Discover City & Me: Empowering Citizens to Turn Everyday Actions into Real Urban Impact

Can you provide a brief overview of your background and journey? What inspired the creation of City & Me, and what milestones have you achieved so far?

City & Me was born out of a deep belief that small, local actions can drive big, systemic change. Coming from a background in journalism and civic innovation, I noticed how disconnected citizens were from their cities—not for lack of interest, but for lack of accessible tools that made participation easy, rewarding, and visible.

We started City & Me as a simple idea: what if citizens could be rewarded for doing good things in their city—like reading verified local news, recycling, walking instead of driving, or shopping at a local store?

Some of our key milestones include:

• Successful pilots in multiple Serbian and Balkans cities (Srb, NM, Montenegro, Slovenia..)
• Over 35,000+ active users engaging with local news and eco-actions
• Launching our token reward system, integrated with real stores and service providers
• Partnerships with municipalities, utilities, and e-commerce brands
• Winning the BOOST: UFF Innovation Challenge
• Becoming the first Balkan startup to secure investment from MDIF
• Developing AI-powered personalized local news and offer engines

Our journey has been both challenging and incredibly motivating.

You’re one of the winners of the BOOST: UFF Innovation Challenge. What motivated you to participate, and how did it influence your journey?

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We applied to BOOST: UFF because we saw it not only as a funding opportunity, but as a learning ecosystem where innovation meets impact. The program helped us sharpen our value proposition, test our assumptions in real-world settings, and connect with an international network of peers and mentors.

BOOST gave us the momentum to move from a local pilot to a platform with regional potential. It gave our team confidence and visibility, and ultimately helped us land key partnerships and investment. Most importantly, it reminded us that innovation is about listening, adapting, and staying rooted in the community.

Congratulations on securing investment from MDIF — a major milestone! How did this opportunity come about, what does it mean for your growth, and what advice do you have for others?

Thank you! It’s a huge moment for us. The opportunity with MDIF came after a series of strategic conversations and follow-ups where we were very transparent about our model, growth plans, and the social impact we aim to achieve.

What this investment means is validation—not just of our product, but of our mission. It gives us the resources and credibility to scale across Serbia and prepare for regional expansion.

My advice to others: Don’t chase investors. Chase clarity. The clearer you are about your value, your audience, and your roadmap, the easier it becomes to attract the right partners.

How do you gather feedback from citizens and communities using your app, and how does it shape future updates?

Feedback is embedded in our DNA. We use several channels:

• In-app surveys and sentiment tools
• Direct messages from users through our chatbot and social media
• On-the-ground feedback through local ambassadors in each city
• Community co-creation workshops when launching in a new area

This feedback informs everything—from user interface design to which partners we onboard, to how we present local content. One example: users told us they wanted more relevant nearby offers—so we prioritized building a micro-location discovery tool. It’s about creating with, not just for, the people.

Can you share a favorite success story or user experience that reflects the positive impact of the app?

One of our favorite stories comes from a woman in Niš who told us:
“For the first time, I feel like reading local news isn’t just depressing—it’s useful. I read, I earn tokens, and I use them for my kids’ school supplies at a nearby store.”

That moment captured the heart of our mission: connecting daily digital actions with real-world value and dignity. It’s not just tech; it’s empowerment.

If City & Me could host a roundtable with any three thought leaders in urban development or sustainability, who would you invite and why?

Great question! We would invite:

• Carlos Moreno – creator of the 15-minute city concept, whose work directly aligns with our mission of proximity-based participation.
• Kate Raworth – for her Doughnut Economics model, which helps frame sustainable development beyond GDP and toward wellbeing.
• Anne Hidalgo – the Mayor of Paris, for her bold green urban policies that show how political will can transform cities.

These three bring together urban design, economic thinking, and policy implementation—all core to our approach.

What’s next for City & Me? Any new features, expansions, or partnerships ahead?

Absolutely. We’re currently:

• Rolling out our AI-powered personalized feed for news and partner offers
• Launching micro-location partner discovery in several cities
• Expanding into two new regional capitals in the Balkans
• Piloting a citizen journalism program, where people can earn tokens for submitting verified local stories
• Exploring partnerships with public transport and utility services to integrate reward systems for sustainable choices

We’re also developing a CO2 tracking feature for companies to understand the environmental impact of their employees’ actions within the app. Our vision goes beyond just an app. City & Me is about redefining citizenship for the digital age, where being a good neighbor, being informed, and being sustainable are not just duties—but are valued and rewarded. We believe that cities are the true drivers of change, and if we empower people at the hyper-local level, we unlock massive collective potential.

Follow City&Me’s Journey!