Stories of Innovation

Meet NobiAn Antwerp scale-up known for its AI-driven smart lamps, used for fall detection, fall prevention and lifestyle monitoring. When founding their company, Roeland Pelgrims, Stijn Verrept and Bert De Haes believed that everyone on this planet deserves to grow old in a dignified, safe and happy manner. Pretty ambitious...

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...

USCREEN IS AN ALL-IN-ONE MEMBERSHIP PLATFORM BUILT FOR VIDEO CREATORS. Uscreen started as a bootstrapped company in 2014 with just an idea to start streaming DVDs and quickly pivoted to helping their customers sell video on demand subscriptions. Early customers include Yoga with Adriene and Sarah Beth Yoga, two highly...

The Chicago Connectory is a co-creation space and IoT incubator located in Chicago’s historic Merchandise Mart. Our co-working space builds business, collaboration, and network opportunities to our community. The Chicago Connectory opened its doors in May 2017. The idea for the Chicago Connectory sparked with Bosch, a multinational engineering and...

Benchmark Sixty is not your usual entrepreneurial story. It wasn’t an idea that was burning inside of a serial entrepreneur, or a strategically thought out plan. It was an “accidental startup” that sprouted from the pain points of an industry that was devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. What started as...

The transportation industry is amid one of the most important revolutions since 1886, when Karl Benz invented the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE). 135 years later, electric vehicles (EV) are now the leading focus of automotive engineering and innovation around the world. As with any new...

Bank Zero is a unique and powerful App-based bank with Zero fees and a patented secure card. It caters for both individuals and businesses. Digital, social and financial connectedness is a reality and it’s also a very human trait. Bank Zero supports this directly in its innovative design. By friending...

Since launching, Songfinch has grown into the leading creator marketplace for musicians touting some of the most influential names in music and tech as investors, including music icon Quincy Jones, current music superstars Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye and Amala ‘Doja Cat’ Dlamini, Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman, School of Rock...

In the vibrant heart of Antwerp, nestled within the enchanting Botanical Garden, dunden is revolutionizing healthcare innovation as Flanders’ dynamic epicenter for tech-driven startups and scale-ups. Blending historical charms with contemporary amenities, dunden isn’t just a workspace – it’s a curated tech community dedicated to impacting lives through groundbreaking healthcare...

Inauguré en janvier 2020, l’Institut intelligence et données (IID) de l’Université Laval réunit les forces vives de la recherche et de l’innovation en intelligence artificielle (IA) et en valorisation des données de la grande région de Québec. De la recherche appliquée ou fondamentale, en passant par les grands enjeux éthiques,...

The Research Centre on Advanced Materials of Université Laval (CERMA) in Quebec City is dedicated to fundamental and applied studies aiming at developing materials that can benefit Quebec society. Reproduction of the upper part of a pig femur by 3D printing (right: real bone; left: printed model; center: 3D representation...

Sightera Biosciences accelerates drug discovery with an innovative approach that combines chemical structure analysis with complex patient-relevant preclinical models to design novel therapies. Due to the organization’s exclusive research collaboration with the DrugVision.AI screening platform of the University of Antwerp/UZA, it can produce exclusive datasets from patient-derived models to train...

Africa needs African solutions. Adversities unquestionably limit the potential of people, communities, and economies in Africa. However, where there are challenges, there are opportunities. HYBR proves scalable entrepreneurship is the answer for social change and impact in Africa.   HYBR is a unique social enterprise founded in Africa with the...

PIONEERING THE FUTURE OF VIDEO 3.0 AND EMPOWERING THE CREATOR Streann Media, a tech company based in Miami, is revolutionizing the video and content creation industry through its next-generation platform, which blends artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality( AR), and vertical video. Known for its innovative approach to digital content distribution,...

In 2012, with two young children at home and a bold vision for the South’s untapped potential, Stanfield Gray and his wife, Sunny Gray, launched DIG SOUTH in Charleston, South Carolina. They were driven by a simple question: Why should a child from the South have fewer opportunities than a...

Innovation is about harnessing change, testing boundaries, and deciding to lead instead of follow. True, the process is rarely simple (let alone straightforward), but those who take the risk get a chance to write their futures. There’s no “right” path to innovation. As our experiences at KPMG’s Ignition Center reveal...

Clemson University stands at the forefront of automotive and manufacturing innovation, serving as a vital asset for both research and workforce development for South Carolina’s economic engine. Clemson is home, for example, to the nation’s only graduate program in automotive engineering, offering M.S. and Ph.D. degrees that prepare students to...

The gaming community has always been full of diverse people and communities. However, the developers of games have not always reflected the same diversity. Marginalized people have not been offered many of the same opportunities as their counterparts. It’s time to move across the country, and the only person with...

Commercial construction plays a critical role in shaping South Carolina’s economy and the communities it serves. From advanced manufacturing and industrial facilities to office, medical, and distribution centers, Frampton Construction delivers projects that support growth, innovation, and long-term resilience. Founded in 1993 as Frampton & Associates, Inc., Frampton Construction is...

Floorspace originated from Matt Carlson’s experience in the industry, while working as Executive Vice President at a prominent commercial real estate brokerage. During his tenure, Matt observed the challenges faced by both seasoned brokers and young professionals aspiring to enter the commercial real estate industry. Certain hurdles like limited and...

Classical musicians and technologists rarely interact with one another, but the people behind Living Opera believe that they can be important allies in the journey to produce transformative content that makes societies better off. Living Opera demonstrates how the collaboration of artists and technologists will be a pivotal element in...

A Journey of Transformation The story of DJJ Technologies is deeply intertwined with the personal journey of its founder. James began his career at AT&T in 1984, where he honed his skills by selling telephone systems and computers to major oil companies across Texas. His move to Atlanta in 1986...

City Riders, born in 2018 from the frustrations of its founder, Thomas McElroy, embodies a passion for community and exploration. Motivated by the inconsistency of his riding companions, McElroy envisioned a solution that would unite like-minded enthusiasts globally. This vision materialized into City Riders, a platform connecting individuals who share...

The concept of the Internet of Things and Big Data has always intrigued Ashveer and Nivashnee Ramparsad, a husband and wife team that are so passionate about the world of technology and data-driven business. As founders of Smartee, they saw the need to invest themselves into this vision. During his...