Stories of Innovation

CONNECT TO THE FUTURESMARTGREEN TECHNOLOGY FOR SMARTCITIESWe create solutions to connect devices and sensors to the cities through mesh network infrastructure. 1998 – The Beginning of a New Era and the HistoryThe history of Smartgreen begins in 1998 in Brazil when its founders participated in a project called Rede Omega,...

Serious back injuries in the workplace are often preventable. The logistics, manufacturing, and construction industries have long struggled to prevent worker injuries, which impact the quality of life for workers and collectively cost companies billions of dollars each year. In fact, workers in warehousing and transportation who are keeping our...

FOUR RESEARCH AREASDigital territoriesTo promote the development of digital, collaborative, and entrepreneurial skills among the ecosystem stakeholders. SMEs digital transitionSupport small and medium-sized enterprises in their digital transition by fostering the digital skills of leaders, team managers and employees through digital transformation support. Digital entrepreneurship & leadershipStimulate digital entrepreneurship in...

Combat Ready emerged from a simple but urgent realization: while management courses abound, practical leadership training was missing in Northern Europe. Founded by veterans of elite military units, the company set out to close this gap by adapting the rigorous methods of Special Forces training to the realities of business...

Pioneering Innovation in BiohealthNestled in the heart of America’s Midwest, BioForward Wisconsin represents Wisconsin’s vibrant biohealth sector which stands as a beacon of innovation and economic growth. A 501(c) 6 member association established in 1988 as the Wisconsin Biotechnology Association, the organization initially focused on biotechnology. It expanded its membership...

WHEN THE PHONE WOULDN’T STOP RINGING WITH FORMER COLLEAGUES REACHING OUT AFTER LOSING THEIR JOBS IN THE PANDEMIC, TOM CARLTON HAD HEARD ENOUGH. IT WAS TIME TO ACT. Tom knew there was a better way to not only do business, but to empower teams. When other consultancies were downsizing in...

Steps from the nation’s capital, Montgomery County, Maryland, is one of America’s most dynamic centers of innovation and talent. From mapping the human genome (DNA) as a result of the Human Genome Projects, one of the most influential scientific endeavors in history, to the first successful transplant of a pig...

Madrid Innovation Communities – Madrid has bounced back from the early 2010s with entrepreneurship and innovation, challenging even the most essential traditions including how coffee is processed, consumed, and loved. Only seven years ago, Madrid’s coffee scene was nothing to shout about, but over the last decade, the ‘torrefacto’ norm...

“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...

In 2019, the vision for Technologists Aspiring Through Servant Leadership (TASL), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in Charleston, SC. Founded by Khanh Tran, TASL’s core mission was to address a critical need: preparing aspiring technologists, especially veterans and individuals from non-traditional backgrounds, for successful careers in the global digital...

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...

Tackling The Outdated Enterprise Software in a New Era Despite advancements in technology, many enterprises remain trapped in outdated software systems. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools, the backbone of modern organizations, are static, rigid, and expensive to implement and maintain. They fail to keep pace with the speed and complexity...

History & PurposeREPAY was founded in 2006 by John Morris and Shaler Alias with the goal of providing fast, frictionless, and fail-safe integrated payment processing solutions for consumers and businesses. Morris serves as REPAY’s CEO to this day, and Alias co-leads as president from the company’s headquarters in Atlanta. REPAY’s...

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...

In Victoriaville, a team of agronomists, biologists and technicians is striving to develop clean and modern agricultural production methods. Affiliated with the Cégep de Victoriaville and with an influence in several regions in Quebec, the Centre d’expertise et de transfert en agriculture biologique et de proximité (CETAB+) has been working...

Founded by a group of passionate innovators, entrepreneurs, and executives, the DC Tech and Venture Coalition (DCTAV) aims to revolutionize the tech and innovation landscape of Washington, D.C. Kevin Morgan, the Founder and Executive Director, shares its mission: “We aim to establish Washington, D.C., as the epicenter of the world’s...

Popular is an intricate part of Puerto Rico’s history. We are the longest serving and the largest financial institution in the Island, and a top 50 U.S. financial institution by assets. We play an important role in Puerto Rico’s economy, and we have supported its communities for over 130 years...

At Dreamcraft, we invest in European tech-driven companies from pre-seed to Series A. We are generalists with a proven track record in iGaming, gaming, esports, D2C, B2B SaaS, and decarbonization. We believe success is created by a team of dreamers and crafters – and we are venture engineers who help...

Since its inception, TBDC has worked with thousands of entrepreneurs by helping them build and grow their ideas. TBDC helps international entrepreneurs aggressively scale up and choose Canada to grow their businesses. To date, TBDC has helped over 9,000 domestic and international entrepreneurial businesses establish themselves in Toronto and Ontario...

cove.tool is an AI-powered sustainability and architecture consulting company that leverages proprietary software and advanced AI to uncover data-driven insights that transform building design and construction. Its streamlined, responsive analysis solutions enable architects, design teams, and building product manufacturers to leverage data for informed decision-making, optimized design outcomes, and improved...

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the Southeastern United States, DC BLOX has positioned itself as a linchpin in the accelerating digital transformation that is sweeping across industries. The urgency of this transformation is underscored by several key factors, each playing a crucial role in shaping the digital future of...

Technology is to the world as oxygen is to the blood. The world through its people and systems have become immersed in technology, in some form or other, by virtue of its enablement and efficiency. The path forward is predicated upon greater complexity due to converging technologies and an increased...

Takasa is a premium organic lifestyle company that is devoted to sourcing the finest materials, partnering with fair-trade and clean manufacturers, and delivering exceptional value to customers. With a passion for exceptionally high-quality materials and socially conscious manufacturing processes, Takasa is focused on combining thoughtfully designed premium products for those...

Throughout its almost 35-year history, two things have defined HRPro/BenePro – exceptional client service and innovation. Among its earlier innovations: While it is difficult to imagine a market without any of these, HRPro/BenePro helped create new categories when they first dived into them. More recently, they have been focused on...