Title: Lean startup as a model for smart city projects: the case of Tel Aviv-Yafo

Authors: Arie Herscovici; Osnat Akirav; Gil Cohen; Limor Yehuda; Sagit Barel-Shaked; Labib Shami

Addresses: Department of Government and Civil Society, Western Galilee College, Israel ' Department of Government and Civil Society, Western Galilee College, Israel ' Department of Management, Western Galilee College, Israel ' Department of Criminology, Western Galilee College, Israel ' Department of Economics, Western Galilee College, Israel ' Department of Economics, Western Galilee College, Israel

Abstract: The global competition between cities over residents and businesses, as well as environmental considerations, force cities to employ information and communication technology (ICT), to become more effective and efficient. This development is often labelled 'smart city'. We suggest that incorporating ICT often entails adopting managerial methods that are taken from the ICT industry, such as lean startup. This article illustrates it by a case study of Tel Aviv-Yafo's Smart City Project. The lean startup development process starts with a value and growth hypotheses, and a minimum viable product (MVP) to test them. The test determines whether to continue the development (persevere), to make substantial changes (pivot), or abandon it altogether (perish). Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality's modus operandi, regarding its smart city project, reveals many similarities with the lean startup model. Its acknowledged success suggests that it might be a suitable model for other smart city projects.

Keywords: entrepreneurial city; lean startup; sandbox; Tel Aviv-Yafo; smart city.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2024.140931

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2024 Vol.53 No.2, pp.245 - 257

Received: 22 Feb 2022
Received in revised form: 25 Jul 2022
Accepted: 27 Jul 2022
Published online: 04 Sep 2024 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article