About Smart Cities
There are 2.97K companies in the Smart Cities sector across the world, with 953 funded companies having collectively raised $15.3B in venture capital money and private equity. Overall 382 of these are Series A+ funded and the sector has seen the creation of 6 Unicorns.
Smart Cities sector has seen 184 acquisitions and 43 IPOs. This represents almost 7.6% of all such companies - which is higher than the 4.5% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies that provide connected hardware and/or solutions for collecting, transmitting and analyzing city-scale data on utilities, traffic, environment, etc.
Smart Cities sector is also known as Connected City or Smart Urban Technology.
Companies included in Smart Cities sector
Providers of sensors and sensor networks, applied to various city parameters and assets (such as air quality, water supply, traffic, etc.), data platforms for city data (analysis and visualization), renewable energy systems for cities.Companies excluded in Smart Cities sector
Providers of solutions for smart homes and smart buildings, providers of intelligent education and healthcare solutions for citizens.Market Map of Smart Cities
The market map of Smart Cities gives a visual overview of the sector, showing key business models, their interactions in the value chain, and industry evolution. Top 3 trending business models in Smart Cities sector are Smart Parking Management, Smart Traffic Management and Smart Governance Platforms.
Reports related to Smart Cities
Here are some reports related to Smart Cities sector:
Free
Smart Cities - Sector Report
Edition: August, 2026 (73 Pages)
Premium
Smart Cities Investor Landscape
Edition: May, 2025 (12 Pages)
Premium
Smart Cities Exit Landscape
Edition: June, 2026 (15 Pages)
View all reports related to Smart Cities. Sign up today!Top Companies in Smart Cities
There are more than 2.97K companies in Smart Cities. Arrive is the top Smart Cities company globally, ranked using Tracxn Score (what's this?).
Here are 5 of the top Smart Cities companies globally:
Company | Description | Location | Founded | Current Stage | Private Funding Raised |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tech-enabled platform offering parking and mobility management solutions | Chicago (United States) | 2006 | Series D | $65.3M | |
Manufacturer of electric meters and grid edge data management software | Cham (Switzerland) | 1896 | Acquired | $1.03B | |
Manufacturer of electric vehicle charging hardware and operator of networks | Gurugram (India) | 2020 | Series A | $45.5M | |
Provider of transportation analytics software and mobility data intelligence tools | Kirkland (United States) | 2004 | Series E | $143M | |
Developer of an AI-enabled platform offering mobility-as-service solutions for transit operators | Ness Ziona (Israel) | 2012 | Acquired | $133M |
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Companies founded year-on-year in the Smart Cities sector
31 new startups have been founded so far in 2026 in the Smart Cities sector. 250 Smart Cities startups were founded in 2019 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 31 |
2025 | 27 |
2024 | 30 |
2023 | 46 |
2022 | 61 |
2021 | 100 |
2020 | 168 |
2019 | 250 |
2018 | 246 |
2017 | 237 |
Companies founded across countries in the Smart Cities sector
United States has 575 Smart Cities startups, the most by any country, followed by India which has 355 startups and China which has 201.
- Total Number of Companies
Country | No. of companies |
|---|---|
United States | 575 |
India | 355 |
China | 201 |
United Kingdom | 191 |
Germany | 137 |
Canada | 93 |
France | 90 |
Spain | 85 |
Israel | 83 |
Australia | 79 |
Stage-wise distribution of the Smart Cities sector
Out of the total 2,971 Smart Cities companies, 953 have secured funding. Among them, 382 have reached Series A or higher, and 283 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 2,971
Funded - 953
Series A+ - 382
Series B+ - 283
Series C+ - 252
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 2,971 |
Funded | 953 |
Series A+ | 382 |
Series B+ | 283 |
Series C+ | 252 |
Want to know more about Smart Cities ? Signup and explore Tracxn for free
- 3K+ Total Companies
- $15.3B+ Total Funding
- 950+ Funded Companies
- 40+ IPOs
- 180+ Acquisitions
- 5+ Reports
Funding Trends in the Smart Cities sector
Total funding year-on-year in the Smart Cities sector
The Smart Cities sector saw a total funding of more than $11.8B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2018 at more than $2.85B. There has been a total funding of $211M in 2026 till date.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2026 | $211M |
2025 | $308M |
2024 | $439M |
2023 | $994M |
2022 | $1.37B |
2021 | $2.21B |
2020 | $718M |
2019 | $1.61B |
2018 | $2.85B |
2017 | $1.14B |
Total funding across countries in the Smart Cities sector
In the last 10 years, Smart Cities startups in United States have recieved the highest funding among all countries - $4.97B. China follows with $3.42B and United Kingdom with $1.37B.
- Total Funding
Country | Total Funding |
|---|---|
United States | $4.97B |
China | $3.42B |
United Kingdom | $1.37B |
Canada | $368M |
Israel | $236M |
Germany | $138M |
India | $106M |
France | $81.8M |
Spain | $25.8M |
Netherlands | $21.9M |
Total funding amount raised by stage in the Smart Cities sector
Over the last 10 years, the Smart Cities sector have seen $406M into Seed Stage funding rounds, $2.08B into Early Stage funding rounds and $5.54B go into Late Stage funding rounds.
Funding Stage | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Late Stage | $5.54B |
Debt | $2.43B |
Early Stage | $2.08B |
Post IPO | $816M |
Seed Stage | $406M |
Grant | $148M |
ICO | $7.32M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Smart Cities
In the year 2026, till May 2026, Smart Cities companies have raised $211M in equity funding across 15 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till May 2025), Smart Cities companies had raised $66.8M across 12 rounds.
So, 2026 has seen a 215.9% rise in funding in Smart Cities companies as compared to 2025.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Smart Cities:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Seed | 2161 | May 04, 2026 | ||
Series A | 6257 | Apr 30, 2026 | - | |
Seed | 8684 | Apr 29, 2026 | ||
Series A | 3624 | Apr 08, 2026 | ||
Series C | 6950 | Mar 24, 2026 |
Top Investors in Smart Cities
Europa is the top investor in Smart Cities companies based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Smart Cities:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Brussels (Belgium) | ||
Arlington (United States) | ||
New York City (United States) | ||
Sunnyvale (United States) |
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M&A activity in Smart Cities
In the year 2026, till March 2026, 2 acquisitions happened in Smart Cities sector. Last year, in 2025, a total of 21 acquisitions happened in Smart Cities sector.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Smart Cities:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Mar 26, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Mar 25, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Dec 09, 2025 | - | |
Business Acquisition | Nov 04, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Nov 03, 2025 |
Acquisition trends in Smart Cities
Here are the acquisition trends in Smart Cities:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 2 |
2025 | 21 |
2024 | 13 |
2023 | 16 |
2022 | 25 |
2021 | 22 |
2020 | 15 |
2019 | 6 |
2018 | 21 |
2017 | 9 |
IPOs in Smart Cities
In the year 2022, till November 2022, 4 IPOs happened in Smart Cities sector.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Smart Cities:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Nov 11, 2022 | Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) | |
Aug 12, 2022 | OTC Markets (OTCMKTS) | |
Jun 28, 2022 | Neo Exchange (NEO) | |
Apr 20, 2022 | Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) | |
Dec 10, 2021 | New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) |
Colleges which produce the most Smart Cities companies
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Smart Cities sector
Most number of Smart Cities startups have been founded by alumni from Harvard University, Technion Israel Institute Technology and Stanford University.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Harvard University | 13 |
Technion Israel Institute Technology | 13 |
Stanford University | 9 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 9 |
University of California (Los Angeles) | 9 |
University of Cambridge | 9 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 8 |
Tel Aviv University | 7 |
BITS Pilani | 6 |
Harvard Business School | 6 |
Total funding in companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the the Smart Cities sector
In the last 10 years, Columbia University graduates' Smart Cities companies have raised the most funding among top colleges. Tsinghua University alumni are second, and University of California (Los Angeles) alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Columbia University | $1.99B |
Tsinghua University | $1.98B |
University of California (Los Angeles) | $709M |
Tel Aviv University | $428M |
University of Waterloo | $346M |
Harvard University | $251M |
Technion Israel Institute Technology | $222M |
Harvard Business School | $218M |
University of California (Berkeley) | $149M |
Nagoya University | $108M |
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