The Inaugural Mayor’s Cup
The L.A. Coalition continues to play a leading role in partnering with the Mayor’s Operations Innovation Team (O-Team) to streamline and improve the City’s $8.2 billion procurement processes and contracting practices, introduce and implement a proactive management plan for the City’s $1.8 billion real estate asset portfolio and establish a wellness and safety program to reduce City employee injuries and reduce the $223 million spent annually on workers’ compensation and related costs.
As the O-Team marches forward they have created the inaugural Mayor’s Cup (www.lamayorscup.org), to bring together entrepreneurs, in a competitive setting, from L.A.’s universities to explore innovative solutions to local civic challenges that align with the goals of the O-Team:
- How can we better support the enhancement and beautification of city real estate assets and public property?
- What can we do with vacant, blighted and city-owned properties in your neighborhood?
- How can we build and preserve more affordable housing including incentivizing public and private investors?
- How can the City better connect everyday small business owners to the professional services and growth opportunities they need to thrive?
- How can we grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in L.A. to increase employment opportunities and provide skills to local workers?
For the past three months more than 100 teams, comprised of full-time and part-time college students, faculty members, and staff from L.A. colleges and universities, have been competing to reach the finals. Forty-six made the first cut, and less than 30 made it into the semi-finals.
On Thursday December 8 Mayor Garcetti will be joining the O-Team to host the inaugural Mayor’s Cup finals at Cross Campus at 800 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 200. A reception will start at 5 p.m. and the competition begins at 6 p.m.
The five finalists (LMU, USC and Cal State LA are represented in the finals) will pitch to a panel of business and government leaders, including Mayor Garcetti, Brian Lee (Honest Company), William Pomerantz (Virgin Galactic), Diana Trujillo (JPL/NASA), Troy Carter (Atom Factory) and Jennifer Lopez (CASIS).
The winner will receive $25,000 and a chance to implement the proposed solution with the Mayor’s Innovation Team.
I would like to thank LA City Partners, which was founded in 2014, by Charles Hirschhorn, Sean Burton and Ben Van De Bunt, for their very generous support of this event. (LA City Partners matches businesses and private sector expertise to defined needs at LA City Hall providing free, short-term professional services.)
In addition, this event would not be possible without the leadership of Juan Vasquez and other members of the O-Team.
If you would like to join us for any part of this event please rsvp to me.