No one doubts that start-ups can play a critical role in India's smart cities mission. They bring in innovation, at times at a cost larger companies can't. In India's 100 Smart Cities programme, some of the start-ups are bidding directly while many others are working with bigger system integrators to deliver the work. Thus far, they are playing a role in areas such as solid waste management, digital door number, augmented reality, bill board management, and robotic cleaning of manholes among others. There is an opportunity in solutions that involve Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Blockchain, and geospatial technologies.