Ground Floor Public Affair (GFPA) was retained by Ron Conway to build infrastructure for sf.citi. Alex Tourk launched GFPA in March 2007 after working in the public sector for 15 years and playing an integral role in the past five mayoral campaigns. At City Hall, Tourk worked for two mayoral administrations. As Deputy Chief of Staff, he created and implemented Project Homeless Connect, a unique civic initiative that has now been adopted by over 200 cities worldwide. Due to Tourk's deep relationships within government and the community, his firm, Ground Floor Public Affairs, specializes in serving as a bridge between the private sector, City Hall and the diverse neighborhoods of San Francisco.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)