Elevate Cities
Elevate Cities is a private advisory subsidiary of The U.S. Roundtable that provides pro bono smart city technology advisory to U.S. mayors and co-runs the ElevateGov AI program for responsible, governance-first AI adoption in cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Elevate Cities does
Elevate Cities, LLC is a private advisory firm founded in 2022 and operating as a subsidiary of The U.S. Roundtable, LLC. The firm advises U.S. mayors and city leaders on smart city technology implementation, offering pro bono advisory services that channel technology experts toward prototype solutions in areas such as infrastructure, citizen engagement, and city services. Its core methodology applies LEAN principles and a people-centric efficiency model designed to integrate devices, people, and services across urban environments. The firm also convenes U.S. Mayoral Roundtable events as a peer-learning platform for city leaders.
The company's flagship product is ElevateGov AI, a national, mayor-led civic innovation program launched in 2024 that establishes governance-first frameworks for responsible AI adoption across U.S. cities. The program runs through quarterly focus areas, monthly workshops, and advisory office hours, and is producing a Sovereign AI Playbook for U.S. Cities. Founding technology members include NVIDIA, Microsoft, ONETERA, Juganu, Qwake Technologies, and Aero Connected Cities, while strategic partners include the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and African American Mayors Association. At least 14 U.S. cities have participated in the program, including Denver, Chicago, Cleveland, Durham, Mount Vernon, Atlanta, Tampa, and the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting.
The business model is hybrid: pro bono advisory to city governments constitutes the primary service, while contracted research and development services for commercial partners represent the main revenue lever. ElevateGov AI is positioned as a non-commercial platform rather than a procurement or sales program. The firm operates with 11-50 employees and is led by CEO George Burciaga, with former Mayors Michael Tubbs, Adrian Perkins, and Steve Benjamin serving as Special Advisors.
Elevate Cities firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Elevate Cities
- Legal name
- Elevate Cities, LLC
- Website
- https://elevatecities.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Elevate Cities is a private advisory subsidiary of The U.S. Roundtable that provides pro bono smart city technology advisory to U.S. mayors and co-runs the ElevateGov AI program for responsible, governance-first AI adoption in cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Elevate Cities industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Smart City Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Public Administration (92)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)
Keywords
Elevate Cities business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Pro Bono Advisory Services to Mayors: Elevate Cities offers advisory services to mayors and city leaders at no cost, enabling swift resolution of pressing urban issues through technology collaboration. This is the primary service model for government customers.
- Contracted Research & Development Services: For commercial partners, Elevate Cities extends contracted R&D services that reshape partner offerings to align with actual city needs. The smart city framework ensures social impact and scalability for both cities and commercial counterparts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Pro Bono Advisory Services for Mayors |
| Other | Others | Contracted R&D Services for Commercial Partners |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Elevate Cities product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Elevate Cities provides pro bono advisory services to U.S. mayors and city leaders on adopting innovative technologies to address urban challenges, leveraging a LEAN-based people-centric smart city framework. The company co-runs the ElevateGov AI program, a national mayor-led civic innovation initiative establishing governance-first frameworks for responsible AI adoption in U.S. cities. It also offers contracted research and development services to commercial partners to reshape their offerings around actual city needs.
Product overview
Elevate Cities, LLC operates as a subsidiary of the US Roundtable, providing advisory and R&D services to mayors and cities on implementing innovative technologies. The company's primary product is ElevateGov AI — a national, mayor-led civic innovation program that establishes a governance-first framework for responsible AI adoption across U.S. cities. The portfolio also includes Pro-Bono Advisory Services for mayors and Contracted R&D Services for commercial partners, supported by the U.S. Mayoral Roundtable platform for cross-city collaboration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ElevateGov AI: A national civic innovation program led by Elevate Cities and The U.S. Roundtable, designed to help U.S. cities responsibly govern, deploy, and scale artificial intelligence in service of residents, workers, and democratic institutions.
Products and services
- ElevateGov AI A national, mayor-led civic innovation program designed to help U.S. cities responsibly govern, deploy, and scale artificial intelligence in service of residents, workers, and democratic institutions. The program establishes a governance-first approach to artificial intelligence through quarterly focus areas, mayor-led sessions, and produced shared tools and playbooks culminating in a Sovereign AI Playbook for U.S. Cities. Designed for U.S. mayors and city technical leaders.
- Pro-Bono Advisory Services Advisory services offered at no cost to mayors and city leaders to enable swift resolution of pressing urban issues. Collaborating with technology experts, the team prototypes future solutions that can be seamlessly integrated across departments and communities, often without imposing costs on the city. Tailored to address priority urban challenges with flexibility to scale and replicate across communities.
- Contracted Research & Development Services Research and development services extended to commercial partners. The approach involves reshaping partner offerings to align with actual city needs, with a smart city framework ensuring social impact and potential for scalability, replication, and profitability for both the city and its commercial counterparts. Designed for commercial technology companies seeking municipal market alignment.
- U.S. Mayoral Roundtable A roundtable conversation platform enabling mayors to develop new opportunities to recover, rebuild and move forward through collaborative discussions on critical city topics, focused on people across all communities. Includes periodic roundtable events held throughout the year in various locations including Colombia.
Quantifiable outcome
- Streamlined city management and interdepartmental collaboration across hundreds of cities
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Elevate Cities
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Elevate Cities technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Elevate Cities partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered founding/core, ecosystem, core and key advisor.
- NVIDIAfounding/coreFounding technology member of ElevateGov AI program. NVIDIA's bold vision and civic leadership inspired the creation of the national platform. Contributes expertise in artificial intelligence as a program contributor, supporting mayors and city leaders in responsible AI advancement.
- Microsoftfounding/coreFounding technology member of ElevateGov AI program. Contributes expertise in technology innovation as a program contributor, supporting the national platform's mission of advancing responsible AI for U.S. cities.
- ONETERAfounding/coreFounding technology member contributing infrastructure expertise to the ElevateGov AI program as a program contributor for U.S. cities.
- Juganufounding/coreFounding technology member contributing smart infrastructure expertise to the ElevateGov AI program as a program contributor.
- Qwake Technologiesfounding/coreFounding technology member contributing public safety technology expertise to the ElevateGov AI program as a program contributor.
- Aero Connected Citiesfounding/coreFounding technology member contributing connected cities infrastructure expertise to the ElevateGov AI program as a program contributor.
- Smart City Expo World CongressecosystemPublic sector and ecosystem collaborator for ElevateGov AI, helping broaden impact and align with national priorities through a nonpartisan and bipartisan framework.
- Tomorrow.CityecosystemEcosystem collaborator engaging with ElevateGov AI to broaden impact and align with global smart city priorities through collaborative frameworks.
- The U.S. Conference of MayorscoreNational organization collaborating with ElevateGov AI to support mayors and city leaders in responsible AI advancement. George Burciaga and the firm have been recognized by U.S. Conference of Mayors leadership nationwide.
- African American Mayors AssociationcoreOrganization collaborating with ElevateGov AI to broaden impact across diverse city leadership and align with community priorities through the nonpartisan civic framework.
- National League of CitiescoreNational organization collaborating with ElevateGov AI to support city leaders and align with national urban priorities through the civic innovation program.
- The U.S. RoundtablecoreElevate Cities operates as a subsidiary of The U.S. Roundtable, which serves as the parent organization providing the framework for mayor engagement and civic innovation programs including ElevateGov AI.
- Former Mayor Michael Tubbskey advisorFormer Mayor of Stockton, California joins as Special Advisor to collaborate with George Burciaga and the Elevate team to drive digital innovation across cities.
- Former Mayor Adrian Perkinskey advisorFormer Mayor of Arlington, Texas joins as Special Advisor to collaborate with the U.S. Roundtable and Elevate Cities team.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Elevate Cities competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CityFi: CityFi is an advisory firm that helps cities and civic partners develop technology strategies and partnerships. It is a direct peer as a small, focused consultancy working with mayors on smart city and technology deployment.
- Living Cities: Living Cities is a philanthropic collaborative that works with mayors and city leaders to drive inclusive urban innovation. It is directly comparable as a multi-stakeholder civic organization serving U.S. mayors on urban transformation.
- Code for America: Code for America is a nonprofit that works with government to improve digital service delivery through technology. It is a direct peer as a civic-tech nonprofit serving U.S. state and local governments with a similar mission of modernizing how cities serve residents.
- Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities: What Works Cities is Bloomberg Philanthropies' flagship city-focused program that helps mayors use data and evidence to improve services. It competes for the same mayoral mindshare and offers a similar pro bono advisory and capacity-building model.
- U.S. Ignite: U.S. Ignite is a nonprofit that partners with cities and communities to deploy smart city and advanced networking technologies. It is directly comparable to Elevate Cities as a civic-tech nonprofit serving U.S. municipalities, though the company's website explicitly disclaims affiliation.
Others
- The U.S. Conference of Mayors: The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of U.S. mayors. It is an ecosystem partner to Elevate Cities and an adjacent institution that influences the same constituency.
- National League of Cities: National League of Cities is a national membership organization serving U.S. municipalities. It is both a partner of ElevateGov AI and an adjacent ecosystem participant that convenes the same mayoral customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Smart Cities Council: Smart Cities Council is an industry coalition that advises cities, partners, and vendors on smart city strategy and deployment. It operates as a broader incumbent in the same smart city advisory space Elevate Cities targets.
- Sidewalk Labs (Alphabet): Sidewalk Labs was Alphabet's urban innovation arm focused on smart city technology and advisory work. Although its Toronto project wound down, it is comparable as a broad incumbent with deep resources operating in the smart city advisory space.
Emerging players
- MetroLab Network: MetroLab Network is a national network of university-city partnerships focused on urban technology and policy research. It overlaps with Elevate Cities as a smaller, research-leaning platform serving U.S. city governments.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Elevate Cities financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Elevate Cities leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Elevate Cities funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Elevate Cities M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Elevate Cities
What does Elevate Cities do?
Elevate Cities provides pro bono advisory services to U.S. mayors and city leaders on adopting innovative technologies to address urban challenges, leveraging a LEAN-based people-centric smart city framework. The company co-runs the ElevateGov AI program, a national mayor-led civic innovation initiative establishing governance-first frameworks for responsible AI adoption in U.S. cities. It also offers contracted research and development services to commercial partners to reshape their offerings around actual city needs.
Is Elevate Cities a public or private company?
Elevate Cities is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Elevate Cities founded?
Elevate Cities was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
How does Elevate Cities make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Pro Bono Advisory Services to Mayors are the primary driver. The others are contracted Research & Development Services.
Who are Elevate Cities's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CityFi, Living Cities, Code for America, Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities and U.S. Ignite. Others are The U.S. Conference of Mayors and National League of Cities. Broad incumbents are Smart Cities Council and Sidewalk Labs (Alphabet). MetroLab Network is listed as an emerging player.
Does Elevate Cities have an API?
No public API is recorded for Elevate Cities.
What industry is Elevate Cities in?
Elevate Cities's product category is Smart City Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIANAJ, Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities), with a secondary code of BPADALAL, Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 925120 and its SIC code is 8742.