MaterialMatch Bay

San Francisco Bay Area

Policy + Climate + Civic Tech

Turn local waste streams into local inputs—fast.

A two-sided exchange where businesses list reusable byproducts (pallets, offcuts, surplus materials) and local makers/composters claim them with pickup workflows.

Local fit: Multi-jurisdiction complexity (cities, counties, utilities), high cost of living, climate/air quality events, and stark digital divide within a high-tech region.

← Back to finalist list

Core user stories

As a business, I post a byproduct listing (material, quantity, pickup window, safety notes) in under 2 minutes.
As a maker/composter, I search/filter listings and reserve a pickup slot.
As a city/partner, I see aggregate diversion stats and top material streams to inform policy pilots.

Clickable demo scope (what you build)

Two flows: create listing → browse listings → reserve pickup (no payments).
Basic matching + messaging stub (email-style).
Impact counter: estimated landfill diversion + local value retained (mock).

Team of four roles

Product & Policy Lead: Define acceptable materials + safety notes; choose a first market (construction, pallets, organics) and diversion metrics.
UX / Frontend: Build listing creation + browse/filter + reserve pickup flows; design trust cues (photos, pickup windows).
Backend / Data: Implement listings, reservations, and basic messaging; add impact estimation (weight diverted, local value).
Partnerships / Story / Ops: Recruit 2 supply-side and 2 demand-side test users; craft the circular economy narrative; deploy.

54-hour build plan

Hours 0–6: Pick one user segment; do 5–8 quick interviews; lock the “one workflow” MVP.
Hours 6–24: Build the clickable flow end-to-end with stubbed data; draft the policy narrative.
Hours 24–40: Add one policy-ready output (brief/dashboard/export); tighten UX; seed data for 2–3 neighborhoods.
Hours 40–54: Polish demo script; add analytics mock; finalize pitch + one-page handout.

What to show in the final demo

The “happy path” (one user completes the core task in under 2 minutes).
One policy-ready output (a brief, dashboard view, or export).
One local proof point (seeded neighborhoods / agencies / partner types relevant to San Francisco Bay Area).

How it can earn revenue without becoming extractive

Revenue fit (values-aligned): small transaction fee or membership dues that fund local operators (repair pros, reuse centers), plus optional B2G sponsorship for impact reporting.

Guardrails: publish scoring criteria, minimize data collection, and default to community ownership where possible (co-op/commons patterns).