Stories of Innovation

People travel and take holidays for many different reasons. “Think about shoes,” says Branda Fan, Founder of Nowy. “We all have different styles and needs, and no one else can tell you if a pair is actually comfortable. Just like that, travel isn’t one-size-fits-all. We might all be heading somewhere...

Inaugurated in January 2020, the Institute Intelligence and Data (IID) at Université Laval brings together the driving forces of research and innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) and data valorization in the greater Quebec City area. From fundamental or applied research, to major ethical issues, the Institute’s 65 members, collaborators and...

The University of Antwerp plays a central role in driving innovation in Flanders. Located in the heart of Europe, Antwerp is a prime economic hub, powered by its second largest port, and the largest chemical cluster in Europe. As a result, its university is uniquely positioned to provide well-trained professionals...

Small businesses make up 99.9% of all companies in the United States. Within a year, 20% of new small businesses fail. That number rises to 30% before the end of the second year. After five years, half of those small businesses have failed. Profits only start trickling in after 18...

Sherbrooke Innopole est l’organisme paramunicipal de développement économique des secteurs industriel et tertiaire-moteur mandaté et financé par la Ville de Sherbrooke. Nous avons pour but de dynamiser l’environnement d’affaires, assurer le rayonnement de Sherbrooke et de ses entreprises sur les scènes locale, nationale et internationale, et de développer les entreprises...

Across Northern Virginia, progress rarely follows a straight line. Breakthrough technologies emerge alongside evolving regulations, new markets develop beside established industries, and organizations are expected to move quickly while continuing to deliver results. In this environment, complexity is not an obstacle: it’s the starting point. KPMG helps organizations across the...

In 2022 the construction of the Power to Methanol Antwerp plant starts in the Port of Antwerp. The plant has a production capacity of 8,000 tonnes of sustainable methanol, produced from hydrogen generated from renewable energy and captured CO2. A consortium of seven companies is setting up the pilot plant...

We cannot do the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result. That is why we need to rethink our health system and innovate to make it a learning system. The collective challenge of continuously improving Quebec’s health care system is significant. How can we achieve the necessary change? By...

Creating added value for and enhancing the competitiveness of all Flemish companies with logistics operations is VIL’s main focus. And it has been for over twenty years. From a small non-profit organization, VIL has grown to be a hands-on, company-driven organization, with a staff of 35 employees. Since 2017, VIL...

Founded in 2020, Ethereal Ventures AB builds on two decades of experience in AI and data innovation — helping leaders transform potential into purpose. Our mission is simple: to add value to leaders who multiply value to others—through coaching, speaking, writing, and investing in dreams. We believe that achieving a...

EIS (Early Intervention Systems) was founded by two graduates of George Washington University, Nathalya Ramirez as CEO, Krishan Shah as CFO, and current GWU Medical Student Rohan Patil as CTO. The team was motivated to create a digital well-being software platform that could tangibly improve the tracking of Activities of...

In the 1990s, Howard Schultz built Starbucks into one of the world’s most iconic consumer businesses. In 1998, after taking Starbucks public, Dan Levitan and Howard founded Maveron. They recognized that digital technologies would integrate into people’s lives in unprecedented ways and that great teams attacking consumer-focused problems would require...

Having placed climate change at the centre of our strategy, Sasol has committed to bold targets that will enable South Africa’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) by reducing our emissions by 30% by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050. The innovative commercialisation of Hydrogen is a core lever in enabling...

In the hyper-paced iGaming industry, where change is constant and customer attention fleeting, some companies simply try to keep up. But others reimagine the race altogether. Soft2Bet belongs firmly in the latter camp. Rather than chasing trends, the company has consistently invested in its internal innovation engine — a culture-first,...

McVantage Packaging stands as a testament to resilience and forward-thinking in the wood pallet, crate, industrial lumber, and supply chain industry. Founded nearly 75 years ago in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the company has evolved from a family-run lumber operation into a regional powerhouse serving the Central-Southeastern United States. With plants in...

Our team has embraced the challenge of bringing the TEDx experience to Jacksonville because we believe our city’s greatest assets are the ideas and dreams of its citizenry. Ideas have the power to reshape minds and change the way people act. Dreams are the birthplace of the possible. But, too...

In a world racing to adopt artificial intelligence, AppTek has taken a different path. Rather than chasing trends or repackaging third-party tools, this company has spent more than three decades quietly building the scientific foundations of language AI. Today, that commitment places AppTek at the center of how global enterprises,...

Playmaker Recruiting was born from the broken system that is college athlete recruiting, with the mission to help students and coaches navigate the complicated recruiting process, and provide greater access to opportunities at the next level. Having seen friends and family go through the college recruiting process, it was apparent...

Zero Assumptions. Real Trust. The printing press. The telegraph wire. And email. Few inventions have shaped human progress as profoundly as our ability to communicate — sharing ideas, plans, failures, and discoveries across distance and time. Organizations move forward through communication, and so does society itself. Yet as email has...

The spaces where people work, learn, and heal influence how they collaborate, perform, and grow. For more than four decades, CFI Workspace has helped organizations create environments that support those experiences through thoughtful workplace design and commercial furniture solutions. Founded in 1985, CFI Workspace partners with organizations across the Philadelphia...

Hotmilk is the innovation ecosystem of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), considered the most innovative university in the country. Regarded as the primary innovation ecosystem in Paraná (and positioned among the largest in Brazil), Hotmilk operates on multiple fronts: accelerating over 100 resident startups, opening new business opportunities...

If you love video games, you may have thought about making one. So, what’s stopping you? Ten years ago, the answer likely would have been the industry itself. Video games were typically produced only by studios with enough capital to house the entire game creation pipeline. And that pipeline was...

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A ONE-STOP DESTINATION TO TURN BOLD IDEAS INTO GAME-CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES, LAUNCH THRIVING BUSINESSES, OR EXPAND ESTABLISHED COMPANIES GLOBALLY, LOOK NO FURTHER. Ignite equips entrepreneurs and businesses with the tools to succeed in an evolving marketplace. Together with our partners at Planet Hatch, we are committed to...

JumpStart NJ Angel Network invests in early-stage growth companies with high potential and innovative technology that disrupts traditional businesses. The group of angel investors screens more than 100 companies each year and invests an average $1.5 million annually in leading-edge startups. Based in the Garden State, JumpStart NJ invests in...