Founded in 2017 by engineer Jean-Baptiste Poljak, the company develops an artificial intelligence platform combining proprietary sensors, computer vision and analytical software. Its objective is to allow municipalities to manage traffic, cleanliness, safety or noise pollution in real time, from a single dashboard. The challenge is no longer just to collect data, but to build an operational memory of the city.
Cities today are paradoxically “data poor”. Despite their economic weight – they generate more than 80% of global GDP – the majority of them still rely on fragmented, often obsolete systems. Upciti offers a unified framework: its sensors, installed on roads, measure automobile and pedestrian flows, the availability of parking spaces or the noise level, without capturing or tracking individuals. The information is then consolidated within a software platform which automates certain decisions, such as traffic regulation or management of maintenance interventions.
This model illustrates the emergence of a category that investors now call Physical AIwhere artificial intelligence is integrated into physical infrastructure. For Kamran Nasr, partner at Notion Capital, this approach “redefines the way we understand and manage urban environments”. The idea is to extend the principles of the software to the public space, without reproducing the excesses of algorithmic surveillance.
Upciti claims a presence in more than 150 cities across 17 countries. Its technology, designed to comply with European data protection standards, is part of a context of increased budgetary pressure for communities. Faced with the scarcity of subsidies and waves of retirements in the local public service, municipalities are seeking to automate certain tasks while preserving their sovereignty over data.
The company is based on a model hardware-enabled SaaS : the sale of sensors is accompanied by a software subscription, invoiced according to the size of the area covered. This structure allows it to address cities of very different sizes, while guaranteeing a measurable return on investment, often decisive in public calls for tenders.
“Cities must do more with less,” explains Jean-Baptiste Poljak. “Our mission is to provide them with the means to act in an efficient, sustainable and privacy-friendly manner. »
With this €18 million Series A round, led by Notion Capital alongside Point Nine and Chalfen Ventures, Upciti plans to accelerate its deployment in the United States and Europe, while strengthening its software infrastructure. The Parisian company is now among the pioneers of a broader movement: one that transforms urban data into the nervous system of contemporary cities.
The startup had previously raised 7 million euros in 2023
