Stories of Innovation

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...

In the heart of Curitiba, Brazil, Grupo Senff’s journey started in 1892 within the walls of a humble bakery, laying the foundation for 130 years of continuous innovation. This financial stalwart reached a pivotal juncture in 1977 by evolving into the acclaimed Parati Supermarket Chain. A transformative moment occurred in...

“Welcome to our women’s protection home.” Not a sentence a child should ever hear, but one I heard more than once growing up. As the eldest of three siblings in a destructive home, I was forced to grow up fast, becoming both caretaker and mediator between my siblings and our...

Le SEREX est l’expert en transformation des produits forestiers. Notre équipe accompagne les entreprises pour développer des solutions et des pratiques durables qui leur permettent de se positionner sur les marchés d’avenir. Notre force, c’est d’être à l’écoute de l’environnement technique et économique de nos clients et partenaires pour créer...

At the beating heart of one of the most influential biomedical institutions in the world—the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—you’ll find a dedicated scientist quietly shaping the future of human health: Dr. Alejandro Alvarez-Prats. Based at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) on...

SpykeFire: Pioneering Autonomous Fire Detection in Challenging Environments David Buttrey, a Nashville native, a co-owner of SpykeFire, joined by two other Nashville natives among the company’s leadership and early supporters of founder and Veteran Todd Melcher and 30 year CA Fire Captain Robert Rowe. This connection underscores how Nashville’s burgeoning...

In the halls of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., two organizations met in 2019. PodTechs and Baycrest became partners in podcasting. Fast forward half a decade later, and in 2024, the duo accomplished a rare feat: Defy Dementia, which unpacks the significant effects of caregiving on brain health,...

Gabi Lowe and Pippa Shaper are Certified Life Coaches – experts in creating and teaching Authentic Resilience. Their mission is to train people to learn the tools and skills of authentic resilience, to recover from difficulties; to equip them with strategies to endure and overcome life’s challenges with a sustainable...

ON THE PATH TO ZERO™ Decarbonization innovator First Mode develops and manufactures clean energy solutions for heavy industry, including the mining sector, which contributes 4-7% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually. In 2022, First Mode in partnership with Anglo American debuted the world’s largest zero-emissions truck by retrofitting a Komatsu...

FURUKAWA ELECTRIC-INNOVATION AND CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY ARE PILLARS OF FURUKAWA ELECTRIC LATAM, A TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY WITH HEADQUARTERS IN CURITIBA. Innovation is in the DNA of Furukawa Electric LatAm (FEL), which has been present in Brazil for 50-years and remains at the forefront of technology by offering connectivity solutions that anticipate market...

Ensuring competitive advantages, fostering business opportunities, introducing new products and optimizing processes. When it comes to innovation, startups serve as crucial partners for propelling progress in the automotive sector. In this scenario, those who stand out are the ones helping dealerships identify opportunities to enhance the customer experience while adapting...

When a financial institution’s customers are financially healthy, everyone wins. SpringFour, an award-winning social impact fintech and a Certified B Corporation, connects financial institutions’ customers with resources that help them make their payments and get back on their feet. With a digital-based platform of more than 20,000 vetted financial resources,...

Whether it’s developing new products, reducing costs, or increasing accessibility, innovations in manufacturing can improve the lives of companies and consumers alike. The Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI) is leading that charge with a mission to cultivate, scale, and integrate those innovations into the market — and develop the workforce...

Jiva is an independent training and consulting organization focused on the energy and infrastructure industries. Jiva has a unique differentiator in the knowledge-transfer services it offers: Jiva has developed a process that marries technical expertise and educational theory with a deep knowledge of effective communication and robust project management through...

The Innovations Institute in Eco-materials, Eco-products and Eco-energies (I2E3) is a multidisciplinary entity participating in the advancement of the bio-sourced economy in a green, circular and regional economy perspective. The I2E3 is the strategic evolution of a pulp and paper research centre that began its activities at the Université du...

INVID Group was founded in 2003 in the garage of Alberto Lugo’s parents’ house. Back then, his main drive was to create exciting jobs on the island and have a positive work environment that would stimulate innovation and contribute to the economic growth of Puerto Rico. Since then, INVID has...

Le CIRANO est la référence au Québec pour l’avancement des connaissances en évaluation économique des décisions autour des grands enjeux de société et pour l’élaboration et l’évaluation de politiques publiques. Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin, Polytechnique Montreal professor, President and CEO, CIRANO Catherine Beaudry Polytechnique Montréal «Le CIRANO joue un rôle crucial...

Buoyancy Works is a Calgary, Alberta-based wellness tech and behavioural insights company that empowers employment agencies to scale their impact through technology-enabled behaviour change techniques. The Buoyancy platform helps organizations scale programs, measure engagement, and support their clients through the emotional and motivational challenges of the job search. Buoyancy’s tools...

With more than 13,000 chambers worldwide, the Chamber of Commerce is the largest entrepreneurial network in the world. In Flanders, too, the Voka Chambers are the largest network. Voka represents 18,000businesses, 70% of added value, 65% of private employment and 80% of exports. With a globally ramified network of 130...

The Kogod School of Business at American University stands as a beacon of innovation shaping the next generation of business leaders. With a commitment to sustainability, unparalleled faculty expertise, and a robust experiential learning framework, Kogod ensures that its students graduate well-equipped to take on a career in business that...

“Interning at Illuminate helped me row both as an individual and professional by giving me a platform to test my leadership skills, and most importantly by providing me with an invaluable network of connections at my disposal. Believe it or not, but the most important lesson I took from my...

Rutgers University–New Brunswick, a top 20 public university (U.S. News and World Report), is proud to show the world what excellence looks like. What fuels our innovation? Membership in the Big Ten Academic Alliance and the Association of American Universities. More than 20 programs and schools in the nation’s top...

IVÉO est un organisme sans but lucratif dont la mission est d’accélérer le déploiement d’innovations dans le milieu municipal. Ses interventions se situent principalement dans l’expérimentation et le montage de projets pilotes en réponse aux enjeux sociaux, environnementaux et économiques auxquels font face les villes. En agissant comme courtier d’innovation...

The organization was created in 2018, following a regional consultation and consensus-building process to establish the proper positioning of the organization. The complementarity of the organization’s mission along with all the partners of the development and innovation ecosystem in the region led to the creation of a new entity in...