Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Nashville

MCVANTAGE

ROOTED IN LEGACY, BRANCHING INTO INNOVATION

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...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

FIREFLY BIOTECH

RESEARCH TOOLS THAT ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD

Firefly Biotech is an Adelaide start-up that targets a growing niche between medical research and engineering. They specialise in space medicine and research tools. They also offer advice, expertise and inspiration to the next generation of aspiring space scientists. Founded by Dr Giles Kirby, a thought leader in space medicine...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

BRASS CITY GAMERS

BRASS CITY GAMERS-WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY PERSON

WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY PERSON, REGARDLESS OF AGE OR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, CAN LEARN ADVANCED COMPUTER SCIENCE AND DIGITAL MEDIA SKILLS

Brass City Gamers Tournament’s mission is to educate our local community in STEM learning including digital media, gaming, coding, and information technology, our aim is to foster strong computer competency skills to prepare for the developing new-collar jobs of the 21st Century. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization located in...

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® Washington DMV Edition

K STREET CAPITAL (KSC)

FUELING INNOVATION IN HIGH-GROWTH MARKETS

K Street Capital (KSC) is at the heart of Washington, D.C.’s innovation scene, fueling the rise of high-growth startups in industries like fintech, climatetech, and cybersecurity. Since 2012, KSC has been more than just a venture capital firm – it’s a launchpad for groundbreaking companies. With over $65 million in...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

PolyUnity

Designing the Future of Healthcare: PolyUnity's 3D Printing Solutions

There are pivotal advances in healthcare when everything changes. For example, there is only before and after antibiotics and x-rays. Since the implementation of these innovations, we have never looked back. The same can be said for 3D Printing. PolyUnity Tech Inc., headquartered in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, is...

INNOVATE® South Florida

BOCA RATON INNOVATION CAMPUS (BRiC)

LEGACY REIMAGINED: INSIDE THE GROUNDBREAKING EVOLUTION OF A HISTORIC OFFICE PARK

Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) began its journey in 1968 as an IBM research and development hub. It pioneered breakthroughs in computing and research, including IBM’s first personal computer and the first smartphone. The campus continues its innovative ecosystem today, as its current landlord, CP Group, has embarked on a...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY IN CAMDEN

Research Innovation with Local Impact and Global Reach

Rutgers University in Camden provides groundbreaking, impactful research while offering students truly experiential education in a close-knit, supportive environment. Rutgers University is one of the oldest, most respected institutions of higher learning in the country; Camden is a city known for its determination and resilience. Rutgers–Camden is resolute, relentlessly driving...

INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2

SPLASH

A RIPPLE IN INNOVATION, A WAVE OF COMMUNITY.

A sustainably minded hub for entrepreneurship, start-up life, innovation, and community – leading the start-up world – that is Splash. Splash Coworking (Splash) the model of a shared work space and business resource center where entrepreneurs, independent professionals and creatives connect, collaborate and make business happen. Located in downtown San...

INNOVATE® Nashville

BOON LEGAL

BOON LEGAL-MAKE MORE MISTAKES AND FAIL EARLY AND OFTEN IN SERVICE OF DISCOVERY

MAKE MORE MISTAKES AND FAIL EARLY AND OFTEN IN SERVICE OF DISCOVERY

It’s all too easy to get swept up in the fervor of “innovation.” In the polished, produced world of prime-time, venture capitalists drop seven figures into start-ups while founders celebrate exits. Like most things that reach a level of celebrity status in our world of “reality” entertainment, the true story...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

MITACS

BRINGING INNOVATION INTO REACH FOR ALBERTANS

A national not-for-profit organization, Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. It assists organizations in reaching their goals, funds cutting-edge innovation, and creates job opportunities for students and postdocs. These achievements are supported by the Government of Alberta, the Government of...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

BIORN GROUP CYBER

TECHNOLOGISTS ASPIRING THROUGH SERVANT LEADERSHIP (TASL)

In 2019, the vision for Technologists Aspiring Through Servant Leadership (TASL), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in Charleston, SC. Founded by Khanh Tran, TASL’s core mission was to address a critical need: preparing aspiring technologists, especially veterans and individuals from non-traditional backgrounds, for successful careers in the global digital...

INNOVATE® Detroit

DCI MARKETING

FOSTERS A CULTURE OF INNOVATION FOCUSED ON INVENTIVE SOLUTIONS FOR LEADING AUTOMOTIVE AND LIFESTYLE BRANDS, MAJOR RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS

Even in its earliest history, DCI Marketing was focused on brand-building. Originally known as ColorPrint Products Printing, the company built a name for itself producing window signage for shoe stores. But new opportunities with Cadillac and Harley-Davidson propelled DCI Marketing forward, establishing it as not only an innovative design firm,...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

THE CHICAGO HELP INITIATIVE

THE CHICAGO HELP INITIATIVE-A Simple

A Simple, Duplicable Model Of How Local Organizations Can Help Those In Need And The Community That Surrounds Them

The Chicago Help Initiative was founded in 1999 by Jacqueline C. Hayes to be a compassionate response to the homeless displaced by efforts of the City of Chicago. It has evolved into a hyperlocal model of how individuals can link together to address a difficult problem using a mix of...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Bluewave Technologies Inc.

Bluewave Technologies Inc. - A health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s innovation hub

A health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s innovation hub

Created in 2015 company, BLUEWAVE Technologies is a health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s Innovation Hub. Innovation Hub. BLUEWAVE Technologies is a health-tech startup and the creator of the BLUEWAVE, a device that can deodorize items with its proprietary ozone infusion technology in as little as...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

KU LEUVEN

KU LEUVEN-INNOVATION PARTNER PAR EXCELLENCE IN THE MECHELEN-KEMPEN REGION

INNOVATION PARTNER PAR EXCELLENCE IN THE MECHELEN-KEMPEN REGION

The Geel and De Nayer (Sint-Katelijne-Waver) campuses are part of the Faculty of Engineering Technology at KU Leuven. Here, high-quality education and research go hand-in-hand: not only do these campuses train passionate engineers, they also offer many opportunities for companies that want to innovate. Our campuses play an active role...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN MINING, MISA GROUP

YOUR INNOVATION, OUR MINING EVOLUTION

Our core business is the operational management of technological innovation. In the time we have been doing this, we have become masters at it. Your innovative purpose is our inspiration. Your intuition is the trigger for a journey that we will accomplish together. We have developed an investigative strategy, the...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

AVOKAADO

FROM LEGAL CHAOS TO OPERATIONAL CLARITY

For most businesses, contracts are critical but chaotic. They’re scattered across inboxes, cloud folders, and outdated templates. Legal teams spend days or even weeks managing reviews, chasing approvals, and mitigating compliance risks. The result is a bottleneck that slows deals, creates risk, and turns legal into a reactive cost center....

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

SERTIFI

Sertifi- Our Mission Is To Help The World Finalize Business Faster By Removing Friction During The Agreement Process

Our Mission Is To Help The World Finalize Business Faster By Removing Friction During The Agreement Process

Our solution offers a platform that accelerates the process of collaborating on agreements, signing contracts utilizing electronic signatures and providing the easiest, most convenient way to pay. We may have finally replaced the fax machine and are swiftly on our way to automating many of the redundant and repetitive tasks...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

ENLIGHTEN MILLIONAIRE™ PODCAST

ENLIGHTEN MILLIONAIRE™ PODCAST-

Meditation and Wealth, Why One Leads to the Other

Are you working hard, but not getting the results you want or expect? You’re probably wondering how some people make it look so easy. The answer might surprise you – they’ve found a way to tap into their inner power and potential.   When thinking about ways to grow your...

INNOVATION Quebec

PME MTL

SERVING MONTRÉAL ENTREPRENEURS

The mission of PME MTL, Ville de Montréal support network for businesses, is to anticipate and foster the socioeconomic development of our communities in an integrated, concerted and sustainable manner. PME MTL offers financing and support for: It offers support to private sector and social economy entrepreneurs on the Island...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

OxiWear

Revolutionizing Health Monitoring with Innovation and Perseverance

“I developed OxiWear for myself to demonstrate that I could live a normal life without letting the disease define me.” In 2019, Shavini Fernando, a visionary innovator and determined entrepreneur, founded OxiWear – a groundbreaking company dedicated to transforming how we monitor and respond to critical health metrics. Diagnosed with...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

ULTRAZONIC

ULTRAZONIC- MEDICAL SCOOP TACKLES CURRENT CONTAMINATION WOES

MEDICAL SCOOP TACKLES CURRENT CONTAMINATION WOES

UltraZonic has received a true (medical) world premiere. This Belgian company, specialized in innovative medical cleaning devices, has developed the first semi-automatic pre-cleaner for flexible endoscopes. Not the biggest luxury invention, knowing that endoscopes are popular hotbeds for several bacteria. “Due to great time pressure, staff often miss important cleaning...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

PROXY FOODS INC.

Feeding the Future

Washington, D.C., is a bustling food and beverage innovation hub. Proxy Foods Inc. stands out for its groundbreaking technology and profound mission to reshape how we think about and create food. Founded by Panos Kostopoulos, a visionary who migrated from Athens, Greece, with a dream to revolutionize food systems through...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MCVANTAGE

ROOTED IN LEGACY, BRANCHING INTO INNOVATION

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...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

FIREFLY BIOTECH

RESEARCH TOOLS THAT ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD

Firefly Biotech is an Adelaide start-up that targets a growing niche between medical research and engineering. They specialise in space medicine and research tools. They also offer advice, expertise and inspiration to the next generation of aspiring space scientists. Founded by Dr Giles Kirby, a thought leader in space medicine...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

BRASS CITY GAMERS

BRASS CITY GAMERS-WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY PERSON

WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY PERSON, REGARDLESS OF AGE OR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, CAN LEARN ADVANCED COMPUTER SCIENCE AND DIGITAL MEDIA SKILLS

Brass City Gamers Tournament’s mission is to educate our local community in STEM learning including digital media, gaming, coding, and information technology, our aim is to foster strong computer competency skills to prepare for the developing new-collar jobs of the 21st Century. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization located in...

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® Washington DMV Edition

K STREET CAPITAL (KSC)

FUELING INNOVATION IN HIGH-GROWTH MARKETS

K Street Capital (KSC) is at the heart of Washington, D.C.’s innovation scene, fueling the rise of high-growth startups in industries like fintech, climatetech, and cybersecurity. Since 2012, KSC has been more than just a venture capital firm – it’s a launchpad for groundbreaking companies. With over $65 million in...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

PolyUnity

Designing the Future of Healthcare: PolyUnity's 3D Printing Solutions

There are pivotal advances in healthcare when everything changes. For example, there is only before and after antibiotics and x-rays. Since the implementation of these innovations, we have never looked back. The same can be said for 3D Printing. PolyUnity Tech Inc., headquartered in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, is...

INNOVATE® South Florida

BOCA RATON INNOVATION CAMPUS (BRiC)

LEGACY REIMAGINED: INSIDE THE GROUNDBREAKING EVOLUTION OF A HISTORIC OFFICE PARK

Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) began its journey in 1968 as an IBM research and development hub. It pioneered breakthroughs in computing and research, including IBM’s first personal computer and the first smartphone. The campus continues its innovative ecosystem today, as its current landlord, CP Group, has embarked on a...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY IN CAMDEN

Research Innovation with Local Impact and Global Reach

Rutgers University in Camden provides groundbreaking, impactful research while offering students truly experiential education in a close-knit, supportive environment. Rutgers University is one of the oldest, most respected institutions of higher learning in the country; Camden is a city known for its determination and resilience. Rutgers–Camden is resolute, relentlessly driving...

INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2

SPLASH

A RIPPLE IN INNOVATION, A WAVE OF COMMUNITY.

A sustainably minded hub for entrepreneurship, start-up life, innovation, and community – leading the start-up world – that is Splash. Splash Coworking (Splash) the model of a shared work space and business resource center where entrepreneurs, independent professionals and creatives connect, collaborate and make business happen. Located in downtown San...

INNOVATE® Nashville

BOON LEGAL

BOON LEGAL-MAKE MORE MISTAKES AND FAIL EARLY AND OFTEN IN SERVICE OF DISCOVERY

MAKE MORE MISTAKES AND FAIL EARLY AND OFTEN IN SERVICE OF DISCOVERY

It’s all too easy to get swept up in the fervor of “innovation.” In the polished, produced world of prime-time, venture capitalists drop seven figures into start-ups while founders celebrate exits. Like most things that reach a level of celebrity status in our world of “reality” entertainment, the true story...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

MITACS

BRINGING INNOVATION INTO REACH FOR ALBERTANS

A national not-for-profit organization, Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. It assists organizations in reaching their goals, funds cutting-edge innovation, and creates job opportunities for students and postdocs. These achievements are supported by the Government of Alberta, the Government of...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

BIORN GROUP CYBER

TECHNOLOGISTS ASPIRING THROUGH SERVANT LEADERSHIP (TASL)

In 2019, the vision for Technologists Aspiring Through Servant Leadership (TASL), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in Charleston, SC. Founded by Khanh Tran, TASL’s core mission was to address a critical need: preparing aspiring technologists, especially veterans and individuals from non-traditional backgrounds, for successful careers in the global digital...

INNOVATE® Detroit

DCI MARKETING

FOSTERS A CULTURE OF INNOVATION FOCUSED ON INVENTIVE SOLUTIONS FOR LEADING AUTOMOTIVE AND LIFESTYLE BRANDS, MAJOR RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS

Even in its earliest history, DCI Marketing was focused on brand-building. Originally known as ColorPrint Products Printing, the company built a name for itself producing window signage for shoe stores. But new opportunities with Cadillac and Harley-Davidson propelled DCI Marketing forward, establishing it as not only an innovative design firm,...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

THE CHICAGO HELP INITIATIVE

THE CHICAGO HELP INITIATIVE-A Simple

A Simple, Duplicable Model Of How Local Organizations Can Help Those In Need And The Community That Surrounds Them

The Chicago Help Initiative was founded in 1999 by Jacqueline C. Hayes to be a compassionate response to the homeless displaced by efforts of the City of Chicago. It has evolved into a hyperlocal model of how individuals can link together to address a difficult problem using a mix of...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Bluewave Technologies Inc.

Bluewave Technologies Inc. - A health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s innovation hub

A health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s innovation hub

Created in 2015 company, BLUEWAVE Technologies is a health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s Innovation Hub. Innovation Hub. BLUEWAVE Technologies is a health-tech startup and the creator of the BLUEWAVE, a device that can deodorize items with its proprietary ozone infusion technology in as little as...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

KU LEUVEN

KU LEUVEN-INNOVATION PARTNER PAR EXCELLENCE IN THE MECHELEN-KEMPEN REGION

INNOVATION PARTNER PAR EXCELLENCE IN THE MECHELEN-KEMPEN REGION

The Geel and De Nayer (Sint-Katelijne-Waver) campuses are part of the Faculty of Engineering Technology at KU Leuven. Here, high-quality education and research go hand-in-hand: not only do these campuses train passionate engineers, they also offer many opportunities for companies that want to innovate. Our campuses play an active role...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN MINING, MISA GROUP

YOUR INNOVATION, OUR MINING EVOLUTION

Our core business is the operational management of technological innovation. In the time we have been doing this, we have become masters at it. Your innovative purpose is our inspiration. Your intuition is the trigger for a journey that we will accomplish together. We have developed an investigative strategy, the...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

AVOKAADO

FROM LEGAL CHAOS TO OPERATIONAL CLARITY

For most businesses, contracts are critical but chaotic. They’re scattered across inboxes, cloud folders, and outdated templates. Legal teams spend days or even weeks managing reviews, chasing approvals, and mitigating compliance risks. The result is a bottleneck that slows deals, creates risk, and turns legal into a reactive cost center....

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

SERTIFI

Sertifi- Our Mission Is To Help The World Finalize Business Faster By Removing Friction During The Agreement Process

Our Mission Is To Help The World Finalize Business Faster By Removing Friction During The Agreement Process

Our solution offers a platform that accelerates the process of collaborating on agreements, signing contracts utilizing electronic signatures and providing the easiest, most convenient way to pay. We may have finally replaced the fax machine and are swiftly on our way to automating many of the redundant and repetitive tasks...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

ENLIGHTEN MILLIONAIRE™ PODCAST

ENLIGHTEN MILLIONAIRE™ PODCAST-

Meditation and Wealth, Why One Leads to the Other

Are you working hard, but not getting the results you want or expect? You’re probably wondering how some people make it look so easy. The answer might surprise you – they’ve found a way to tap into their inner power and potential.   When thinking about ways to grow your...

INNOVATION Quebec

PME MTL

SERVING MONTRÉAL ENTREPRENEURS

The mission of PME MTL, Ville de Montréal support network for businesses, is to anticipate and foster the socioeconomic development of our communities in an integrated, concerted and sustainable manner. PME MTL offers financing and support for: It offers support to private sector and social economy entrepreneurs on the Island...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

OxiWear

Revolutionizing Health Monitoring with Innovation and Perseverance

“I developed OxiWear for myself to demonstrate that I could live a normal life without letting the disease define me.” In 2019, Shavini Fernando, a visionary innovator and determined entrepreneur, founded OxiWear – a groundbreaking company dedicated to transforming how we monitor and respond to critical health metrics. Diagnosed with...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

ULTRAZONIC

ULTRAZONIC- MEDICAL SCOOP TACKLES CURRENT CONTAMINATION WOES

MEDICAL SCOOP TACKLES CURRENT CONTAMINATION WOES

UltraZonic has received a true (medical) world premiere. This Belgian company, specialized in innovative medical cleaning devices, has developed the first semi-automatic pre-cleaner for flexible endoscopes. Not the biggest luxury invention, knowing that endoscopes are popular hotbeds for several bacteria. “Due to great time pressure, staff often miss important cleaning...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

PROXY FOODS INC.

Feeding the Future

Washington, D.C., is a bustling food and beverage innovation hub. Proxy Foods Inc. stands out for its groundbreaking technology and profound mission to reshape how we think about and create food. Founded by Panos Kostopoulos, a visionary who migrated from Athens, Greece, with a dream to revolutionize food systems through...

Ecosystems