Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

SIME

WHY INNOVATION STARTS WITH PEOPLE, NOT PRESSURE

In a world defined by rapid technological change, constant disruption, and ever-higher performance demands, Ola Ahlvarsson has spent nearly three decades championing a quietly radical idea: that true innovation doesn’t start with pressure or tools—it starts with people. Widely regarded as one of the Nordic region’s most influential thought leaders...

INNOVATE® Seattle

Ellingson Group

THE STARTUP WHISPERER: A GAME-CHANGING APPROACH TO EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.

Employee Benefits | Sea-Mountain Insurance THE STARTUP WHISPERER: A GAME-CHANGING APPROACH TO EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. The Company Ellingson Group has redefined what it means to be an employee benefits brokerage by specializing in the unique needs of startups, tech companies, and venture capital firms. These industries are the engines of economic...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

DR. BRENT HOGARTH

Unlocking Innovation with Hyper-Focus and Flow

Attention entrepreneurs, CEO’s, and high-performance leaders who want to get ahead! The way we’re working is not working, it’s a crisis. Burnout is costing the global economy trillions of dollars in lost productivity and innovation. Not to mention, rising health care costs. Burnout feels like emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

SIGMA

A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY IN CYBERSECURITY

Five years ago, Sigma stood at the forefront of a seismic shift. As a telecommunications veteran with over three decades of experience, Sigma faced a bold decision: to embrace the dynamic and complex world of cybersecurity. This pivot, driven by a profound purpose and commitment to client evolution, catapulted Sigma...

Global Innovation Spotlight

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026 Somewhere right now, a founder is about to spend $120,000 building an MVP that could have been shipped for $25,000. Not because the cheaper version would be worse. Because the founder picked the wrong tech stack for...

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™ Curitiba

CENTRALSERVER

PIONEERING CLOUD SOLUTIONS AT THE HEART OF CURITIBA

Founded in 2000 by visionary technologists Juliano Simões and Rui Suzuki, CentralServer has emerged as a trailblazer in the cloud computing landscape, firmly anchored in the vibrant city of Curitiba, Brazil. With an unwavering commitment to driving digital transformation, CentralServer has established itself as a hub of technological innovation, offering...

INNOVATE® Miami

8base

Computing Infrastructure, Application Core Services And Integrations Delivered Through A Single API Endpoint

ELEVATOR PITCH8base is a next-generation backend-as-a-service for building SaaS and other go-to-market applications. The 8base Platform includes computing infrastructure, application core services, and integrations delivered through a single API endpoint. 8base also offers 8base Labs, a team of SaaS architects, designers, and engineers that help companies build on the 8base...

INNOVATION Quebec

CERFO

CCTT IN BOREAL FORESTRY

Sainte-Foy’s Centre d’enseignement et de recherche en foresterie (CERFO) is a college centre for the transfer of technology (CCTT). Our mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of technology and businesses, organizations and colleges in the Quebec forest sector. For nearly 40 years, our experts have been drawing on...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

PRCCI

INNOVATION.INVESTIGATION.WELL BEING

The Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation (PRCCI) is the largest network of top academic and private research sites working in strong partnership with the wider Puerto Rico clinical investigation ecosystem to promote the island’s positioning as a preferred location for clinical investigation. PRCCI is a 501c3 non-profit organization established...

INNOVATION Quebec

CTRI

FOR INDUSTRIAL WASTE

Our mission at Centre technologique des résidus industriels (CTRI) is to promote socio-economic development by providing support to companies in the mining, forest and agricultural sectors. Through exploring, identifying and achieving innovative solutions for the valorization of industrial waste and underutilized natural resources, we aim to accelerate the implementation of...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

JUST VERTICAL

JUST VERTICAL-FURNITURE THAT FEEDS YOU - INDOOR GARDENS BUILT BY PLANT SCIENCE FOR EVERY GROWER AND EVERY HOME.

FURNITURE THAT FEEDS YOU - INDOOR GARDENS BUILT BY PLANT SCIENCE FOR EVERY GROWER AND EVERY HOME.

How salmon & sangria started a green revolution.Some of the most inspiring inventions come at the most innocuous times. In 2017, Just Vertical co-founders Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela were completing their Masters of Science at the University of Toronto. Bright eyed and full of enthusiasm, they hoped to equip...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

IMPRESA

IMPRESA-Our Values: Commitment / Cooperation / Integrity / Innovation / Excellence

Our Values: Commitment / Cooperation / Integrity / Innovation / Excellence

IMPRESA was founded by Francisco Pinto Balsemão, one-time prime minister and founding member of Portuguese SocialDemocratic Party (PSD). The journey started with Expresso: the first democratic weekly newspaper published during the dictatorship regime.   Now its portfolio of brands are the country’s leader in sales. Impresa then escalated with SIC,...

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™ South Africa

GOODBYE MALARIA

GOODBYE MALARIA-IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE, TO MALARIA

Mosquitoes. For most people around the world, their buzzing is merely an irritation and a disruption to sleep. For many in Africa, it is a deadly killer. Of all the beautiful, awe-inspiring and scary animals across this continent, one of its smallest insects wreaks the most tragedy and pain. To...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTRE RISC

SPECIALIZES IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND RESPONSE AND LOOKS AT CURRENT ISSUES AND CONCERNS

With our multidisciplinary team and unique infrastructure, we bring together both scientific and hands-on expertise to carry out research and development, training and support activities. Our multidisciplinary experimental site—a real open-air laboratory—allows for realistic simulations of the response to the main hazards as well as the emergency situations experienced by...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

Seamless Transition

Allowing amputees to regain/maintain their active lifestyles

Allowing amputees to regain/maintain their active lifestyles Seamless Transition, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is dedicated to transforming the lives of warfighters and Veterans. Led by CEO and Founder Sarah Malinowski, the company’s mission is to introduce groundbreaking prosthetic solutions that go beyond mere functionality, offering unprecedented mobility and freedom to...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

SC Competes | SC Tech

South Carolina’s Technology & Cybersecurity Cluster

SC Tech sits at the center supporting South Carolina’s successful push as a tech-driven, future-focused state. An initiative of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness (SC Competes), the cluster helps to accelerate growth and innovation while giving the statewide technology community a unified voice. The work is deliberately broad: strengthen...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

adMare BioInnovations

adMare BioInnovations-Un moteur d’innovation en sciences de la vie qui

Drives Life Sciences Innovation by Building Companies, Ecosystems, and Talent

Drawing its name from Canada’s national motto, A Mari Usque Ad Mare (From Sea to Sea), adMare is a pan-Canadian organization created in 2019, answering the need to align and optimize the Canadian life sciences commercialization landscape. Since its creation, adMare has firmly established itself as a national leader that...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Prince Concepts

Transforming Space, Elevating Detroit

Prince Concepts isn’t simply in the business of real estate—it’s in the business of transformation. Led by visionary developer Philip Kafka, this firm is rewriting the rules of urban development, turning overlooked spaces into thriving, purpose-driven communities. With a philosophy that values space as a living, breathing entity rather than...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

LOGCOMEX

TRANSFORMING THE WAY COMPANIES DO BUSINESSES ACROSS BORDERS

Founded in 2016, the Curitiba-based startup Logcomex develops technology solutions and offers a platform that helps companies plan, monitor, and automate their global supply chain. The largest startup in Brazil in its segment has approximately 300 employees and is present in more than 11 countries across five continents. The company...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

DATADISTILLR

DATADISTILLR- COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Data is the source of all learning, and nothing should get in the way of that. Data should be easy to access and explore. We spend too long working on our data instead of with our data. Data tells a story, and it’s our job to unearth and tell that...

Global Innovation Spotlight

PINKTUM

PINKTUM-Personnel Development In Spain Goes Digital

Personnel Development In Spain Goes Digital

A new form of human resources development is needed to successfully master global challenges. As one of the leading providers of E-learning and web-based trainings for effective and sustainable personnel development in companies, PINKTUM breaks new ground in Madrid’s start-up scene. PINKTUM offers scientifically based personnel development in the digital...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Woman In Technology

Women In Technology - Ladies of Jacksonville Get More in Touch With Technology

Ladies of Jacksonville Get More in Touch With Technology

A group of women who get together monthly and talk about technology. We discuss where it has been, where it is going, and where it is now as well as issues arising from it and what problems it can resolve. We help the ladies of Jacksonville get more in touch...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

SIME

WHY INNOVATION STARTS WITH PEOPLE, NOT PRESSURE

In a world defined by rapid technological change, constant disruption, and ever-higher performance demands, Ola Ahlvarsson has spent nearly three decades championing a quietly radical idea: that true innovation doesn’t start with pressure or tools—it starts with people. Widely regarded as one of the Nordic region’s most influential thought leaders...

INNOVATE® Seattle

Ellingson Group

THE STARTUP WHISPERER: A GAME-CHANGING APPROACH TO EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.

Employee Benefits | Sea-Mountain Insurance THE STARTUP WHISPERER: A GAME-CHANGING APPROACH TO EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. The Company Ellingson Group has redefined what it means to be an employee benefits brokerage by specializing in the unique needs of startups, tech companies, and venture capital firms. These industries are the engines of economic...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

DR. BRENT HOGARTH

Unlocking Innovation with Hyper-Focus and Flow

Attention entrepreneurs, CEO’s, and high-performance leaders who want to get ahead! The way we’re working is not working, it’s a crisis. Burnout is costing the global economy trillions of dollars in lost productivity and innovation. Not to mention, rising health care costs. Burnout feels like emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

SIGMA

A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY IN CYBERSECURITY

Five years ago, Sigma stood at the forefront of a seismic shift. As a telecommunications veteran with over three decades of experience, Sigma faced a bold decision: to embrace the dynamic and complex world of cybersecurity. This pivot, driven by a profound purpose and commitment to client evolution, catapulted Sigma...

Global Innovation Spotlight

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026 Somewhere right now, a founder is about to spend $120,000 building an MVP that could have been shipped for $25,000. Not because the cheaper version would be worse. Because the founder picked the wrong tech stack for...

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™ Curitiba

CENTRALSERVER

PIONEERING CLOUD SOLUTIONS AT THE HEART OF CURITIBA

Founded in 2000 by visionary technologists Juliano Simões and Rui Suzuki, CentralServer has emerged as a trailblazer in the cloud computing landscape, firmly anchored in the vibrant city of Curitiba, Brazil. With an unwavering commitment to driving digital transformation, CentralServer has established itself as a hub of technological innovation, offering...

INNOVATE® Miami

8base

Computing Infrastructure, Application Core Services And Integrations Delivered Through A Single API Endpoint

ELEVATOR PITCH8base is a next-generation backend-as-a-service for building SaaS and other go-to-market applications. The 8base Platform includes computing infrastructure, application core services, and integrations delivered through a single API endpoint. 8base also offers 8base Labs, a team of SaaS architects, designers, and engineers that help companies build on the 8base...

INNOVATION Quebec

CERFO

CCTT IN BOREAL FORESTRY

Sainte-Foy’s Centre d’enseignement et de recherche en foresterie (CERFO) is a college centre for the transfer of technology (CCTT). Our mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of technology and businesses, organizations and colleges in the Quebec forest sector. For nearly 40 years, our experts have been drawing on...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

PRCCI

INNOVATION.INVESTIGATION.WELL BEING

The Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation (PRCCI) is the largest network of top academic and private research sites working in strong partnership with the wider Puerto Rico clinical investigation ecosystem to promote the island’s positioning as a preferred location for clinical investigation. PRCCI is a 501c3 non-profit organization established...

INNOVATION Quebec

CTRI

FOR INDUSTRIAL WASTE

Our mission at Centre technologique des résidus industriels (CTRI) is to promote socio-economic development by providing support to companies in the mining, forest and agricultural sectors. Through exploring, identifying and achieving innovative solutions for the valorization of industrial waste and underutilized natural resources, we aim to accelerate the implementation of...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

JUST VERTICAL

JUST VERTICAL-FURNITURE THAT FEEDS YOU - INDOOR GARDENS BUILT BY PLANT SCIENCE FOR EVERY GROWER AND EVERY HOME.

FURNITURE THAT FEEDS YOU - INDOOR GARDENS BUILT BY PLANT SCIENCE FOR EVERY GROWER AND EVERY HOME.

How salmon & sangria started a green revolution.Some of the most inspiring inventions come at the most innocuous times. In 2017, Just Vertical co-founders Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela were completing their Masters of Science at the University of Toronto. Bright eyed and full of enthusiasm, they hoped to equip...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

IMPRESA

IMPRESA-Our Values: Commitment / Cooperation / Integrity / Innovation / Excellence

Our Values: Commitment / Cooperation / Integrity / Innovation / Excellence

IMPRESA was founded by Francisco Pinto Balsemão, one-time prime minister and founding member of Portuguese SocialDemocratic Party (PSD). The journey started with Expresso: the first democratic weekly newspaper published during the dictatorship regime.   Now its portfolio of brands are the country’s leader in sales. Impresa then escalated with SIC,...

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™ South Africa

GOODBYE MALARIA

GOODBYE MALARIA-IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE, TO MALARIA

Mosquitoes. For most people around the world, their buzzing is merely an irritation and a disruption to sleep. For many in Africa, it is a deadly killer. Of all the beautiful, awe-inspiring and scary animals across this continent, one of its smallest insects wreaks the most tragedy and pain. To...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTRE RISC

SPECIALIZES IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND RESPONSE AND LOOKS AT CURRENT ISSUES AND CONCERNS

With our multidisciplinary team and unique infrastructure, we bring together both scientific and hands-on expertise to carry out research and development, training and support activities. Our multidisciplinary experimental site—a real open-air laboratory—allows for realistic simulations of the response to the main hazards as well as the emergency situations experienced by...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

Seamless Transition

Allowing amputees to regain/maintain their active lifestyles

Allowing amputees to regain/maintain their active lifestyles Seamless Transition, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is dedicated to transforming the lives of warfighters and Veterans. Led by CEO and Founder Sarah Malinowski, the company’s mission is to introduce groundbreaking prosthetic solutions that go beyond mere functionality, offering unprecedented mobility and freedom to...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

SC Competes | SC Tech

South Carolina’s Technology & Cybersecurity Cluster

SC Tech sits at the center supporting South Carolina’s successful push as a tech-driven, future-focused state. An initiative of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness (SC Competes), the cluster helps to accelerate growth and innovation while giving the statewide technology community a unified voice. The work is deliberately broad: strengthen...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

adMare BioInnovations

adMare BioInnovations-Un moteur d’innovation en sciences de la vie qui

Drives Life Sciences Innovation by Building Companies, Ecosystems, and Talent

Drawing its name from Canada’s national motto, A Mari Usque Ad Mare (From Sea to Sea), adMare is a pan-Canadian organization created in 2019, answering the need to align and optimize the Canadian life sciences commercialization landscape. Since its creation, adMare has firmly established itself as a national leader that...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Prince Concepts

Transforming Space, Elevating Detroit

Prince Concepts isn’t simply in the business of real estate—it’s in the business of transformation. Led by visionary developer Philip Kafka, this firm is rewriting the rules of urban development, turning overlooked spaces into thriving, purpose-driven communities. With a philosophy that values space as a living, breathing entity rather than...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

LOGCOMEX

TRANSFORMING THE WAY COMPANIES DO BUSINESSES ACROSS BORDERS

Founded in 2016, the Curitiba-based startup Logcomex develops technology solutions and offers a platform that helps companies plan, monitor, and automate their global supply chain. The largest startup in Brazil in its segment has approximately 300 employees and is present in more than 11 countries across five continents. The company...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

DATADISTILLR

DATADISTILLR- COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Data is the source of all learning, and nothing should get in the way of that. Data should be easy to access and explore. We spend too long working on our data instead of with our data. Data tells a story, and it’s our job to unearth and tell that...

Global Innovation Spotlight

PINKTUM

PINKTUM-Personnel Development In Spain Goes Digital

Personnel Development In Spain Goes Digital

A new form of human resources development is needed to successfully master global challenges. As one of the leading providers of E-learning and web-based trainings for effective and sustainable personnel development in companies, PINKTUM breaks new ground in Madrid’s start-up scene. PINKTUM offers scientifically based personnel development in the digital...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Woman In Technology

Women In Technology - Ladies of Jacksonville Get More in Touch With Technology

Ladies of Jacksonville Get More in Touch With Technology

A group of women who get together monthly and talk about technology. We discuss where it has been, where it is going, and where it is now as well as issues arising from it and what problems it can resolve. We help the ladies of Jacksonville get more in touch...

Ecosystems