Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® South Carolina

Catch Talent

We focus on understanding the career needs of individuals in the workforce.

Real Relationships Matter Catch Talent is a high-touch recruiting agency that delivers end-to-end talent acquisition solutions to growing technology, financial services, healthcare, digital & creative, professional services, and government contracting companies. Headquartered in Charleston, SC, Catch specializes in the full talent attraction life cycle by sourcing and recruiting qualified candidates...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

POTATO IMPROVER

ENGINEERING RESILIENCE IN THE AGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

In a world of rapidly rising temperatures and unstable growing conditions, Potato Improver is reshaping the future of agriculture by empowering one of the world’s most essential food crops—potatoes—to thrive in heat-stressed environments. Founded with a singular mission to safeguard global food security, this Swedish biotech startup has developed a...

Global Innovation Spotlight

REPAIRABLY

REPAIRABLY-AS CERTIFICATION BODY

AS CERTIFICATION BODY

Repairably certification aims to bring repair into the practice of the 21 century. As a third-party independent certification body, we test and verify whether a product fulfills 10 basic rules of the Repairably Manifesto, as the methodology for repairability and product rebirth to enable circularity in business models.“ Alan Suchánek,...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Once Troubled

Andrew Jackson High School Evolves Into Advanced Technology Magnet

Video games are anything but child’s play for students at Andrew Jackson High School of Advanced Technology where computer coding, animation and simulation programming are the daily classroom lessons. ELEVATOR PITCH Andrew Jackson High School of Advanced Technology, a top-performing magnet school in Duval County, paves the way for its...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

CANADIAN BLOCKCHAIN CONSORTIUM

ADVOCATING FOR THE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL ASSETS SECTOR

Uniting diverse companies, individuals, and organizations from across the national innovation ecosystem, the Canadian Blockchain Consortium is the country’s advocate for the blockchain technology and cryptocurrency sector. The Consortium was launched in 2016 as the Alberta Blockchain Consortium by the late energy and technology pioneer Suzanne West, who had a...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

STEADFAST

MAKING IT WORK

Steadfast began in 1998 as an internet-technology passion project for Steadfast’s Founder, Karl Zimmerman, when he was only 14 years old. Karl’s dream to help companies with their data hosting and security needs started early on, and through these relationships, Karl learned there was a frustrating gap with many hosting...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

EGGSPLAIN

FROM HOME BUILT SERVERS TO A SCALABLE, SECURE AI PLATFORM

The story of Eggsplain begins not in a corporate boardroom, but in a Stockholm apartment filled with servers, wires, and curiosity. Yasaar Biladama, a lifelong coder and technology enthusiast, had been experimenting with artificial intelligence long before it became a business buzzword. Driven by a passion for computers since childhood,...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

ONWARD PLAY

ONWARD PLAY-WE PUT GAMING TALENT TO WORK

WE PUT GAMING TALENT TO WORK

Onward Play is a nationwide game staffing agency specializing in freelance and direct hire. Onward Play’s niche is linking up creative, technical and production talent with incredible game, XR, and esports studios. Onward Play recruits talent for segments like PC, Console, Mobile, VR, AR, XR, esports, toys, casino and tabletop....

INNOVATION Quebec

CED

CANADA’S PIONEER IN THE CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL RPAS INDUSTRY

Launched in 2011, the CED is a community of interest and a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop, manage and promote a range of expertise, services and innovations in the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) sector. Our headquarters are located at the airport in Alma (CYTF), but we offer...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

HUNGRY MARKETPLACE

Hungry for something better

This is a company unlike any other in the Washington DMV – and that’s saying a lot. HUNGRY Marketplace has revolutionized the office food market nationally. Founded by visionary entrepreneurs Jeff Grass and Eman and Shy Pahlevani, this Arlington, Virginia-based company is reshaping the landscape of office food solutions with...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

The UNF Step Lab - A Major Contributor To The STEM Education Ecosystem

The UNF Step Lab - A Major Contributor To The STEM Education Ecosystem

The UNF Step Lab, housed in the UNF College of Education and Human Services, positions UNF to continue to be a major contributor to the STEM Education ecosystem in the Northeast Florida community. It is a place where regional preK-12 students, teachers, university faculty and students, and community/business partners can...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Anand Sweets-Spreading Happiness, Sweetly

Pivoting from an old school traditional mithai brand to the go-to brand for every celebration, Anand Sweets has used every technological aid to gallop ahead in its category. What is now one of South India’s largest sweets’ brands started its story with one man’s dream to revolutionise the sweetmeat industry and ‘make...

AI Québec

MUUTAA

MUUTAA-IS A PILLAR OF AI IN CLINICALLY INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAINS.

IS A PILLAR OF AI IN CLINICALLY INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAINS.

The conjuncture of healthcare and AI is an amazing place to be, and is what brought MUUTAA’s team together. Our combined industry knowledge in clinical workflows, medical supplies and medication management, emerging technologies, traceability and logistics are applied to drive operational optimization through the application of artificial intelligence. We are...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

BOSS INSIGHTS

BOSS INSIGHTS-ACCELERATING FINTECHS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES FORWARD

ACCELERATING FINTECHS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES FORWARD

You know how to lend. But, to whom do you lend, when you don’t have the right data? Too many business lenders are constrained by partial data and manual processes. And, speed is paramount. Keren Moynihan, CEOBoss Insights empowers fintechs and lenders to respond faster, make underwriting decisions more quickly,...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

UNIONWEAR

USA MADE BASEBALL CAPS AND TOTE BAGS: DESIGNED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MANUFACTURED BY ROBOTS.

Unionwear manufactures – from scratch—100% made in USA baseball hats, backpacks, messenger bags, portfolios, and binders, with 160 union sewers in Newark, NJ. Mitch Cahn founded Unionwear in 1992 with six sewers and a contract to make baseball hats for Ralph Lauren, and has evolved by buying legacy manufacturers of...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

GLOBAL ECONOMIC OPTIMIZATION

GLOBAL ECONOMIC OPTIMIZATION-

Is a boutique law firm located in San Juan Puerto Rico, founded in 2018 by Giovanni Méndez Feliciano

Our mission is to provide our clients with a one-stop, unique, and transparent entry to the various economic incentive programs, optimize their business structures, and ensure compliance while we help them to make informed decisions. GEO’s customized approach provides each client with a wide range of services including but not...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

THE CCRM STORY

THE CCRM STORY: 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING

10 YEARS IN THE MAKING

“Regenerative medicine is the future, and not only is it the future, it’s a branch of medicine that Canada and the province of Ontario are actually quite good at.” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau When it launched onto the scene in 2011, there was nothing else like it. Even today, ten years...

INNOVATION Quebec

BIOPTERRE

CCTT EN DÉVELOPPEMENT DE BIOPRODUITS

Dans un contexte marqué par les changements climatiques, la perte de biodiversité, la pression croissante exercée sur les ressources naturelles et les préoccupations en matière de santé publique; tous s’entendent sur l’importance de miser sur la bioéconomie. Définie comme l’activité économique associée à l’invention, au développement et à la production...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

SENTIMENTAL VALUE ARTS AND CRAFTS

SENTIMENTAL VALUE ARTS AND CRAFTS- “IF IT’S DEAR TO YOU ITS DEAR TO US TOO.”

“IF IT’S DEAR TO YOU ITS DEAR TO US TOO.”

All of us have that something that we hold on dearly to. For some people it’s a family heirloom, handwritten post letters and to others a broken kettle they keep saying they will fix and never get around to doing it. I get it all. At Sentimental Value we allow...

INNOVATE® Georgia

CLAYTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

LEADING ECONOMIC GROWTH: CLAYTON COUNTY’S THRIVING STORY

Nestled within the heart of Georgia lies Clayton County, a burgeoning economic powerhouse fueled by innovation, diversity, and strategic development initiatives. Under the stewardship of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, the Office of Economic Development stands as a beacon of excellence, garnering prestigious accolades from the International Economic Development...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

CODEWORKS

PURPOSE. PASSION. PEOPLE.

Codeworks began in 1995 when Mark Theisen, a software developer, recognized the need for a software development consulting firm that provided high-level quality talent at reasonable rates. There was a lot of competition popping up in the IT consulting industry at the time, but he saw companies that were inefficient...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

GSP International Airport

Reaching New Heights

Our History Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), Upstate South Carolina’s commercial service airport, was established in October 1962. At the time of its opening, the idea of regional collaboration was not a common one among cities, counties, politicians, businesses, or economic development organizations. Without a major interstate roadway to connect the...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

NIKO PARTNERS

NIKO PARTNERS-COMPANIES NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MARKETS IN WHICH THEY COMPETE

COMPANIES NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MARKETS IN WHICH THEY COMPETE

When consumers and students think of the video game industry and esports, they think of the excitement and entertainment of it all – but rarely about the data that guides the strategy of a business and of the game development plan. A market research firm provides the data that helps...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

HYBR

HYBR-INNOVATIONS FOR AFRICA

INNOVATIONS FOR AFRICA

Africa needs African solutions. Adversities unquestionably limit the potential of people, communities, and economies in Africa. However, where there are challenges, there are opportunities. HYBR proves scalable entrepreneurship is the answer for social change and impact in Africa.   HYBR is a unique social enterprise founded in Africa with the...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

Catch Talent

We focus on understanding the career needs of individuals in the workforce.

Real Relationships Matter Catch Talent is a high-touch recruiting agency that delivers end-to-end talent acquisition solutions to growing technology, financial services, healthcare, digital & creative, professional services, and government contracting companies. Headquartered in Charleston, SC, Catch specializes in the full talent attraction life cycle by sourcing and recruiting qualified candidates...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

POTATO IMPROVER

ENGINEERING RESILIENCE IN THE AGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

In a world of rapidly rising temperatures and unstable growing conditions, Potato Improver is reshaping the future of agriculture by empowering one of the world’s most essential food crops—potatoes—to thrive in heat-stressed environments. Founded with a singular mission to safeguard global food security, this Swedish biotech startup has developed a...

Global Innovation Spotlight

REPAIRABLY

REPAIRABLY-AS CERTIFICATION BODY

AS CERTIFICATION BODY

Repairably certification aims to bring repair into the practice of the 21 century. As a third-party independent certification body, we test and verify whether a product fulfills 10 basic rules of the Repairably Manifesto, as the methodology for repairability and product rebirth to enable circularity in business models.“ Alan Suchánek,...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Once Troubled

Andrew Jackson High School Evolves Into Advanced Technology Magnet

Video games are anything but child’s play for students at Andrew Jackson High School of Advanced Technology where computer coding, animation and simulation programming are the daily classroom lessons. ELEVATOR PITCH Andrew Jackson High School of Advanced Technology, a top-performing magnet school in Duval County, paves the way for its...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

CANADIAN BLOCKCHAIN CONSORTIUM

ADVOCATING FOR THE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL ASSETS SECTOR

Uniting diverse companies, individuals, and organizations from across the national innovation ecosystem, the Canadian Blockchain Consortium is the country’s advocate for the blockchain technology and cryptocurrency sector. The Consortium was launched in 2016 as the Alberta Blockchain Consortium by the late energy and technology pioneer Suzanne West, who had a...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

STEADFAST

MAKING IT WORK

Steadfast began in 1998 as an internet-technology passion project for Steadfast’s Founder, Karl Zimmerman, when he was only 14 years old. Karl’s dream to help companies with their data hosting and security needs started early on, and through these relationships, Karl learned there was a frustrating gap with many hosting...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

EGGSPLAIN

FROM HOME BUILT SERVERS TO A SCALABLE, SECURE AI PLATFORM

The story of Eggsplain begins not in a corporate boardroom, but in a Stockholm apartment filled with servers, wires, and curiosity. Yasaar Biladama, a lifelong coder and technology enthusiast, had been experimenting with artificial intelligence long before it became a business buzzword. Driven by a passion for computers since childhood,...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

ONWARD PLAY

ONWARD PLAY-WE PUT GAMING TALENT TO WORK

WE PUT GAMING TALENT TO WORK

Onward Play is a nationwide game staffing agency specializing in freelance and direct hire. Onward Play’s niche is linking up creative, technical and production talent with incredible game, XR, and esports studios. Onward Play recruits talent for segments like PC, Console, Mobile, VR, AR, XR, esports, toys, casino and tabletop....

INNOVATION Quebec

CED

CANADA’S PIONEER IN THE CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL RPAS INDUSTRY

Launched in 2011, the CED is a community of interest and a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop, manage and promote a range of expertise, services and innovations in the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) sector. Our headquarters are located at the airport in Alma (CYTF), but we offer...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

HUNGRY MARKETPLACE

Hungry for something better

This is a company unlike any other in the Washington DMV – and that’s saying a lot. HUNGRY Marketplace has revolutionized the office food market nationally. Founded by visionary entrepreneurs Jeff Grass and Eman and Shy Pahlevani, this Arlington, Virginia-based company is reshaping the landscape of office food solutions with...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

The UNF Step Lab - A Major Contributor To The STEM Education Ecosystem

The UNF Step Lab - A Major Contributor To The STEM Education Ecosystem

The UNF Step Lab, housed in the UNF College of Education and Human Services, positions UNF to continue to be a major contributor to the STEM Education ecosystem in the Northeast Florida community. It is a place where regional preK-12 students, teachers, university faculty and students, and community/business partners can...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Anand Sweets-Spreading Happiness, Sweetly

Pivoting from an old school traditional mithai brand to the go-to brand for every celebration, Anand Sweets has used every technological aid to gallop ahead in its category. What is now one of South India’s largest sweets’ brands started its story with one man’s dream to revolutionise the sweetmeat industry and ‘make...

AI Québec

MUUTAA

MUUTAA-IS A PILLAR OF AI IN CLINICALLY INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAINS.

IS A PILLAR OF AI IN CLINICALLY INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAINS.

The conjuncture of healthcare and AI is an amazing place to be, and is what brought MUUTAA’s team together. Our combined industry knowledge in clinical workflows, medical supplies and medication management, emerging technologies, traceability and logistics are applied to drive operational optimization through the application of artificial intelligence. We are...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

BOSS INSIGHTS

BOSS INSIGHTS-ACCELERATING FINTECHS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES FORWARD

ACCELERATING FINTECHS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES FORWARD

You know how to lend. But, to whom do you lend, when you don’t have the right data? Too many business lenders are constrained by partial data and manual processes. And, speed is paramount. Keren Moynihan, CEOBoss Insights empowers fintechs and lenders to respond faster, make underwriting decisions more quickly,...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

UNIONWEAR

USA MADE BASEBALL CAPS AND TOTE BAGS: DESIGNED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MANUFACTURED BY ROBOTS.

Unionwear manufactures – from scratch—100% made in USA baseball hats, backpacks, messenger bags, portfolios, and binders, with 160 union sewers in Newark, NJ. Mitch Cahn founded Unionwear in 1992 with six sewers and a contract to make baseball hats for Ralph Lauren, and has evolved by buying legacy manufacturers of...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

GLOBAL ECONOMIC OPTIMIZATION

GLOBAL ECONOMIC OPTIMIZATION-

Is a boutique law firm located in San Juan Puerto Rico, founded in 2018 by Giovanni Méndez Feliciano

Our mission is to provide our clients with a one-stop, unique, and transparent entry to the various economic incentive programs, optimize their business structures, and ensure compliance while we help them to make informed decisions. GEO’s customized approach provides each client with a wide range of services including but not...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

THE CCRM STORY

THE CCRM STORY: 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING

10 YEARS IN THE MAKING

“Regenerative medicine is the future, and not only is it the future, it’s a branch of medicine that Canada and the province of Ontario are actually quite good at.” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau When it launched onto the scene in 2011, there was nothing else like it. Even today, ten years...

INNOVATION Quebec

BIOPTERRE

CCTT EN DÉVELOPPEMENT DE BIOPRODUITS

Dans un contexte marqué par les changements climatiques, la perte de biodiversité, la pression croissante exercée sur les ressources naturelles et les préoccupations en matière de santé publique; tous s’entendent sur l’importance de miser sur la bioéconomie. Définie comme l’activité économique associée à l’invention, au développement et à la production...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

SENTIMENTAL VALUE ARTS AND CRAFTS

SENTIMENTAL VALUE ARTS AND CRAFTS- “IF IT’S DEAR TO YOU ITS DEAR TO US TOO.”

“IF IT’S DEAR TO YOU ITS DEAR TO US TOO.”

All of us have that something that we hold on dearly to. For some people it’s a family heirloom, handwritten post letters and to others a broken kettle they keep saying they will fix and never get around to doing it. I get it all. At Sentimental Value we allow...

INNOVATE® Georgia

CLAYTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

LEADING ECONOMIC GROWTH: CLAYTON COUNTY’S THRIVING STORY

Nestled within the heart of Georgia lies Clayton County, a burgeoning economic powerhouse fueled by innovation, diversity, and strategic development initiatives. Under the stewardship of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, the Office of Economic Development stands as a beacon of excellence, garnering prestigious accolades from the International Economic Development...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

CODEWORKS

PURPOSE. PASSION. PEOPLE.

Codeworks began in 1995 when Mark Theisen, a software developer, recognized the need for a software development consulting firm that provided high-level quality talent at reasonable rates. There was a lot of competition popping up in the IT consulting industry at the time, but he saw companies that were inefficient...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

GSP International Airport

Reaching New Heights

Our History Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), Upstate South Carolina’s commercial service airport, was established in October 1962. At the time of its opening, the idea of regional collaboration was not a common one among cities, counties, politicians, businesses, or economic development organizations. Without a major interstate roadway to connect the...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

NIKO PARTNERS

NIKO PARTNERS-COMPANIES NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MARKETS IN WHICH THEY COMPETE

COMPANIES NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MARKETS IN WHICH THEY COMPETE

When consumers and students think of the video game industry and esports, they think of the excitement and entertainment of it all – but rarely about the data that guides the strategy of a business and of the game development plan. A market research firm provides the data that helps...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

HYBR

HYBR-INNOVATIONS FOR AFRICA

INNOVATIONS FOR AFRICA

Africa needs African solutions. Adversities unquestionably limit the potential of people, communities, and economies in Africa. However, where there are challenges, there are opportunities. HYBR proves scalable entrepreneurship is the answer for social change and impact in Africa.   HYBR is a unique social enterprise founded in Africa with the...

Ecosystems