Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

AutonoMe

AutonoMe - Getting The Right Levels Of Support For Vulnerable People.

Getting The Right Levels Of Support For Vulnerable People.

Founded in 2015 by combining his skills in video production and his life expertise is helping vulnerable people overcome barriers to their independence, William Britton aims to make a huge impact on the industry so close to his heart.“We’re an EdTech provider that supports vulnerable people across Education and Social Care....

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

HACKING HEALTH

LOCAL HEALTH INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM FACILITATORS LINKED TO 40 HH CHAPTERS IN CANADA AND WORLDWIDE

Hacking Health is a non-profit, volunteer-based movement born in Montreal in 2012. Today, the organization counts 40 chapters over the five continents and builds an international community of health innovation facilitators. Our mission is to foster inclusive innovation by connecting people to solve real-world health problems. In Montreal, Quebec City,...

INNOVATION Quebec

LE CENTRE D’OPTIQUE, PHOTONIQUE ET LASERS (COPL)

LE COPL EST UN ENVIRONNEMENT INTÉGRÉ DE RECHERCHE COLLABORATIVE ET DE FORMATION INCLUSIVE RASSEMBLANT DES EXPERTISES MULTIDISCIPLINAIRES

Son leadership au niveau national contribue grandement à l’essor scientifique et économique des technologies de l’optique et de la photonique au Québec. Depuis 1989, le COPL facilite les collaborations entre des équipes de recherche multidisciplinaires et favorise la mise en commun d’infrastructures et d’expertises de recherche. Sa contribution a permis...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

RETAIL CAPITAL

RETAIL CAPITAL-TURNING A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT INTO A FUNDING LIFELINE

TURNING A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT INTO A FUNDING LIFELINE

Retail Capital was born in 2011 as an idea on a white napkin. Those drawings became the framework of what ended up being the first Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) product for businesses in South Africa. Driven by a deep passion to support the SME sector, Retail Capital has since innovated...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

TELUS POLLINATOR FUND FOR GOOD

TELUS POLLINATOR FUND FOR GOOD-INVESTING IN IMPACT

INVESTING IN IMPACT

In the spring of 2020, just as the devastating first wave of the pandemic began to hit businesses, healthcare and our communities, the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good was born. At $100 million, the Pollinator Fund is one of the world’s largest corporate impact funds. The Pollinator Fund invests in...

INNOVATE® South Florida

LAS OLAS VENTURE CAPITAL

DRIVING INNOVATION & COMMUNITY IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA VENTURE ECOSYSTEM

Las Olas Venture Capital (LOVC) stands out in the venture capital ecosystem as an early-stage firm dedicated to transforming the B2B software sector. Founded in 2015 and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, LOVC has quickly distinguished itself by leading investment rounds with an initial check size typically ranging from $1...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

NVNG

ELEVATING WISCONSIN’S VENTURE SCENE: THE POWER OF NETWORKS UNLEASHED

Wisconsin-based NVNG is a boutique investment advisory firm with a unique superpower: curating connections. Founded by Carrie Thome and Grady Buchanan in 2019, NVNG (Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained) is on a mission to make Wisconsin’s venture ecosystem globally competitive by leveraging the power of strategic networks. “We have the right...

Holiverse

Closing The Gap Between Virtuality And Reality

Imagine an advanced virtual landscape where your avatar accurately represents your biological self. What once seemed futuristic has already materialized and been deployed for practical use by the Holiverse team. Stepping beyond basic digital character forms, Holiverse reviews confirm that users have the tools to craft lifelike gene-based replicas — true-to-form interactive...

INNOVATE® Georgia

AFLAC

REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE

Aflac’s vision is to create a world in which people are better prepared for the expected — and unexpected — with benefits primary health insurance doesn’t cover. For nearly 70 years, Aflac supplemental insurance has provided millions of people worldwide the opportunity to focus on recovery instead of financial stress,...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

CITI

CITI-TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO

TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO, THE CAPE INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE (CITI) SEEDED IT’S VISION OF A FUTURE FIT INCLUSIVE SOCIETY, IN THE WESTERN CAPE, THEN A PREDOMINANTLY AGRARIAN ECONOMY

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...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

ANALYTIX ENGINE

OUR PURPOSE IS TO HELP ORGANISATIONS MAKE BETTER DECISIONS USING DATA AND ANALYTICS

Most organisations have more data than they realise. The problem is usually the disconnect between business decision making and the curated data warehouse...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

HAVE YOU HEARD

HAVE YOU HEARD-WE ARE A MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY

WE ARE A MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY, HOWEVER, OUR DNA, HOW WE STARTED AND OUR REASON FOR BEING HAS ALWAYS MADE US DIFFERENT

We were never just advertising people wanting to do big TV ads, we were entrepreneurs wanting to build brands and businesses. We were also very inexperienced and naïve and while that made things much more challenging in the early years, it has made us more effective the more time has...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

BIT HAPPIER

HAPPINESS. TO LIVE A HAPPIER AND MORE FULFILLING LIFE IS EVERY INDIVIDUAL’S ULTIMATE GOAL. WE OFTEN SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES IN THINGS LIKE RELATIONSHIPS, CAREERS, HOBBIES, AND MATERIAL POSSESSIONS. BUT WE FORGET TO RECOGNIZE THAT SUSTAINABLE HAPPINESS CAN BE CULTIVATED WITHIN ONESELF. These are the thoughts of the...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

ARTHUR L. IRVING ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTRE

IS A CREATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE SPACE OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS IN ATLANTIC CANADA

Students come to the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre from all disciplines and for many reasons. Some come with an idea they want to test. Others come to learn the habits and skills of an entrepreneurial mindset – skills like agility, resiliency, design thinking, and leadership. Some come looking for...

INNOVATE® Seattle

Voyager Capital

INVESTING IN OPPORTUNITIES WHERE INNOVATION MEETS GROWTH.

INVESTING IN OPPORTUNITIES WHEREINNOVATION MEETS GROWTH. Voyager Capital thrives on working with early-stage entrepreneurs who drive innovation and take risks to create new markets. Founded in 1997 in Seattle, WA, Voyager is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in B2B companies in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta. When you...

INNOVATE® Nashville

FORESIGHT

FORESIGHT-Bring Value To Life

Bring Value To Life

Foresight is elevating the sales profession by arming reps with their buyer’s unique needs and pain points so they can have more effective meetings. In the information age, buyers want consultants (not sales reps) to guide them through the process. We make that vision a reality. Freshly baked sourdough and heirloom...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

adMare BioInnovations

adMare BioInnovations-Un moteur d’innovation en sciences de la vie qui

Drives Life Sciences Innovation by Building Companies, Ecosystems, and Talent

Drawing its name from Canada’s national motto, A Mari Usque Ad Mare (From Sea to Sea), adMare is a pan-Canadian organization created in 2019, answering the need to align and optimize the Canadian life sciences commercialization landscape. Since its creation, adMare has firmly established itself as a national leader that...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nashville Entrepreneur Center

Where Bold Ideas Become Businesses

If you’re serious about building a startup in Nashville, meet your secret weapon: the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC). Founded in 2010, EC is a nonprofit built by business leaders to be—literally—Nashville’s “home to entrepreneurship.” What sets it apart? It’s not just talk: EC has helped over 14,000 entrepreneurs, including more...

INNOVATE® South Florida

NEPTUNYA - OCEAN POWER

OCTOPODZ: REVOLUTIONIZING OCEAN ENERGY WITH MIXED-MODE MARINE POWER SOLUTIONS

OCTOPODZ: REVOLUTIONIZING OCEAN ENERGY WITH MIXED-MODE MARINE POWER SOLUTIONS NEPTUNYA, an innovator in marine renewable energy, is transforming the future of ocean-based power with its OCTOPODZ energy converter—a groundbreaking device combining wind and wave power to deliver affordable and reliable offshore energy. As part of its ongoing development, NEPTUNYA will...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

B.EST SOLUTIONS

REDEFINING SECURE DIGITAL IDENTITY WHILE STRENGTHENING LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS

Can a digital state be built from scratch with external expertise and support? B.EST Solutions has spent the past 15 years proving that it can. Founded with the mission of adapting Estonia’s pioneering digital state experience to new contexts, the company has become a trusted developer and operator of national...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

BLUEBIST

BLUEBIST-PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR NEW AGE OBSTACLES

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR NEW AGE OBSTACLES

Blue Bist is a boutique consulting company based in Chicago, IL. We specialize in change management, team dynamics, and operations transformations. We provide fractional and remote COO, CPO, and CTO support to startups and mentor first-time founders on how to scale. We are a diverse, professional, woman-owned business with a...

INNOVATION Quebec

ISEQ

LE PÔLE D’EXCELLENCE DE L’INDUSTRIE DES SYSTÈMES ÉLECTRONIQUES DU QUÉBEC (ISEQ) CONCERTE LES EN

Soyons le changement des produits électroniques québécois de demainIl agit comme vecteur de collaboration afin de favoriser l’innovation, la reconnaissance de l’industrie, l’élargissement des opportunités, la commercialisation et la compétitivité des entreprises. Il favorise l’exportation des biens, des services et des innovations du secteur de l’électronique pour profiter des opportunités...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

THE INNOVATION FACTORY

South Australia’s Most Innovative Coworking Space

The Innovation Factory has redefined coworking with its cutting-edge approach that’s taking the industry by storm. Founded in October 2020, this coworking space has quickly become a hub for entrepreneurs, startups, and freelancers who are seeking an innovative and collaborative work environment. What sets The Innovation Factory apart is its...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

AutonoMe

AutonoMe - Getting The Right Levels Of Support For Vulnerable People.

Getting The Right Levels Of Support For Vulnerable People.

Founded in 2015 by combining his skills in video production and his life expertise is helping vulnerable people overcome barriers to their independence, William Britton aims to make a huge impact on the industry so close to his heart.“We’re an EdTech provider that supports vulnerable people across Education and Social Care....

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

HACKING HEALTH

LOCAL HEALTH INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM FACILITATORS LINKED TO 40 HH CHAPTERS IN CANADA AND WORLDWIDE

Hacking Health is a non-profit, volunteer-based movement born in Montreal in 2012. Today, the organization counts 40 chapters over the five continents and builds an international community of health innovation facilitators. Our mission is to foster inclusive innovation by connecting people to solve real-world health problems. In Montreal, Quebec City,...

INNOVATION Quebec

LE CENTRE D’OPTIQUE, PHOTONIQUE ET LASERS (COPL)

LE COPL EST UN ENVIRONNEMENT INTÉGRÉ DE RECHERCHE COLLABORATIVE ET DE FORMATION INCLUSIVE RASSEMBLANT DES EXPERTISES MULTIDISCIPLINAIRES

Son leadership au niveau national contribue grandement à l’essor scientifique et économique des technologies de l’optique et de la photonique au Québec. Depuis 1989, le COPL facilite les collaborations entre des équipes de recherche multidisciplinaires et favorise la mise en commun d’infrastructures et d’expertises de recherche. Sa contribution a permis...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

RETAIL CAPITAL

RETAIL CAPITAL-TURNING A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT INTO A FUNDING LIFELINE

TURNING A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT INTO A FUNDING LIFELINE

Retail Capital was born in 2011 as an idea on a white napkin. Those drawings became the framework of what ended up being the first Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) product for businesses in South Africa. Driven by a deep passion to support the SME sector, Retail Capital has since innovated...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

TELUS POLLINATOR FUND FOR GOOD

TELUS POLLINATOR FUND FOR GOOD-INVESTING IN IMPACT

INVESTING IN IMPACT

In the spring of 2020, just as the devastating first wave of the pandemic began to hit businesses, healthcare and our communities, the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good was born. At $100 million, the Pollinator Fund is one of the world’s largest corporate impact funds. The Pollinator Fund invests in...

INNOVATE® South Florida

LAS OLAS VENTURE CAPITAL

DRIVING INNOVATION & COMMUNITY IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA VENTURE ECOSYSTEM

Las Olas Venture Capital (LOVC) stands out in the venture capital ecosystem as an early-stage firm dedicated to transforming the B2B software sector. Founded in 2015 and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, LOVC has quickly distinguished itself by leading investment rounds with an initial check size typically ranging from $1...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

NVNG

ELEVATING WISCONSIN’S VENTURE SCENE: THE POWER OF NETWORKS UNLEASHED

Wisconsin-based NVNG is a boutique investment advisory firm with a unique superpower: curating connections. Founded by Carrie Thome and Grady Buchanan in 2019, NVNG (Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained) is on a mission to make Wisconsin’s venture ecosystem globally competitive by leveraging the power of strategic networks. “We have the right...

Holiverse

Closing The Gap Between Virtuality And Reality

Imagine an advanced virtual landscape where your avatar accurately represents your biological self. What once seemed futuristic has already materialized and been deployed for practical use by the Holiverse team. Stepping beyond basic digital character forms, Holiverse reviews confirm that users have the tools to craft lifelike gene-based replicas — true-to-form interactive...

INNOVATE® Georgia

AFLAC

REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE

Aflac’s vision is to create a world in which people are better prepared for the expected — and unexpected — with benefits primary health insurance doesn’t cover. For nearly 70 years, Aflac supplemental insurance has provided millions of people worldwide the opportunity to focus on recovery instead of financial stress,...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

CITI

CITI-TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO

TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO, THE CAPE INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE (CITI) SEEDED IT’S VISION OF A FUTURE FIT INCLUSIVE SOCIETY, IN THE WESTERN CAPE, THEN A PREDOMINANTLY AGRARIAN ECONOMY

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...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

ANALYTIX ENGINE

OUR PURPOSE IS TO HELP ORGANISATIONS MAKE BETTER DECISIONS USING DATA AND ANALYTICS

Most organisations have more data than they realise. The problem is usually the disconnect between business decision making and the curated data warehouse...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

HAVE YOU HEARD

HAVE YOU HEARD-WE ARE A MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY

WE ARE A MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY, HOWEVER, OUR DNA, HOW WE STARTED AND OUR REASON FOR BEING HAS ALWAYS MADE US DIFFERENT

We were never just advertising people wanting to do big TV ads, we were entrepreneurs wanting to build brands and businesses. We were also very inexperienced and naïve and while that made things much more challenging in the early years, it has made us more effective the more time has...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

BIT HAPPIER

HAPPINESS. TO LIVE A HAPPIER AND MORE FULFILLING LIFE IS EVERY INDIVIDUAL’S ULTIMATE GOAL. WE OFTEN SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES IN THINGS LIKE RELATIONSHIPS, CAREERS, HOBBIES, AND MATERIAL POSSESSIONS. BUT WE FORGET TO RECOGNIZE THAT SUSTAINABLE HAPPINESS CAN BE CULTIVATED WITHIN ONESELF. These are the thoughts of the...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

ARTHUR L. IRVING ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTRE

IS A CREATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE SPACE OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS IN ATLANTIC CANADA

Students come to the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre from all disciplines and for many reasons. Some come with an idea they want to test. Others come to learn the habits and skills of an entrepreneurial mindset – skills like agility, resiliency, design thinking, and leadership. Some come looking for...

INNOVATE® Seattle

Voyager Capital

INVESTING IN OPPORTUNITIES WHERE INNOVATION MEETS GROWTH.

INVESTING IN OPPORTUNITIES WHEREINNOVATION MEETS GROWTH. Voyager Capital thrives on working with early-stage entrepreneurs who drive innovation and take risks to create new markets. Founded in 1997 in Seattle, WA, Voyager is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in B2B companies in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta. When you...

INNOVATE® Nashville

FORESIGHT

FORESIGHT-Bring Value To Life

Bring Value To Life

Foresight is elevating the sales profession by arming reps with their buyer’s unique needs and pain points so they can have more effective meetings. In the information age, buyers want consultants (not sales reps) to guide them through the process. We make that vision a reality. Freshly baked sourdough and heirloom...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

adMare BioInnovations

adMare BioInnovations-Un moteur d’innovation en sciences de la vie qui

Drives Life Sciences Innovation by Building Companies, Ecosystems, and Talent

Drawing its name from Canada’s national motto, A Mari Usque Ad Mare (From Sea to Sea), adMare is a pan-Canadian organization created in 2019, answering the need to align and optimize the Canadian life sciences commercialization landscape. Since its creation, adMare has firmly established itself as a national leader that...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nashville Entrepreneur Center

Where Bold Ideas Become Businesses

If you’re serious about building a startup in Nashville, meet your secret weapon: the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC). Founded in 2010, EC is a nonprofit built by business leaders to be—literally—Nashville’s “home to entrepreneurship.” What sets it apart? It’s not just talk: EC has helped over 14,000 entrepreneurs, including more...

INNOVATE® South Florida

NEPTUNYA - OCEAN POWER

OCTOPODZ: REVOLUTIONIZING OCEAN ENERGY WITH MIXED-MODE MARINE POWER SOLUTIONS

OCTOPODZ: REVOLUTIONIZING OCEAN ENERGY WITH MIXED-MODE MARINE POWER SOLUTIONS NEPTUNYA, an innovator in marine renewable energy, is transforming the future of ocean-based power with its OCTOPODZ energy converter—a groundbreaking device combining wind and wave power to deliver affordable and reliable offshore energy. As part of its ongoing development, NEPTUNYA will...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

B.EST SOLUTIONS

REDEFINING SECURE DIGITAL IDENTITY WHILE STRENGTHENING LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS

Can a digital state be built from scratch with external expertise and support? B.EST Solutions has spent the past 15 years proving that it can. Founded with the mission of adapting Estonia’s pioneering digital state experience to new contexts, the company has become a trusted developer and operator of national...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

BLUEBIST

BLUEBIST-PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR NEW AGE OBSTACLES

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR NEW AGE OBSTACLES

Blue Bist is a boutique consulting company based in Chicago, IL. We specialize in change management, team dynamics, and operations transformations. We provide fractional and remote COO, CPO, and CTO support to startups and mentor first-time founders on how to scale. We are a diverse, professional, woman-owned business with a...

INNOVATION Quebec

ISEQ

LE PÔLE D’EXCELLENCE DE L’INDUSTRIE DES SYSTÈMES ÉLECTRONIQUES DU QUÉBEC (ISEQ) CONCERTE LES EN

Soyons le changement des produits électroniques québécois de demainIl agit comme vecteur de collaboration afin de favoriser l’innovation, la reconnaissance de l’industrie, l’élargissement des opportunités, la commercialisation et la compétitivité des entreprises. Il favorise l’exportation des biens, des services et des innovations du secteur de l’électronique pour profiter des opportunités...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

THE INNOVATION FACTORY

South Australia’s Most Innovative Coworking Space

The Innovation Factory has redefined coworking with its cutting-edge approach that’s taking the industry by storm. Founded in October 2020, this coworking space has quickly become a hub for entrepreneurs, startups, and freelancers who are seeking an innovative and collaborative work environment. What sets The Innovation Factory apart is its...

Ecosystems