We are a specialized advisory firm with a mission to build a better world in which to live, work and play using technology as a toolset.
We use our proven process to create and implement smart city strategies, anchored in next-generation economic development and human-design principles. We design and implement innovation competitions to accelerate emerging technology and entrepreneurial ecosystems. We engage and energize stakeholders to design digital transformation solutions that strengthen the community. We advise innovators and companies on building the future of cities.
Experts in:
Smart City and Digital Transformation
Innovation Districts and Innovation Centers
Broadband Strategy and Feasibility
Climate Action Planning using Smart Technologies (ROI / Impact Analysis)
Economic Development
Meet Pioneer Partners.
Awarded a Gold Edison Award in 2017 for smart city innovation
Industry Sectors We Specialize In
Pioneer Partners is a specialized professional services consulting firm, focused on the following sectors:
Smart City and Digital Transformation
Innovation Districts and Innovation Centers
Broadband Strategy and Feasibility
Internet of Things (IoT)
Economic Development
Where We Come From
With founding roots deep in the entrepreneurial ecosystem building, emerging technology business incubator, early-stage startup accelerator, innovation partnering and entrepreneur workspace sectors, Pioneer Partners spun out from Think Big Partners in 2019 to better serve our clients. We combine our unique expertise with our experience using a design thinking-led advisory process to consult the country’s most progressive-minded communities. Our team creates fresh solutions by accelerating the ideation to implementation processes, firmly anchored by human-centered design principles.
Our extensive expertise and global network have been built over the past 12 years to leverage people, ideas, processes, intellectual property, technology and current market-driven innovation insights to design smart communities with a placemaking approach that fosters entrepreneur-led economic development.
Who Do We Work With?
Examples of types of clients we have helped includes:
Cities seeking to develop a next-generation smart city with a strategic focus on activating the “citizen innovator” through bottoms-up public engagement
Local government organizations seeking to improve community connectivity through high-speed broadband, infrastructure improvements and communications
Cities seeking to improve their quality of life for residents and businesses through digital transformation opportunities
Communities seeking entrepreneur-led economic development to catalyze a region’s comparative advantage
Real estate developers seeking to build coworking spaces
Communities seeking to build innovation centers and incubator/accelerator programs who wish to catalyze and activate entrepreneur activities in their local community
Public-Private Innovation Challenges seeking to solve specific problems (sustainability, affordable housing, domestic terrorism, transportation and mobility corridors, developing innovation districts and more)
Fortune 100 technology companies seeking innovation partnering to fuel their growth need
Early stage companies, entrepreneurs and innovators who seek to commercialize their technology-based solutions more rapidly
Early stage venture capital funds and other investment firms seeking to invest in early stage companies
Award-Winning
Since 2010, our team has won numerous awards including White House recognition for workforce development contributions, the Gold Edison Award for Smart City Innovation (as Think Big Partners), and other noteworthy national media mentions for accomplishments related to civic impact through technology, education, placemaking, citizen engagement, economic development and more.
Why Hire Us?
From Infrastructure Bill funding to digital divide issues to technology impacts on the community, our team knows the industry market trends, funding sources and strategy to help communities take action. Our clients select us for our experience in related work, entrepreneurial-minded approach to innovation, expertise in smart city-focused economic development, ability to engage and energize a community, and our efficiency and effectiveness in achieving results.
Our Partners.
Sarah Fustine.
I am motivated to create true, human impact on the world and created Pioneer Partners to do just that. This is the type of impact that creates a better quality of life, lifts underserved populations, enhances human-centered interactions in a digital age, and ultimately spreads happiness. I'm passionate about applying an entrepreneur lens to civic challenges to enable innovation and growth towards sustainability and resilience. Technology has seemingly endless possibilities, but identifying the impactful use cases can be a challenge. That is where we thrive. The next generation of cities is here and I'm proud to be a part of that growth.
Herb Sih.
My passion is to solve problems, by building solutions that turn into companies that can make an impact on the world. In the past 20 years, I have activated this passion through a mission to help entrepreneurs, large companies, innovators, and civic leaders work together in a variety of capacities. My specialty is to help cities, companies and entrepreneurs fine-tune ideas, accelerate commercialization and maximize revenue realization.
I was the co-founder of Think Big Partners, spent 15 years as an investment professional and was an officer and military pilot in the United States Army.