Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ONTARIO INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
MOBILIZING THE CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNITY TO DRIVE PERSONALIZED CARE
Cancer is not just one disease. Each tumour is unique, and each person will experience cancer differently, requiring tailored therapies matched to the unique drivers of their disease. To address this tremendous challenge effectively, it takes a diverse range of people working together in multidisciplinary networks on innovations in...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
NAYLOR AND CROY PHYSIOTHERAPY
SMARTS FOR SPORT
Young girls can dare to dream big and aspire to greatness. Rene Naylor has 130 caps as part of the Springbok Rugby’s medical and management team. While Naylor is a physiotherapist, she is also a motivational speaker taking her story to girls and boys from all walks of life in...
INNOVATE® Maryland
BALTIMORE CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Building the Infrastructure Behind Innovation
From neighborhood startups to growing enterprises, entrepreneurs across Baltimore are creating jobs and investing in their communities. Connecting those founders to the resources needed to sustain that momentum became the challenge Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce set out to solve. Sustainable pathways to wealth have remained central to the organization’s...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
THE FLAMING HEART OF NANDO’S
WE ARE PROUD TO COUNT OURSELVES ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST LOVED EXPORTS
The story of Nando’s is well-known to South Africans who grew up alongside us in our relatively new democracy. In 1987 two friends shared a meal at a humble Portuguese eatery in Rosettenville, Johannesburg. Here they were inspired by the taste of the African Bird’s Eye Chilli, a spice that...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
PROEKSPERT
BUILDING SMART SOLUTIONS FOR A SMARTER WORLD
“Our engineers today are equipped with can-do attitudes and an ability to create ingenious and secure solutions and integrations.” Estonia’s reputation as a digital powerhouse owes much to its innovative companies, and Proekspert is no exception. Founded in 1993 during a time of economic uncertainty, this software development firm seized...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
AECIC
THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF CURITIBA
THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF CURITIBAThe Industrial City of Curitiba (Cidade Industrial de Curitiba – CIC), was founded on July 8, 1973. It is the largest neighborhood in the city of Curitiba in terms of geographic area (43.38km²). Today Cidade Industrial is the most populous neighborhood in Curitiba with approximately 220,000...
INNOVATION Quebec
INO
INNOVATION AS A DRIVING FORCE
INO is the largest center of expertise in optics and photonics in Canada and is among the best technological research centres in the world. For the past 35 years, it has created and developed innovative and valuable solutions to meet the needs of businesses in Quebec and throughout Canada. Through...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
Daikin
Air Conditioning Portugal
With more than 90 years of experience in the design and manufacture of heating and cooling technologies, Daikin is the European market leader in air conditioning and heat pump systems, providing perfect thermal conditions for homes, businesses and industries. At Daikin Portugal we are working with passionate people to provide...
INNOVATE® Seattle
BA BAR + MONSOON
TWO SIBLINGS AND THEIR JOURNEY TO CREATEFRESH VIETNAMESE CUISINE IN SEATTLE Monsoon Siblings Eric and Sophie Banh knew they wanted to do something very different, as the typical formula for Vietnamese restaurants in Seattle in the late 90s was quite limited at the time. There were plenty of good phở...
INNOVATE® Miami
Refresh Miami
Its mission—to educate, inspire, connect and grow South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem
ELEVATOR PITCHOUR STORYIn 2006, Brian Breslin saw untapped potential in South Florida’s fledgling startup ecosystem and quickly realized there lacked a support system for the tech and startup community. From this idea, Refresh Miami was founded. Its mission: to educate, inspire, connect, and grow South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem....
INNOVATE® Northern Virginia
Excella
Turning "Innovation" Into Systems That Actually Perform
In a region that lives and breathes technology, it’s easy to mistake innovation for novelty – something shiny, experimental, and detached from the realities of mission work. Excella has built its brand by resisting that temptation. Founded in 2002, the Northern Virginia firm has spent more than two decades proving...
INNOVATE® Georgia
WILLIAM MILLS AGENCY
INFLUENCING WHAT THE INDUSTRY TALKS ABOUT
William Mills Agency (WMA) has been at the forefront of financial technology innovation since its inception. A storied company and perennially one of the top five public relations agencies in Georgia, WMA is trusted by financial companies and institutions around the country and the world. The agency’s history extends before...
Global Innovation Spotlight
LINGOKIDS
Donde El Aprendizaje Se Hace Jugando
Lingokids es una aplicación 100 % segura y divertida con contenido exclusivo de Playlearning™ para niños de entre 2 y 8 años. Nació en 2016, cuando nuestro CEO, Cristóbal Viedma, buscaba una herramienta educativa para enseñar inglés a su sobrina pequeña. Ese mismo año, en Lingokids comenzamos una asociación con...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
FARM SANCTUARY SA
PIGCASSO INSPIRING A KINDER, MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD
A painting pig from Farm Sanctuary SA is hogging the limelight and inspiring animal lovers to make the connection between what they eat and the industries that they support. When South African Joanne Lefson rescued a small piglet from a local industrialized hog facility in 2016, she knew this...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
EBANX
LEADING PAYMENTS PARTNER FOR GLOBAL COMPANIES IN RISING MARKETS
EBANX is a global technology company that offers payment solutions to connect clients from rising markets and global companies, promoting access to their products and services. Through technology and a proprietary platform, EBANX enables global companies to offer local payment methods from countries in the fastest-growing regions: Latin America, Africa...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
SENSOWELL
TRANSFORMING SLEEP INTO A LIFE-SAVING SCIENCE
Modern medicine is extraordinary – but it often arrives too late. By the time patients enter a hospital, many health conditions have already compromised their quality of life. Sensowell was created to turn this model on its head, leading a shift from reactive treatments to proactive prevention. The company’s mission...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
ALIS - MEDTELLIGENT
Life-Changing Software For Assisted Living Facilities
ALIS is the primary offering of Medtelligent, a health-tech company serving the senior housing industry. Built from the ground up to match the needs of assisted living operators and providers, ALIS is the preferred software choice for fast-growing portfolios in the sector. Medtelligent was founded in 2005 with an original...
INNOVATE® Nashville
SwitchPoint Ventures
We build companies around pioneering technologies.
Our journey began a decade ago, here in Nashville – a city known for creativity and reinvention. That same spirit shaped how we approach innovation: with collaboration, grit, and a builder’s mindset. At SwitchPoint Ventures, we build companies around pioneering technologies – particularly in AI, data science, and digital innovation...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
BIMSTART TECHNOLOGICAL SERVICES
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
ABOUT US:BIM START, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Curitiba-PR, aims to promote the use of new technologies in various engineering sectors. Equipped with state-of-the-art terrestrial scanning, aerial mapping, and georeferencing equipment, the company provides reality capture solutions based on the BIM methodology. Its specialized team digitizes and creates virtual...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
CONNECTpreneur
Fueling Innovation in the Heart of Washington D.C.
In Washington, D.C., the entrepreneurial spirit isn’t just alive; it’s thriving, thanks to CONNECTpreneur. This isn’t your typical forum – it’s the heartbeat of business innovation. Boasting a global network of over 30,000 trailblazers – from CEOs to investors, and angels to entrepreneurs – CONNECTpreneur is where ideas ignite and...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
CHARITABLE IMPACT
WORKING FOR DONORS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT CAUSES THEY SUPPORT
CHARITABLE IMPACT-WORKING FOR DONORS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT CAUSES THEY SUPPORT: HOW CHARITABLE IMPACT IS TRANSFORMING THE EXPERIENCE OF GIVING TO CHARITY The charitable sector in Canada is facing significant challenges due to a decrease in the number of people donating to charity and the amount they give as a percentage...
INNOVATION Quebec
INNOVATING TOGETHER
THE CENTRE-DU-QUÉBEC MODEL
The Centre-du-Québec region consists of 5 territories and a unique regional co-development approach. It promotes innovation, the sharing of expertise, the implementation of common projects, and above all, a complementarity that creates a real leverage effect. This innovative model of collaboration also enables the sharing of responsibilities related to regional...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
THIRD-i MARKETING INTELLIGENCE
NO MORE MYSTERY SHOPPERS – THIRD-i SMART POINT OF SALE DISPLAYS – A RETAIL INNOVATION FROM SOUTH AFRICA
The third eye represents intuition and insight—an inner vision and enlightenment beyond what the physical eye can see. Modern shoppers are increasingly time-starved and brand-agnostic. It is therefore imperative for brands to understand as much as they can about the people who are buying their products and how they feel...
INNOVATE® Georgia
WHEEL DATA STRATEGIES
STEERING ANALYTICS TOWARDS SOCIAL AND BUSINESS IMPACT
Executives and knowledge workers in corporate America view the world through the lens of their company’s products, services, and their profitability. Successful corporations adopt focused product development strategies that align with their corporate objectives and deliver projects using planned resources and expertise. Dr. Priya Sarathy, founder of Wheel Data Strategies...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ONTARIO INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
MOBILIZING THE CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNITY TO DRIVE PERSONALIZED CARE
Cancer is not just one disease. Each tumour is unique, and each person will experience cancer differently, requiring tailored therapies matched to the unique drivers of their disease. To address this tremendous challenge effectively, it takes a diverse range of people working together in multidisciplinary networks on innovations in...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
NAYLOR AND CROY PHYSIOTHERAPY
SMARTS FOR SPORT
Young girls can dare to dream big and aspire to greatness. Rene Naylor has 130 caps as part of the Springbok Rugby’s medical and management team. While Naylor is a physiotherapist, she is also a motivational speaker taking her story to girls and boys from all walks of life in...
INNOVATE® Maryland
BALTIMORE CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Building the Infrastructure Behind Innovation
From neighborhood startups to growing enterprises, entrepreneurs across Baltimore are creating jobs and investing in their communities. Connecting those founders to the resources needed to sustain that momentum became the challenge Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce set out to solve. Sustainable pathways to wealth have remained central to the organization’s...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
THE FLAMING HEART OF NANDO’S
WE ARE PROUD TO COUNT OURSELVES ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST LOVED EXPORTS
The story of Nando’s is well-known to South Africans who grew up alongside us in our relatively new democracy. In 1987 two friends shared a meal at a humble Portuguese eatery in Rosettenville, Johannesburg. Here they were inspired by the taste of the African Bird’s Eye Chilli, a spice that...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
PROEKSPERT
BUILDING SMART SOLUTIONS FOR A SMARTER WORLD
“Our engineers today are equipped with can-do attitudes and an ability to create ingenious and secure solutions and integrations.” Estonia’s reputation as a digital powerhouse owes much to its innovative companies, and Proekspert is no exception. Founded in 1993 during a time of economic uncertainty, this software development firm seized...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
AECIC
THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF CURITIBA
THE INDUSTRIAL CITY OF CURITIBAThe Industrial City of Curitiba (Cidade Industrial de Curitiba – CIC), was founded on July 8, 1973. It is the largest neighborhood in the city of Curitiba in terms of geographic area (43.38km²). Today Cidade Industrial is the most populous neighborhood in Curitiba with approximately 220,000...
INNOVATION Quebec
INO
INNOVATION AS A DRIVING FORCE
INO is the largest center of expertise in optics and photonics in Canada and is among the best technological research centres in the world. For the past 35 years, it has created and developed innovative and valuable solutions to meet the needs of businesses in Quebec and throughout Canada. Through...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
Daikin
Air Conditioning Portugal
With more than 90 years of experience in the design and manufacture of heating and cooling technologies, Daikin is the European market leader in air conditioning and heat pump systems, providing perfect thermal conditions for homes, businesses and industries. At Daikin Portugal we are working with passionate people to provide...
INNOVATE® Seattle
BA BAR + MONSOON
TWO SIBLINGS AND THEIR JOURNEY TO CREATEFRESH VIETNAMESE CUISINE IN SEATTLE Monsoon Siblings Eric and Sophie Banh knew they wanted to do something very different, as the typical formula for Vietnamese restaurants in Seattle in the late 90s was quite limited at the time. There were plenty of good phở...
INNOVATE® Miami
Refresh Miami
Its mission—to educate, inspire, connect and grow South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem
ELEVATOR PITCHOUR STORYIn 2006, Brian Breslin saw untapped potential in South Florida’s fledgling startup ecosystem and quickly realized there lacked a support system for the tech and startup community. From this idea, Refresh Miami was founded. Its mission: to educate, inspire, connect, and grow South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem....
INNOVATE® Northern Virginia
Excella
Turning "Innovation" Into Systems That Actually Perform
In a region that lives and breathes technology, it’s easy to mistake innovation for novelty – something shiny, experimental, and detached from the realities of mission work. Excella has built its brand by resisting that temptation. Founded in 2002, the Northern Virginia firm has spent more than two decades proving...
INNOVATE® Georgia
WILLIAM MILLS AGENCY
INFLUENCING WHAT THE INDUSTRY TALKS ABOUT
William Mills Agency (WMA) has been at the forefront of financial technology innovation since its inception. A storied company and perennially one of the top five public relations agencies in Georgia, WMA is trusted by financial companies and institutions around the country and the world. The agency’s history extends before...
Global Innovation Spotlight
LINGOKIDS
Donde El Aprendizaje Se Hace Jugando
Lingokids es una aplicación 100 % segura y divertida con contenido exclusivo de Playlearning™ para niños de entre 2 y 8 años. Nació en 2016, cuando nuestro CEO, Cristóbal Viedma, buscaba una herramienta educativa para enseñar inglés a su sobrina pequeña. Ese mismo año, en Lingokids comenzamos una asociación con...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
FARM SANCTUARY SA
PIGCASSO INSPIRING A KINDER, MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD
A painting pig from Farm Sanctuary SA is hogging the limelight and inspiring animal lovers to make the connection between what they eat and the industries that they support. When South African Joanne Lefson rescued a small piglet from a local industrialized hog facility in 2016, she knew this...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
EBANX
LEADING PAYMENTS PARTNER FOR GLOBAL COMPANIES IN RISING MARKETS
EBANX is a global technology company that offers payment solutions to connect clients from rising markets and global companies, promoting access to their products and services. Through technology and a proprietary platform, EBANX enables global companies to offer local payment methods from countries in the fastest-growing regions: Latin America, Africa...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
SENSOWELL
TRANSFORMING SLEEP INTO A LIFE-SAVING SCIENCE
Modern medicine is extraordinary – but it often arrives too late. By the time patients enter a hospital, many health conditions have already compromised their quality of life. Sensowell was created to turn this model on its head, leading a shift from reactive treatments to proactive prevention. The company’s mission...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
ALIS - MEDTELLIGENT
Life-Changing Software For Assisted Living Facilities
ALIS is the primary offering of Medtelligent, a health-tech company serving the senior housing industry. Built from the ground up to match the needs of assisted living operators and providers, ALIS is the preferred software choice for fast-growing portfolios in the sector. Medtelligent was founded in 2005 with an original...
INNOVATE® Nashville
SwitchPoint Ventures
We build companies around pioneering technologies.
Our journey began a decade ago, here in Nashville – a city known for creativity and reinvention. That same spirit shaped how we approach innovation: with collaboration, grit, and a builder’s mindset. At SwitchPoint Ventures, we build companies around pioneering technologies – particularly in AI, data science, and digital innovation...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
BIMSTART TECHNOLOGICAL SERVICES
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
ABOUT US:BIM START, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Curitiba-PR, aims to promote the use of new technologies in various engineering sectors. Equipped with state-of-the-art terrestrial scanning, aerial mapping, and georeferencing equipment, the company provides reality capture solutions based on the BIM methodology. Its specialized team digitizes and creates virtual...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
CONNECTpreneur
Fueling Innovation in the Heart of Washington D.C.
In Washington, D.C., the entrepreneurial spirit isn’t just alive; it’s thriving, thanks to CONNECTpreneur. This isn’t your typical forum – it’s the heartbeat of business innovation. Boasting a global network of over 30,000 trailblazers – from CEOs to investors, and angels to entrepreneurs – CONNECTpreneur is where ideas ignite and...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
CHARITABLE IMPACT
WORKING FOR DONORS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT CAUSES THEY SUPPORT
CHARITABLE IMPACT-WORKING FOR DONORS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT CAUSES THEY SUPPORT: HOW CHARITABLE IMPACT IS TRANSFORMING THE EXPERIENCE OF GIVING TO CHARITY The charitable sector in Canada is facing significant challenges due to a decrease in the number of people donating to charity and the amount they give as a percentage...
INNOVATION Quebec
INNOVATING TOGETHER
THE CENTRE-DU-QUÉBEC MODEL
The Centre-du-Québec region consists of 5 territories and a unique regional co-development approach. It promotes innovation, the sharing of expertise, the implementation of common projects, and above all, a complementarity that creates a real leverage effect. This innovative model of collaboration also enables the sharing of responsibilities related to regional...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
THIRD-i MARKETING INTELLIGENCE
NO MORE MYSTERY SHOPPERS – THIRD-i SMART POINT OF SALE DISPLAYS – A RETAIL INNOVATION FROM SOUTH AFRICA
The third eye represents intuition and insight—an inner vision and enlightenment beyond what the physical eye can see. Modern shoppers are increasingly time-starved and brand-agnostic. It is therefore imperative for brands to understand as much as they can about the people who are buying their products and how they feel...
INNOVATE® Georgia
WHEEL DATA STRATEGIES
STEERING ANALYTICS TOWARDS SOCIAL AND BUSINESS IMPACT
Executives and knowledge workers in corporate America view the world through the lens of their company’s products, services, and their profitability. Successful corporations adopt focused product development strategies that align with their corporate objectives and deliver projects using planned resources and expertise. Dr. Priya Sarathy, founder of Wheel Data Strategies...