Community Sandbox

Build the Tools That Build the Future

Join a community of builders turning real-world challenges into working prototypes — and transforming those prototypes into deployable solutions and contract-ready opportunities.

From civic tech to smart homes to enterprise platforms, we use government-grade standards and modern safety practices as our baseline.

OUR ROADMAP

The Vision: From Meetups to Real-World Test Beds

Our goal is simple: help people learn, build, and deploy technology that makes a real difference — in homes, cities, businesses, and public infrastructure. Every phase is designed to be welcoming to new builders while meeting the highest standards of safety, security, and reliability.

Phase 1 — Community Build Sessions

Meetups that create real prototypes — not just slide decks.

You join a team and pick a challenge based on real-world needs across industries — transportation, healthcare, public safety, smart homes, sustainability, and small business operations. You build a working prototype using open tools, modern architecture, and industry-aligned standards for safety, security, and reliability.

Every prototype starts with government-grade best practices and is extended with the latest in modern safety protocols.

Phase 2 — Living-Lab Test Bed

A real home turned into a live environment for technology.

A short-term rental property is transformed into a fully instrumented living laboratory. Teams can install and test smart-home systems, environmental sensors, automation workflows, local servers, dashboards, and resilience strategies. This environment can support smart home startups, IoT integrators, environmental monitoring, energy management, logistics, and civic technology.

Everything is evaluated against government-grade security baselines, industry best practices, and expanded safety protocols built for real-world deployment.

Phase 3 — Multi-Region Property Trail

Multiple locations, new challenges, bigger opportunities.

As the program grows, multiple properties form a geographically diverse innovation trail. Each region brings different conditions — altitude, humidity, air quality, power reliability, traffic patterns, and climate-driven constraints. Teams can tackle the same challenge in different places, discovering new requirements and solutions.

This creates stronger technology, new talent pipelines, and more contract opportunities — all powered by a community that keeps learning and sharing.

Why This Matters

For Builders & Innovators

  • Work on real problems, not toy examples.
  • Build portfolio-grade prototypes tied to real-world needs.
  • Learn modern tools, patterns, and safety practices.
  • Create pathways into paid work, subcontracting, or full-time roles.

For Agencies, Companies, and Partners

  • See working prototypes aligned with government-grade baselines and extended safety practices.
  • Test ideas in real homes and multi-region environments.
  • Discover talent and teams already familiar with standards and compliance needs.
  • Explore solutions adaptable to civic, commercial, and enterprise environments.

How to Get Involved

1

Join a Meetup

Show up, listen in, and see which challenges resonate with you.

2

Choose a Challenge

Pick a real problem from transportation, safety, smart homes, or other domains.

3

Join a Build Team

Collaborate with other builders using open, free tools and shared standards.

4

Ship a Prototype

Get your idea into a working state that can be demonstrated and tested.

5

Grow Into Contracts and Ownership

As prototypes mature, contributors may be invited to support pilots, implementations, and future contracts when possible.

Wherever possible, we want the people who build the technology to help own and sustain the work.

From First Meetup to Real-World Deployment

Learn

Start with skills and tools.

Build

Apply what you know in a real challenge.

Test

Run your work in lab and living environments.

Validate

Check against safety, security, and compliance baselines.

Deploy & Grow

Support pilots, contracts, and ongoing operations.

Our goal is to create a clear path from learning and experimentation to real deployments and career or contract opportunities.

Upcoming Field Projects & Testbeds

Sign up to help build real prototypes deployed in real cities — each with unique environmental challenges.

Asheville

Mountain Flood Prediction

Local Challenge

Steep terrain and rapid weather changes.

Why It Matters

A critical testbed for hyperlocal, real-time environmental alerts in complex geography.

Charlotte

Traffic Signal Efficiency

Local Challenge

High-growth urban corridors with mixed traffic patterns.

Why It Matters

Opportunity to optimize traffic flow and reduce congestion using adaptive AI models.

Savannah

Coastal Storm Monitoring

Local Challenge

Low-lying areas vulnerable to storm surge and tidal flooding.

Why It Matters

Essential for building resilient coastal infrastructure and early-warning systems.

Kansas City

Smart Agriculture Sensors

Local Challenge

Vast rural areas with variable connectivity and soil conditions.

Why It Matters

Perfect for testing low-power, wide-area networks (LPWAN) for agricultural IoT.

Denver

Air Quality + Mobility Insights

Local Challenge

Altitude, inversion layers, and vehicle emissions create unique air quality issues.

Why It Matters

A model city for correlating urban mobility with real-time environmental data.

Ready to Help Build What Comes Next?

We’re creating a space where people can learn, experiment, and deploy technology that makes a real difference — in homes, neighborhoods, cities, and beyond. Whether you’re just getting started or already deeply technical, there’s a place for you here.