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Smart cities, which have been exhibiting some impressive technological breakthroughs in the last few years, are a very appealing target for investors, but, despite this, there seems to be a lack of funds focusing on smart cities, even though there a plenty of funds for investing in technology.
The Swiss financial services company Pictet is attempting to change this situation by aiming “o capture the strong growth potential of companies finding smarter solutions to the challenges posed by rapidly increasing urbanization.’ Pictet’ s new smart city fund is aimed towards investing on “companies around the world that are helping to develop the cities of tomorrow.’
The main focus on the fund will be on companies operating in the areas of:
- mobility and transportation
- infrastructure
- real estate
- sustainable resources management
- enabling technologies and services supporting the development of better urban environments
The fund will essentially target three types of companies:
- those building the city ‘” companies involved in the design, planning and construction of tomorrow’ s cities, with a focus on efficiency
- those running the city ‘” companies that provide essential infrastructure and services for the day-to-day functioning of cities in a sustainable way
- and those living in the city ‘” companies that offer services and solutions for 21st-century urban living, including housing, working and recreational activities
This represents a much more specifically targeted approach than what has been tried so far by other companies, who investment efforts are more generally focused on technology than on smart cities themselves. Companies which are looking to become active in this field, fitting together their existing technology plans with the development of smart cities, would benefit from seeing how funds are embracing this opportunity and the areas they are focusing on.
The original article, by Andrew Ross, can be found on Information/Age.