Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE® Detroit
Duolingo
Duolingo's Detroit Journey: From Gunner to Hobbes and Animated Innovation.
In Detroit, two motion design studios were making waves in the animation world: Gunner, known for its bold illustration and character animation, and Hobbes, a leader in product-driven animation. The companies earned reputations for creativity and emotional intelligence, collaborating with high-profile clients for years. However, everything changed when Duolingo—the world’s...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
DOTS
TURNING UNCERTAINTY INTO GROWTH FROM EUROPE’S EDGE
On the border city of Narva, Estonia – where Europe literally meets its edge – a bold experiment is reshaping how young people grow. DOTS isn’t another youth program or after-school club. It’s an operating system for life: a commitment-based “gym for personal development” where members train through real responsibilities,...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
EDISON PARTNERS
EDISON PARTNERS-WE’RE AN INTEGRATED TEAM OF INVESTORS AND OPERATORS THAT LIVE AND BREATHE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACED BY COMPANIES AT THE GROWTH STAGE. Edison Partners is a leading growth equity firm that invests in high-growth, capital-efficient companies in the fintech, enterprise software and healthcare IT sectors. Over our 37-year...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
SHRMLABS
Spearheading Workplace Innovation Globally
Spearheading Workplace Innovation Globally As the pioneering innovation lab and venture capital arm of SHRM, headquartered in Alexandria, Va., SHRMLabs drives the development of revolutionary and ethical technologies tailored to solve pressing real-world workplace challenges. By connecting a global community of over 325,000 HR professionals with leading startups and innovators...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
HELMES
DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND ENGINEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND ENGINEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE For over 30 years, Helmes has been a trusted partner in digital transformation, specializing in software engineering and consulting services. Headquartered in Estonia—a global leader in digital innovation—Helmes operates in 20 locations worldwide with a team of over 1,500 experts. The company...
INNOVATE® Detroit
Endeavor
Fueling High-Impact Entrepreneurship in Detroit
Detroit’s entrepreneurial resurgence is being shaped by a powerful force: Endeavor. Since its establishment in the city in 2015, Endeavor Detroit has become a catalyst for scaling high-growth companies, selecting and supporting founders who have the potential to transform economies. More than just a business accelerator or an investment firm,...
INNOVATE® Georgia
NEEDLING WORLDWIDE
WE ULTIMATELY STRIVE TO BECOME MORE ROBUST, SUPERIOR, AND MORE ASTUTE IN OUR OPERATIONS.
WHO IS NEEDLING WORLDWIDE:Needling Worldwide was established to address a common challenge encountered by numerous companies in their pursuit of certifications or compliance assessments. The CEO envisioned a superior solution based on her firsthand experiences with compliance standards and frameworks. This solution is comprised of a standardized, flat-fee alternative to...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
BRISTOL INNOVATORS GROUP
Mobilising a network of 500 innovators from organisations across Bristol, all willing to contribute ideas and develop solutions to the challenges that matter right now
Innovation as a future-skill The International Standards Office, in Geneva, has recently released an innovation standard, reflecting the growing interest from organisations in developing sustainable innovation approaches. The demand for innovation skills is also on the rise – organisations want their people to develop ideas and turn them into value...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
CarpeDM
Innovating the Dating Experience for Professional Black Women
“CarpeDM can have a massive positive impact on the collective economic and health status of the Black community.” Swiping right and superficial connections often dominate the realm of online dating. Naza Shelley founded CarpeDM to revolutionize how professional Black women find love in Washington, D.C., and beyond. This exclusive, member-only...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
SAFE STAYS BY RELOSHARE
Changing the Game for Emergency Housing by Providing Anonymous Hotel Bookings for Social Service Agencies
According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s 2021 DV Counts Report, agencies were unable to provide emergency shelter to 1,982 adults and 1,184 children nationwide in just one day. Annualized, that’s 723,430 adults and 432,160 children who are left without access to emergency domestic violence shelters each year....
INNOVATE™ Alberta
TACIT EDGE
Disrupting the ambiguity in Product Management
When Renee Matsalla and Christa Hill first met, they were on the team that would scale a Calgary-based tech startup to global heights. The two women formed an immediate connection through their passion for Product Management and problem-solving, yet in those early days on the team of Benevity — a...
INNOVATE® Kansas City
MADE IN KANSAS CITY
A BEACON OF CREATIVITY AND COMMUNITY
When Made in KC launched in 2015, it redefined the local economy and fostered a community of creators ever since. It has emerged not just as a business but as a catalyst for creativity, turning a 300-square-foot pop-up shop into a sprawling network that champions local artists, designers, and makers....
INNOVATE™ Estonia
RAY FOIL
FROM ESTONIA’S INNOVATION ROOTS TO THE FUTURE OF EFOILING
In the quiet tech landscape of Estonia, a bold idea was born—one that would soon reshape the way people move on water. Andres Nöps, an electrical engineer with a background in elite athletics and a passion for clean energy, began designing a new kind of electric hydrofoil. It had to...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
NORTAL
THE FUTURE DELIVERED. SEAMLESSLY.
THE FUTURE DELIVERED. SEAMLESSLY. Founded in 2000, Nortal has established itself as a global leader in digital transformation, blending local expertise with an international footprint. As an employee-owned company operating across 26 offices worldwide, Nortal partners with some of the world’s most impactful organizations and governments, architecting a future defined...
INNOVATE® Georgia
REPAY
ATLANTA’S REPAY REVAMPS PAYMENT TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE ADVANTAGES FOR CONSUMERS & BUSINESSES
History & PurposeREPAY was founded in 2006 by John Morris and Shaler Alias with the goal of providing fast, frictionless, and fail-safe integrated payment processing solutions for consumers and businesses. Morris serves as REPAY’s CEO to this day, and Alias co-leads as president from the company’s headquarters in Atlanta. REPAY’s...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ANTIBE THERAPEUTICS
THIS TORONTO BIOTECH FIRM IS DEVELOPING SAFER TREATMENTS FOR PAIN AND INFLAMMATION
The key to innovation is seeing opportunity in unlikely places. For Antibe Therapeutics, the place is a cloud of noxious gas; the prize is a new generation of painkillers. In the wake of the opioid crisis, there is an urgent need for safer analgesics. Almost one-in-10 Canadians prescribed opioid medications...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
GEYSEN GROUP
BEST TCO ON THE MARKET: GEYSEN GROUP DEVELOPED A SPILLFREE (BULK) CONVEYOR BELT CALLED CLEAN CONVEYOR BELT (CCB)
Traditional (open or closed) conveyor belts for bulk transport often deal with material spills. These spills have a significant impact on the cost, productivity, safety and the overall production environment. Depending on the fractions transported, belts can stand still for cleaning, maintenance and repair up to 20% of the time....
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
Athletico Paranaense
INNOVATION AND FOREFRONT
Innovation is a key element that not only facilitates but also provides significant advantages in the customer experience. In the contemporary landscape, where the pursuit of new technologies and disruptive approaches is relentless, visionary companies stand out by incorporating innovation into every aspect of their operations. Club Athletico Paranaense is...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Forceget Supply Chain Logistics
Powering Innovation in Global Logistics
“At Forceget, we aim to transform supply chain management from a reactive process into a proactive, data-driven solution.” Forceget Supply Chain Logistics began its journey with a clear mission: to empower businesses by delivering more than just freight movement. Founded by Burak and Nihan Yolga, the company emerged with...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
MEDLESS
YOUR SOURCE FOR THE BEST MEDICINE PRICES
Medless Group is a HealthTech company founded in 2017 in the city of Curitiba by the gynecologist and scientist Dr. Rodrigo Berger, with the aim of studying and developing innovative treatments for women’s health. Having dedicated its first two years to the development and study of an innovative technology, the...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Antigro Designer
Powering the Future of Personalized Print
“We’re not in the business of printing. We’re in the business of unlocking potential.” One company is reshaping how the world thinks about printed products globally in the fast-rising design and tech landscape. Since 2016, Antigro Designer has been rewriting the rules for personalization, automation, and scalability in the print...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
DELIA ASSOCIATES
MAKING THE SHIFT FROM “HOPE AND PRAY” TO “PLAN AND DO.”
Where are today’s opportunities and possibilities for business success? And with all the information available and options to consider, how can you recognize them? Prioritize them? Evaluate them? Align them with your organization’s growth objectives? And a question that we hear with great frequency when making a marketing commitment: “What’s...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
Citibot
Revolutionizes how local governments interact with their residents.
Local governments have struggled to engage residents, ensure accessibility, and provide timely responses to community needs for a long time. In 2016, Bratton Riley founded Citibot to revolutionize how local governments interact with their residents. With a deep-rooted passion for public service and a desire to foster community connections, Riley...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Upcoming IT Conferences Focused on Sustainable Technology and Green IT
Sustainable IT Events You Should Consider Attending Next Year
However minimal, we’ve all felt some impact of climate change at one point or another in our lifetime, irrespective of what part of the world we are from. The World Health Organization stated that about 3.6 billion people live in areas especially vulnerable to climate impacts. This is almost half...
INNOVATE® Detroit
Duolingo
Duolingo's Detroit Journey: From Gunner to Hobbes and Animated Innovation.
In Detroit, two motion design studios were making waves in the animation world: Gunner, known for its bold illustration and character animation, and Hobbes, a leader in product-driven animation. The companies earned reputations for creativity and emotional intelligence, collaborating with high-profile clients for years. However, everything changed when Duolingo—the world’s...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
DOTS
TURNING UNCERTAINTY INTO GROWTH FROM EUROPE’S EDGE
On the border city of Narva, Estonia – where Europe literally meets its edge – a bold experiment is reshaping how young people grow. DOTS isn’t another youth program or after-school club. It’s an operating system for life: a commitment-based “gym for personal development” where members train through real responsibilities,...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
EDISON PARTNERS
EDISON PARTNERS-WE’RE AN INTEGRATED TEAM OF INVESTORS AND OPERATORS THAT LIVE AND BREATHE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACED BY COMPANIES AT THE GROWTH STAGE. Edison Partners is a leading growth equity firm that invests in high-growth, capital-efficient companies in the fintech, enterprise software and healthcare IT sectors. Over our 37-year...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
SHRMLABS
Spearheading Workplace Innovation Globally
Spearheading Workplace Innovation Globally As the pioneering innovation lab and venture capital arm of SHRM, headquartered in Alexandria, Va., SHRMLabs drives the development of revolutionary and ethical technologies tailored to solve pressing real-world workplace challenges. By connecting a global community of over 325,000 HR professionals with leading startups and innovators...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
HELMES
DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND ENGINEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND ENGINEERING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE For over 30 years, Helmes has been a trusted partner in digital transformation, specializing in software engineering and consulting services. Headquartered in Estonia—a global leader in digital innovation—Helmes operates in 20 locations worldwide with a team of over 1,500 experts. The company...
INNOVATE® Detroit
Endeavor
Fueling High-Impact Entrepreneurship in Detroit
Detroit’s entrepreneurial resurgence is being shaped by a powerful force: Endeavor. Since its establishment in the city in 2015, Endeavor Detroit has become a catalyst for scaling high-growth companies, selecting and supporting founders who have the potential to transform economies. More than just a business accelerator or an investment firm,...
INNOVATE® Georgia
NEEDLING WORLDWIDE
WE ULTIMATELY STRIVE TO BECOME MORE ROBUST, SUPERIOR, AND MORE ASTUTE IN OUR OPERATIONS.
WHO IS NEEDLING WORLDWIDE:Needling Worldwide was established to address a common challenge encountered by numerous companies in their pursuit of certifications or compliance assessments. The CEO envisioned a superior solution based on her firsthand experiences with compliance standards and frameworks. This solution is comprised of a standardized, flat-fee alternative to...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
BRISTOL INNOVATORS GROUP
Mobilising a network of 500 innovators from organisations across Bristol, all willing to contribute ideas and develop solutions to the challenges that matter right now
Innovation as a future-skill The International Standards Office, in Geneva, has recently released an innovation standard, reflecting the growing interest from organisations in developing sustainable innovation approaches. The demand for innovation skills is also on the rise – organisations want their people to develop ideas and turn them into value...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
CarpeDM
Innovating the Dating Experience for Professional Black Women
“CarpeDM can have a massive positive impact on the collective economic and health status of the Black community.” Swiping right and superficial connections often dominate the realm of online dating. Naza Shelley founded CarpeDM to revolutionize how professional Black women find love in Washington, D.C., and beyond. This exclusive, member-only...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
SAFE STAYS BY RELOSHARE
Changing the Game for Emergency Housing by Providing Anonymous Hotel Bookings for Social Service Agencies
According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s 2021 DV Counts Report, agencies were unable to provide emergency shelter to 1,982 adults and 1,184 children nationwide in just one day. Annualized, that’s 723,430 adults and 432,160 children who are left without access to emergency domestic violence shelters each year....
INNOVATE™ Alberta
TACIT EDGE
Disrupting the ambiguity in Product Management
When Renee Matsalla and Christa Hill first met, they were on the team that would scale a Calgary-based tech startup to global heights. The two women formed an immediate connection through their passion for Product Management and problem-solving, yet in those early days on the team of Benevity — a...
INNOVATE® Kansas City
MADE IN KANSAS CITY
A BEACON OF CREATIVITY AND COMMUNITY
When Made in KC launched in 2015, it redefined the local economy and fostered a community of creators ever since. It has emerged not just as a business but as a catalyst for creativity, turning a 300-square-foot pop-up shop into a sprawling network that champions local artists, designers, and makers....
INNOVATE™ Estonia
RAY FOIL
FROM ESTONIA’S INNOVATION ROOTS TO THE FUTURE OF EFOILING
In the quiet tech landscape of Estonia, a bold idea was born—one that would soon reshape the way people move on water. Andres Nöps, an electrical engineer with a background in elite athletics and a passion for clean energy, began designing a new kind of electric hydrofoil. It had to...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
NORTAL
THE FUTURE DELIVERED. SEAMLESSLY.
THE FUTURE DELIVERED. SEAMLESSLY. Founded in 2000, Nortal has established itself as a global leader in digital transformation, blending local expertise with an international footprint. As an employee-owned company operating across 26 offices worldwide, Nortal partners with some of the world’s most impactful organizations and governments, architecting a future defined...
INNOVATE® Georgia
REPAY
ATLANTA’S REPAY REVAMPS PAYMENT TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE ADVANTAGES FOR CONSUMERS & BUSINESSES
History & PurposeREPAY was founded in 2006 by John Morris and Shaler Alias with the goal of providing fast, frictionless, and fail-safe integrated payment processing solutions for consumers and businesses. Morris serves as REPAY’s CEO to this day, and Alias co-leads as president from the company’s headquarters in Atlanta. REPAY’s...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ANTIBE THERAPEUTICS
THIS TORONTO BIOTECH FIRM IS DEVELOPING SAFER TREATMENTS FOR PAIN AND INFLAMMATION
The key to innovation is seeing opportunity in unlikely places. For Antibe Therapeutics, the place is a cloud of noxious gas; the prize is a new generation of painkillers. In the wake of the opioid crisis, there is an urgent need for safer analgesics. Almost one-in-10 Canadians prescribed opioid medications...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
GEYSEN GROUP
BEST TCO ON THE MARKET: GEYSEN GROUP DEVELOPED A SPILLFREE (BULK) CONVEYOR BELT CALLED CLEAN CONVEYOR BELT (CCB)
Traditional (open or closed) conveyor belts for bulk transport often deal with material spills. These spills have a significant impact on the cost, productivity, safety and the overall production environment. Depending on the fractions transported, belts can stand still for cleaning, maintenance and repair up to 20% of the time....
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
Athletico Paranaense
INNOVATION AND FOREFRONT
Innovation is a key element that not only facilitates but also provides significant advantages in the customer experience. In the contemporary landscape, where the pursuit of new technologies and disruptive approaches is relentless, visionary companies stand out by incorporating innovation into every aspect of their operations. Club Athletico Paranaense is...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Forceget Supply Chain Logistics
Powering Innovation in Global Logistics
“At Forceget, we aim to transform supply chain management from a reactive process into a proactive, data-driven solution.” Forceget Supply Chain Logistics began its journey with a clear mission: to empower businesses by delivering more than just freight movement. Founded by Burak and Nihan Yolga, the company emerged with...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
MEDLESS
YOUR SOURCE FOR THE BEST MEDICINE PRICES
Medless Group is a HealthTech company founded in 2017 in the city of Curitiba by the gynecologist and scientist Dr. Rodrigo Berger, with the aim of studying and developing innovative treatments for women’s health. Having dedicated its first two years to the development and study of an innovative technology, the...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Antigro Designer
Powering the Future of Personalized Print
“We’re not in the business of printing. We’re in the business of unlocking potential.” One company is reshaping how the world thinks about printed products globally in the fast-rising design and tech landscape. Since 2016, Antigro Designer has been rewriting the rules for personalization, automation, and scalability in the print...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
DELIA ASSOCIATES
MAKING THE SHIFT FROM “HOPE AND PRAY” TO “PLAN AND DO.”
Where are today’s opportunities and possibilities for business success? And with all the information available and options to consider, how can you recognize them? Prioritize them? Evaluate them? Align them with your organization’s growth objectives? And a question that we hear with great frequency when making a marketing commitment: “What’s...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
Citibot
Revolutionizes how local governments interact with their residents.
Local governments have struggled to engage residents, ensure accessibility, and provide timely responses to community needs for a long time. In 2016, Bratton Riley founded Citibot to revolutionize how local governments interact with their residents. With a deep-rooted passion for public service and a desire to foster community connections, Riley...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Upcoming IT Conferences Focused on Sustainable Technology and Green IT
Sustainable IT Events You Should Consider Attending Next Year
However minimal, we’ve all felt some impact of climate change at one point or another in our lifetime, irrespective of what part of the world we are from. The World Health Organization stated that about 3.6 billion people live in areas especially vulnerable to climate impacts. This is almost half...