Stories of Innovation
INNOVATION Quebec
Innofibre
Founded in 1989, Innofibre - Cellulosic Products Innovation Center, is a college center for the transfer of technologies that collaborates with companies, public organizations and both public and private research institutions for the development and scaling of biobased products and bioprocesses
Innofibre’s vision is to contribute to the development of the bioeconomy in Quebec by supporting SME and large companies in innovation. The Innofibre team has the expertise to carry out multidisciplinary projects and carries out numerous projects each year with several partner research institutions. Innofibre stands out for its $40...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
INDUNIV
PUERTO RICO'S CLUSTER: GLOBAL LEADER IN BIOSCIENCES
Puerto Rico offers a top-rated bioscience ecosystem, that for 60 years has successfully developed, transfer and manufacture biopharmaceutical, medical devices and bio-agricultural products that are distributed to over 120 countries with proven quality and business continuity. The Caribbean Island with a surface area of 9,104 km2 has the highest density...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS
Web Design, Development and Optimization with Deep Roots in the City of Chicago
They both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and met in high school. When Barrett Lombardo and Andy Crestodina graduated, they headed off to the University of Iowa together. They shared a dorm room and one of those boxy Macintosh computers. It was the early 1990s. Most people...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MATRIX COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
IS AN INTEGRATED MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS HOLDING COMPANY WITH A FOOTPRINT IN PRETORIA, JOHANNESBURG, CAPE TOWN AND DURBAN IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH COLLABORATIONS WITH AGENCIES IN KENYA AND NIGERIA
We partner with entrepreneurs across Africa who are experts in their fields, supporting them in an enabling, energising collaborative environment. We have partnered with agencies that operate independently and have their own P&L, however, our philosophy is built on principles of seamless collaboration. As such our solutions are agnostic and...
INNOVATION Quebec
ÉCOFAUNE BORÉALE
CCTT IN ECO-RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION IN THE LEATHER SECTOR, FUR AND RELATED PRODUCTS
Our mission at Écofaune boréale—Cégep de Saint-Félicien’s college centre for the transfer of technology—is to promote the development of innovative social practices through applied research, technological development, technical assistance, knowledge transfer and scientific knowledge dissemination, enabling all socio-economic players in the fur and leather industries to reposition themselves economically in...
INNOVATE® Nashville
DALTON GETS PEOPLE
AND THAT'S HOW THEY GET RESULTS
Since 1989, truly understanding people has been a unique trait of Dalton – a leading advertising, public relations and digital marketing agency with offices across the Southeast, in Nashville, Atlanta and Jacksonville. On every project, Dalton digs deep to uncover the insights and human truths that get to the emotional...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
SAWAI FRAGRANCES USA
PERFECTING THE ART OF FRAGRANCE SINCE 1965
Born in India in 1965, Sawai Fragrances is a traditional Indian manufacturing business that is changing the way the world sees (or smells) perfume, in its new avatar in New Jersey. Sawai Fragrances was founded by Mr. Sawailal Jain in Kanauj, India – an area that is home to a...
INNOVATION Quebec
MERINOV
À LA TÊTE DE L’ÉCONOMIE BLEUE DANS L’EST DU CANADA
Merinov est un chef de file de l’économie bleue dans l’est du Canada. En fait, il est le plus important centre intégré de recherche appliquée au pays en pêches, aquaculture, transformation et valorisation des produits aquatiques. Depuis sa création en 2010, le centre de recherche vise à incarner le département...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVES ASSOCIATION OF PUERTO RICO
LEADING THE WAY IN SALES & MARKETING
The Sales & Marketing Executives Association of Puerto Rico (SME) is a non-profit organization that brings together a community of more than 500 professionals from diverse industries, major corporations, and local businesses, as well as college students on the island. For the past 72 years, the association has been advancing...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION
THE FESTIVAL STATE
With a world-class festival and events calendar that spans the whole year, you’ll always find frivolity on your South Australian itinerary. Think festivals dedicated to Australia’s most watched game, or all things culinary excellence; Australia’s greatest cycling race, international sporting debuts or the world’s second largest arts festival. There’s a...
INNOVATE® Seattle
Madrona
A Partner and Backer of Founders at the Innovation, Early and Acceleration Stages
Madrona starts working with leadership teams before the first investment, supporting them with capital and hard work. We have been doing this since 1995 and actively invest in AI, enterprise technology, marketplaces and more. As the tech footprint in Seattle has grown, so have we. Madrona opened a Silicon Valley...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
EsportScholar
Is located at the intersection of esports and education, and is home to the future of learning and competition
Our after-school league coalesces in-game coaching with STEAM instruction into a dynamic, engaging program for organizations, schools and school districts. We’re in the business of building vibrant esports communities with the goal of being the highlight of our students’ days. We believe in recognizing abilities that have (for far too...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
SFU’s CHARLES CHANG INSTITUTE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
INNOVATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
World-Class Spirit & InnovationAs the World’s #1 university for Entrepreneurial Spirit and #1 in Canada for Innovation*, Simon Fraser University is recognized as one of Canada’s most supportive post-secondary ecosystems for innovative research and education across disciplines. The heart of its entrepreneurship education pillar beats in the Charles Chang Institute...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
SNAPSCAN
SIMPLIFYING PAYMENTS ONE SNAP AT A TIME
SnapScan is more than just a smartphone app. It’s a contactless, mobile payment solution that makes it easy and safe to pay and receive payments in a store, online, at home, and on the go. Our storyFounded in 2013, SnapScan gained traction at markets and coffee shops in Stellenbosch....
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
DIGITAL NATIVES
LEADING THE CHANGE
Digital Natives is a 100% youth and citizen-owned, multi-award-winning software and disruptive agency with the founder, Mthabisi Bokete, being Standard Bank Africa Group’s youngest Board Member in the history of Stanbic Bank, both locally & globally. Digital Natives won the regional 2020 SADC Innovation and Investment Competition with their remarkable...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
PRAKTIKAL
MAKING ABSTRACT SCIENCE TANGIBLE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Remember learning to ride a bicycle? No amount of physics equations about angular momentum or center of gravity could replace that moment when you finally felt the balance click into place. Your hands knew when to turn the handlebars, your body learned to lean into curves, and suddenly, you were...
INNOVATE® South Florida
VENTURE MIAMI
DRIVING INNOVATION AND PROSPERITY IN MIAMI
Venture Miami, the City of Miami’s economic development office, is committed to creating opportunities that fuel economic growth. At the heart of its mission is positioning Miami as a vibrant hub of innovation and technological advancement within the epicenter of South Florida’s rapid growth as one of the fastest-growing global...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
BMW
Full Speed Towards The Mobility Of The Future
With more than 100 years of history and a journey based on the courage to innovate and compete among the best, the BMW Group continues to learn from the challenges of the past to respond to the opportunities of the future. We believe that the answer to great challenges is...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
BASE
GET CONNECTED AND EXPAND YOUR NETWORK AT BASE CO-WORK: The innovative co-working space in Santurce, Puerto Rico
To collaborate is to win. Base Co-work started with this idea and the need to bring forward a new, cool space to work and expand connections for remote workers, who either travel and/or don’t have a stable office or place to work at home. Base Co-work is located near restaurants,...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
MKE Tech
The World of Talent is Changing. Is Your Business Ready?
Since the inception of the MKE Tech Hub Coalition, we’ve been guided by a bold vision of technology as an economic driver in the region. We’ve operated with a civic mindset, while remaining curious to address the region’s most pressing needs in tech. As the region has advanced, we’ve kept...
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...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
DEVCO
A POWERFUL ENGINE FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH
New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco) was established in 1976 as a nonprofit development company to initiate redevelopment projects and to serve as the vehicle for public and private investment in the City of New Brunswick. Under the leadership of Christopher Paladino, DEVCO has initiated, developed, and managed 8.3 million square...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
CITY RIDERS
BRIDGING THE GAP: HOW CITY RIDERS LINKS LIKE-MINDED ENTHUSIASTS
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...
Global Innovation Spotlight
The New Generation of Climate Entrepreneurs Building a Greener Economy
While climate change seems like an enormous challenge, many young entrepreneurs are not sitting around, waiting for others to resolve the problem. Instead, they are starting their ventures focused on renewable energy, improved food systems, transportation, reduction of waste and more sustainable cities. The founders of these ventures are far...
INNOVATION Quebec
Innofibre
Founded in 1989, Innofibre - Cellulosic Products Innovation Center, is a college center for the transfer of technologies that collaborates with companies, public organizations and both public and private research institutions for the development and scaling of biobased products and bioprocesses
Innofibre’s vision is to contribute to the development of the bioeconomy in Quebec by supporting SME and large companies in innovation. The Innofibre team has the expertise to carry out multidisciplinary projects and carries out numerous projects each year with several partner research institutions. Innofibre stands out for its $40...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
INDUNIV
PUERTO RICO'S CLUSTER: GLOBAL LEADER IN BIOSCIENCES
Puerto Rico offers a top-rated bioscience ecosystem, that for 60 years has successfully developed, transfer and manufacture biopharmaceutical, medical devices and bio-agricultural products that are distributed to over 120 countries with proven quality and business continuity. The Caribbean Island with a surface area of 9,104 km2 has the highest density...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS
Web Design, Development and Optimization with Deep Roots in the City of Chicago
They both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and met in high school. When Barrett Lombardo and Andy Crestodina graduated, they headed off to the University of Iowa together. They shared a dorm room and one of those boxy Macintosh computers. It was the early 1990s. Most people...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MATRIX COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
IS AN INTEGRATED MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS HOLDING COMPANY WITH A FOOTPRINT IN PRETORIA, JOHANNESBURG, CAPE TOWN AND DURBAN IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH COLLABORATIONS WITH AGENCIES IN KENYA AND NIGERIA
We partner with entrepreneurs across Africa who are experts in their fields, supporting them in an enabling, energising collaborative environment. We have partnered with agencies that operate independently and have their own P&L, however, our philosophy is built on principles of seamless collaboration. As such our solutions are agnostic and...
INNOVATION Quebec
ÉCOFAUNE BORÉALE
CCTT IN ECO-RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION IN THE LEATHER SECTOR, FUR AND RELATED PRODUCTS
Our mission at Écofaune boréale—Cégep de Saint-Félicien’s college centre for the transfer of technology—is to promote the development of innovative social practices through applied research, technological development, technical assistance, knowledge transfer and scientific knowledge dissemination, enabling all socio-economic players in the fur and leather industries to reposition themselves economically in...
INNOVATE® Nashville
DALTON GETS PEOPLE
AND THAT'S HOW THEY GET RESULTS
Since 1989, truly understanding people has been a unique trait of Dalton – a leading advertising, public relations and digital marketing agency with offices across the Southeast, in Nashville, Atlanta and Jacksonville. On every project, Dalton digs deep to uncover the insights and human truths that get to the emotional...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
SAWAI FRAGRANCES USA
PERFECTING THE ART OF FRAGRANCE SINCE 1965
Born in India in 1965, Sawai Fragrances is a traditional Indian manufacturing business that is changing the way the world sees (or smells) perfume, in its new avatar in New Jersey. Sawai Fragrances was founded by Mr. Sawailal Jain in Kanauj, India – an area that is home to a...
INNOVATION Quebec
MERINOV
À LA TÊTE DE L’ÉCONOMIE BLEUE DANS L’EST DU CANADA
Merinov est un chef de file de l’économie bleue dans l’est du Canada. En fait, il est le plus important centre intégré de recherche appliquée au pays en pêches, aquaculture, transformation et valorisation des produits aquatiques. Depuis sa création en 2010, le centre de recherche vise à incarner le département...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVES ASSOCIATION OF PUERTO RICO
LEADING THE WAY IN SALES & MARKETING
The Sales & Marketing Executives Association of Puerto Rico (SME) is a non-profit organization that brings together a community of more than 500 professionals from diverse industries, major corporations, and local businesses, as well as college students on the island. For the past 72 years, the association has been advancing...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION
THE FESTIVAL STATE
With a world-class festival and events calendar that spans the whole year, you’ll always find frivolity on your South Australian itinerary. Think festivals dedicated to Australia’s most watched game, or all things culinary excellence; Australia’s greatest cycling race, international sporting debuts or the world’s second largest arts festival. There’s a...
INNOVATE® Seattle
Madrona
A Partner and Backer of Founders at the Innovation, Early and Acceleration Stages
Madrona starts working with leadership teams before the first investment, supporting them with capital and hard work. We have been doing this since 1995 and actively invest in AI, enterprise technology, marketplaces and more. As the tech footprint in Seattle has grown, so have we. Madrona opened a Silicon Valley...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
EsportScholar
Is located at the intersection of esports and education, and is home to the future of learning and competition
Our after-school league coalesces in-game coaching with STEAM instruction into a dynamic, engaging program for organizations, schools and school districts. We’re in the business of building vibrant esports communities with the goal of being the highlight of our students’ days. We believe in recognizing abilities that have (for far too...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
SFU’s CHARLES CHANG INSTITUTE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
INNOVATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
World-Class Spirit & InnovationAs the World’s #1 university for Entrepreneurial Spirit and #1 in Canada for Innovation*, Simon Fraser University is recognized as one of Canada’s most supportive post-secondary ecosystems for innovative research and education across disciplines. The heart of its entrepreneurship education pillar beats in the Charles Chang Institute...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
SNAPSCAN
SIMPLIFYING PAYMENTS ONE SNAP AT A TIME
SnapScan is more than just a smartphone app. It’s a contactless, mobile payment solution that makes it easy and safe to pay and receive payments in a store, online, at home, and on the go. Our storyFounded in 2013, SnapScan gained traction at markets and coffee shops in Stellenbosch....
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
DIGITAL NATIVES
LEADING THE CHANGE
Digital Natives is a 100% youth and citizen-owned, multi-award-winning software and disruptive agency with the founder, Mthabisi Bokete, being Standard Bank Africa Group’s youngest Board Member in the history of Stanbic Bank, both locally & globally. Digital Natives won the regional 2020 SADC Innovation and Investment Competition with their remarkable...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
PRAKTIKAL
MAKING ABSTRACT SCIENCE TANGIBLE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Remember learning to ride a bicycle? No amount of physics equations about angular momentum or center of gravity could replace that moment when you finally felt the balance click into place. Your hands knew when to turn the handlebars, your body learned to lean into curves, and suddenly, you were...
INNOVATE® South Florida
VENTURE MIAMI
DRIVING INNOVATION AND PROSPERITY IN MIAMI
Venture Miami, the City of Miami’s economic development office, is committed to creating opportunities that fuel economic growth. At the heart of its mission is positioning Miami as a vibrant hub of innovation and technological advancement within the epicenter of South Florida’s rapid growth as one of the fastest-growing global...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
BMW
Full Speed Towards The Mobility Of The Future
With more than 100 years of history and a journey based on the courage to innovate and compete among the best, the BMW Group continues to learn from the challenges of the past to respond to the opportunities of the future. We believe that the answer to great challenges is...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
BASE
GET CONNECTED AND EXPAND YOUR NETWORK AT BASE CO-WORK: The innovative co-working space in Santurce, Puerto Rico
To collaborate is to win. Base Co-work started with this idea and the need to bring forward a new, cool space to work and expand connections for remote workers, who either travel and/or don’t have a stable office or place to work at home. Base Co-work is located near restaurants,...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
MKE Tech
The World of Talent is Changing. Is Your Business Ready?
Since the inception of the MKE Tech Hub Coalition, we’ve been guided by a bold vision of technology as an economic driver in the region. We’ve operated with a civic mindset, while remaining curious to address the region’s most pressing needs in tech. As the region has advanced, we’ve kept...
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...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
DEVCO
A POWERFUL ENGINE FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH
New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco) was established in 1976 as a nonprofit development company to initiate redevelopment projects and to serve as the vehicle for public and private investment in the City of New Brunswick. Under the leadership of Christopher Paladino, DEVCO has initiated, developed, and managed 8.3 million square...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
CITY RIDERS
BRIDGING THE GAP: HOW CITY RIDERS LINKS LIKE-MINDED ENTHUSIASTS
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...
Global Innovation Spotlight
The New Generation of Climate Entrepreneurs Building a Greener Economy
While climate change seems like an enormous challenge, many young entrepreneurs are not sitting around, waiting for others to resolve the problem. Instead, they are starting their ventures focused on renewable energy, improved food systems, transportation, reduction of waste and more sustainable cities. The founders of these ventures are far...