Streetline Named IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Streetline Inc., a global leader in sensor-based smart city solutions, today announced that it has been named IBM's Global Entrepreneur of the Year and winner of the 2010 IBM SmartCamp World Finals in Dublin, Ireland.

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Selected from more than 600 SmartCamp entries worldwide, the award recognizes Streetline's pioneering smart parking technology, innovative business plan, and alignment with IBM's Smarter Planet strategy.

At the core of Streetline's technology is its patented smart parking platform which detects the presence of a car through a network of ultra-low power wireless sensors located in each parking space. This information is then transmitted back to mobile smart phones and web applications that give citizens and officials a live, accurate picture of open parking spaces across a city.  The entire system helps cities, airports, universities and private organizations reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and alleviate the environmental impact of traffic caused by parking.

Parking in cities is a growing issue as the world's population moves to urban areas. It's estimated that 30 percent of traffic in major cities consists of people driving around looking for parking, making it a major congestion and environmental problem.  

With smart parking deploymentsin cities across California, and most recently New York's Roosevelt Island, Streetline intends to launch the first ever consumer parking guidance application this year and continue to expand its smart parking technology into additional cities, universities, private parking garages and locations overseas.  

"We are honored to be named the IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year," said Zia Yusuf, president and chief executive officer, Streetline. "Our smart sensors can dramatically reduce the amount of drivers' time looking for parking, and improve the efficiency of a city's traffic and parking network. Parking sensors are only the first step. Technologies that build smarter cities will change how people work and live and we look forward to working with IBM as we expand and deliver 'smart' services to new cities."

As part of its Global Entrepreneur initiative, IBM SmartCamp brings together start-ups from around the world that are building new technologies to tackle some of the world's most pressing issues such as the environment, energy efficiency, traffic congestion and personalized healthcare. SmartCamp World Finals participants receive mentoring, access to industry experts and technology, and deeper partnership opportunities from IBM, venture capital firms and industry partners.

SmartCamp winners join participants in IBM's Global Entrepreneur initiative. As a result, they receive mentoring and support from industry experts and VCs, and IBM will help the startup ready its technology on IBM software and hardware at IBM Innovation Centers.

More information and videos about the SmartCamp World Finals are available on the SmartCamp blog at http://ibmsmartcamp.wordpress.com, and a replay of the three-day SmartCamp World Finals webcast and interviews are available at www.livestream.com/ibmsoftware.  

About Streetline Inc.

Streetline's mission is to make smart cities a reality through the use of sensor-enabled mobile and web applications. As the leading global provider of smart parking solutions to cities, airports, universities and private organizations, Streetline's pioneering technology connects citizens with critical information to improve the way they live and work, while making cities more efficient and lessening their environmental impact. Streetline is a privately held company headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. with smart-parking deployments in cities across California and New York. For more information visit: www.streetlinenetworks.com

SOURCE Streetline Inc.