What Myrtle Beach’s Living Lab Program Means for Local Businesses

Myrtle Beach is best known for beaches, golf and family vacations. Over the past couple of years, the city has also been quietly building something different: a program that invites technology companies to test their products right here, inside real city operations. It’s called the Myrtle Beach Living Lab, and it’s worth understanding even if you have never thought of your business as a tech business.

What the Living Lab Is

The City of Myrtle Beach describes the Living Lab as a public-private partnership designed to support emerging technology and encourage entrepreneurs to use Myrtle Beach as their hub. It is part of the city’s broader smart city initiative. The basic idea is straightforward: companies with promising products get a real-world place to pilot them, and the city gets an early look at tools that might improve how it serves residents and visitors.

When the first participants were announced in August 2024, the city’s Chief Innovation Officer, Howard Waldie IV, put it this way:

“We are actually going to help them test their product in a real-life scenario.”

According to local reporting, participation can be as short as three months or last a year or more, depending on the company and the project.

Who Has Taken Part So Far

The program has grown in rounds. The first group, announced in August 2024, focused on civic technology: cloud-based city services like business licensing and emergency alerts, tools for collecting resident input and sharing city updates, and risk management software for municipal infrastructure projects.

A second round in January 2025 added companies working on rewards for outdoor activity, smart city sensors and augmented reality tools that help people visualize planned changes to their neighborhoods.

A third round in July 2025 brought the total to 10 companies. That round included the first Myrtle Beach-based participant, Eco-Activators, whose AI tool identifies how to dispose of an item from a photo and was being piloted by the city’s Public Works team. Other additions worked on AI-assisted physical therapy and crowd tracking at large events, in partnership with McLeod Health and the Myrtle Beach Fire Department, and on real-time smart parking.

Notice how much of that list involves AI and data. These aren’t abstract research projects. They’re practical tools aimed at everyday problems: parking, waste, crowds, communication.

Money and Momentum

In March 2025, the data center company DC BLOX donated $50,000 to the Living Lab program, a gift the Myrtle Beach City Council reviewed and approved. The city has also said it is working toward a permanent facility in the Arts & Innovation District downtown. In the meantime, participants can work remotely or out of the HTC Aspire Hub.

The city has also talked about connecting students from Horry County Schools, Horry-Georgetown Technical College and Coastal Carolina University with participating companies, which could help grow local tech talent over time.

What It Means for Grand Strand Businesses

1. The local economy is broadening

Tourism will always be the backbone of the Grand Strand. But a city actively recruiting tech companies signals a push toward year-round, higher-skill work. For businesses that struggle with the off-season, more year-round economic activity is good news.

2. Customer expectations are rising

If visitors can find open parking spots on their phones and get instant answers from city services, they’ll expect the same convenience from the hotel, restaurant or rental company they book. Small businesses don’t need to match a smart city project feature for feature, but quick answers, easy booking and good mobile experiences are quickly becoming the baseline.

3. Practical AI is being tested in your backyard

Several Living Lab pilots tackle problems that look a lot like small business problems: forecasting crowds, routing questions, cutting waste. Watching which pilots succeed is a low-cost way to learn what works in our specific environment, with our seasonal swings and visitor patterns.

4. There may be partnership opportunities

Tech companies testing products locally need real-world partners and feedback. A hospitality group, property manager or venue willing to try a pilot could get early access to new tools. Local reporting notes that companies interested in joining the program can contact the city’s Chief Innovation Officer.

5. Local talent may get easier to find

If the student connections take hold, the region could see more graduates with hands-on tech experience who want to stay on the coast. That matters for any business hoping to hire people who can manage software, data or digital marketing.

What You Can Do Now

You don’t need to be in the Living Lab to benefit from the thinking behind it. A few practical steps:

1. Pick one real problem. Missed calls, empty shoulder-season nights, wasted inventory, scheduling headaches. Start there, not with the technology.
2. Look at your data. AI depends on it. Do you have clean records of bookings, sales, calls or tickets?
3. Run a small pilot. Test something for a season with clear goals, the same way the city does.
4. Get a readiness check. An outside look can save you from buying the wrong tool.
5. Keep an eye on the program. Follow city announcements to see which pilots stick.

A Note on What We Don’t Know

Public reporting covers who joined and what they’re testing, but detailed results from individual pilots haven’t been widely published yet. As with any pilot program, some projects will turn into lasting tools and some won’t. That’s the point of testing. Check the City of Myrtle Beach’s official channels for the latest updates.

Bring the Same Approach to Your Business

Axiom Design Group has been building software and digital tools in Myrtle Beach for more than 18 years. We help local businesses test AI the practical way, starting with a fixed-fee AI Readiness Assessment and moving to pilots that fit your season. Learn about our AI integration services and custom software development, or contact our team to talk through an idea.