Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2

ENCAST

DEEPENS CONNECTION BETWEEN PEOPLE, BRANDS, AND CAUSES

Our ecosystem simultaneously uplifts personal interactions, culture, brand affinity, and social impact. THE PROBLEMAbout 10,000 baby boomers retire daily. Millennials and Zoomers are taking their place, currently representing over 60% of the U.S. workforce. Younger generations care deeply about social causes. organizations who give them a greater purpose – other...

INNOVATE® Nashville

LODESTONE ADVISORY GROUP

Is reimagining venture capital and economic development from the ground up

When we founded Lodestone Advisory Group in 2013, business leaders were tired of a management consulting industry that was a stiff, black box offering one-size-fits-all “solutions,” with little accountability on end results. Lodestone, named after the naturally occurring magnetic powder that gave early merchants and tradesmen the ability to navigate...

INNOVATION Quebec

Génome Québec

le joyau caché des sciences de la vie La génomique- Facteur d’attraction d’investissements et de talents

GÉNOME QUÉBEC a été fondé en 2000, dans la foulée du premier séquençage entier du génome humain. Membre du réseau pancanadien chapeauté par Génome Canada, notre mission consiste à soutenir le développement stratégique et scientifique de la génomique au Québec. En collaboration avec ses partenaires, Génome Québec a investi plus...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

Banco Primus

Is A Portuguese Bank, Based In The Disruptive “Oeiras Valley” Ecosystem.

The Bank was founded in 2005 and is part of Groupe BPCE, the second largest banking group in France. Our statement “O seu Futuro Primeiro” (Your Future First) reflects our mission, the creation of benefits and opportunities for Customers, Partners, Employees and Shareholders. OUR HISTORY Banco Primus started its activity...

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® Washington DMV Edition

UNIVERSITY STARTUPS

Empowering Tomorrow

In the early, uncertain days of the pandemic, two Georgetown University McDonough School of Business professors found themselves contemplating a way to bring more purpose to their work and students’ lives. Marc Steren and John Jabara, both seasoned academics and entrepreneurs, decided to channel their expertise into something transformative. What...

INNOVATION Quebec

RQIS

THE BEATING HEART OF QUEBEC’S SOCIAL INNOVATION SYSTEM

The Réseau québécois en innovation sociale (RQIS) is a space for sharing and mobilizing knowledge and experience, helping to make social innovation an essential lever for sustainable development in Quebec. Created in 2005 as part of the Université du Québec network, RQIS first focused on gaining a better understanding of...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

LIDE PARANA

OUR BUSINESS IS TO GENERATE BUSINESS.

LIDE Parana – A group of business leaders – constantly seeks to drive the Parana market. The entity creates an ecosystem focused on business development based on the pillars of networking and content. Attracting leadership with a positive and proactive agenda, the group fosters free enterprise and consequently the economic...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

FREELY PAYMENTS

HARNESSING INNOVATION TO TRANSFORM FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS

“We are not just facilitating transactions; we are redefining them to create tangible benefits for our clients.” In the bustling city of Washington, D.C., a pioneering force is reshaping the financial contours of the food and beverage industry. freely Payments, a visionary B2B payments gateway, has not just entered the...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

BUENA VIBRA

Thriving in the ‘Multicooltural’ Creative Business-How culture shapes the entertainment business in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean

For years, the founders of Buena Vibra asked themselves how to praise the Puerto Rican talent. They were always aware of all the potential that the island held, recognizing the fast evolution and future globalization of the latin music, star product of the island that gave them life. They had...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

ULTRA

ULTRA-GAMERS HAVE WANTED TO DO MORE WHILE GAMING. NOW THEY CAN.

GAMERS HAVE WANTED TO DO MORE WHILE GAMING. NOW THEY CAN.

READY PLAYER ONE“What if I actually owned my digital games and in-game items?” That’s been the question on most gamers’ minds.   With limited solutions and some gamers resorting to the shady secondhand grey market to make use of their content outside of the game, David Hanson and Nicolas Gilot,...

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™ Curitiba

IDERIS

6-YEARS OF HISTORY OF BRAZIL’S LARGEST MARKETPLACE INTEGRATOR

Ideris was born in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, located in the southern region of Brazil, in the year 2017. The company is the result of the Tecnoparque program, which drives innovative local projects. Curitiba is a reference for innovation in Brazil, and in 2023, it was...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

FIRST NATIONAL BANK BOTSWANA

INNOVATES TOWARDS GREATER FINANCIAL INCLUSION

First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) has established itself as the country’s leading driver of innovation and investing in financial inclusion to help more Batswana realise their aspirations beyond simple access to transactional banking services. FNBB is Botswana’s largest commercial bank by balance sheet, footprint and customer volumes. Over the years,...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

THOMAS MORE

THOMAS MORE-From Idea To Ecosystem

From Idea To Ecosystem

IN THE HEALTH SECTOR AT THOMAS MORE: We stimulate & support innovation For years, Research @Thomas More has been actively working on innovation in the health and welfare sector with its research groups Mobilab & Care and CEBUD, and the living lab research by LiCalab. We are the driving force...

INNOVATION Quebec

CRISPESH

CCTT EN INCLUSION DES PERSONNES EN SITUATION DE HANDICAP

SpécialisationLe Centre de recherche pour l’inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap (CRISPESH) est un centre collégial de recherche appliquée et de transfert (CCTT) en pratiques sociales novatrices affilié au cégep du Vieux Montréal et au collège Dawson. Ses champs d’expertises sont l’inclusion scolaire, professionnelle et sociale des personnes en...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

MadeiraMadeira

GET TO KNOW THE CURITIBA UNICORN THAT TRANSFORMED THE FURNITURE AND DECORATION MARKET IN THE COUNTRY

Established in 2009, MadeiraMadeira is now the largest online furniture and decoration platform in Latin America. Prior to its foundation, the company’s story began with brothers Daniel Scandian and Marcelo Scandian. Coming from an entrepreneurial family background, they grew up with the same values. During a challenging period in both...

AI Québec

RETAIL INNOVATION LAB

RETAIL INNOVATION LAB- AT THE BENSADOUN SCHOOL OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT

AT THE BENSADOUN SCHOOL OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT, MCGILL UNIVERSITY

The Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM) at McGill University recently launched a retail innovation lab. This initiative is a collaboration between McGill University and Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT). The lab is a convenience store as well as a living lab that operates on the McGill University campus and houses...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

O GROUP

O GROUP-LEVERAGING CRYPTO’S OPERATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

LEVERAGING CRYPTO’S OPERATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Crypto’s potential is just beginning, and OGroup LLC drives progress by utilizing blockchain technologies to uncover disruption opportunities. As our lives are increasingly merging online, technology has the power to shift societal behavior and direct change. We at OGroup hope for a better, more inclusive change with abundance for all....

INNOVATE® South Carolina

Code/+/Trust

Agile, On-Shore Product Studio for End-to-End Software Development

At Code/+/Trust, we’re more than just a development shop, we’re your strategic co-founders, product visionaries, and fractional CTOs. What do bourbon barrels, jails, and hospitals have in common? They’re all part of the industries our clients have disrupted with our help. We use a flexible, industry-agnostic process: discovery, user research,...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

NORDIC ANGELS

THE NORDIC REGION HAS LONG BEEN CELEBRATED FOR ITS STABILITY, RESILIENCE, INNOVATION, AND ABILITY TO TURN INNOVATIVE IDEAS INTO GLOBAL COMPANIES.

Yet behind every breakthrough founder, there is a backbone of early believers – angels who provide not only capital, but experience, networks, and confidence at the most fragile stage of company building. For too long, this backbone has been fragmented. Individual angels operate in isolation, limiting their influence. Nordic Angels...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

ETHEREAL VENTURES

INVESTING IN POTENTIAL, UNEARTHING THE GOLD WITHIN

Founded in 2020, Ethereal Ventures AB builds on two decades of experience in AI and data innovation — helping leaders transform potential into purpose. Our mission is simple: to add value to leaders who multiply value to others—through coaching, speaking, writing, and investing in dreams. We believe that achieving a...

INNOVATE® Nashville

DECODE HEALTH

DECODE HEALTH-Advancing Precision Medicine to Improve Lives

Advancing Precision Medicine to Improve Lives

Current methods of managing healthcare are unsustainable, with chronic disease treatment alone putting a $4 trillion annual strain on the U.S. economy. Healthcare professionals across the board agree that earlier diagnosis, better preventative care, and improved disease management will significantly reduce those costs while improving the lives of millions of...

INNOVATION Quebec

ExperiSens

CCTT IN THE MULTISENSORY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND HOSPITALITY

ExperiSens is a college centre for the transfer of technologies and innovative social practices (CCTT) at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) that performs applied research and provides technical assistance, training, and information to tourismand hospitality organizations and professionals while enriching the ITHQ’s educational mission. Optimizing hospitality...

INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2

ENCAST

DEEPENS CONNECTION BETWEEN PEOPLE, BRANDS, AND CAUSES

Our ecosystem simultaneously uplifts personal interactions, culture, brand affinity, and social impact. THE PROBLEMAbout 10,000 baby boomers retire daily. Millennials and Zoomers are taking their place, currently representing over 60% of the U.S. workforce. Younger generations care deeply about social causes. organizations who give them a greater purpose – other...

INNOVATE® Nashville

LODESTONE ADVISORY GROUP

Is reimagining venture capital and economic development from the ground up

When we founded Lodestone Advisory Group in 2013, business leaders were tired of a management consulting industry that was a stiff, black box offering one-size-fits-all “solutions,” with little accountability on end results. Lodestone, named after the naturally occurring magnetic powder that gave early merchants and tradesmen the ability to navigate...

INNOVATION Quebec

Génome Québec

le joyau caché des sciences de la vie La génomique- Facteur d’attraction d’investissements et de talents

GÉNOME QUÉBEC a été fondé en 2000, dans la foulée du premier séquençage entier du génome humain. Membre du réseau pancanadien chapeauté par Génome Canada, notre mission consiste à soutenir le développement stratégique et scientifique de la génomique au Québec. En collaboration avec ses partenaires, Génome Québec a investi plus...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

Banco Primus

Is A Portuguese Bank, Based In The Disruptive “Oeiras Valley” Ecosystem.

The Bank was founded in 2005 and is part of Groupe BPCE, the second largest banking group in France. Our statement “O seu Futuro Primeiro” (Your Future First) reflects our mission, the creation of benefits and opportunities for Customers, Partners, Employees and Shareholders. OUR HISTORY Banco Primus started its activity...

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® Washington DMV Edition

UNIVERSITY STARTUPS

Empowering Tomorrow

In the early, uncertain days of the pandemic, two Georgetown University McDonough School of Business professors found themselves contemplating a way to bring more purpose to their work and students’ lives. Marc Steren and John Jabara, both seasoned academics and entrepreneurs, decided to channel their expertise into something transformative. What...

INNOVATION Quebec

RQIS

THE BEATING HEART OF QUEBEC’S SOCIAL INNOVATION SYSTEM

The Réseau québécois en innovation sociale (RQIS) is a space for sharing and mobilizing knowledge and experience, helping to make social innovation an essential lever for sustainable development in Quebec. Created in 2005 as part of the Université du Québec network, RQIS first focused on gaining a better understanding of...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

LIDE PARANA

OUR BUSINESS IS TO GENERATE BUSINESS.

LIDE Parana – A group of business leaders – constantly seeks to drive the Parana market. The entity creates an ecosystem focused on business development based on the pillars of networking and content. Attracting leadership with a positive and proactive agenda, the group fosters free enterprise and consequently the economic...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

FREELY PAYMENTS

HARNESSING INNOVATION TO TRANSFORM FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS

“We are not just facilitating transactions; we are redefining them to create tangible benefits for our clients.” In the bustling city of Washington, D.C., a pioneering force is reshaping the financial contours of the food and beverage industry. freely Payments, a visionary B2B payments gateway, has not just entered the...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

BUENA VIBRA

Thriving in the ‘Multicooltural’ Creative Business-How culture shapes the entertainment business in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean

For years, the founders of Buena Vibra asked themselves how to praise the Puerto Rican talent. They were always aware of all the potential that the island held, recognizing the fast evolution and future globalization of the latin music, star product of the island that gave them life. They had...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

ULTRA

ULTRA-GAMERS HAVE WANTED TO DO MORE WHILE GAMING. NOW THEY CAN.

GAMERS HAVE WANTED TO DO MORE WHILE GAMING. NOW THEY CAN.

READY PLAYER ONE“What if I actually owned my digital games and in-game items?” That’s been the question on most gamers’ minds.   With limited solutions and some gamers resorting to the shady secondhand grey market to make use of their content outside of the game, David Hanson and Nicolas Gilot,...

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™ Curitiba

IDERIS

6-YEARS OF HISTORY OF BRAZIL’S LARGEST MARKETPLACE INTEGRATOR

Ideris was born in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, located in the southern region of Brazil, in the year 2017. The company is the result of the Tecnoparque program, which drives innovative local projects. Curitiba is a reference for innovation in Brazil, and in 2023, it was...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

FIRST NATIONAL BANK BOTSWANA

INNOVATES TOWARDS GREATER FINANCIAL INCLUSION

First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) has established itself as the country’s leading driver of innovation and investing in financial inclusion to help more Batswana realise their aspirations beyond simple access to transactional banking services. FNBB is Botswana’s largest commercial bank by balance sheet, footprint and customer volumes. Over the years,...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

THOMAS MORE

THOMAS MORE-From Idea To Ecosystem

From Idea To Ecosystem

IN THE HEALTH SECTOR AT THOMAS MORE: We stimulate & support innovation For years, Research @Thomas More has been actively working on innovation in the health and welfare sector with its research groups Mobilab & Care and CEBUD, and the living lab research by LiCalab. We are the driving force...

INNOVATION Quebec

CRISPESH

CCTT EN INCLUSION DES PERSONNES EN SITUATION DE HANDICAP

SpécialisationLe Centre de recherche pour l’inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap (CRISPESH) est un centre collégial de recherche appliquée et de transfert (CCTT) en pratiques sociales novatrices affilié au cégep du Vieux Montréal et au collège Dawson. Ses champs d’expertises sont l’inclusion scolaire, professionnelle et sociale des personnes en...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

MadeiraMadeira

GET TO KNOW THE CURITIBA UNICORN THAT TRANSFORMED THE FURNITURE AND DECORATION MARKET IN THE COUNTRY

Established in 2009, MadeiraMadeira is now the largest online furniture and decoration platform in Latin America. Prior to its foundation, the company’s story began with brothers Daniel Scandian and Marcelo Scandian. Coming from an entrepreneurial family background, they grew up with the same values. During a challenging period in both...

AI Québec

RETAIL INNOVATION LAB

RETAIL INNOVATION LAB- AT THE BENSADOUN SCHOOL OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT

AT THE BENSADOUN SCHOOL OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT, MCGILL UNIVERSITY

The Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM) at McGill University recently launched a retail innovation lab. This initiative is a collaboration between McGill University and Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT). The lab is a convenience store as well as a living lab that operates on the McGill University campus and houses...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

O GROUP

O GROUP-LEVERAGING CRYPTO’S OPERATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

LEVERAGING CRYPTO’S OPERATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Crypto’s potential is just beginning, and OGroup LLC drives progress by utilizing blockchain technologies to uncover disruption opportunities. As our lives are increasingly merging online, technology has the power to shift societal behavior and direct change. We at OGroup hope for a better, more inclusive change with abundance for all....

INNOVATE® South Carolina

Code/+/Trust

Agile, On-Shore Product Studio for End-to-End Software Development

At Code/+/Trust, we’re more than just a development shop, we’re your strategic co-founders, product visionaries, and fractional CTOs. What do bourbon barrels, jails, and hospitals have in common? They’re all part of the industries our clients have disrupted with our help. We use a flexible, industry-agnostic process: discovery, user research,...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

NORDIC ANGELS

THE NORDIC REGION HAS LONG BEEN CELEBRATED FOR ITS STABILITY, RESILIENCE, INNOVATION, AND ABILITY TO TURN INNOVATIVE IDEAS INTO GLOBAL COMPANIES.

Yet behind every breakthrough founder, there is a backbone of early believers – angels who provide not only capital, but experience, networks, and confidence at the most fragile stage of company building. For too long, this backbone has been fragmented. Individual angels operate in isolation, limiting their influence. Nordic Angels...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

ETHEREAL VENTURES

INVESTING IN POTENTIAL, UNEARTHING THE GOLD WITHIN

Founded in 2020, Ethereal Ventures AB builds on two decades of experience in AI and data innovation — helping leaders transform potential into purpose. Our mission is simple: to add value to leaders who multiply value to others—through coaching, speaking, writing, and investing in dreams. We believe that achieving a...

INNOVATE® Nashville

DECODE HEALTH

DECODE HEALTH-Advancing Precision Medicine to Improve Lives

Advancing Precision Medicine to Improve Lives

Current methods of managing healthcare are unsustainable, with chronic disease treatment alone putting a $4 trillion annual strain on the U.S. economy. Healthcare professionals across the board agree that earlier diagnosis, better preventative care, and improved disease management will significantly reduce those costs while improving the lives of millions of...

INNOVATION Quebec

ExperiSens

CCTT IN THE MULTISENSORY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND HOSPITALITY

ExperiSens is a college centre for the transfer of technologies and innovative social practices (CCTT) at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) that performs applied research and provides technical assistance, training, and information to tourismand hospitality organizations and professionals while enriching the ITHQ’s educational mission. Optimizing hospitality...

Ecosystems