Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE® Detroit
Menace Media
A Movement of Creativity, Community, and Change
Menace Media was born in the heart of Detroit, a city built on resilience, creativity, and cultural revolution. More than just a media company, Menace Media is a movement—a platform designed to uplift, empower, and unite creatives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. What started as a passion project among friends has grown...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
POLYCADE
Reimagining Arcade Gaming For The Modern Day
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...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MATRIX COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
IS AN INTEGRATED MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS HOLDING COMPANY WITH A FOOTPRINT IN PRETORIA, JOHANNESBURG, CAPE TOWN AND DURBAN IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH COLLABORATIONS WITH AGENCIES IN KENYA AND NIGERIA
We partner with entrepreneurs across Africa who are experts in their fields, supporting them in an enabling, energising collaborative environment. We have partnered with agencies that operate independently and have their own P&L, however, our philosophy is built on principles of seamless collaboration. As such our solutions are agnostic and...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
FREELY PAYMENTS
HARNESSING INNOVATION TO TRANSFORM FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
“We are not just facilitating transactions; we are redefining them to create tangible benefits for our clients.” In the bustling city of Washington, D.C., a pioneering force is reshaping the financial contours of the food and beverage industry. freely Payments, a visionary B2B payments gateway, has not just entered the...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
INNOSTEPS
ESTONIA’S INNOVATION COMPASS
Innosteps is a tool for increasing the innovation capacity of Estonian companies and developing a common culture of innovation. Innovation steps (innosteps) is an Estonian public–private initiative designed to enhance innovation capabilities across businesses and organisations by providing a structured assessment framework, targeted guidance, and access to a network of...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
FARMERS FRIDGE
IS ON A MISSION TO MAKE IT SIMPLE FOR EVERYONE TO EAT WELL
A former traveling salesman driving more than 3,000 miles each week, Farmer’s Fridge Founder and CEO Luke Saunders was frustrated with the lack of healthy, 24/7 options available on the road. Determined to solve this challenge, he built a high-tech smart Fridge that dispenses fresh meals within seconds. Despite facing...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
CONNECTPLUG
RETAIL AUTOMATION CAN BE MORE AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE FOR EVERYONE
2014 doesn’t seem like a long time ago, but the technology was very different back then. AI was just science fiction, the internet was much slower — and retail software was expensive and unnecessarily complex. This scenario led to ConnectPlug’s creation by computer engineer Rafael Hasson. Hasson, who has worked...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
LUCENT BIOSCIENCES
GROUNDBREAKING INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
In the upcoming decades, global food systems will profoundly change as we adapt to more sustainable food production and distribution approaches. Farmers are currently being challenged to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Backed by years of research...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
NOVATRON
POWERING THE FUTURE WITH FUSION ENERGY
In 2019, a bold vision took root in Sweden—one that could redefine the future of energy. Inspired by the pioneering ideas of inventor Jan Jäderberg, Novatron Fusion Group (NFG) was founded with a singular mission: to unlock the power of fusion energy and make it a practical, scalable, and sustainable...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Eagle Wings Enterprises - Using Technology To Improve All Facets Of A Business
ELEVATOR PITCH We document a plan for efficiency and success. That plan could include hardware, software, app development, or just the use of apps that offer better efficiency. We measure our progress, document the improvement, profitability, and savings that are produced by our efforts. Then we help our customers identify...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
At Bethesda Farm, The Chicken Comes First, Then The Egg
Bethesda Farm began as a dream to provide the best-tasting, healthiest local eggs available and to use the profits to benefit the community. In 2016, brothers Sean and Jack Hellein received the first organic hens on pastures near Jacksonville. From the beginning, the welfare of the hens at Bethesda...
INNOVATE® Nashville
OZ Arts Nashville
A Radical Stage for Artistic Innovation in the South
“Exciting, thought-provoking work that you won’t see anywhere else.”– Nashville Scene – Just minutes from downtown, OZ Arts Nashville has transformed a former cigar warehouse into a bold platform for contemporary performance, multimedia exploration, and creative risk-taking. As an internationally respected presenter, OZ is known for showcasing adventurous new work...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
RASA
Igniting Culinary Passions
A culinary revolution is brewing in the D.C. area, led by two visionaries, Rahul and Sahil, whose destinies were intertwined by their heritage and an indomitable spirit to redefine Indian cuisine. RASA, their brainchild, emerged from the rich tapestry of their upbringing, deeply rooted in the vibrant flavors and traditions...
INNOVATION Quebec
Québec VITAE
The Life Sciences and Health Technology Cluster
Québec VITAE is a group of stakeholders in the life sciences and health technology sector who are dedicated to promoting growth and performance for the 170 organizations it represents. The Capitale-Nationale is the second-most important region in the industry in the province of Quebec, with its many state-of-the-art research centres...
Global Innovation Spotlight
How Data Science Is Shaping Next-Gen Online Gaming
Data science is having an impact across many industries globally. It is described as being a multidisciplinary field that extracts meaningful insights and knowledge from raw data by combining techniques from statistics, mathematics, computer science, and domain expertise to uncover patterns, build predictive models, and guide data-driven decision-making within organizations....
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
TO ALL OF OUR DMV INNOVATORS AND DREAMERS! Government and politics: two pillars that have long been synonymous with the identity of the capital region. While these will always remain cornerstones of the DMV, a new narrative is emerging – that of a global innovation hub for startups, emerging tech,...
INNOVATE® Northern Virginia
Buzzy Rocket
Strategic marketing for startups shaping the future
Buzzy Rocket is a boutique startup marketing firm dedicated to helping early-stage and high-growth companies build awareness, engagement, and momentum through clear, credible storytelling and strategic execution. Founded in 2011, the firm partners with founders who are developing innovative solutions to real-world problems, positioning those companies so the audiences who...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
Reliance Foundry has deep roots as a maker, designer, and supplier of architectural site furnishings, metal castings, and industrial wheels—but just because they are an old company doesn’t mean they’re laggards behind a changing world. Founded in 1925 in Vancouver, BC, Reliance grew to become the area’s largest working foundry,...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
LIGGA
CONNECTIVITY IN SCHOOLS DRIVES DIGITAL INCLUSION IN INDIGENOUS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES IN PARANÁ
The arrival of Ligga’s fiber optic network in rural schools supports the work of teachers and encourages students’ knowledge and access to technology, benefiting the entire teaching ecosystem and the local community. Ligga, the main internet company and connectivity provider in Paraná, in partnership with the State Department of Education...
INNOVATION Quebec
CHUM
LE CHUM EST UN HÔPITAL INNOVANT AU SERVICE DE LA POPULATION DU QUÉBEC
Près de 18 000 personnes dédiées y travaillent, y pratiquent, y étudient et y œuvrent. Le CHUM offre les meilleurs soins, spécialisés et améliore la santé grâce à des connaissances scientifiques sans cesse mises à jour par une communauté de recherche et d’enseignement. Le Centre de recherche du CHUM est...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
Mom Juice
Wine made with only 8 ingredients or less
Mom Juice is our very own unconventional love story. A blind business lunch date turned into a dynamic friendship, and years later, a lucrative business opportunity that helps us bring women and mothers together over a glass of wine. Because if people are getting together, trust and believe wine will...
INNOVATION Quebec
Polymers Alliance Québec
ONE INDUSTRY, THREE SECTORS
Plastics MaterialsPlastic materials are polymers that can be shaped (molded), by various processes, using mechanical stress combined with the effect of heat which allows them to soften temporarily. Composite MaterialsComposite materials are polymers that are formed by the polymerization of resins usually mixed with reinforcing fillers such as fiberglass. Molds...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
ENLIGHTENED, INC
Leading Innovation Through Technology and Thought Leadership
Enlightened, Inc. is not just another technology firm in Washington, D.C. It is a haven of innovation and thought leadership, dedicated to solving the most pressing challenges of its clients. With a mission to provide intelligent solutions that make a measurable impact, Enlightened stands out as an award-winning HUBZone-certified Information...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
7RIVERS
THE CONFLUENCE OF DATA AND STRATEGY
7Rivers is pioneering a path for businesses to navigate the uncharted waters of a new era of technology.With a keen focus on data modernization and artificial intelligence, 7Rivers is not just a technology services company but a leader for organizations ready to embark on a transformative journey, helping solve some...
INNOVATE® Detroit
Menace Media
A Movement of Creativity, Community, and Change
Menace Media was born in the heart of Detroit, a city built on resilience, creativity, and cultural revolution. More than just a media company, Menace Media is a movement—a platform designed to uplift, empower, and unite creatives, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. What started as a passion project among friends has grown...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
POLYCADE
Reimagining Arcade Gaming For The Modern Day
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...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MATRIX COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
IS AN INTEGRATED MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS HOLDING COMPANY WITH A FOOTPRINT IN PRETORIA, JOHANNESBURG, CAPE TOWN AND DURBAN IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH COLLABORATIONS WITH AGENCIES IN KENYA AND NIGERIA
We partner with entrepreneurs across Africa who are experts in their fields, supporting them in an enabling, energising collaborative environment. We have partnered with agencies that operate independently and have their own P&L, however, our philosophy is built on principles of seamless collaboration. As such our solutions are agnostic and...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
FREELY PAYMENTS
HARNESSING INNOVATION TO TRANSFORM FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
“We are not just facilitating transactions; we are redefining them to create tangible benefits for our clients.” In the bustling city of Washington, D.C., a pioneering force is reshaping the financial contours of the food and beverage industry. freely Payments, a visionary B2B payments gateway, has not just entered the...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
INNOSTEPS
ESTONIA’S INNOVATION COMPASS
Innosteps is a tool for increasing the innovation capacity of Estonian companies and developing a common culture of innovation. Innovation steps (innosteps) is an Estonian public–private initiative designed to enhance innovation capabilities across businesses and organisations by providing a structured assessment framework, targeted guidance, and access to a network of...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
FARMERS FRIDGE
IS ON A MISSION TO MAKE IT SIMPLE FOR EVERYONE TO EAT WELL
A former traveling salesman driving more than 3,000 miles each week, Farmer’s Fridge Founder and CEO Luke Saunders was frustrated with the lack of healthy, 24/7 options available on the road. Determined to solve this challenge, he built a high-tech smart Fridge that dispenses fresh meals within seconds. Despite facing...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
CONNECTPLUG
RETAIL AUTOMATION CAN BE MORE AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE FOR EVERYONE
2014 doesn’t seem like a long time ago, but the technology was very different back then. AI was just science fiction, the internet was much slower — and retail software was expensive and unnecessarily complex. This scenario led to ConnectPlug’s creation by computer engineer Rafael Hasson. Hasson, who has worked...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
LUCENT BIOSCIENCES
GROUNDBREAKING INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
In the upcoming decades, global food systems will profoundly change as we adapt to more sustainable food production and distribution approaches. Farmers are currently being challenged to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Backed by years of research...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
NOVATRON
POWERING THE FUTURE WITH FUSION ENERGY
In 2019, a bold vision took root in Sweden—one that could redefine the future of energy. Inspired by the pioneering ideas of inventor Jan Jäderberg, Novatron Fusion Group (NFG) was founded with a singular mission: to unlock the power of fusion energy and make it a practical, scalable, and sustainable...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Eagle Wings Enterprises - Using Technology To Improve All Facets Of A Business
ELEVATOR PITCH We document a plan for efficiency and success. That plan could include hardware, software, app development, or just the use of apps that offer better efficiency. We measure our progress, document the improvement, profitability, and savings that are produced by our efforts. Then we help our customers identify...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
At Bethesda Farm, The Chicken Comes First, Then The Egg
Bethesda Farm began as a dream to provide the best-tasting, healthiest local eggs available and to use the profits to benefit the community. In 2016, brothers Sean and Jack Hellein received the first organic hens on pastures near Jacksonville. From the beginning, the welfare of the hens at Bethesda...
INNOVATE® Nashville
OZ Arts Nashville
A Radical Stage for Artistic Innovation in the South
“Exciting, thought-provoking work that you won’t see anywhere else.”– Nashville Scene – Just minutes from downtown, OZ Arts Nashville has transformed a former cigar warehouse into a bold platform for contemporary performance, multimedia exploration, and creative risk-taking. As an internationally respected presenter, OZ is known for showcasing adventurous new work...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
RASA
Igniting Culinary Passions
A culinary revolution is brewing in the D.C. area, led by two visionaries, Rahul and Sahil, whose destinies were intertwined by their heritage and an indomitable spirit to redefine Indian cuisine. RASA, their brainchild, emerged from the rich tapestry of their upbringing, deeply rooted in the vibrant flavors and traditions...
INNOVATION Quebec
Québec VITAE
The Life Sciences and Health Technology Cluster
Québec VITAE is a group of stakeholders in the life sciences and health technology sector who are dedicated to promoting growth and performance for the 170 organizations it represents. The Capitale-Nationale is the second-most important region in the industry in the province of Quebec, with its many state-of-the-art research centres...
Global Innovation Spotlight
How Data Science Is Shaping Next-Gen Online Gaming
Data science is having an impact across many industries globally. It is described as being a multidisciplinary field that extracts meaningful insights and knowledge from raw data by combining techniques from statistics, mathematics, computer science, and domain expertise to uncover patterns, build predictive models, and guide data-driven decision-making within organizations....
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
TO ALL OF OUR DMV INNOVATORS AND DREAMERS! Government and politics: two pillars that have long been synonymous with the identity of the capital region. While these will always remain cornerstones of the DMV, a new narrative is emerging – that of a global innovation hub for startups, emerging tech,...
INNOVATE® Northern Virginia
Buzzy Rocket
Strategic marketing for startups shaping the future
Buzzy Rocket is a boutique startup marketing firm dedicated to helping early-stage and high-growth companies build awareness, engagement, and momentum through clear, credible storytelling and strategic execution. Founded in 2011, the firm partners with founders who are developing innovative solutions to real-world problems, positioning those companies so the audiences who...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
Reliance Foundry has deep roots as a maker, designer, and supplier of architectural site furnishings, metal castings, and industrial wheels—but just because they are an old company doesn’t mean they’re laggards behind a changing world. Founded in 1925 in Vancouver, BC, Reliance grew to become the area’s largest working foundry,...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
LIGGA
CONNECTIVITY IN SCHOOLS DRIVES DIGITAL INCLUSION IN INDIGENOUS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES IN PARANÁ
The arrival of Ligga’s fiber optic network in rural schools supports the work of teachers and encourages students’ knowledge and access to technology, benefiting the entire teaching ecosystem and the local community. Ligga, the main internet company and connectivity provider in Paraná, in partnership with the State Department of Education...
INNOVATION Quebec
CHUM
LE CHUM EST UN HÔPITAL INNOVANT AU SERVICE DE LA POPULATION DU QUÉBEC
Près de 18 000 personnes dédiées y travaillent, y pratiquent, y étudient et y œuvrent. Le CHUM offre les meilleurs soins, spécialisés et améliore la santé grâce à des connaissances scientifiques sans cesse mises à jour par une communauté de recherche et d’enseignement. Le Centre de recherche du CHUM est...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
Mom Juice
Wine made with only 8 ingredients or less
Mom Juice is our very own unconventional love story. A blind business lunch date turned into a dynamic friendship, and years later, a lucrative business opportunity that helps us bring women and mothers together over a glass of wine. Because if people are getting together, trust and believe wine will...
INNOVATION Quebec
Polymers Alliance Québec
ONE INDUSTRY, THREE SECTORS
Plastics MaterialsPlastic materials are polymers that can be shaped (molded), by various processes, using mechanical stress combined with the effect of heat which allows them to soften temporarily. Composite MaterialsComposite materials are polymers that are formed by the polymerization of resins usually mixed with reinforcing fillers such as fiberglass. Molds...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
ENLIGHTENED, INC
Leading Innovation Through Technology and Thought Leadership
Enlightened, Inc. is not just another technology firm in Washington, D.C. It is a haven of innovation and thought leadership, dedicated to solving the most pressing challenges of its clients. With a mission to provide intelligent solutions that make a measurable impact, Enlightened stands out as an award-winning HUBZone-certified Information...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
7RIVERS
THE CONFLUENCE OF DATA AND STRATEGY
7Rivers is pioneering a path for businesses to navigate the uncharted waters of a new era of technology.With a keen focus on data modernization and artificial intelligence, 7Rivers is not just a technology services company but a leader for organizations ready to embark on a transformative journey, helping solve some...