Stories of Innovation

OUR STORY Chef Tom Gray is one of North Florida’s most lauded and respected chefs, with two James Beard Award nominations as well as countless awards and accolades. He began his career in his hometown of Jacksonville at the age of 15 at a local country club, with culinary school...

Circa helps organizations in vital growth periods uncover who they are, connect with who they serve, and build brands that last. In 2015, founders Tori Thomas and Laura Deleot set out with a clear vision: create what matters. They built Circa to not only deliver value for clients, but also...

Polycade is the gaming platform for in-person play. The Polycade software powers PC-based consoles and arcade machines, including their proprietary commercial-grade two and four-player arcade machines. The software features are designed to support in-person and location-based gaming, while connecting these physical communities with their digital counterparts — features like small-pond...

In the heart of Detroit’s revitalization, an organization is buzzing with purpose – Bees in the D. Founded in 2016 by Brian Peterson-Roest, a lifelong educator and conservationist, this nonprofit has grown into a movement dedicated to protecting pollinators, restoring native habitats, and educating communities on the critical role these...

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...

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...

Alberta IoT is a non-profit member-based association supporting organizations with a vested interest in internet of things (IoT) and emerging technologies. Members, ranging in size from solo entrepreneurs to large enterprise, collaborate to provide a common voice to advance the knowledge, adoption, and growth of emerging tech in Alberta and...

In establishing Midtown Youth Academy in 1977, Golden Gloves champ Eugene “Thunder” Hughes began with a make-shift boxing ring and a noble goal: draw at-risk youth away from the mean and drug-infested streets of Washington, D.C., and guide them to a successful path in life. “We let them knock themselves...

The Backstory.Founded in 2005 in the northeast suburbs of Atlanta, then Innovative Architects latched on to the maturing Microsoft Gold Partnership Program as the core of our service offerings. We would become known in that technology community for doing the hard stuff: Commerce Server integration, BizTalk implementation, SharePoint before it...

When the Blockchain Center opened its doors, it marked a defining moment in the history of Miami’s Tech Scene. From the beginning, the vision of the blockchain center was to make Miami the crypto capital of the Americas and educate the masses. It was a physical location that became a...

The South Coast Cyber Center, a nonprofit located in Beaufort, South Carolina, is an integral player in the region’s technology ecosystem, offering a collaborative approach to education, training, and economic development. The work of the Cyber Center focuses on empowering individuals, the business community, and government with the skills and...

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026 Somewhere right now, a founder is about to spend $120,000 building an MVP that could have been shipped for $25,000. Not because the cheaper version would be worse. Because the founder picked the wrong tech stack for...

Enduvo was born at the University of Illinois and initially funded through a Jump Applied Research for Community Health through Engineering and Simulation (ARCHES) grant. These grants support collaborative research and development between OSF Healthcare and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. Dr. Matt Bramlet, Justin Drawz,...

MYCÉLIUM boasts an innovative incubation model enhanced by the involvement of the regional business network, stakeholders’ expertise and access to the talent of several scientists from the Institut sur la nutrition et les aliments fonctionnels de l’Université Laval (INAF), the largest research centre in Canada dedicated to food and nutrition....

Creating Connected Supply NetworksSince 2017, Routeique® has developed industry-leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) products, IoT hardware, and apps for businesses in the supply chain space. “We’re building solutions to problems that have traditionally been difficult to solve,” says CEO Mike Allan. Routeique tools enable companies of all...

If you woke up tomorrow and decided to start a company, how would you do it? Where would you begin? The reality is that most founders start companies alone, spending the first few months in a metaphorical (or, oftentimes, literal) garage figuring out how to get off the ground and...

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...

Kartrij is a free platform that helps gamers discover brands through cash back offers. Gamers earn cash back automatically by securely linking their credit card to the platform and shopping at the stores they already do. Kartrij enables gaming brands to effectively advertise through real-time customer insights and custom offers....

At Home of My Own, we are passionate about homeownership because:• It generates wealth for homeowners and their families• Creates a more stable home environment• Results in better educational and behavioral outcomes for children• Improves physical and mental health homeowners• Builds stronger and more engaged communities Our mission is to...

What does challenges such as climate change, labor shortage, health logistics and economic uncertainty have in common? Certainly, then need to better understand these phenomena, to accurately predict trends, and design efficient, resilient, sustainable and safer systems, that guide our future actions towards a more prosperous and fairer world. For...

Poised on a cliffside overlooking historic St. John’s harbor, the oldest city in North America, Genesis is literally, and figuratively, on the cutting edge of creating the world’s best startup community. Founded in 1997, Genesis helps build amazing tech companies, with the higher mission of creating widespread opportunity for Newfoundland...

Joaquim Chaves Saúde (JCS) is a Portuguese group operating in the health sector since 1959, which participates with great skill and quality in the progress of medicine, always maintaining the highest standards while providing customers with the best healthcare. Dr. Joaquim Chaves Dr. Joaquim Chaves (founder of the current JCS...

City Riders, born in 2018 from the frustrations of its founder, Thomas McElroy, embodies a passion for community and exploration. Motivated by the inconsistency of his riding companions, McElroy envisioned a solution that would unite like-minded enthusiasts globally. This vision materialized into City Riders, a platform connecting individuals who share...

SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT RIDES Every road bump you encounter can be an opportunity to recharge your electric vehicle and extend its lifespan. ReViVe Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of Guident, employs regenerative shock absorbers (RSAs) to capture kinetic energy from a vehicle’s suspension and convert it into electrical power. The patented...