Business Model Of UPCITI

Aspect	Details
How UPCITI Started	Founded in 2017 by CEO Jean-Baptiste Poljak in Paris, France. Started with privacy-first vision to create multi-use sensors for smart cities using edge AI technology and low-resolution cameras that cannot identify individuals.
Present Condition	Over 2,000 sensors deployed across 56 cities globally. Officially launched in US market (late 2024) with deployments in Columbus, Dublin, Omaha, Albany, and Bloomington. Just raised $20M Series A (October 2025) led by Notion Capital. 11-50 employees. Annual revenue approximately $3.4M.
Future of Company & Industry	Smart cities market projected to grow from $699.7B (2025) to $1,445.6B by 2030 (15.6% CAGR). UPCITI expanding US operations with new NYC headquarters, scaling European presence, and developing additional sensor applications. Industry driven by urbanization, 5G, IoT adoption, and sustainability mandates.
Opportunities for Young Entrepreneurs	Growing demand for privacy-compliant urban tech, smart parking solutions (fastest-growing segment), integrated hardware-software platforms, edge computing applications, municipal SaaS platforms, and sustainable city solutions. Government infrastructure funding creates massive B2G opportunities.
Market Share of UPCITI	UPCITI ranks 4th among 18 active competitors. Smart cities market is highly fragmented with no single vendor controlling over 10% revenue. Key competitors include Vigilant Solutions, ShotSpotter, Hikvision, Undagrid, and FenSens.
MOAT (Competitive Advantage)	(1) Privacy-by-design architecture with edge processing—images never leave sensors (2) Integrated hardware-software solution eliminates multi-vendor complexity (3) Multi-use sensors handle 6+ applications from single device (4) GDPR-compliant by design (5) Partnership with Signify for street lighting integration.
How UPCITI Makes Money	B2B/B2G SaaS model: Sells proprietary sensors and platform subscriptions to municipalities and retailers. Revenue from hardware sales, cellular connectivity fees, platform licensing, and data analytics services. Pricing based on deployment scale and use cases (parking, traffic, waste, noise monitoring).