Stories of Innovation

In establishing Midtown Youth Academy in 1977, Golden Gloves champ Eugene “Thunder” Hughes began with a make-shift boxing ring and a noble goal: draw at-risk youth away from the mean and drug-infested streets of Washington, D.C., and guide them to a successful path in life. “We let them knock themselves...

Influitive helps the world’s leading brands engage with their customers to drive business value across multiple dimensions. Customer referrals, references and reviews are now recognized as the most effective way to drive business growth and Influitive enables this at scale. Since 2010, Influitive has pioneered advocate marketing and built an...

Launched in April 2002, the ACCORD Initiative (concerted action for regional development cooperation) seeks to create an environment conducive to the development of businesses. It fosters collaboration between businesses and organizations in a specific field and territory. For more than 20 years, this regional development strategy has been a significant...

Innovation and technology are at the core of the Centre d’innovation en microélectronique du Québec (CIMEQ) with a service offering that includes electronics, Internet of things, software engineering and artificial intelligence. Since 1983, the Centre supports companies of all sectors with technical product development counselling, work process innovation using existing...

In 2013, Voltera set out to solve a long-standing challenge in the engineering community — creating an easy-to-use desktop PCB printer. By 2015, that vision had come to life with the launch of V-One, a compact PCB printer capable of drilling through-holes, printing conductive materials, dispensing solder paste, and reflowing...

The moving industry has traditionally relied on manual labor and logistics, but recent innovations in technology are driving a significant transformation in how relocations are handled. From digital platforms that connect customers with movers to AI-powered solutions that streamline operations, technology is making moving faster, more efficient, and customer-centric. This...

In a world where nearly 40% of produced food goes to waste, Knead Technologies has emerged as a trailblazer, revolutionizing the fight against food waste (Parfitt et al., 2021, p. 6). With their innovative logistics solutions, this software development company is redefining how food rescue organizations operate worldwide. By seamlessly...

QTS Data Centers is a leading provider of data center solutions across a diverse footprint with over two gigawatts of critical power capacity under customer contract in North America and Europe. Part of the Blackstone portfolio, QTS delivers secure, compliant infrastructure solutions, robust connectivity and premium customer service to leading...

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...

The team at weThink spent years working directly with schools, coaches and players to develop programs that focused on social and emotional skill growth backed by research with the Assessment and Achievement institute at Kansas University. Team-based games and esports are the perfect environment for social skills to flourish, and...

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...

FINCLUSION GROUP IS ENHANCING FINANCIAL INCLUSION IN AFRICA BY COMBINING A WORLD-CLASS PRODUCT OFFERING WITH TOP OF THE LINE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES TO CATER FOR THE NEEDS OF THOSE TRADITIONALLY EXCLUDED FROM THE FORMAL FINANCIAL SECTOR. Finclusion Group is a diverse team of fintech professionals and entrepreneurs. They are passionate about...

In today’s world, business professionals understand that knowledge is power and want to be able to intelligently monitor and predict events leveraging data. However, data is accumulating at an unprecedented rate, pouring in from all sources. We help business professionals and organizations navigate the industrial internet and organize data to...

NEXT is a trailblazer in the innovative business sector, offering advanced startup-centric legal solutions. Born from the established law firm Shulman Rogers, NEXT is redefining legal services for startups and emerging growth companies. NEXT founder Anthony Millin drew from his experience as an entrepreneur, partner in an early-stage VC Fund,...

Established in the 1970s, RAVAS Mobile Weighing (RAVAS) is a pioneering organization at the forefront of revolutionizing efficiency and accuracy in mobile weighing in material handling. RAVAS started as a small-scale operation in the Netherlands. The company’s founder recognized the need for mobile weighing solutions that could enhance productivity and...

FOUNDED IN 2015 IN BRENTWOOD, TN, FREIGHTWISE HAS BECOME A TRUSTED PARTNER FOR ITS CUSTOMERS, PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION EXPERTISE AND TECHNOLOGY TO DRIVE EFFICIENCY AND INNOVATION FOR BUSINESSES. Agile transportation technology and solutions FreightWise offers flexible Transportation Management System (TMS) technology to SMB and mid-market businesses through FreightWise TMS and Kuebix...

For nearly 15 years, our mission at ChaudièresAppalaches Économique (CAE) has been to stimulate economic development by pooling our members’ assets and services, as well as those of our economic development partners. CAE’s services include business mentoring, entrepreneurship outreach, and support for eco-friendly businesses and eco-innovation. Since 2018, CAE has...

AWARD-WINNING MANAGED IT SERVICE PROVIDER WITH A LOT OF HEART There’s no need to travel to a major metropolitan city to visit one of the best Managed Service Providers in the country. Instead, point the GPS towards a quaint seaside town in Palm Beach County. Headquartered just steps from the...

“NVTC is committed to accelerating innovation to solve real-world challenges, growing our economy, and creating meaningful employment opportunities for a diverse and inclusive workforce.” The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) catalyzes innovation, collaboration, and growth in the National Capital Region. For over three decades, NVTC has played a pivotal role...

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the Southeastern United States, DC BLOX has positioned itself as a linchpin in the accelerating digital transformation that is sweeping across industries. The urgency of this transformation is underscored by several key factors, each playing a crucial role in shaping the digital future of...

Using Michael Porter’s cluster theory as a cornerstone of its strategy, CiTi designed interventions to grow, transform and enable a leading digital economy on the continent.   CiTi’s interventions have been acknowledged to have supported South Africa’s charge to the top of the inaugural fDi Africa “Tech Ecosystems of the...

Fivecast is an Australian company based in Adelaide that has gone global capitalising on artificial intelligence and machine learning to uncover insights across the surface, deep and dark web, and help their customers enable a safer world. Whether it’s fraud detection, human trafficking or counter terrorism, the bad guys aren’t...

Meet Hazlnut, the company helping to bring new-age technology to the small businesses in their community. Today, people expect to have access to restaurants and retail stores on the web. Hazlnut is an all-in-one integrated solution that helps companies develop relationships with their customers through beautifully designed websites and custom...

Also located in the Research Park at Florida Atlantic, Global Ventures is a second-stage incubator designed to support the growth of innovative second-stage companies that have established market traction. The primary goal is to skyrocket the growth of these high-potential companies by providing an array of resources, connecting them with...