system. The platform comprises two integrated products: Build Cities (the visual game board showing projects and momentum) and UdayOS (the city-specific AI guide that coaches residents on contribution). Supporting these core platform components are physical real estate developments (The Innovation Den in Coeur d'Alene and The Oddie District in Nevada), a methodology book (BETTER), and a subscription membership program. The company also delivers professional services across four practices: Government & Economic Development, Community Development, Real Estate & Place, and Venture & Corporate Ecosystems. Build Nevada extends the platform at state scale as an AI front door to capital and expansion opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Build_: The AI-powered community operating system combining economic data, public assets, stakeholder input, projects, entrepreneurs, real estate, and workforce into one model. Includes Build Cities (the game board) and UdayOS (the AI guide).
• UdayOS
• Build Cities
• The Community Builder Fund

Products and services

• Build Cities Platform A living map of projects, places, and momentum in a community; residents, leaders, and builders can see people, projects, and opportunities moving across their city and join in. For community members, founders, and local leaders.
• Build Cities Community Membership $40/month subscription membership providing full access to local Build Cities community, UdayOS AI guidance, entrepreneur training, projects, events, mentorship, a vote in the Community Builder Fund, and access to challenges, mentors, and funding paths. For individuals seeking community participation.
• Build Nevada Statewide AI-powered intake platform serving as an AI front door connecting founders and growth companies in Nevada to capital, infrastructure, financing, and expansion opportunities. For state governments, founders, and growth-stage companies.
• Government & Economic Development Services Strategic services for state governments, city mayors, tribal governments, and EDOs including economic development strategy, AI readiness preparation, workforce development, industry recruitment, rural development, grant strategy, community transformation, innovation districts, and public-private partnerships. For government leaders and economic development organizations.
• Community Development Services Culture-first community activation services including activation programs, challenges, events, mentorship, and university and philanthropy partnerships. For community leaders, universities, and philanthropic organizations seeking to build civic energy.
• Real Estate & Place Services Advisory services for real estate developers including innovation districts, downtown revitalization, adaptive reuse, mixed-use development, community programming, entrepreneur ecosystems, tenant strategy, and public-private partnerships. For developers of innovation districts and mixed-use projects.
• Venture & Corporate Ecosystems Services Services for corporations including expansion strategy, site selection, government relations, innovation strategy, R&D partnerships, workforce pipelines, AI adoption support, university partnerships, and relocation assistance; complemented by founder pipeline development, entrepreneur training, mentorship networks, and venture capital and family office network access. For corporations seeking expansion and community-based venture ecosystems.

Quantifiable outcome

• +47.5% high-tech GDP growth in Coeur d'Alene from 2019 to 2024
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• The GeneratorflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner in the Oddie District project in Sparks, Nevada. The Generator is part of the team behind the 232,000 ft² world's largest makerspace, innovation campus, and art park.
• Foothill PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner in the Oddie District project. Foothill Partners collaborated with Innovation Collective and The Generator on the 232,000 ft² Sparks, Nevada development.
• Battle Born GrowthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunch partner for Build Nevada statewide platform in 2026. Battle Born Growth is the AI-powered front door connecting Nevada founders to capital, infrastructure, and expansion opportunities.
• Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner launching Build Nevada in 2026. GOED is deploying the AI system as state infrastructure to connect founders and growth companies to capital pathways including $38.5M SSBCI tranche.
• Kootenai HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2014 robotics MOU partner alongside Jobs Plus and University of Idaho. Part of the original Coeur d'Alene robotics ecosystem development that included establishing a university robotics research center.
• University of IdahocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term education partner since 2014 robotics MOU. Partnered on Inspire Idaho (free tech education across five cities with Apple's curriculum). Coeur d'Alene robotics center sits on NIC campus with U of Idaho involvement.
• ApplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApple provided curriculum for Inspire Idaho, the free tech education program launched statewide in 2018 across five cities with University of Idaho.
• Jobs PluscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2014 robotics MOU partner alongside Kootenai Health and University of Idaho. Part of the original Coeur d'Alene economic transformation initiative.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Brookings Metro: Economic and social-policy research program studying U.S. cities and metropolitan economies. Comparable as a thought-leader in community economic development but positioned as research/policy rather than an operating firm.
• Venture For America: Nonprofit fellowship placing early-stage entrepreneurs in emerging U.S. cities to build local startups. Comparable thematically as a founder-pipeline and community-economic-development organization, though without a software platform layer.

Emerging players

• Accela: Civic technology platform providing permitting, licensing, and asset management software to state and local governments. Comparable as GovTech infrastructure, with overlapping government buyer base though a different functional focus than Build Nevada.
• OpenGov: Government technology platform serving state and local agencies with budgeting, procurement, and civic software. Comparable as civic-tech infrastructure for government clients, though focused on back-office rather than community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting firm with a public-sector and economic-development practice advising governors and city leaders. Comparable as the broader incumbent serving the same government and corporate economic-development buyer set, but without community-activation or proprietary AI platform.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network running startup programs and corporate innovation partnerships across many cities. Comparable in founder-pipeline development and corporate-innovation programming, though accelerator rather than full economic-transformation focus.

Direct peers

• Cintrifuse: Cincinnati-based innovation district operator that runs a physical campus, corporate-startup matching, and regional economic-development programming. Directly comparable as a city-anchored innovation hub operator blending real estate, community activation, and corporate partnerships.
• Galvanize: Tech campus operator combining coworking, education, and corporate training programs across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable to Innovation Collective's Innovation Den and Oddie District in combining physical learning/event space with community programming.
• Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): Global operator of innovation campuses and coworking space with embedded programming, venture connections, and corporate partnerships. Comparable to Innovation Collective because both run physical innovation hubs layered with community activation, founder programming, and corporate tenant strategies.
• 1776: Startup hub and global community platform that operated physical campuses, events, and corporate-startup programming across multiple cities. Closely comparable model to Build Cities for community-led founder development and corporate innovation engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovation-collective

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 Innovation Collective