Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

NEWZOO

NEWZOO-TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE BIG IDEA — THAT’S THE GIST OF NEWZOO’S BEGINNINGS

TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE BIG IDEA — THAT’S THE GIST OF NEWZOO’S BEGINNINGS

But Newzoo wasn’t its founder’s (Peter Warman and Thijs Hagoort) first venture into the world of business. Far from it. After becoming friends playing basketball in high school, the industrious duo sold custom-designed t-shirts. Those early days taught them a valuable lesson: custom production based on manuals does not scale...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

TECHNOLOGY ALBERTA

BUILDING COMMUNITY, SUPPORTING TECH SECTOR GROWTH

Technology Alberta is an industry-business association that supports the growth of Alberta’s tech sector, by building community. With an entrepreneur-led approach, we coordinate efforts and collaborate with key stakeholders – so that together, we deliver greater value for all of Alberta’s advanced technology growth companies. As a province-wide organization, our...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

MKE TECH HUB

A LEGACY OF INNOVATION DRIVING A FUTURE OF IMPACT

Shaped by a rich industrial legacy, Milwaukee is evolving into a beacon of modern innovation. With biohealth, AI, water, energy technology, smart manufacturing, and financial services leading the way, Milwaukee’s dynamic ecosystem is not only thriving, but attracting attention from investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators worldwide. Here, tradition meets technology, and...

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

VECTOR INSTITUTE

VECTOR INSTITUTE-CONNECTING ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY TO ADVANCE RESEARCH AND ACCELERATE RESPONSIBLE ADOPTION OF AI

CONNECTING ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY TO ADVANCE RESEARCH AND ACCELERATE RESPONSIBLE ADOPTION OF AI

As the city where Geoffrey Hinton pioneered deep learning, Toronto has deep roots in artificial intelligence research. The Vector Institute amplifies and leverages this strength in fundamental research for Ontario’s economic benefit by smoothing the path from lab discovery to commercial use.   With marquee facilities for collaboration, Vector hosts...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

POWER REVIEWS

POWER REVIEWS- ENABLING BRANDS AND RETAILERS TO DRIVE MORE REVENUE WITH RATINGS AND REVIEWS

ENABLING BRANDS AND RETAILERS TO DRIVE MORE REVENUE WITH RATINGS AND REVIEWS

PowerReviews works with more than 1,000 global brands and retailers to help them collect, display and analyze user-generated content – Ratings and Reviews, Questions and Answers, and images and videos – on their websites. As more consumers flocked online as a result of Covid, this content actually became significantly more...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

GULP DATA

HELPING COMPANIES UNLOCK THE VALUE IN THEIR DATA

Every single minute, 2.5MB of new data is generated per every human being on the planet — a staggering figure that just keeps growing. Though one might think that Silicon Valley titans are responsible for this flood of information, the vast majority of new data actually comes from small and...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MINDFUL

MINDFUL-Add kindness to your tech stack

Add kindness to your tech stack.

Revitalizing a 25-year-old software company is no small task, but can be a pathway towards innovation and compelling value creation for employees, customers, and investors. That’s the story of Mindful, a contact center software company that relocated to Nashville in 2018, which was acquired by Medallia in 2022 after an...

INNOVATE® Nashville

FIRSTBANK

FIRSTBANK-PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW WAVE

PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW WAVE

It’s not often you hear about companies that thrive for over a century, but FirstBank, from its humble start in rural West Tennessee in 1906 continues to evolve and conquer 117 years later. From its original mission of serving a small-town farming community, FirstBank, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with a...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

IMPACT BUILDERS

TOWARDS A RESILIENT AND HUMAN-CENTERED EUROPE

Europe stands at a turning point. Global supply chains are increasingly shaped by geopolitical shifts, critical technologies are still developed elsewhere, and many European industries struggle with succession and growth. To safeguard prosperity, the continent needs to build its own strength. A Europe-first economy means homegrown technologies, resilient supply chains,...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

SEMETRON

INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE: MOBILE MODULAR HOSPITAL

The healthcare sector faces increasingly complex challenges — from the impacts of climate change and natural disasters to global pandemics and conflict-related crises. In these situations, timely access to quality medical care can be a matter of life and death. This is where Semetron steps in, an innovative leader from...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

Arup

Arup - An Innovative Approach To Creating A Strategy For A Carbon-neutral And Climate-resilient City By 2030

An Innovative Approach To Creating A Strategy For A Carbon-neutral And Climate-resilient City By 2030

Arup is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, architects, consultants and technical specialists working across every aspect of today’s built environment. Our office in Bristol city centre was founded more than 40 years ago and today is home to more than 350 staff, working on local, national and international...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

Oat Foundry

Custom Signage and Analog Technology That Becomes Part of the Brand Experience

Our durable, low-energy Split Flap, Picture Flap, and Chroma Flap displays are designed to last for decades, and are crafted for spaces where permanence and presence matter. Founded in 2013, Oat Foundry was started by a group of engineering students from Drexel University. Fueled by the ambition to “build cool...

INNOVATION Quebec

CIRANO

ALLIER SAVOIR ET DECISION

Le CIRANO est la référence au Québec pour l’avancement des connaissances en évaluation économique des décisions autour des grands enjeux de société et pour l’élaboration et l’évaluation de politiques publiques. Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin, Polytechnique Montreal professor, President and CEO, CIRANO Catherine Beaudry Polytechnique Montréal «Le CIRANO joue un rôle crucial...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

Hopeworks

Reflecting the Evolving Spirit of Philadelphia

Reflecting the evolving spirit of Philadelphia Hopeworks is a nonprofit workforce accelerator that connects young adults ages 17–26 to living-wage careers while helping employers meet growing talent demands. Through paid, self-paced training, real-world work experience, and trauma-informed support, participants move from unemployment to careers with long-term growth and stability. Training...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

E‑ESTONIA BRIEFING CENTRE

WHERE DIGITAL GOVERNMENT MEETS THE WORLD

The e-Estonia Briefing Centre serves as Estonia’s front door for public sector officials, policymakers, and business leaders seeking to experience digital government in action, while also showcasing Estonia as an innovative and digitally advanced nation. Established to share the lessons of a nation that digitalised 100% of public services, the...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

DIGER/ GUACEMMI

MORE THAN 50 PATENTS

Strongly supported by human, technological and financial resources, the Seccional group is part of an innovation network with 16 companies operating in the most diverse areas, notably: telecommunications, lighting, energy, research and development, real estate, finance and the exclusive distribution and representation for Brazil of the Japanese tire brand Yokohama,...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF)

AN INNOVATIVE FORCE-THE PRESERVATION OF DIGNITY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Canada’s population is growing older. In 2019, the population of seniors 65-years of age and older was almost one-fifth of the overall population, and by 2040 the population of seniors is predicted to reach one-fourth of the overall population, with over one-third of seniors having two or more chronic diseases.1...

INNOVATION Quebec

CMQ

CMQ-The Centre de métallurgie du Québec (CMQ) is a college center for the transfer of technologies (CCTT) attached to the Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Created in 1985

The Centre de métallurgie du Québec (CMQ) is a college center for the transfer of technologies (CCTT) attached to the Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Created in 1985, the CMQ aims to “support the competitiveness of the metallurgy industry through research and technological development in a collaborative approach with private and public partners while supporting technical education at the college level and the transfer of knowledge to businesses”

The Centre’s team of 60 people, including 10 to 15 college and university students per year, focuses on applied research and technology transfer to support the growth and strategic positioning of companies with activities related to metal processing. In addition to providing advanced training in metallurgy and non-destructive testing, the...

INNOVATION Quebec

MONTÉRÉGIE ÉCONOMIQUE

THE INNOVATIVE ECOSYSTEM OF THE MONTÉRÉGIE

Espace régional d’accélération et de croissance de la Montérégie was established in 2020 and is powered by Montérégie Économique, which brings together economic development organizations from the MRCs and the agglomeration of Longueuil. The NPO supports economic operators, guides businesses towards business support and acceleration services and cooperates with key...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

PUXANO

PUXANO- ACCELERATING STRUCTURE-BASED PROTEIN RESEARCH

ACCELERATING STRUCTURE-BASED PROTEIN RESEARCH

PROTEIN STRUCTURESProteins are key building blocks and fulfill many essential roles within all living organisms. They are involved in processes such as immunity, metabolism, perception, etc. As many diseases are the result of malfunctioning proteins, understanding what they look like and how they work is essential to develop better therapeutic...

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® Miami

SunVessel

SunVessel - Transforming the way we travel around our country

Transforming the way we travel around our country

SunVessel is a network of smart charging stations for electric and robotic personal mobility devices installed in partnering hotels, offices, and apartment buildings. We are the next-generation transportation amenity. Our stations lock, charge, and teach users how to ride in a seamless manner. Users can come up to our stations...

INNOVATE® Maryland

Upling

Delivering Equity, One Order at a Time.

In a world that often overlooks the most vulnerable, Upling is doing more than just delivering cannabis — it’s delivering purpose, access, and social equity. This Maryland-based, AI-powered cannabis delivery platform is rewriting the rules of healthcare access and digital entrepreneurship, all while confronting long-standing injustices in the cannabis industry....

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

NEWZOO

NEWZOO-TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE BIG IDEA — THAT’S THE GIST OF NEWZOO’S BEGINNINGS

TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE BIG IDEA — THAT’S THE GIST OF NEWZOO’S BEGINNINGS

But Newzoo wasn’t its founder’s (Peter Warman and Thijs Hagoort) first venture into the world of business. Far from it. After becoming friends playing basketball in high school, the industrious duo sold custom-designed t-shirts. Those early days taught them a valuable lesson: custom production based on manuals does not scale...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

TECHNOLOGY ALBERTA

BUILDING COMMUNITY, SUPPORTING TECH SECTOR GROWTH

Technology Alberta is an industry-business association that supports the growth of Alberta’s tech sector, by building community. With an entrepreneur-led approach, we coordinate efforts and collaborate with key stakeholders – so that together, we deliver greater value for all of Alberta’s advanced technology growth companies. As a province-wide organization, our...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

MKE TECH HUB

A LEGACY OF INNOVATION DRIVING A FUTURE OF IMPACT

Shaped by a rich industrial legacy, Milwaukee is evolving into a beacon of modern innovation. With biohealth, AI, water, energy technology, smart manufacturing, and financial services leading the way, Milwaukee’s dynamic ecosystem is not only thriving, but attracting attention from investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators worldwide. Here, tradition meets technology, and...

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

VECTOR INSTITUTE

VECTOR INSTITUTE-CONNECTING ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY TO ADVANCE RESEARCH AND ACCELERATE RESPONSIBLE ADOPTION OF AI

CONNECTING ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY TO ADVANCE RESEARCH AND ACCELERATE RESPONSIBLE ADOPTION OF AI

As the city where Geoffrey Hinton pioneered deep learning, Toronto has deep roots in artificial intelligence research. The Vector Institute amplifies and leverages this strength in fundamental research for Ontario’s economic benefit by smoothing the path from lab discovery to commercial use.   With marquee facilities for collaboration, Vector hosts...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

POWER REVIEWS

POWER REVIEWS- ENABLING BRANDS AND RETAILERS TO DRIVE MORE REVENUE WITH RATINGS AND REVIEWS

ENABLING BRANDS AND RETAILERS TO DRIVE MORE REVENUE WITH RATINGS AND REVIEWS

PowerReviews works with more than 1,000 global brands and retailers to help them collect, display and analyze user-generated content – Ratings and Reviews, Questions and Answers, and images and videos – on their websites. As more consumers flocked online as a result of Covid, this content actually became significantly more...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

GULP DATA

HELPING COMPANIES UNLOCK THE VALUE IN THEIR DATA

Every single minute, 2.5MB of new data is generated per every human being on the planet — a staggering figure that just keeps growing. Though one might think that Silicon Valley titans are responsible for this flood of information, the vast majority of new data actually comes from small and...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MINDFUL

MINDFUL-Add kindness to your tech stack

Add kindness to your tech stack.

Revitalizing a 25-year-old software company is no small task, but can be a pathway towards innovation and compelling value creation for employees, customers, and investors. That’s the story of Mindful, a contact center software company that relocated to Nashville in 2018, which was acquired by Medallia in 2022 after an...

INNOVATE® Nashville

FIRSTBANK

FIRSTBANK-PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW WAVE

PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW WAVE

It’s not often you hear about companies that thrive for over a century, but FirstBank, from its humble start in rural West Tennessee in 1906 continues to evolve and conquer 117 years later. From its original mission of serving a small-town farming community, FirstBank, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with a...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

IMPACT BUILDERS

TOWARDS A RESILIENT AND HUMAN-CENTERED EUROPE

Europe stands at a turning point. Global supply chains are increasingly shaped by geopolitical shifts, critical technologies are still developed elsewhere, and many European industries struggle with succession and growth. To safeguard prosperity, the continent needs to build its own strength. A Europe-first economy means homegrown technologies, resilient supply chains,...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

SEMETRON

INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE: MOBILE MODULAR HOSPITAL

The healthcare sector faces increasingly complex challenges — from the impacts of climate change and natural disasters to global pandemics and conflict-related crises. In these situations, timely access to quality medical care can be a matter of life and death. This is where Semetron steps in, an innovative leader from...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

Arup

Arup - An Innovative Approach To Creating A Strategy For A Carbon-neutral And Climate-resilient City By 2030

An Innovative Approach To Creating A Strategy For A Carbon-neutral And Climate-resilient City By 2030

Arup is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, architects, consultants and technical specialists working across every aspect of today’s built environment. Our office in Bristol city centre was founded more than 40 years ago and today is home to more than 350 staff, working on local, national and international...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

Oat Foundry

Custom Signage and Analog Technology That Becomes Part of the Brand Experience

Our durable, low-energy Split Flap, Picture Flap, and Chroma Flap displays are designed to last for decades, and are crafted for spaces where permanence and presence matter. Founded in 2013, Oat Foundry was started by a group of engineering students from Drexel University. Fueled by the ambition to “build cool...

INNOVATION Quebec

CIRANO

ALLIER SAVOIR ET DECISION

Le CIRANO est la référence au Québec pour l’avancement des connaissances en évaluation économique des décisions autour des grands enjeux de société et pour l’élaboration et l’évaluation de politiques publiques. Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin, Polytechnique Montreal professor, President and CEO, CIRANO Catherine Beaudry Polytechnique Montréal «Le CIRANO joue un rôle crucial...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

Hopeworks

Reflecting the Evolving Spirit of Philadelphia

Reflecting the evolving spirit of Philadelphia Hopeworks is a nonprofit workforce accelerator that connects young adults ages 17–26 to living-wage careers while helping employers meet growing talent demands. Through paid, self-paced training, real-world work experience, and trauma-informed support, participants move from unemployment to careers with long-term growth and stability. Training...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

E‑ESTONIA BRIEFING CENTRE

WHERE DIGITAL GOVERNMENT MEETS THE WORLD

The e-Estonia Briefing Centre serves as Estonia’s front door for public sector officials, policymakers, and business leaders seeking to experience digital government in action, while also showcasing Estonia as an innovative and digitally advanced nation. Established to share the lessons of a nation that digitalised 100% of public services, the...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

DIGER/ GUACEMMI

MORE THAN 50 PATENTS

Strongly supported by human, technological and financial resources, the Seccional group is part of an innovation network with 16 companies operating in the most diverse areas, notably: telecommunications, lighting, energy, research and development, real estate, finance and the exclusive distribution and representation for Brazil of the Japanese tire brand Yokohama,...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF)

AN INNOVATIVE FORCE-THE PRESERVATION OF DIGNITY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Canada’s population is growing older. In 2019, the population of seniors 65-years of age and older was almost one-fifth of the overall population, and by 2040 the population of seniors is predicted to reach one-fourth of the overall population, with over one-third of seniors having two or more chronic diseases.1...

INNOVATION Quebec

CMQ

CMQ-The Centre de métallurgie du Québec (CMQ) is a college center for the transfer of technologies (CCTT) attached to the Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Created in 1985

The Centre de métallurgie du Québec (CMQ) is a college center for the transfer of technologies (CCTT) attached to the Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Created in 1985, the CMQ aims to “support the competitiveness of the metallurgy industry through research and technological development in a collaborative approach with private and public partners while supporting technical education at the college level and the transfer of knowledge to businesses”

The Centre’s team of 60 people, including 10 to 15 college and university students per year, focuses on applied research and technology transfer to support the growth and strategic positioning of companies with activities related to metal processing. In addition to providing advanced training in metallurgy and non-destructive testing, the...

INNOVATION Quebec

MONTÉRÉGIE ÉCONOMIQUE

THE INNOVATIVE ECOSYSTEM OF THE MONTÉRÉGIE

Espace régional d’accélération et de croissance de la Montérégie was established in 2020 and is powered by Montérégie Économique, which brings together economic development organizations from the MRCs and the agglomeration of Longueuil. The NPO supports economic operators, guides businesses towards business support and acceleration services and cooperates with key...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

PUXANO

PUXANO- ACCELERATING STRUCTURE-BASED PROTEIN RESEARCH

ACCELERATING STRUCTURE-BASED PROTEIN RESEARCH

PROTEIN STRUCTURESProteins are key building blocks and fulfill many essential roles within all living organisms. They are involved in processes such as immunity, metabolism, perception, etc. As many diseases are the result of malfunctioning proteins, understanding what they look like and how they work is essential to develop better therapeutic...

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® Miami

SunVessel

SunVessel - Transforming the way we travel around our country

Transforming the way we travel around our country

SunVessel is a network of smart charging stations for electric and robotic personal mobility devices installed in partnering hotels, offices, and apartment buildings. We are the next-generation transportation amenity. Our stations lock, charge, and teach users how to ride in a seamless manner. Users can come up to our stations...

INNOVATE® Maryland

Upling

Delivering Equity, One Order at a Time.

In a world that often overlooks the most vulnerable, Upling is doing more than just delivering cannabis — it’s delivering purpose, access, and social equity. This Maryland-based, AI-powered cannabis delivery platform is rewriting the rules of healthcare access and digital entrepreneurship, all while confronting long-standing injustices in the cannabis industry....

Ecosystems