Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Nashville

VENDENGINE

DRIVING INNOVATION IN THE CORRECTIONS INDUSTRY

In 2011, VendEngine started as a simple concept — digitizing financial transactions for law enforcement, jails and prisons while providing easy, safe, and secure methods to transmit money between family members and inmates. Once the company got going however, this simple concept, something that had been done in nearly every...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

HELICONNFT

HELICONNFT-OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE, WHERE SAVING THE METAVERSE ALSO SAVES THE PLANET IN REAL-LIFE

HeliconNFT is a new online universe, combining a gaming metaverse with a NFT buying & trading platform that provides real rewards where you can play, mine and earn to become the master of a new market. Ultimately, HeliconNFT bridges the gap between centralised games and decentralized NFTs for a true...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

SENSO

SENSO-TRANSFORMING THE BORROWER EXPERIENCE FROM REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE

TRANSFORMING THE BORROWER EXPERIENCE FROM REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE

Senso is a leading intelligence and engagement platform designed to help mortgage lenders increase interest income growth and lifetime value by proactively engaging borrowers leading up to their next home purchase or refinance transaction. How It All Came Together Founded in the heart of Toronto’s innovation ecosystem in 2017, founders...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

STARTUP PEOPLE

WIDENING THE GATE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF FOUNDERS

When Stockholm’s startup scene began to thrive in the early 2010s, it was known for producing unicorns – but also for its fragmentation. Founders often worked in isolation, disconnected from the support, partners, and investors that could help them endure the long, difficult middle miles between idea and success. SUP...

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® Austin Volume 2

ANGELSPAN

ANGELSPAN-Investing in a Better Way to Invest

Investing in a Better Way to Invest, AngelSpan is Changing the Way Innovation is Funded

AngelSpan provides the tools and information for investors to invest better and startups to perform better. AngelSpan offers a tech-enabled service for early stage entrepreneurs who want to get their Investor Relations done right. The company-specific analytics and platform avails Wall St.-like analytics on their client companies to help investors...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Florida State College - FSCJ

Florida State College - FSCJ – The Community’s College

The Community’s College

Formerly known as Florida Junior College, Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) was founded in 1965 to serve the Northeast Florida region as the first integrated public, postsecondary educational institution in Duval and Nassau counties. The College is comprised of four campuses and three centers, providing necessary accessibility for our...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

MAGGIE O’NEILL

WHAT IF COLOR IS THE ANSWER?

Maggie O’Neill is a Washington, D.C.-based artist, designer, entrepreneur, and activist with 20+ years of experience supporting the city’s creative community through her multifaceted work. Her integral role as one of the District’s cultural leaders at the intersection of arts and hospitality is a culmination of her creative design firm...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

Naval Welding Institute

Forging the Workforce Behind America’s Maritime Future

Long before a vessel reaches open water, inspectors, welders, and engineers influence how it will perform under pressure. That responsibility continues shaping the work of the Naval Welding Institute, a Philadelphia-based organization focused on strengthening America’s industrial workforce through advanced manufacturing education, technical training, and workforce development. When Kristoffer Jones...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

STOPit SOLUTIONS

IMPACT DRIVES WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE OPERATE.

“We help schools keep their students safe. That’s the best way to describe our mission.” Violence and mental health issues are running out of control in schools across our nation. There’s not a day that passes without news of a major safety incident, and we often don’t hear about the...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

VELORIC CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

American University’s Kogod School of Business breeds the spirit of changemakers at the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship. It’s more than just an academic unit; it’s a thriving ecosystem where entrepreneurial dreams are developed, challenged, and nurtured. Entrepreneurship is a worldview. Entrepreneurs are risk-taking, resilient, innovative problem-solvers and dreamers with the...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

BEATDAPP

THE BUGGLES TOLD THE WORLD THAT VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR. RELEASED IN 1980, THEIR HIT SONG, “VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR,” MAY NOT BE ACCURATE TODAY. MORE THAN 10% OF ALL STREAMED MUSIC IS FRAUDULENTLY STREAMED, WIPING OUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN PAID TO ARTISTS AND LABELS

Beatdapp is a streaming fraud detection company. It helps music labels and artists track their songs to collect royalties. Think of it as a PWC for music play count. The company has a set of machine learning and predictive algorithms to detect streaming manipulation and has over 30 patents across...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

7SENSE

TELEHAPTIC TECHNOLOGY: REDEFINING SIGHT THROUGH A REMOTE SENSE OF TOUCH

7Sense is a deep-tech and life science start-up developing telehaptic technology for the blind. It allows users to feel their surrounding environment through a sense of touch on the forehead. In simple words, the user feels surrounding objects—their shape, size, motion, speed, and distance. Traditionally, haptics has meant small vibrating...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY-IF YOU BUILD IT

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME...” THIS MISQUOTED LINE DERIVED FROM THE MOVIE, FIELD OF DREAMS, IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH STARTUP DEVELOPMENT. IT SOUNDS GOOD BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT REALISTIC

What does work is the act of providing a reason for why they should come. That is the central theme of Oakwood University’s Entrepreneurship Center, OU Launchpad, and it is why gaming is at the heart of the center’s success. OU Launchpad is structured around ideation and microentrepreneurship. These two...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

HEIRBAUT ALGRICULTURE

HEIRBAUT ALGRICULTURE - THROUGHOUT WESTERN EUROPE FOOD PRODUCTION IS KNOWN TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A WHOLE LOT OF GHG-EMISSIONS. HOWEVER

THROUGHOUT WESTERN EUROPE FOOD PRODUCTION IS KNOWN TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A WHOLE LOT OF GHG-EMISSIONS. HOWEVER, THE HOLISTIC APPROACH OF FOOD PRODUCTION SHOWN AT THE INNOVATIVE FARM OF HEIRBAUT ALGRICULTURE, AIMS TO REDUCE CO2 BY EVERY SINGLE INITIATIVE TAKEN

If you think that every farm in the world which has dairy cattle puts pressure on the climate, it is clear you have never visited Temse! Kris and Ginny Heirbaut are overflowing with circularity and are determined to close all their cycles. Kris’ grandfather used to have a mixed farm...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

ESTX

E-RESIDENCY IS MORE THAN JUST A TOOL – IT’S A LIFESTYLE.

“Our clients are global players with a big vision,” says Angela Ventsel, founder and CEO of estx. She and her team aim to make starting a business in Estonia as smooth as possible for every e-resident, regardless of their background or location. “When someone entrusts their business to us, it...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

Jybe

ATLANTIC CANADIAN FINTECH JYBE IS DEVELOPING AN INNOVATIVE BUY NOW, PAY LATER (BNPL) TWIST TO THE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION ECONOMY

Atlantic Canadian Fintech Jybe is developing an innovative buy now, pay later (BNPL) twist to the digital subscription economy. Jybe helps digitals ubscription companies increase the number of subscribers opting for their annual subscriptions by offering monthly payments for their larger annual plans. Jybe integrates into a subscription businesses checkout...

INNOVATION Quebec

ISMER

25 YEARS OF DISCOVERIES IN MARINE SCIENCES

The Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER) will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2024. Attached to the Université du Québec à Rimouski, ISMER is a world reference in research, training and innovation in marine sciences in a sustainable development and climate change perspective. ISMER is the most...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Consumers Energy

Powering Michigan’s Future with Reliability, Sustainability, and Community

For over a century, Consumers Energy has been the backbone of Michigan’s energy infrastructure, powering homes, businesses, and industries across the Lower Peninsula. Serving 6.8 million residents with electricity and natural gas, the company is more than an energy provider—it is an innovator driving sustainability and community-focused initiatives that ensure...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

PECHAKUCHA

This Japanese-Inspired Creator Platform Inspires Meaningful Connections – In Real Life And VIrtually – Using Time As Its Superpower

PechaKucha was born in 2003 because people talk too much. That’s what happens when passionate people gather together to share ideas and creations. PechaKucha, which means “chit-chat” in Japanese, was founded in Tokyo by architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein of Klein Dytham architecture. It originated as a “20×20’’ live...

INNOVATION Quebec

CIMMI CENTRE EN IMAGERIE NUMÉRIQUE ET MÉDIAS INTERACTIF

CIMMI CENTRE EN IMAGERIE NUMÉRIQUE ET MÉDIAS INTERACTIF

Le Centre en imagerie numérique et médias interactifs (CIMMI) est un centre de transfert de technologies, fondé en 2008, situé dans le Pavillon de la recherche sur le campus du Cégep de Sainte-Foy à Québec. Le CIMMI a pour mission de soutenir les entreprises et les institutions publiques québécoises et...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

NZ Technologies

TAKING TOUCHLESS TO A NEW DIMENSION

“Touchless technology has become disruptive technology to convert high-touch surfaces to touchless ones across industries and sectors.” Contactless solutions are rapidly replacing buttons, keypads, and controls. Interfacing with machinery, equipment, and high-touch public surfaces has changed overnight: the COVID-19 pandemic most certainly accelerated this demand, while innovations in touchless technology...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

CROWDSCAN

CROWDSCAN- FROM TOMORROWLAND TO THE BUSIEST SUBWAY STATIONS OF THE WORLD. THIS UNIQUE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY IS READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD OF CROWD ANALYTICS

FROM TOMORROWLAND TO THE BUSIEST SUBWAY STATIONS OF THE WORLD. THIS UNIQUE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY IS READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD OF CROWD ANALYTICS

Worldwide evolutions and events show that monitoring and managing crowds has become crucial. Just think of increasing urbanisation, the rise of mega-events and the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, there is a growing concern for privacy, resulting in ethical debates and, ultimately, appropriate legislation. CrowdScan balances both. CrowdScan originated...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

VIDYA

ENHANCING SAFETY, EFFICIENCY, AND SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH AI-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS

Industrial operations rely on data to ensure the efficiency and safety of their processes. However, the information that the operators need to carry out their routines safely and efficiently is spread among a multitude of data sources, reports, systems, and documents. That’s where Vidya Technology comes in. Founded in 2013...

INNOVATE® Nashville

VENDENGINE

DRIVING INNOVATION IN THE CORRECTIONS INDUSTRY

In 2011, VendEngine started as a simple concept — digitizing financial transactions for law enforcement, jails and prisons while providing easy, safe, and secure methods to transmit money between family members and inmates. Once the company got going however, this simple concept, something that had been done in nearly every...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

HELICONNFT

HELICONNFT-OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE, WHERE SAVING THE METAVERSE ALSO SAVES THE PLANET IN REAL-LIFE

HeliconNFT is a new online universe, combining a gaming metaverse with a NFT buying & trading platform that provides real rewards where you can play, mine and earn to become the master of a new market. Ultimately, HeliconNFT bridges the gap between centralised games and decentralized NFTs for a true...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

SENSO

SENSO-TRANSFORMING THE BORROWER EXPERIENCE FROM REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE

TRANSFORMING THE BORROWER EXPERIENCE FROM REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE

Senso is a leading intelligence and engagement platform designed to help mortgage lenders increase interest income growth and lifetime value by proactively engaging borrowers leading up to their next home purchase or refinance transaction. How It All Came Together Founded in the heart of Toronto’s innovation ecosystem in 2017, founders...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

STARTUP PEOPLE

WIDENING THE GATE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF FOUNDERS

When Stockholm’s startup scene began to thrive in the early 2010s, it was known for producing unicorns – but also for its fragmentation. Founders often worked in isolation, disconnected from the support, partners, and investors that could help them endure the long, difficult middle miles between idea and success. SUP...

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® Austin Volume 2

ANGELSPAN

ANGELSPAN-Investing in a Better Way to Invest

Investing in a Better Way to Invest, AngelSpan is Changing the Way Innovation is Funded

AngelSpan provides the tools and information for investors to invest better and startups to perform better. AngelSpan offers a tech-enabled service for early stage entrepreneurs who want to get their Investor Relations done right. The company-specific analytics and platform avails Wall St.-like analytics on their client companies to help investors...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Florida State College - FSCJ

Florida State College - FSCJ – The Community’s College

The Community’s College

Formerly known as Florida Junior College, Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) was founded in 1965 to serve the Northeast Florida region as the first integrated public, postsecondary educational institution in Duval and Nassau counties. The College is comprised of four campuses and three centers, providing necessary accessibility for our...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

MAGGIE O’NEILL

WHAT IF COLOR IS THE ANSWER?

Maggie O’Neill is a Washington, D.C.-based artist, designer, entrepreneur, and activist with 20+ years of experience supporting the city’s creative community through her multifaceted work. Her integral role as one of the District’s cultural leaders at the intersection of arts and hospitality is a culmination of her creative design firm...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

Naval Welding Institute

Forging the Workforce Behind America’s Maritime Future

Long before a vessel reaches open water, inspectors, welders, and engineers influence how it will perform under pressure. That responsibility continues shaping the work of the Naval Welding Institute, a Philadelphia-based organization focused on strengthening America’s industrial workforce through advanced manufacturing education, technical training, and workforce development. When Kristoffer Jones...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

STOPit SOLUTIONS

IMPACT DRIVES WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE OPERATE.

“We help schools keep their students safe. That’s the best way to describe our mission.” Violence and mental health issues are running out of control in schools across our nation. There’s not a day that passes without news of a major safety incident, and we often don’t hear about the...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

VELORIC CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

American University’s Kogod School of Business breeds the spirit of changemakers at the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship. It’s more than just an academic unit; it’s a thriving ecosystem where entrepreneurial dreams are developed, challenged, and nurtured. Entrepreneurship is a worldview. Entrepreneurs are risk-taking, resilient, innovative problem-solvers and dreamers with the...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

BEATDAPP

THE BUGGLES TOLD THE WORLD THAT VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR. RELEASED IN 1980, THEIR HIT SONG, “VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR,” MAY NOT BE ACCURATE TODAY. MORE THAN 10% OF ALL STREAMED MUSIC IS FRAUDULENTLY STREAMED, WIPING OUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN PAID TO ARTISTS AND LABELS

Beatdapp is a streaming fraud detection company. It helps music labels and artists track their songs to collect royalties. Think of it as a PWC for music play count. The company has a set of machine learning and predictive algorithms to detect streaming manipulation and has over 30 patents across...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

7SENSE

TELEHAPTIC TECHNOLOGY: REDEFINING SIGHT THROUGH A REMOTE SENSE OF TOUCH

7Sense is a deep-tech and life science start-up developing telehaptic technology for the blind. It allows users to feel their surrounding environment through a sense of touch on the forehead. In simple words, the user feels surrounding objects—their shape, size, motion, speed, and distance. Traditionally, haptics has meant small vibrating...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY-IF YOU BUILD IT

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME...” THIS MISQUOTED LINE DERIVED FROM THE MOVIE, FIELD OF DREAMS, IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH STARTUP DEVELOPMENT. IT SOUNDS GOOD BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT REALISTIC

What does work is the act of providing a reason for why they should come. That is the central theme of Oakwood University’s Entrepreneurship Center, OU Launchpad, and it is why gaming is at the heart of the center’s success. OU Launchpad is structured around ideation and microentrepreneurship. These two...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

HEIRBAUT ALGRICULTURE

HEIRBAUT ALGRICULTURE - THROUGHOUT WESTERN EUROPE FOOD PRODUCTION IS KNOWN TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A WHOLE LOT OF GHG-EMISSIONS. HOWEVER

THROUGHOUT WESTERN EUROPE FOOD PRODUCTION IS KNOWN TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A WHOLE LOT OF GHG-EMISSIONS. HOWEVER, THE HOLISTIC APPROACH OF FOOD PRODUCTION SHOWN AT THE INNOVATIVE FARM OF HEIRBAUT ALGRICULTURE, AIMS TO REDUCE CO2 BY EVERY SINGLE INITIATIVE TAKEN

If you think that every farm in the world which has dairy cattle puts pressure on the climate, it is clear you have never visited Temse! Kris and Ginny Heirbaut are overflowing with circularity and are determined to close all their cycles. Kris’ grandfather used to have a mixed farm...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

ESTX

E-RESIDENCY IS MORE THAN JUST A TOOL – IT’S A LIFESTYLE.

“Our clients are global players with a big vision,” says Angela Ventsel, founder and CEO of estx. She and her team aim to make starting a business in Estonia as smooth as possible for every e-resident, regardless of their background or location. “When someone entrusts their business to us, it...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

Jybe

ATLANTIC CANADIAN FINTECH JYBE IS DEVELOPING AN INNOVATIVE BUY NOW, PAY LATER (BNPL) TWIST TO THE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION ECONOMY

Atlantic Canadian Fintech Jybe is developing an innovative buy now, pay later (BNPL) twist to the digital subscription economy. Jybe helps digitals ubscription companies increase the number of subscribers opting for their annual subscriptions by offering monthly payments for their larger annual plans. Jybe integrates into a subscription businesses checkout...

INNOVATION Quebec

ISMER

25 YEARS OF DISCOVERIES IN MARINE SCIENCES

The Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER) will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2024. Attached to the Université du Québec à Rimouski, ISMER is a world reference in research, training and innovation in marine sciences in a sustainable development and climate change perspective. ISMER is the most...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Consumers Energy

Powering Michigan’s Future with Reliability, Sustainability, and Community

For over a century, Consumers Energy has been the backbone of Michigan’s energy infrastructure, powering homes, businesses, and industries across the Lower Peninsula. Serving 6.8 million residents with electricity and natural gas, the company is more than an energy provider—it is an innovator driving sustainability and community-focused initiatives that ensure...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

PECHAKUCHA

This Japanese-Inspired Creator Platform Inspires Meaningful Connections – In Real Life And VIrtually – Using Time As Its Superpower

PechaKucha was born in 2003 because people talk too much. That’s what happens when passionate people gather together to share ideas and creations. PechaKucha, which means “chit-chat” in Japanese, was founded in Tokyo by architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein of Klein Dytham architecture. It originated as a “20×20’’ live...

INNOVATION Quebec

CIMMI CENTRE EN IMAGERIE NUMÉRIQUE ET MÉDIAS INTERACTIF

CIMMI CENTRE EN IMAGERIE NUMÉRIQUE ET MÉDIAS INTERACTIF

Le Centre en imagerie numérique et médias interactifs (CIMMI) est un centre de transfert de technologies, fondé en 2008, situé dans le Pavillon de la recherche sur le campus du Cégep de Sainte-Foy à Québec. Le CIMMI a pour mission de soutenir les entreprises et les institutions publiques québécoises et...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

NZ Technologies

TAKING TOUCHLESS TO A NEW DIMENSION

“Touchless technology has become disruptive technology to convert high-touch surfaces to touchless ones across industries and sectors.” Contactless solutions are rapidly replacing buttons, keypads, and controls. Interfacing with machinery, equipment, and high-touch public surfaces has changed overnight: the COVID-19 pandemic most certainly accelerated this demand, while innovations in touchless technology...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

CROWDSCAN

CROWDSCAN- FROM TOMORROWLAND TO THE BUSIEST SUBWAY STATIONS OF THE WORLD. THIS UNIQUE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY IS READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD OF CROWD ANALYTICS

FROM TOMORROWLAND TO THE BUSIEST SUBWAY STATIONS OF THE WORLD. THIS UNIQUE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY IS READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD OF CROWD ANALYTICS

Worldwide evolutions and events show that monitoring and managing crowds has become crucial. Just think of increasing urbanisation, the rise of mega-events and the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, there is a growing concern for privacy, resulting in ethical debates and, ultimately, appropriate legislation. CrowdScan balances both. CrowdScan originated...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

VIDYA

ENHANCING SAFETY, EFFICIENCY, AND SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH AI-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS

Industrial operations rely on data to ensure the efficiency and safety of their processes. However, the information that the operators need to carry out their routines safely and efficiently is spread among a multitude of data sources, reports, systems, and documents. That’s where Vidya Technology comes in. Founded in 2013...

Ecosystems