Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

ACELERA BRASIL

TRANSFORMING CORPORATE TRAVEL INTO UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES

The corporate travel agency market closed 2023 with a record turnover, indicating a promising future for the sector. It is in this context that Acelera Brasil has been operating since 2017, with a keen focus on the use of Advanced Technology, Service Personalization, Sustainability, Risk Management, Value-Added Offer, Service Integration,...

INNOVATION Quebec

MILA

EN TANT QU’INSTITUT QUÉBÉCOIS D’INTELLIGENCE ARTIFICIELLE, MILA EST L’ÉPICENTRE DE L’EXPERTISE EN APPRENTISSAGE PROFOND (DEEP LEARNING) AU CANADA

Dirigé par le professeur Yoshua Bengio, corécipiendaire en 2018 du prix Turing pour ses travaux fondateurs sur l’apprentissage profond, Mila regroupe une communauté de plus de 1000 chercheuses et chercheurs en IA parmi les plus talentueux au monde. Cette concentration d’experts effectuant des travaux de pointe a permis au Québec...

INNOVATE® Detroit

M1 Concourse

The Heart of Automotive Passion

Along the legendary Woodward Avenue in Pontiac, Michigan, M1 Concourse is a world-class motorsports and automotive event destination. Spanning an impressive 87 acres, it is a hub for high-speed excitement and unmatched automotive culture. Whether you’re a dedicated car enthusiast, an adrenaline junkie looking for high-speed track adventures, or someone...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

Sage Corps

Sage Corps- Is An International Internship Program That Sends Students To Work With Startups. We’re Building The Next Gen Global Workforce

Is An International Internship Program That Sends Students To Work With Startups. We’re Building The Next Gen Global Workforce

In 2003, Matt Meltzer graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. He thought employers would line up to hire him. He was wrong. With zero job offers, Matt flew down to South America with a backpack. After living and working in Buenos Aires for one year, Matt returned...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

AUREX CONSTRUCTORS

AUREX CONSTRUCTORS - HAS BEEN PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY CONSTRUCTION

HAS BEEN PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY CONSTRUCTION, TURNAROUND AND MAINTENANCE PROJECT SERVICES TO BLUE-CHIP CUSTOMERS WITHIN THE ENERGY SECTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS

With experience in oil & gas, mining & metallurgy, infrastructure, petrochemical and clean power our team of experts perform structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, piping, platework (SMEIPP), tank, fabrication and management services for projects of all sizes and complexities within the company’s two business units, Construction and Turnarounds & Maintenance. The...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY-IF YOU BUILD IT

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME...” THIS MISQUOTED LINE DERIVED FROM THE MOVIE, FIELD OF DREAMS, IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH STARTUP DEVELOPMENT. IT SOUNDS GOOD BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT REALISTIC

What does work is the act of providing a reason for why they should come. That is the central theme of Oakwood University’s Entrepreneurship Center, OU Launchpad, and it is why gaming is at the heart of the center’s success. OU Launchpad is structured around ideation and microentrepreneurship. These two...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

STUDIO C&G

Alright stop! Collaborate and listen! We hit the tech industry with a brand new intention!

Alright stop! Collaborate and listen! We hit the tech industry with a brand new intention! What is something you see all the time? Is it companies focusing on iteration, always eager to jump directly into the development of neat, new technology? (A desire to explore the Great Unknown – to...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

ESTBAN

ESTONIAN BUSINESS ANGELS NETWORK IS A ROLE MODEL FOR EUROPEAN ANGEL CLUBS

The Estonian Business Angels Network (EstBAN) has been connecting and educating startup investors and providing a platform for innovation in Estonia and beyond since 2012. EstBAN has become one of Europe’s most respected and well-managed angel investor networks. With nearly 260 members and a growing track record of syndicated and...

INNOVATION Quebec

RÉSEAU ENVIRONNEMENT

DES ACTIONS CONCRÈTES POUR CATALYSER L’ÉCONOMIE VERTE* AU QUÉBEC

Grâce à l’expertise de ses membres des domaines public, privé et académique, Réseau Environnement fait le pont entre l’expertise technique et les politiques publiques. Par sa place dans le secteur environnemental, notre association se doit d’être à l’avant-garde, et cela passe aussi par une collaboration avec les entrepreneurs, les innovateurs...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

Babbasa

Babbasa - A Bristol-Based Nonprofit Which Supports Young People From Less Advantaged Backgrounds to Achieve Their Professional Ambitions

A Bristol-Based Nonprofit Which Supports Young People From Less Advantaged Backgrounds to Achieve Their Professional Ambitions

The Challenge While Bristol continues to have one of the UK’s fastest growing economies, not all of Bristol’s citizens have been sharing in the city’s success. Sixty per cent of Bristol’s ethnic minority population live in areas of economic disadvantage; two-thirds of whom live in Bristol’s most disadvantaged inner-city wards....

INNOVATION Quebec

Espace d’accélération et de croissance de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (EACAT)

Espace d’accélération et de croissance de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (EACAT) is part of the Espaces régionaux d’accélération et de croissance

is part of the Espaces régionaux d’accélération et de croissance, implemented by the ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation du Québec in 2018

The organization was created in 2018, following a regional consultation and consensus-building process to establish the proper positioning of the organization. The complementarity of the organization’s mission along with all the partners of the development and innovation ecosystem in the region led to the creation of a new entity in...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Holmes Custom

Creating Personalised Products

Now celebrating its 65th year in business, Jacksonville-based Holmes Custom designs, manufactures, and retails personalized products across 8 web brands. How does a business that was started in the 1950s stand the test of time? There’s only one way: Innovation. What began as a rubber stamp manufacturer in a garage...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Plug and Play Detroit

Driving the Future of Mobility

A city synonymous with automotive innovation, Plug and Play’s Detroit operation is making waves with its groundbreaking approach to mobility. As a global leader in fostering innovation, Plug and Play has established itself as a critical player in the tech ecosystem. However, in Detroit, the organization is doing more than...

United Nations Lesotho

UNICEF

A Legacy of Care and Progress

The impactful journey of the United Nations in Lesotho over the past 40 years and the future partnership between the UN and the government of Lesotho. For over four decades, UNICEF has stood alongside Lesotho in its mission to secure a brighter future for its children. From the remote mountain...

INNOVATION Quebec

The Society for Arts and Technology [SAT]

Merging science, art and technology

The Society for Arts and Technology [SAT] is a research and creation laboratory that multiplies technological possibilities and the hybridization of realities and artistic disciplines. For over 25 years, it has been a place of discovery, collective learning and immersive experimentation where generations of artists meet and new trends are...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

E-ZINC

E-ZINC- “METALLIZING ENERGY” FOR LONG-DURATION STORAGE

"METALLIZING ENERGY” FOR LONG-DURATION STORAGE

e-Zinc is a company based in Toronto, Canada that has developed a breakthrough electrochemical technology for storing energy in zinc metal. This affordable, flexible, and long-duration energy storage solution is positioned to enable the world’s energy markets to be fully powered by renewable energy, enabling a zero-carbon energy future.  ...

INNOVATE® Seattle

DEFINED.AI

ENABLING CREATORS OF THE FUTURE - TRANSFORMING AI TRAINING, ONE DATASET AT A TIME

At Defined.ai, our commitment is to enable the builders of AI with ethically sourced data and deliver conversational AI to digitally low-resourced markets. I had the idea of founding the company when I realized how the Conversational AI market was becoming mainstream, and everyone was building multilingual voice search and...

INNOVATION Quebec

MECANIUM

CCTT EN MÉCATRONIQUE ET MÉCANIQUE INDUSTRIELLE

MECANIUM a pour mission d’accompagner les PME manufacturières du Québec par la conception et la fabrication de solutions mécatroniques afin d’accroître leurs connaissances, leur productivité, leur compétitivité et la qualité de leurs produits et procédés. Il a également le devoir de contribuer à la formation dans son milieu par le...

INNOVATION Quebec

IRDQ

IRDQ-Une porte d’entrée gratuite vers les infrastructures R-D du Québec

A free gateway to Quebec’s R&D infrastructures

In an effort to facilitate its use when developing new applications, the Infrastructure en recherche et développement du Québec (IRDQ) [Quebec research and development infrastructure] portal brings together worldclass facilities and state-of-the-art equipment from universities, college technology transfer centres (CTTC), and public research centres. The IRDQ’s objective is to provide...

INNOVATION Quebec

SHERBROOKE INNOPOLE

An Innovative Organization

Sherbrooke Innopole is the para-municipal economic development organization for the industrial and tertiary-engine sectors mandated and financed by the Ville de Sherbrooke. Our goal is to energize the business environment, ensure the influence of Sherbrooke and its businesses on the local, national, and international scenes, and develop existing and future...

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™ Adelaide

TAV SYSTEMS

EXPORTING HIGH-QUALITY E-BIKE TECHNOLOGIES TO THE WORLD

TAV is an E-Bike startup based in Adelaide, Australia, that was incorporated in April 2020. Supported by the Government of South Australia and Flinders University under the program called Supporting innovation in South Australia, TAV’s mission is to export Australian-built E-Bike technologies to global brands, foster local innovation, and deliver...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Innovative Moving Solutions: How Technology Is Transforming the Relocation Industry

The moving industry has traditionally relied on manual labor and logistics, but recent innovations in technology are driving a significant transformation in how relocations are handled. From digital platforms that connect customers with movers to AI-powered solutions that streamline operations, technology is making moving faster, more efficient, and customer-centric. This...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Brock Family Center

Accelerating the translation of Vanderbilt discoveries through commercialization and industry partnerships

The Brock Family Center for Applied Innovation was established at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2023 through a $10 million gift from the Brock family, including John F. Brock III, his wife, Mary, and their three adult children – Rebecca Brock Dixon, John F. Brock IV and Major Brock. The...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

ACELERA BRASIL

TRANSFORMING CORPORATE TRAVEL INTO UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES

The corporate travel agency market closed 2023 with a record turnover, indicating a promising future for the sector. It is in this context that Acelera Brasil has been operating since 2017, with a keen focus on the use of Advanced Technology, Service Personalization, Sustainability, Risk Management, Value-Added Offer, Service Integration,...

INNOVATION Quebec

MILA

EN TANT QU’INSTITUT QUÉBÉCOIS D’INTELLIGENCE ARTIFICIELLE, MILA EST L’ÉPICENTRE DE L’EXPERTISE EN APPRENTISSAGE PROFOND (DEEP LEARNING) AU CANADA

Dirigé par le professeur Yoshua Bengio, corécipiendaire en 2018 du prix Turing pour ses travaux fondateurs sur l’apprentissage profond, Mila regroupe une communauté de plus de 1000 chercheuses et chercheurs en IA parmi les plus talentueux au monde. Cette concentration d’experts effectuant des travaux de pointe a permis au Québec...

INNOVATE® Detroit

M1 Concourse

The Heart of Automotive Passion

Along the legendary Woodward Avenue in Pontiac, Michigan, M1 Concourse is a world-class motorsports and automotive event destination. Spanning an impressive 87 acres, it is a hub for high-speed excitement and unmatched automotive culture. Whether you’re a dedicated car enthusiast, an adrenaline junkie looking for high-speed track adventures, or someone...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

Sage Corps

Sage Corps- Is An International Internship Program That Sends Students To Work With Startups. We’re Building The Next Gen Global Workforce

Is An International Internship Program That Sends Students To Work With Startups. We’re Building The Next Gen Global Workforce

In 2003, Matt Meltzer graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. He thought employers would line up to hire him. He was wrong. With zero job offers, Matt flew down to South America with a backpack. After living and working in Buenos Aires for one year, Matt returned...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

AUREX CONSTRUCTORS

AUREX CONSTRUCTORS - HAS BEEN PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY CONSTRUCTION

HAS BEEN PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY CONSTRUCTION, TURNAROUND AND MAINTENANCE PROJECT SERVICES TO BLUE-CHIP CUSTOMERS WITHIN THE ENERGY SECTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS

With experience in oil & gas, mining & metallurgy, infrastructure, petrochemical and clean power our team of experts perform structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, piping, platework (SMEIPP), tank, fabrication and management services for projects of all sizes and complexities within the company’s two business units, Construction and Turnarounds & Maintenance. The...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY-IF YOU BUILD IT

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME...” THIS MISQUOTED LINE DERIVED FROM THE MOVIE, FIELD OF DREAMS, IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH STARTUP DEVELOPMENT. IT SOUNDS GOOD BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT REALISTIC

What does work is the act of providing a reason for why they should come. That is the central theme of Oakwood University’s Entrepreneurship Center, OU Launchpad, and it is why gaming is at the heart of the center’s success. OU Launchpad is structured around ideation and microentrepreneurship. These two...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

STUDIO C&G

Alright stop! Collaborate and listen! We hit the tech industry with a brand new intention!

Alright stop! Collaborate and listen! We hit the tech industry with a brand new intention! What is something you see all the time? Is it companies focusing on iteration, always eager to jump directly into the development of neat, new technology? (A desire to explore the Great Unknown – to...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

ESTBAN

ESTONIAN BUSINESS ANGELS NETWORK IS A ROLE MODEL FOR EUROPEAN ANGEL CLUBS

The Estonian Business Angels Network (EstBAN) has been connecting and educating startup investors and providing a platform for innovation in Estonia and beyond since 2012. EstBAN has become one of Europe’s most respected and well-managed angel investor networks. With nearly 260 members and a growing track record of syndicated and...

INNOVATION Quebec

RÉSEAU ENVIRONNEMENT

DES ACTIONS CONCRÈTES POUR CATALYSER L’ÉCONOMIE VERTE* AU QUÉBEC

Grâce à l’expertise de ses membres des domaines public, privé et académique, Réseau Environnement fait le pont entre l’expertise technique et les politiques publiques. Par sa place dans le secteur environnemental, notre association se doit d’être à l’avant-garde, et cela passe aussi par une collaboration avec les entrepreneurs, les innovateurs...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

Babbasa

Babbasa - A Bristol-Based Nonprofit Which Supports Young People From Less Advantaged Backgrounds to Achieve Their Professional Ambitions

A Bristol-Based Nonprofit Which Supports Young People From Less Advantaged Backgrounds to Achieve Their Professional Ambitions

The Challenge While Bristol continues to have one of the UK’s fastest growing economies, not all of Bristol’s citizens have been sharing in the city’s success. Sixty per cent of Bristol’s ethnic minority population live in areas of economic disadvantage; two-thirds of whom live in Bristol’s most disadvantaged inner-city wards....

INNOVATION Quebec

Espace d’accélération et de croissance de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (EACAT)

Espace d’accélération et de croissance de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (EACAT) is part of the Espaces régionaux d’accélération et de croissance

is part of the Espaces régionaux d’accélération et de croissance, implemented by the ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation du Québec in 2018

The organization was created in 2018, following a regional consultation and consensus-building process to establish the proper positioning of the organization. The complementarity of the organization’s mission along with all the partners of the development and innovation ecosystem in the region led to the creation of a new entity in...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Holmes Custom

Creating Personalised Products

Now celebrating its 65th year in business, Jacksonville-based Holmes Custom designs, manufactures, and retails personalized products across 8 web brands. How does a business that was started in the 1950s stand the test of time? There’s only one way: Innovation. What began as a rubber stamp manufacturer in a garage...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Plug and Play Detroit

Driving the Future of Mobility

A city synonymous with automotive innovation, Plug and Play’s Detroit operation is making waves with its groundbreaking approach to mobility. As a global leader in fostering innovation, Plug and Play has established itself as a critical player in the tech ecosystem. However, in Detroit, the organization is doing more than...

United Nations Lesotho

UNICEF

A Legacy of Care and Progress

The impactful journey of the United Nations in Lesotho over the past 40 years and the future partnership between the UN and the government of Lesotho. For over four decades, UNICEF has stood alongside Lesotho in its mission to secure a brighter future for its children. From the remote mountain...

INNOVATION Quebec

The Society for Arts and Technology [SAT]

Merging science, art and technology

The Society for Arts and Technology [SAT] is a research and creation laboratory that multiplies technological possibilities and the hybridization of realities and artistic disciplines. For over 25 years, it has been a place of discovery, collective learning and immersive experimentation where generations of artists meet and new trends are...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

E-ZINC

E-ZINC- “METALLIZING ENERGY” FOR LONG-DURATION STORAGE

"METALLIZING ENERGY” FOR LONG-DURATION STORAGE

e-Zinc is a company based in Toronto, Canada that has developed a breakthrough electrochemical technology for storing energy in zinc metal. This affordable, flexible, and long-duration energy storage solution is positioned to enable the world’s energy markets to be fully powered by renewable energy, enabling a zero-carbon energy future.  ...

INNOVATE® Seattle

DEFINED.AI

ENABLING CREATORS OF THE FUTURE - TRANSFORMING AI TRAINING, ONE DATASET AT A TIME

At Defined.ai, our commitment is to enable the builders of AI with ethically sourced data and deliver conversational AI to digitally low-resourced markets. I had the idea of founding the company when I realized how the Conversational AI market was becoming mainstream, and everyone was building multilingual voice search and...

INNOVATION Quebec

MECANIUM

CCTT EN MÉCATRONIQUE ET MÉCANIQUE INDUSTRIELLE

MECANIUM a pour mission d’accompagner les PME manufacturières du Québec par la conception et la fabrication de solutions mécatroniques afin d’accroître leurs connaissances, leur productivité, leur compétitivité et la qualité de leurs produits et procédés. Il a également le devoir de contribuer à la formation dans son milieu par le...

INNOVATION Quebec

IRDQ

IRDQ-Une porte d’entrée gratuite vers les infrastructures R-D du Québec

A free gateway to Quebec’s R&D infrastructures

In an effort to facilitate its use when developing new applications, the Infrastructure en recherche et développement du Québec (IRDQ) [Quebec research and development infrastructure] portal brings together worldclass facilities and state-of-the-art equipment from universities, college technology transfer centres (CTTC), and public research centres. The IRDQ’s objective is to provide...

INNOVATION Quebec

SHERBROOKE INNOPOLE

An Innovative Organization

Sherbrooke Innopole is the para-municipal economic development organization for the industrial and tertiary-engine sectors mandated and financed by the Ville de Sherbrooke. Our goal is to energize the business environment, ensure the influence of Sherbrooke and its businesses on the local, national, and international scenes, and develop existing and future...

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™ Adelaide

TAV SYSTEMS

EXPORTING HIGH-QUALITY E-BIKE TECHNOLOGIES TO THE WORLD

TAV is an E-Bike startup based in Adelaide, Australia, that was incorporated in April 2020. Supported by the Government of South Australia and Flinders University under the program called Supporting innovation in South Australia, TAV’s mission is to export Australian-built E-Bike technologies to global brands, foster local innovation, and deliver...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Innovative Moving Solutions: How Technology Is Transforming the Relocation Industry

The moving industry has traditionally relied on manual labor and logistics, but recent innovations in technology are driving a significant transformation in how relocations are handled. From digital platforms that connect customers with movers to AI-powered solutions that streamline operations, technology is making moving faster, more efficient, and customer-centric. This...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Brock Family Center

Accelerating the translation of Vanderbilt discoveries through commercialization and industry partnerships

The Brock Family Center for Applied Innovation was established at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2023 through a $10 million gift from the Brock family, including John F. Brock III, his wife, Mary, and their three adult children – Rebecca Brock Dixon, John F. Brock IV and Major Brock. The...

Ecosystems