Semtech and Comcast announced a partnership May 21 to sponsor the Startup in Residence, or STIR, program through City Innovate Foundation.

The program aims to help cities deploy Internet of Things devices for applications like parking, waste management and street light efficiency.

“As IoT connectivity transforms every business and every industry, cities are looking for the right platforms and trusted partners to help accelerate their digital transformation,” Jay Nath, executive director at City Innovate, said in a news release. “As our first sponsors, Semtech and machineQ are harnessing each other’s strengths not only to power our startups, but also to empower our government partners to imagine new solutions to the urgent challenges facing cities.”

The IoT program uses long-range, low-power, or LoRa, networks and devices developed by Camarillo-based Semtech and enterprise network service machineQ, an arm of Philadelphia, Penns.-based Comcast. Each startup that participates in STIR will be embedded with a city for 16 weeks to develop an IoT initiative and demonstrate it at a Demo Day, starting with the city of San Francisco May 22-24.

“Urban tech has the potential to reinvent our cities and make them more livable, sustainable and efficient,” said Alex Khorram, General Manager of machineQ. “With programs like STIR, forward-thinking organizations like City Innovate are breaking down barriers to entry for entrepreneurs in this emerging field, and helping governments realize the benefits of IoT and implement solutions to benefit their operations and residents.”

Semtech has previously sponsored startup pitch competitions and Startup Weekend Ventura County to encourage development in IoT for the region’s health care and agriculture industries. Shares for the company rose 30 cents May 21 to $43.75.

MachineQ recently activated its LoRaWAN-based IoT network in the San Francisco Bay Area, where City Innovate is headquartered.

“Innovation has touched every part of our lives, and city governments need long range, low power solutions to create smarter cities,” said Marc Pegulu, vice president and general manager of the wireless and sensing products group at Semtech. “By co-sponsoring STIR, we are bringing cities into the digital age and an opportunity to adopt a leading IoT platform, such as Semtech’s LoRa Technology, to support a variety of smart city applications.”

— Contact Marissa Nall at mnall@pacbiztimes.com