While the mantra of tech start ups is infamously “move fast and break things,” in San Francisco it might be more like “get a permit and do a pilot program.”
Earlier this week, the president of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors introduced a bill to create an Office of Emerging Technology (OET), a one-stop permitting shop for any entrepreneurs looking to launch their tech on city property (think ride hailing or e-scooters).
Companies would have to persuade the OET that their tech provides a public good to get a permit, at which point they’d launch a pilot program, lasting up to a year. Then the OET would re-assess and potentially give the company a permanent permit.
Listen to the 17 minute podcast, which features USC's Brad Beren, here: https://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2019/10/29/65033/trying-to-launch-a-start-up-you-might-have-to-go-t/