Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Northern Virginia

AppTek

The Deep Scientific Expertise Driving Language Recognition, Cognition, and Generation

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,...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs

EMPOWERING YOUTH WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET

BC entrepreneurs Bill Roche and Charles Chang have a vision to make Canada more competitive by nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit in young people. In 2017, they co-founded Young Entrepreneurs of Canada Association, a registered Canadian charity that operates under the name PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs. “Our mandate is to help school-aged...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

2U

2U’S- BOLD VISION FOR THE FUTURE

A BOLD VISION FOR THE FUTURE

FOUNDED IN 2008 IN MARYLAND WASHINGTON DC, 2U, INC. SET OUT TO CREATE THE WORLD’S BEST ONLINE EDUCATION AND THEY’VE BEEN DEFYING THE ODDS EVER SINCE. ALSO AROUND THE EXACT SAME TIME AND COINCIDING WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE MOOC REVOLUTION, GETSMARTER WAS ALSO FOUNDED. Early on in the industry,...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

Holberton School

Holberton School

CHANGING THE FACE OF TECH IN PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico’s technology scene has been a prominent driver of economic growth over the last few years. The changes driven by the global pandemic have made it evident that we rely on technology for our everyday lives. These conditions are creating a higher-than-ever demand for tech skilled professionals. For Puerto...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

HEAVY CHEF

HEAVY CHEF -THERE’S A SAYING THAT GOES NEVER TRUST A SKINNY CHEF. THIS GOES FOR BUSINESS ADVISORS

THERE’S A SAYING THAT GOES NEVER TRUST A SKINNY CHEF. THIS GOES FOR BUSINESS ADVISORS, CONSULTANTS, AND EXPERTS, TOO

A Heavy Chef is someone that speaks authoritatively about a specific subject because they have vast experience in that area. Some of our Heavy Chefs are not internationally known but still making a notable impact in their spaces, or who’s been performing notable work in the background. It is someone...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

NOBI

NOBI -FUTURE-ORIENTED SMART LAMP ‘NOBI’ HELPS ELDERLY CARE TO PREPARE FOR THE SILVER TSUNAMI

FUTURE-ORIENTED SMART LAMP ‘NOBI’ HELPS ELDERLY CARE TO PREPARE FOR THE SILVER TSUNAMI

Meet NobiAn Antwerp scale-up known for its AI-driven smart lamps, used for fall detection, fall prevention and lifestyle monitoring. When founding their company, Roeland Pelgrims, Stijn Verrept and Bert De Haes believed that everyone on this planet deserves to grow old in a dignified, safe and happy manner. Pretty ambitious...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nashville Health

Building a Healthier City, Together

NashvilleHealth’s story begins with a paradox. In 2015, Nashville was rising rapidly as one of America’s most dynamic economic engines, an “it city” defined by innovation, creativity, and growth. Yet beneath this momentum lay an alarming truth: Nashville’s residents were among the least healthy in the nation. Former U.S. Senate...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

INTERFLEXION

DELIVERS AI-POWERED ROLE-PLAY THAT HELPS ASPIRING PROFESSIONALS IMPROVE THEIR CONVERSATION SKILLS

INTERFLEXION WAS FOUNDED TO IMPROVE WORKPLACE COMMUNICATIONS.Interflexion’s co-founders, successful fintech entrepreneur John Muldoon & tech innovator John Hack, had worked together during the dotcom era and bonded over their interest in emerging technologies and organizational performance. In 2019, we were returning from a meeting with a VR expert when we...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

Thrive Health

Thrive Health-Making Healthcare Work Better for Everyone

Making Healthcare Work Better for Everyone

Thrive Health is a digital healthcare platform company, founded in 2016 with a mission to make healthcare work better for everyone. The company provides an interactive patient engagement solution that enables healthcare providers to build custom clinical workflows, and offers patients enhanced access to their health data. Thrive Health’s innovative...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

NETWORK PERCEPTION

NETWORK PERCEPTION-CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS DISRUPTED BY CYBER-ATTACKS: NETWORK PERCEPTION DEVELOPS A TECHNOLOGY TO PROACTIVELY VERIFY AND VISUALIZE THEIR CYBER RESILIENCE

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS DISRUPTED BY CYBER-ATTACKS: NETWORK PERCEPTION DEVELOPS A TECHNOLOGY TO PROACTIVELY VERIFY AND VISUALIZE THEIR CYBER RESILIENCE

OUR MISSIONIn cybersecurity, threat actors are often one step ahead and the average cost of a breach routinely goes beyond seven figures. Most security solutions focus on detection and response, taking a reactive approach to cyber-attacks. The pace and acceleration of network changes create new vulnerabilities every day, decreasing the...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Hosting solutions for growing webshops

A webshop’s success depends not only on products and design but also on the technical foundation that supports daily operations. Hosting is the backbone of every online store, determining speed, reliability, and the ability to handle growth. Modern businesses increasingly look for flexible and future-proof environments that can adapt to...

INNOVATE® Miami

Riposte

Riposte - A lifestyle brand that enhances our sense of belonging

A lifestyle brand that enhances our sense of belonging

Riposte is a lifestyle brand that enhances our sense of belonging, thanks to its genuine designs made by local street-artists, printed or embroidered on clothes made of organic fabrics. Our motto: Reliable fashion, Local soul. The brand was founded in May 2019 by Nicolas Riviere, a French entrepreneur based in...

INNOVATION Quebec

Le CQDM

Le CQDM- Accélérer la découverte de médicaments

Accélérer la découverte de médicaments

Ce consortium de recherche biopharmaceutique à but non lucratif soutient et facilite l’innovation multipartite afin d’accélérer la transformation de découvertes de pointe en vaccins, en produits thérapeutiques et en diagnostics répondant à des besoins médicaux non satisfaits, tout en générant des retombées importantes pour l’économie canadienne.   Un modèle de...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

NOWY.IO

A Vision Born from Wanderlust

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...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

WAUKESHA COUNTY TECHNICAL COLLEGE

LEADING HIGHER EDUCATION INTO THE FUTURE

Waukesha County Technical College, one of 16 Colleges part of the Wisconsin Technical College System, has been a leader of workforce development and training in Southeastern Wisconsin for more than a century. The College is focused on educating students for in-demand jobs and contributing to the economy by providing skilled...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

B4PLASTICS

Redesigning tomorrow’s plastics. Today.

B4Plastics is a Belgian Biopolymer Tech Company specialised in: Creating (R&D), Producing (up to kton), Selling and Licensing novel biomaterials, based on a unique range of Bio Based Building Blocks (hence the B4), tailored to an extended variety of applications. This Belgian-based company, located in Limburg, is a pioneer in...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

SHROOMWELL

HOW SHROOMWELL IS REDEFINING GLOBAL HEALTH AND FORESTRY THROUGH MYCOTECHNOLOGY

Operating out of Estonia, a nation known for its deep connection to nature and a rapidly developing technology sector, Shroomwell stands as a pioneer in the global mycotechnology landscape. The company’s core mission transcends the production of traditional supplements; it aims to bring greater health to both people and the...

INNOVATE® Seattle

Youth Growth Network

Empowering the Next Generation

Founding Story: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Real-World Experience Youth Growth Network (YGN) was founded with a powerful mission: to bridge the gap between academic learning and the real-world skills students need to thrive in their future careers. Recognizing that traditional education often falls short in providing hands-on experiences,...

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® Chicago Vol.1

SAFE STAYS BY RELOSHARE

SAFE STAYS BY RELOSHARE: Changing the Game for Emergency Housing by Providing Anonymous Hotel Bookings for Social Service Agencies

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™ Adelaide

REUSABLY

The circular solution to plastic pollution - Reusably is changing the world one container at a time.

Australians throw out a staggering 2.7 million single-use or disposable coffee cups every day, amounting to one billion coffee cups thrown out each year. In response to this waste crisis, Reusably, an Adelaide-based sustainability start-up, is on a mission to eliminateexcessive use of disposable goods and accelerate the transition away...

INNOVATION Quebec

CEI MONTREAL

CEI MONTREAL-Since 1998

Since 1998, the mission of Excellence Industrielle Saint-Laurent, a nonprofit organization, has been to promote the excellence of manufacturing companies by stimulating the adoption of innovative, technological and sustainable practices

Its services are divided into five specialized departments: business support, innovation, export, sustainable development and alternative mobility. A manufacturing hub in the heart of Montréal As one of the largest industrial and technological hubs in Québec, Saint-Laurent’s territory has many assets, opportunities and development strengths related to innovation and the...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

RFLX

WE’RE A CREATIVE AGENCY DEDICATED TO ESPORTS, SPORTS AND LIFESTYLE MARKETING CONTENT

RFLX is an integrated suite of content marketing expertise, dedicated to the eSports, sports, and lifestyle industries in North America. Our purpose is to create online and offline experiences that are both captivating and exhilarating and allow brands to increase or establish their notoriety. RFLX was born out of a...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

DMPED (Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development)

Driving Innovation and Economic Growth in Washington, D.C.

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) is a driving force behind Washington, D.C.’s economic engine, a catalyst for innovation, growth, and opportunity in the nation’s capital. With a mission to foster a thriving, inclusive ecosystem, DMPED spearheads initiatives that attract businesses and cultivate job...

INNOVATE® Northern Virginia

AppTek

The Deep Scientific Expertise Driving Language Recognition, Cognition, and Generation

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,...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs

EMPOWERING YOUTH WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET

BC entrepreneurs Bill Roche and Charles Chang have a vision to make Canada more competitive by nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit in young people. In 2017, they co-founded Young Entrepreneurs of Canada Association, a registered Canadian charity that operates under the name PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs. “Our mandate is to help school-aged...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

2U

2U’S- BOLD VISION FOR THE FUTURE

A BOLD VISION FOR THE FUTURE

FOUNDED IN 2008 IN MARYLAND WASHINGTON DC, 2U, INC. SET OUT TO CREATE THE WORLD’S BEST ONLINE EDUCATION AND THEY’VE BEEN DEFYING THE ODDS EVER SINCE. ALSO AROUND THE EXACT SAME TIME AND COINCIDING WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE MOOC REVOLUTION, GETSMARTER WAS ALSO FOUNDED. Early on in the industry,...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

Holberton School

Holberton School

CHANGING THE FACE OF TECH IN PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico’s technology scene has been a prominent driver of economic growth over the last few years. The changes driven by the global pandemic have made it evident that we rely on technology for our everyday lives. These conditions are creating a higher-than-ever demand for tech skilled professionals. For Puerto...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

HEAVY CHEF

HEAVY CHEF -THERE’S A SAYING THAT GOES NEVER TRUST A SKINNY CHEF. THIS GOES FOR BUSINESS ADVISORS

THERE’S A SAYING THAT GOES NEVER TRUST A SKINNY CHEF. THIS GOES FOR BUSINESS ADVISORS, CONSULTANTS, AND EXPERTS, TOO

A Heavy Chef is someone that speaks authoritatively about a specific subject because they have vast experience in that area. Some of our Heavy Chefs are not internationally known but still making a notable impact in their spaces, or who’s been performing notable work in the background. It is someone...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

NOBI

NOBI -FUTURE-ORIENTED SMART LAMP ‘NOBI’ HELPS ELDERLY CARE TO PREPARE FOR THE SILVER TSUNAMI

FUTURE-ORIENTED SMART LAMP ‘NOBI’ HELPS ELDERLY CARE TO PREPARE FOR THE SILVER TSUNAMI

Meet NobiAn Antwerp scale-up known for its AI-driven smart lamps, used for fall detection, fall prevention and lifestyle monitoring. When founding their company, Roeland Pelgrims, Stijn Verrept and Bert De Haes believed that everyone on this planet deserves to grow old in a dignified, safe and happy manner. Pretty ambitious...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nashville Health

Building a Healthier City, Together

NashvilleHealth’s story begins with a paradox. In 2015, Nashville was rising rapidly as one of America’s most dynamic economic engines, an “it city” defined by innovation, creativity, and growth. Yet beneath this momentum lay an alarming truth: Nashville’s residents were among the least healthy in the nation. Former U.S. Senate...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

INTERFLEXION

DELIVERS AI-POWERED ROLE-PLAY THAT HELPS ASPIRING PROFESSIONALS IMPROVE THEIR CONVERSATION SKILLS

INTERFLEXION WAS FOUNDED TO IMPROVE WORKPLACE COMMUNICATIONS.Interflexion’s co-founders, successful fintech entrepreneur John Muldoon & tech innovator John Hack, had worked together during the dotcom era and bonded over their interest in emerging technologies and organizational performance. In 2019, we were returning from a meeting with a VR expert when we...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

Thrive Health

Thrive Health-Making Healthcare Work Better for Everyone

Making Healthcare Work Better for Everyone

Thrive Health is a digital healthcare platform company, founded in 2016 with a mission to make healthcare work better for everyone. The company provides an interactive patient engagement solution that enables healthcare providers to build custom clinical workflows, and offers patients enhanced access to their health data. Thrive Health’s innovative...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

NETWORK PERCEPTION

NETWORK PERCEPTION-CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS DISRUPTED BY CYBER-ATTACKS: NETWORK PERCEPTION DEVELOPS A TECHNOLOGY TO PROACTIVELY VERIFY AND VISUALIZE THEIR CYBER RESILIENCE

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS DISRUPTED BY CYBER-ATTACKS: NETWORK PERCEPTION DEVELOPS A TECHNOLOGY TO PROACTIVELY VERIFY AND VISUALIZE THEIR CYBER RESILIENCE

OUR MISSIONIn cybersecurity, threat actors are often one step ahead and the average cost of a breach routinely goes beyond seven figures. Most security solutions focus on detection and response, taking a reactive approach to cyber-attacks. The pace and acceleration of network changes create new vulnerabilities every day, decreasing the...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Hosting solutions for growing webshops

A webshop’s success depends not only on products and design but also on the technical foundation that supports daily operations. Hosting is the backbone of every online store, determining speed, reliability, and the ability to handle growth. Modern businesses increasingly look for flexible and future-proof environments that can adapt to...

INNOVATE® Miami

Riposte

Riposte - A lifestyle brand that enhances our sense of belonging

A lifestyle brand that enhances our sense of belonging

Riposte is a lifestyle brand that enhances our sense of belonging, thanks to its genuine designs made by local street-artists, printed or embroidered on clothes made of organic fabrics. Our motto: Reliable fashion, Local soul. The brand was founded in May 2019 by Nicolas Riviere, a French entrepreneur based in...

INNOVATION Quebec

Le CQDM

Le CQDM- Accélérer la découverte de médicaments

Accélérer la découverte de médicaments

Ce consortium de recherche biopharmaceutique à but non lucratif soutient et facilite l’innovation multipartite afin d’accélérer la transformation de découvertes de pointe en vaccins, en produits thérapeutiques et en diagnostics répondant à des besoins médicaux non satisfaits, tout en générant des retombées importantes pour l’économie canadienne.   Un modèle de...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

NOWY.IO

A Vision Born from Wanderlust

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...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

WAUKESHA COUNTY TECHNICAL COLLEGE

LEADING HIGHER EDUCATION INTO THE FUTURE

Waukesha County Technical College, one of 16 Colleges part of the Wisconsin Technical College System, has been a leader of workforce development and training in Southeastern Wisconsin for more than a century. The College is focused on educating students for in-demand jobs and contributing to the economy by providing skilled...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

B4PLASTICS

Redesigning tomorrow’s plastics. Today.

B4Plastics is a Belgian Biopolymer Tech Company specialised in: Creating (R&D), Producing (up to kton), Selling and Licensing novel biomaterials, based on a unique range of Bio Based Building Blocks (hence the B4), tailored to an extended variety of applications. This Belgian-based company, located in Limburg, is a pioneer in...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

SHROOMWELL

HOW SHROOMWELL IS REDEFINING GLOBAL HEALTH AND FORESTRY THROUGH MYCOTECHNOLOGY

Operating out of Estonia, a nation known for its deep connection to nature and a rapidly developing technology sector, Shroomwell stands as a pioneer in the global mycotechnology landscape. The company’s core mission transcends the production of traditional supplements; it aims to bring greater health to both people and the...

INNOVATE® Seattle

Youth Growth Network

Empowering the Next Generation

Founding Story: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Real-World Experience Youth Growth Network (YGN) was founded with a powerful mission: to bridge the gap between academic learning and the real-world skills students need to thrive in their future careers. Recognizing that traditional education often falls short in providing hands-on experiences,...

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® Chicago Vol.1

SAFE STAYS BY RELOSHARE

SAFE STAYS BY RELOSHARE: Changing the Game for Emergency Housing by Providing Anonymous Hotel Bookings for Social Service Agencies

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™ Adelaide

REUSABLY

The circular solution to plastic pollution - Reusably is changing the world one container at a time.

Australians throw out a staggering 2.7 million single-use or disposable coffee cups every day, amounting to one billion coffee cups thrown out each year. In response to this waste crisis, Reusably, an Adelaide-based sustainability start-up, is on a mission to eliminateexcessive use of disposable goods and accelerate the transition away...

INNOVATION Quebec

CEI MONTREAL

CEI MONTREAL-Since 1998

Since 1998, the mission of Excellence Industrielle Saint-Laurent, a nonprofit organization, has been to promote the excellence of manufacturing companies by stimulating the adoption of innovative, technological and sustainable practices

Its services are divided into five specialized departments: business support, innovation, export, sustainable development and alternative mobility. A manufacturing hub in the heart of Montréal As one of the largest industrial and technological hubs in Québec, Saint-Laurent’s territory has many assets, opportunities and development strengths related to innovation and the...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

RFLX

WE’RE A CREATIVE AGENCY DEDICATED TO ESPORTS, SPORTS AND LIFESTYLE MARKETING CONTENT

RFLX is an integrated suite of content marketing expertise, dedicated to the eSports, sports, and lifestyle industries in North America. Our purpose is to create online and offline experiences that are both captivating and exhilarating and allow brands to increase or establish their notoriety. RFLX was born out of a...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

DMPED (Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development)

Driving Innovation and Economic Growth in Washington, D.C.

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) is a driving force behind Washington, D.C.’s economic engine, a catalyst for innovation, growth, and opportunity in the nation’s capital. With a mission to foster a thriving, inclusive ecosystem, DMPED spearheads initiatives that attract businesses and cultivate job...

Ecosystems