A stronger local economy
New businesses and services, additional sources of income, and more economic opportunity created locally.
For Cities
The city of tomorrowgrows from the people who live there.
More local businesses, new services, community initiatives, and projects created from within the city itself.
Sidely helps cities open up entrepreneurship to a much broader range of residents through an AI-powered platform that combines personalized guidance, community, and the ability to operate at scale.
When residents create,
the city moves forward.
The people who live in a city understand its needs, its opportunities, and what’s still missing.
When more of them have the chance to build something of their own, new activity emerges that creates value for both residents and the city as a whole.
Solutions that come from the community
Projects and initiatives shaped by the needs, knowledge, and lived experience of residents themselves.
A more connected, proactive community
People meet, share knowledge, help one another, and create collaborations around real projects.
More residents building something of their own.
More new things happening across the city.
Expanding who gets to participate
Open the door to people who may never have thought of themselves as entrepreneurs.
Traditional entrepreneurship programs often attract people who already have an idea or know they want to start a business.
But every city has many more people with experience, skills, interests, and ambitions who could create something new — even if they don’t yet know exactly what that should be.
Sidely gives them
a place to start.
No prior entrepreneurial experience, business plan, or fully formed idea required. Each resident can enter at the point that fits them and develop something connected to their abilities, goals, and the opportunities around them.
That allows a city to reach far beyond the people who would normally sign up for an entrepreneurship program.
An ongoing citywide systemFrom entrepreneurship programs
From entrepreneurship programs
to an ongoing citywide system.
Workshops, courses, and entrepreneurship programs are valuable. They provide knowledge, guidance, and human connection. But their reach is naturally limited.
Every cohort requires recruitment, coordination, facilitation, and resources. People who can’t join at the scheduled time may be left out, and participants don’t always have a place to keep going once the program ends.
Sidely adds a digital layer that extends the work beyond a single workshop, cohort, or program.
Personalized guidance at scale
Hundreds or thousands of residents can take part in the same initiative while each person follows a path that fits where they are.
Continuity beyond scheduled sessions
Residents can keep developing their projects at their own pace, between city programs and after they end.
A community that creates value for itself
Participants can see what others are building, find relevant people, get help, and create collaborations.
A live view for the city
City teams can see participation, progress, and the projects beginning to take shape — and identify where additional support may be useful.
Not a replacement for existing programs.
A system that helps them reach further.
A branded Sidely space
built around your community.
Each city gets its own private, branded Sidely environment where residents can develop projects, discover others working across the city, and move forward with AI-powered guidance.
Individual progress, community connections, and the city’s view of what’s happening all come together in one place.
A personal path for every resident
AI guidance helps people shape an idea, plan it, and turn it into practical next steps.
A local community for everyone involved
Participants can discover projects across the city, find people with similar or complementary interests, get feedback, and invite others to build something together.
Visibility for the city
The city can define focus areas and get a view of participation, projects, and progress across the initiative.
City challenges
The city can publish challenges in areas it wants to advance and invite residents to develop ideas, solutions, and projects around them using Sidely’s tools and guidance.
A personal experience for every resident. A connected community.
One citywide system for action.
City challengesCities can put local challenges
Cities can put local challenges
on the table, too.
From local challenges to solutions created by the community.
Not every initiative has to start with the resident. A city can define a local challenge and invite residents to become part of solving it.
It could be improving public space, strengthening neighborhood businesses, reducing waste, or creating new services for residents.
Through Sidely, the city can publish a challenge and invite people to build projects around it, individually or together with others.
The city brings the challenge.
Residents bring ideas, knowledge, and creativity.
This allows the city not only to encourage open-ended entrepreneurship, but also to channel resident-led action toward areas it wants to advance.
What would you like to
grow in your city?
Every city is different. Sidely allows each city to shape the initiative around its priorities, target communities, and local opportunities.
01 Small businesses & local economic development
Help residents create small businesses, local services, and new sources of income.
02 Workforce & career opportunities
Enable residents to develop services, professional projects, and new paths for personal and economic growth.
03 Neighborhoods & communities
Encourage residents to build local solutions, create connections, and launch initiatives that improve life where they live.
04 Digital & creative ventures
Help residents turn knowledge, skills, and ideas into digital products, services, and new projects.
05 City challenges & resident-led innovation
Invite residents to develop solutions to challenges defined by the city in areas such as sustainability, mobility, public space, city services, and community life.
Start with one focused area —
or open Sidely to a broader citywide community.
Getting startedHow does a city
How does a city
launch Sidely?
You don’t need to build a new program from scratch. Start with a focused initiative, learn from what happens, and expand from there.
- 01.
01 Define the initiative
Choose the audiences, focus areas, and goals the city wants to advance.
- 02.
02 Set up the city environment
We tailor and brand Sidely for the city and prepare the experience for residents.
- 03.
03 Invite residents in
Launch through city channels, community partners, and local networks.
- 04.
04 Learn and expand
Residents begin building projects and connecting with one another. The city can follow the activity, learn from what develops, and decide where to take the initiative next.
Start with a city pilot
A focused pilot gives the city a way to evaluate participation, the resident experience, and the kinds of projects that begin to emerge before expanding the initiative.
Create more opportunities
in your city.
Every city can become a place where more residents have the opportunity to start, create, and build something of their own.
We’d love to learn about your goals and explore how Sidely could fit into your existing work and help extend its impact.
Sidely is built on more than a decade of experience developing ventures and projects and working with cities and organizations through Worklab and Projectime.
Learn more about Sidely