Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE® Nashville
RJ Young
How RJ Young and Velocity1 Are Redefining Technology Solutions Across the Southeast
For more than 70 years, RJ Young has stood at the forefront of helping businesses adapt to change. What began in 1955 as a local provider of office equipment in Nashville has grown into one of the Southeast’s most respected and comprehensive business technology partners. Over the decades, RJ Young...
INNOVATE® Nashville
Nashville Entrepreneur Center
Where Bold Ideas Become Businesses
If you’re serious about building a startup in Nashville, meet your secret weapon: the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC). Founded in 2010, EC is a nonprofit built by business leaders to be—literally—Nashville’s “home to entrepreneurship.” What sets it apart? It’s not just talk: EC has helped over 14,000 entrepreneurs, including more...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
The Positive Life Company
In a World of Chaos, Our Happiness Is Being Tested Everyday
In a world of chaos, our happiness is being tested everyday. According to the World Happiness Report, the United States is the unhappiest it has ever been. Finding innovative ways to protect and sustain our happiness levels is the basis of The Positive Life Company. We believe that, through...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ARTSCAPE
THE POWER OF ARTS AND CREATIVITY AS A FOUNDATION FOR INCLUSIVE INNOVATION
We believe in the power of arts and creativity to contribute to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of our city. For over 30 years, Artscape, a not-for-profit organization, has made space for creativity for artists and creatives to thrive. This has resulted in Artscape developing and operating 15 unique...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
UNLEASHING INNOVATION
THE THINKNIMBLE REVOLUTION
“We are a product design and software development agency that turns clients into confident tech leaders who understand their customers and build great tech.” ThinkNimble is a guiding light of innovation. It’s carved out a niche that’s as unique as its approach to technology and entrepreneurship. Founded on the principle...
INNOVATION Quebec
RQIS
FAIRE BATTRE LE CŒUR DE L’INNOVATION SOCIALE AU SERVICE DU DÉVELOPPEMENT DU QUÉBEC
Le Réseau québécois en innovation sociale (RQIS) est un espace de partage et de mobilisation des savoirs et des expériences qui contribue à faire de l’innovation sociale un levier indispensable au développement durable du Québec. Né en 2005 au sein du réseau de l’Université du Québec, le RQIS s’affaire d’abord...
INNOVATE® Nashville
InPaceline
Riding Alongside Entrepreneurs
“You are the most qualified person to help the person you used to be.” This belief is the foundation of InPaceline, a venture studio model built by Clay Banks, a serial entrepreneur, mentor, investor, and endurance athlete. After years of scaling mountains – both literal and entrepreneurial – Banks is...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
MICROSOFT CANADA
GROWING CANADA’S TECH COMMUNITIES
Tech is about more than just new tools. It is about unlocking opportunities and markets, supporting new approaches, and empowering more high-tech innovations. Microsoft has worked closely with Toronto and Canada’s venture capital community looking to bolster its investments in Canadian startups. Toronto and Canada’s venture capitalists are innovation...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
BOAST AI
Boast’s AI-powered platform maximizes R&D tax credits while accelerating access to funding
Boast’s AI-powered platform maximizes R&D tax credits while accelerating access to funding The good news for companies of all sizes: Each year, the Canadian and U.S. federal governments provide businesses with more than $20 billion in research and development (R&D) credits. The bad news: application processes are cumbersome, time-consuming, and...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
FRESH CITY
CONNECTING TORONTONIANS WITH SUSTAINABLE FARMING & QUALITY FOOD
Fresh City is an award-winning urban farm and omnichannel retailer. With the recent addition of Mama Earth to our family of brands that includes Mabel’s Bakery and The Healthy Butcher, Fresh City is now the largest organic online retailer in Ontario. After a decade, the impact and belief in our...
INNOVATE® Miami
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
A catalyst to help members grow, improve and protect their businesses
The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst to help members grow, improve and protect their businesses. It’s dedicated to building the best environment for business in the Americas and committed to improving the economic vitality of South Florida by educating and advocating for solutions to members’ business needs....
INNOVATE® Kansas City
PORTER HOUSE KC
GOING BEYOND SURFACE-LEVEL IMPACT
The Porter House KC is renowned in Kansas City for its commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship among the underrepresented. Its story is not just about an entrepreneurship support organization; it’s about a catalyst for change in Kansas City’s urban core, pushing the envelope of what it means to ‘scale deep’ in...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
HEAVY CHEF
THERE’S A SAYING THAT GOES NEVER TRUST A SKINNY CHEF. THIS GOES FOR BUSINESS ADVISORS, CONSULTANTS, AND EXPERTS, TOO
A Heavy Chef is someone that speaks authoritatively about a specific subject because they have vast experience in that area. Some of our Heavy Chefs are not internationally known but still making a notable impact in their spaces, or who’s been performing notable work in the background. It is someone...
INNOVATION Quebec
CYBERECO
UN CATALYSEUR UNIQUE ET INNOVANT EN CYBERSÉCURITÉ AU QUÉBEC ET AU CANADA
La genèse de CyberecoEn 2018, le Mouvement Desjardins, la Banque Nationale, Deloitte et le Groupe RHEA décident d’unir leurs efforts pour faire avancer la cybersécurité en créant Cybereco. L’initiative était notamment motivée par le goût des fondateurs de travailler ensemble pour répondre aux enjeux de la pénurie de talents, d’améliorer...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
So Kids SOAR (SKS)
What is one thing shared by all of the innovators within these pages?
THEIR DESIRE TO IMPACT THIS WORLD. One of the most fulfilling ways to feel that impact is by watching the beneficiaries of that impact excel in their lives—and making their own ripple of change in the world. Like a successful rocket launch into space, So Kids SOAR (Formerly Dreams For...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
SEMETRON
INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE: MOBILE MODULAR HOSPITAL
The healthcare sector faces increasingly complex challenges — from the impacts of climate change and natural disasters to global pandemics and conflict-related crises. In these situations, timely access to quality medical care can be a matter of life and death. This is where Semetron steps in, an innovative leader from...
INNOVATE® Georgia
CMII GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
UNLEASHING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
At the heart of Georgia State University lies the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII), a beacon of innovation and creativity in the bustling landscape of Georgia’s entertainment and creative economy. Established with the vision to empower students to carve successful careers in the creative industry, CMII stands as a pivotal...
INNOVATE® Nashville
INTERAWORKS
IS YOUR ORGANIZATION READY FOR THE FUTURE@WORK?
InteraWorks is an answer to how companies and their employees can elevate the human experience at work, leading to higher performance and new models of leadership, learning, and culture. The world has changed, and it is time that companies realize that people absolutely must come first. Their capacity and...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Agricultural Software Trends Transforming Industry in 2025 and Beyond
Agtech is changing farming in exciting ways by using smart digital tools and machines to solve old problems. Farmers today face higher costs, fewer workers, and more pressure to farm in ways that protect the environment. To handle these challenges, more farms are using agtech than ever before. At the...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
MIFUNDO
THE VERIFIED AND PASSPORTABLE FINANCIAL IDENTITY CONNECTING EUROPE’S CREDIT MARKETS
EUROPE’S FIRST INTEGRATED CREDIT INFRASTRUCTURE Mifundo provides European banks with cross-border credit data that allows consumer credit histories to move between countries. This technology removes one of the last remaining barriers to financial mobility in the European Union: fragmented data locked within national borders. For millions of people who live,...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
THE OLDEST INSTITUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA REMAINS THE BOLDEST IN EMBRACING INNOVATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
The College of Charleston is a nationally recognized public university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, the College of Charleston is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. The College of...
INNOVATION Quebec
OPTONIQUE
LUMIÈRE SUR L’INNOVATION
La photonique se retrouve partout : chirurgie laser, manufacture de batteries, ordinateur quantique sont parmi tant d’autres applications qui bénéficient des technologies utilisant la lumière. La présence en sols québécois de centres de recherche et d’industries a mené à un terreau fertile d’innovation chez les jeunespousses technologiques et les entreprises...
INNOVATE® Nashville
S3 RECYCLING SOLUTIONS
CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN BUSINESS AND CULTURE
S3 Recycling Solutions provides businesses with a hassle-free way to responsibly and safely manage their excess electronics. Headquartered in Springfield, Tenn., with a new location in California, S3 is an award-winning, R2v3-certified technology recycling firm that provides tailored e-waste solutions to customers across North America. S3’s core business is to...
INNOVATION Quebec
CHAIRE DE RECHERCHE EN PRÉVENTION DE LA CYBERCRIMINALITÉ
RESEARCH CHAIR IN CYBERCRIME PREVENTION - UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL
Understanding how cybercrime can be prevented and helping protect its victims against online harms. The Research Chair in Cybercrime Prevention was launched in September 2018 at the initiative of the Université de Montréal, Desjardins and the National Bank of Canada. It is headed by Benoît Dupont, professor of criminology and...
INNOVATE® Nashville
RJ Young
How RJ Young and Velocity1 Are Redefining Technology Solutions Across the Southeast
For more than 70 years, RJ Young has stood at the forefront of helping businesses adapt to change. What began in 1955 as a local provider of office equipment in Nashville has grown into one of the Southeast’s most respected and comprehensive business technology partners. Over the decades, RJ Young...
INNOVATE® Nashville
Nashville Entrepreneur Center
Where Bold Ideas Become Businesses
If you’re serious about building a startup in Nashville, meet your secret weapon: the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC). Founded in 2010, EC is a nonprofit built by business leaders to be—literally—Nashville’s “home to entrepreneurship.” What sets it apart? It’s not just talk: EC has helped over 14,000 entrepreneurs, including more...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
The Positive Life Company
In a World of Chaos, Our Happiness Is Being Tested Everyday
In a world of chaos, our happiness is being tested everyday. According to the World Happiness Report, the United States is the unhappiest it has ever been. Finding innovative ways to protect and sustain our happiness levels is the basis of The Positive Life Company. We believe that, through...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ARTSCAPE
THE POWER OF ARTS AND CREATIVITY AS A FOUNDATION FOR INCLUSIVE INNOVATION
We believe in the power of arts and creativity to contribute to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of our city. For over 30 years, Artscape, a not-for-profit organization, has made space for creativity for artists and creatives to thrive. This has resulted in Artscape developing and operating 15 unique...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
UNLEASHING INNOVATION
THE THINKNIMBLE REVOLUTION
“We are a product design and software development agency that turns clients into confident tech leaders who understand their customers and build great tech.” ThinkNimble is a guiding light of innovation. It’s carved out a niche that’s as unique as its approach to technology and entrepreneurship. Founded on the principle...
INNOVATION Quebec
RQIS
FAIRE BATTRE LE CŒUR DE L’INNOVATION SOCIALE AU SERVICE DU DÉVELOPPEMENT DU QUÉBEC
Le Réseau québécois en innovation sociale (RQIS) est un espace de partage et de mobilisation des savoirs et des expériences qui contribue à faire de l’innovation sociale un levier indispensable au développement durable du Québec. Né en 2005 au sein du réseau de l’Université du Québec, le RQIS s’affaire d’abord...
INNOVATE® Nashville
InPaceline
Riding Alongside Entrepreneurs
“You are the most qualified person to help the person you used to be.” This belief is the foundation of InPaceline, a venture studio model built by Clay Banks, a serial entrepreneur, mentor, investor, and endurance athlete. After years of scaling mountains – both literal and entrepreneurial – Banks is...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
MICROSOFT CANADA
GROWING CANADA’S TECH COMMUNITIES
Tech is about more than just new tools. It is about unlocking opportunities and markets, supporting new approaches, and empowering more high-tech innovations. Microsoft has worked closely with Toronto and Canada’s venture capital community looking to bolster its investments in Canadian startups. Toronto and Canada’s venture capitalists are innovation...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
BOAST AI
Boast’s AI-powered platform maximizes R&D tax credits while accelerating access to funding
Boast’s AI-powered platform maximizes R&D tax credits while accelerating access to funding The good news for companies of all sizes: Each year, the Canadian and U.S. federal governments provide businesses with more than $20 billion in research and development (R&D) credits. The bad news: application processes are cumbersome, time-consuming, and...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
FRESH CITY
CONNECTING TORONTONIANS WITH SUSTAINABLE FARMING & QUALITY FOOD
Fresh City is an award-winning urban farm and omnichannel retailer. With the recent addition of Mama Earth to our family of brands that includes Mabel’s Bakery and The Healthy Butcher, Fresh City is now the largest organic online retailer in Ontario. After a decade, the impact and belief in our...
INNOVATE® Miami
Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
A catalyst to help members grow, improve and protect their businesses
The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst to help members grow, improve and protect their businesses. It’s dedicated to building the best environment for business in the Americas and committed to improving the economic vitality of South Florida by educating and advocating for solutions to members’ business needs....
INNOVATE® Kansas City
PORTER HOUSE KC
GOING BEYOND SURFACE-LEVEL IMPACT
The Porter House KC is renowned in Kansas City for its commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship among the underrepresented. Its story is not just about an entrepreneurship support organization; it’s about a catalyst for change in Kansas City’s urban core, pushing the envelope of what it means to ‘scale deep’ in...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
HEAVY CHEF
THERE’S A SAYING THAT GOES NEVER TRUST A SKINNY CHEF. THIS GOES FOR BUSINESS ADVISORS, CONSULTANTS, AND EXPERTS, TOO
A Heavy Chef is someone that speaks authoritatively about a specific subject because they have vast experience in that area. Some of our Heavy Chefs are not internationally known but still making a notable impact in their spaces, or who’s been performing notable work in the background. It is someone...
INNOVATION Quebec
CYBERECO
UN CATALYSEUR UNIQUE ET INNOVANT EN CYBERSÉCURITÉ AU QUÉBEC ET AU CANADA
La genèse de CyberecoEn 2018, le Mouvement Desjardins, la Banque Nationale, Deloitte et le Groupe RHEA décident d’unir leurs efforts pour faire avancer la cybersécurité en créant Cybereco. L’initiative était notamment motivée par le goût des fondateurs de travailler ensemble pour répondre aux enjeux de la pénurie de talents, d’améliorer...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
So Kids SOAR (SKS)
What is one thing shared by all of the innovators within these pages?
THEIR DESIRE TO IMPACT THIS WORLD. One of the most fulfilling ways to feel that impact is by watching the beneficiaries of that impact excel in their lives—and making their own ripple of change in the world. Like a successful rocket launch into space, So Kids SOAR (Formerly Dreams For...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
SEMETRON
INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE: MOBILE MODULAR HOSPITAL
The healthcare sector faces increasingly complex challenges — from the impacts of climate change and natural disasters to global pandemics and conflict-related crises. In these situations, timely access to quality medical care can be a matter of life and death. This is where Semetron steps in, an innovative leader from...
INNOVATE® Georgia
CMII GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
UNLEASHING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
At the heart of Georgia State University lies the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII), a beacon of innovation and creativity in the bustling landscape of Georgia’s entertainment and creative economy. Established with the vision to empower students to carve successful careers in the creative industry, CMII stands as a pivotal...
INNOVATE® Nashville
INTERAWORKS
IS YOUR ORGANIZATION READY FOR THE FUTURE@WORK?
InteraWorks is an answer to how companies and their employees can elevate the human experience at work, leading to higher performance and new models of leadership, learning, and culture. The world has changed, and it is time that companies realize that people absolutely must come first. Their capacity and...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Agricultural Software Trends Transforming Industry in 2025 and Beyond
Agtech is changing farming in exciting ways by using smart digital tools and machines to solve old problems. Farmers today face higher costs, fewer workers, and more pressure to farm in ways that protect the environment. To handle these challenges, more farms are using agtech than ever before. At the...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
MIFUNDO
THE VERIFIED AND PASSPORTABLE FINANCIAL IDENTITY CONNECTING EUROPE’S CREDIT MARKETS
EUROPE’S FIRST INTEGRATED CREDIT INFRASTRUCTURE Mifundo provides European banks with cross-border credit data that allows consumer credit histories to move between countries. This technology removes one of the last remaining barriers to financial mobility in the European Union: fragmented data locked within national borders. For millions of people who live,...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
THE OLDEST INSTITUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA REMAINS THE BOLDEST IN EMBRACING INNOVATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
The College of Charleston is a nationally recognized public university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, the College of Charleston is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. The College of...
INNOVATION Quebec
OPTONIQUE
LUMIÈRE SUR L’INNOVATION
La photonique se retrouve partout : chirurgie laser, manufacture de batteries, ordinateur quantique sont parmi tant d’autres applications qui bénéficient des technologies utilisant la lumière. La présence en sols québécois de centres de recherche et d’industries a mené à un terreau fertile d’innovation chez les jeunespousses technologiques et les entreprises...
INNOVATE® Nashville
S3 RECYCLING SOLUTIONS
CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN BUSINESS AND CULTURE
S3 Recycling Solutions provides businesses with a hassle-free way to responsibly and safely manage their excess electronics. Headquartered in Springfield, Tenn., with a new location in California, S3 is an award-winning, R2v3-certified technology recycling firm that provides tailored e-waste solutions to customers across North America. S3’s core business is to...
INNOVATION Quebec
CHAIRE DE RECHERCHE EN PRÉVENTION DE LA CYBERCRIMINALITÉ
RESEARCH CHAIR IN CYBERCRIME PREVENTION - UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL
Understanding how cybercrime can be prevented and helping protect its victims against online harms. The Research Chair in Cybercrime Prevention was launched in September 2018 at the initiative of the Université de Montréal, Desjardins and the National Bank of Canada. It is headed by Benoît Dupont, professor of criminology and...