Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

BlendedDesigns: Empower. Educate. Elevate.

Blended Designs: Empower. Educate. Elevate.

When shopping for back-to-school supplies, more consumers are turning to online shopping instead of going to the mall. One entrepreneur is looking to encourage young students to become first-generation college graduates with an online shop, BlendedDesigns.com. Encouraging students with backpacks that say, “I can do anything,” founder and CEO Casey...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

WAUKESHA COUNTY TECHNICAL COLLEGE

LEADING HIGHER EDUCATION INTO THE FUTURE

Waukesha County Technical College, one of 16 Colleges part of the Wisconsin Technical College System, has been a leader of workforce development and training in Southeastern Wisconsin for more than a century. The College is focused on educating students for in-demand jobs and contributing to the economy by providing skilled...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

FIVECAST

Enabling A Safer World

Fivecast is an Australian company based in Adelaide that has gone global capitalising on artificial intelligence and machine learning to uncover insights across the surface, deep and dark web, and help their customers enable a safer world. Whether it’s fraud detection, human trafficking or counter terrorism, the bad guys aren’t...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

ESTONIAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

A UNIVERSITY BORN OF A VISION

When Estonia regained independence in the early 1990s, its economy was in flux. The country was moving rapidly from a socialist system into the unpredictable, high-speed world of open markets. At that critical juncture, one man – Ülo Pärnits – saw a gap that urgently needed filling. Estonia had bright...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Vanderbilt University

Innovation at Vanderbilt

An R1 research institution, Vanderbilt University is known for pathbreaking research, advancing discoveries and fueling breakthroughs across multiple disciplines. With more than $1 billion in annual research expenditures, Vanderbilt fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration with global impact. But Vanderbilt isn’t just a research university, it’s a powerful economic engine that turns ideas...

INNOVATION Quebec

INSTITUT DU NOUVEAU MONDE (INM)

FOR 20 YEARS, THE INSTITUT DU NOUVEAU MONDE (INM), AN INDEPENDENT, NON-PARTISAN ORGANIZATION, HAS PLACED CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AT THE CORE OF ITS PROJECTS AND THOSE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT IT SUPPORTS. INM is driven by the conviction that this endeavor strengthens democracy and helps organizations make better decisions for the...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

Altus

Altus - Making Financial Services Faster

Making Financial Services Faster

Our mission is to eliminate paper from financial services; leaving our clients free to focus on a digital future and reducing costs for consumers. In 2005 a small group of technical evangelists concluded it was time to tackle the mountains of paper still driving large parts of the financial services...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Endeavor

Fueling High-Impact Entrepreneurship in Detroit

Detroit’s entrepreneurial resurgence is being shaped by a powerful force: Endeavor. Since its establishment in the city in 2015, Endeavor Detroit has become a catalyst for scaling high-growth companies, selecting and supporting founders who have the potential to transform economies. More than just a business accelerator or an investment firm,...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

THE PUERTO RICO 5G ZONE

THE PUERTO RICO 5G ZONE-IS ADVANCING THE TRANSFORMATION OF PHYSICAL INDUSTRIES BY POWERING SMART CITIES

IS ADVANCING THE TRANSFORMATION OF PHYSICAL INDUSTRIES BY POWERING SMART CITIES, SMART LOGISTICS , AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

The only ZTA enabled research lab for development, testing, training, and research on next gen communications applications in the U.S. that is open source, publicly owned, and has resident interface of foreign/domestic, terrestrial/non-terrestrial, and cooperative non-cooperative networks. Dedicated to providing cost-effective access to government, industry and academia to better understand...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

NAHANA FOUNDATION

CREATIVITY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

The Nahana Communications Group is a collective of leading specialist agencies that provide creative solutions across the marketing ecosystem....

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

MKE TECH HUB

A LEGACY OF INNOVATION DRIVING A FUTURE OF IMPACT

Shaped by a rich industrial legacy, Milwaukee is evolving into a beacon of modern innovation. With biohealth, AI, water, energy technology, smart manufacturing, and financial services leading the way, Milwaukee’s dynamic ecosystem is not only thriving, but attracting attention from investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators worldwide. Here, tradition meets technology, and...

INNOVATE™ Logistics

CONNECTIC

Revolutionising Asset Management in Transport and Logistics

Real-time information drives business decisions. Connectic – a distributor and integrator of digital solutions – supports the transport and logistics sector with its innovative digital asset tracking solutions to optimise productivity and operations. In the transport and logistics world, managing and monitoring assets can be a daunting challenge – especially...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nashville Health

Building a Healthier City, Together

NashvilleHealth’s story begins with a paradox. In 2015, Nashville was rising rapidly as one of America’s most dynamic economic engines, an “it city” defined by innovation, creativity, and growth. Yet beneath this momentum lay an alarming truth: Nashville’s residents were among the least healthy in the nation. Former U.S. Senate...

INNOVATE® Kansas City

SEARCY FINANCIAL

REDEFINING FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR THE MODERN ERA

In an industry often defined by numbers, Searcy Financial Services stands apart by focusing on people. Founded in 1976 and independently owned by second-generation leaders Jessica Kmetty, Marc Shaffer, John Fales, and Ryan Brooke, the firm has built a reputation not just for managing wealth, but for helping people make...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

BEDENK

BEDENK - INNOVATE FROM WITHIN LET YOUR EMPLOYEES BECOME THE ENGINE OF INNOVATION

INNOVATE FROM WITHIN LET YOUR EMPLOYEES BECOME THE ENGINE OF INNOVATION

Why?The world around us is changing ever faster. At the same time innovation is no longer just about products or technology. It’s also about services, internal structure and processes, business models, and customer experience… Every aspect of how you do business, must be scrutinized.   Organizations have to keep up...

INNOVATE® Nashville

JAILCORE

LISTENING FIRST, INNOVATING FAST

Guided by real-world feedback, JailCore blends clear logic with human understanding to create technology that truly serves those who serve. When JailCore was founded, it wasn’t built on the old “if you build it, they will come” mindset. The goal wasn’t to create software and hope facilities would adapt to...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

FLEXPODS

Our mission is to empower a collective of fitness and wellness professionals to build their brand

Laurent is a regular on the media circuit, seen on Oprah’s Live Your Best Life Tour, the Dr.Oz Show, TEDx talks, and many local news programs. Laurent had an idea. His idea was to create a space to support the fitness community. Providing affordable expertly designed and fully equipped fitness...

Global Innovation Spotlight

CABIFY

CABIFY-10 Years Transforming Urban Mobility

10 Years Transforming Urban Mobility

We were founded in 2011 with a clear mission – to make cities better places to live. Today, ten years have passed in which we have managed to enter the streets of more than 40 cities in Spain and Latin America, all thanks to a team of passion and commitment....

INNOVATE® Miami

Pitch Night MIA

Pitch Night MIA - A monthly pitch competition designed to bring the startup community together

Monthly pitch competition designed to bring the startup community together

Pitch Night MIA is a monthly pitch competition designed to bring the startup community together for a night of entertainment, education and collaboration.     Miami right now is buzzing with an influx of innovative people, businesses, and opportunities. With everything being so new, it can be challenging for founders...

INNOVATE® Kansas City

PORTER HOUSE KC

GOING BEYOND SURFACE-LEVEL IMPACT

The Porter House KC is renowned in Kansas City for its commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship among the underrepresented. Its story is not just about an entrepreneurship support organization; it’s about a catalyst for change in Kansas City’s urban core, pushing the envelope of what it means to ‘scale deep’ in...

Global Innovation Spotlight

HILCO CONSUMER - RETAIL

INNOVATING FOR THE RETAIL LIFECYCLE – FROM BEGINNING TO END AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Can a business founded as a retail liquidation firm innovate to save retail? Hilco Consumer-Retail (HCR) is undoubtedly trying – and succeeding in BIG WAYS! Retail – and the consumer product businesses that feed them inventory – is among the most troubled sectors in the United States and worldwide. This...

INNOVATE® Seattle

coinme

THE WORLD’S TRUSTED GATEWAY TO DIGITAL CURRENCIES AND A BETTER FINANCIAL FUTURE

THE WORLD’S TRUSTED GATEWAY TO DIGITAL CURRENCIESAND A BETTER FINANCIAL FUTURE Capitalizing on the Promise of Bitcoin Coinme was founded in 2014 with a mission to be the world’s trusted gateway to digital currency and a better financial future. CEO and co-founder Neil Bergquist saw bitcoin’s potential to provide access...

INNOVATE® South Florida

FAU TECH RUNWAY® Florida Atlantic University

INNOVATION AND NTREPRENEURSHIP AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY Florida Atlantic UniversityFounded in 1961, Florida Atlantic University has become a catalyst for innovation across its six campuses. Spanning six campuses with over 30,000 students, Florida Atlantic has earned recognition as a top public university. By doubling research expenditures and enhancing student achievement,...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ROADS AGENCY SOC LTD (SANRAL)

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ROADS AGENCY SOC LTD (SANRAL)- IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORM THE PUBLIC SECTOR

IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORM THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ROADS AGENCY SOC LTD (SANRAL) WAS ESTABLISHED IN APRIL 1998 BY AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT, AS AN INDEPENDENT STATUTORY COMPANY OPERATING ALONG COMMERCIAL LINES AND AT ARM’S LENGTH FROM GOVERNMENT

WITH A MANDATE TO FINANCE, DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN THE NATIONAL ROAD NETWORK OF OVER 22 000 KM, SANRAL LEADS THE WAY ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN A POST-COVID SOUTH AFRICA.   Innovation is at the forefront of SANRAL’s agenda in the infrastructure development space. In recent years the Agency has increasingly...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

BlendedDesigns: Empower. Educate. Elevate.

Blended Designs: Empower. Educate. Elevate.

When shopping for back-to-school supplies, more consumers are turning to online shopping instead of going to the mall. One entrepreneur is looking to encourage young students to become first-generation college graduates with an online shop, BlendedDesigns.com. Encouraging students with backpacks that say, “I can do anything,” founder and CEO Casey...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

WAUKESHA COUNTY TECHNICAL COLLEGE

LEADING HIGHER EDUCATION INTO THE FUTURE

Waukesha County Technical College, one of 16 Colleges part of the Wisconsin Technical College System, has been a leader of workforce development and training in Southeastern Wisconsin for more than a century. The College is focused on educating students for in-demand jobs and contributing to the economy by providing skilled...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

FIVECAST

Enabling A Safer World

Fivecast is an Australian company based in Adelaide that has gone global capitalising on artificial intelligence and machine learning to uncover insights across the surface, deep and dark web, and help their customers enable a safer world. Whether it’s fraud detection, human trafficking or counter terrorism, the bad guys aren’t...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

ESTONIAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

A UNIVERSITY BORN OF A VISION

When Estonia regained independence in the early 1990s, its economy was in flux. The country was moving rapidly from a socialist system into the unpredictable, high-speed world of open markets. At that critical juncture, one man – Ülo Pärnits – saw a gap that urgently needed filling. Estonia had bright...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Vanderbilt University

Innovation at Vanderbilt

An R1 research institution, Vanderbilt University is known for pathbreaking research, advancing discoveries and fueling breakthroughs across multiple disciplines. With more than $1 billion in annual research expenditures, Vanderbilt fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration with global impact. But Vanderbilt isn’t just a research university, it’s a powerful economic engine that turns ideas...

INNOVATION Quebec

INSTITUT DU NOUVEAU MONDE (INM)

FOR 20 YEARS, THE INSTITUT DU NOUVEAU MONDE (INM), AN INDEPENDENT, NON-PARTISAN ORGANIZATION, HAS PLACED CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AT THE CORE OF ITS PROJECTS AND THOSE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT IT SUPPORTS. INM is driven by the conviction that this endeavor strengthens democracy and helps organizations make better decisions for the...

INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath

Altus

Altus - Making Financial Services Faster

Making Financial Services Faster

Our mission is to eliminate paper from financial services; leaving our clients free to focus on a digital future and reducing costs for consumers. In 2005 a small group of technical evangelists concluded it was time to tackle the mountains of paper still driving large parts of the financial services...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Endeavor

Fueling High-Impact Entrepreneurship in Detroit

Detroit’s entrepreneurial resurgence is being shaped by a powerful force: Endeavor. Since its establishment in the city in 2015, Endeavor Detroit has become a catalyst for scaling high-growth companies, selecting and supporting founders who have the potential to transform economies. More than just a business accelerator or an investment firm,...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

THE PUERTO RICO 5G ZONE

THE PUERTO RICO 5G ZONE-IS ADVANCING THE TRANSFORMATION OF PHYSICAL INDUSTRIES BY POWERING SMART CITIES

IS ADVANCING THE TRANSFORMATION OF PHYSICAL INDUSTRIES BY POWERING SMART CITIES, SMART LOGISTICS , AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

The only ZTA enabled research lab for development, testing, training, and research on next gen communications applications in the U.S. that is open source, publicly owned, and has resident interface of foreign/domestic, terrestrial/non-terrestrial, and cooperative non-cooperative networks. Dedicated to providing cost-effective access to government, industry and academia to better understand...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

NAHANA FOUNDATION

CREATIVITY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

The Nahana Communications Group is a collective of leading specialist agencies that provide creative solutions across the marketing ecosystem....

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

MKE TECH HUB

A LEGACY OF INNOVATION DRIVING A FUTURE OF IMPACT

Shaped by a rich industrial legacy, Milwaukee is evolving into a beacon of modern innovation. With biohealth, AI, water, energy technology, smart manufacturing, and financial services leading the way, Milwaukee’s dynamic ecosystem is not only thriving, but attracting attention from investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators worldwide. Here, tradition meets technology, and...

INNOVATE™ Logistics

CONNECTIC

Revolutionising Asset Management in Transport and Logistics

Real-time information drives business decisions. Connectic – a distributor and integrator of digital solutions – supports the transport and logistics sector with its innovative digital asset tracking solutions to optimise productivity and operations. In the transport and logistics world, managing and monitoring assets can be a daunting challenge – especially...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Nashville Health

Building a Healthier City, Together

NashvilleHealth’s story begins with a paradox. In 2015, Nashville was rising rapidly as one of America’s most dynamic economic engines, an “it city” defined by innovation, creativity, and growth. Yet beneath this momentum lay an alarming truth: Nashville’s residents were among the least healthy in the nation. Former U.S. Senate...

INNOVATE® Kansas City

SEARCY FINANCIAL

REDEFINING FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR THE MODERN ERA

In an industry often defined by numbers, Searcy Financial Services stands apart by focusing on people. Founded in 1976 and independently owned by second-generation leaders Jessica Kmetty, Marc Shaffer, John Fales, and Ryan Brooke, the firm has built a reputation not just for managing wealth, but for helping people make...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

BEDENK

BEDENK - INNOVATE FROM WITHIN LET YOUR EMPLOYEES BECOME THE ENGINE OF INNOVATION

INNOVATE FROM WITHIN LET YOUR EMPLOYEES BECOME THE ENGINE OF INNOVATION

Why?The world around us is changing ever faster. At the same time innovation is no longer just about products or technology. It’s also about services, internal structure and processes, business models, and customer experience… Every aspect of how you do business, must be scrutinized.   Organizations have to keep up...

INNOVATE® Nashville

JAILCORE

LISTENING FIRST, INNOVATING FAST

Guided by real-world feedback, JailCore blends clear logic with human understanding to create technology that truly serves those who serve. When JailCore was founded, it wasn’t built on the old “if you build it, they will come” mindset. The goal wasn’t to create software and hope facilities would adapt to...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

FLEXPODS

Our mission is to empower a collective of fitness and wellness professionals to build their brand

Laurent is a regular on the media circuit, seen on Oprah’s Live Your Best Life Tour, the Dr.Oz Show, TEDx talks, and many local news programs. Laurent had an idea. His idea was to create a space to support the fitness community. Providing affordable expertly designed and fully equipped fitness...

Global Innovation Spotlight

CABIFY

CABIFY-10 Years Transforming Urban Mobility

10 Years Transforming Urban Mobility

We were founded in 2011 with a clear mission – to make cities better places to live. Today, ten years have passed in which we have managed to enter the streets of more than 40 cities in Spain and Latin America, all thanks to a team of passion and commitment....

INNOVATE® Miami

Pitch Night MIA

Pitch Night MIA - A monthly pitch competition designed to bring the startup community together

Monthly pitch competition designed to bring the startup community together

Pitch Night MIA is a monthly pitch competition designed to bring the startup community together for a night of entertainment, education and collaboration.     Miami right now is buzzing with an influx of innovative people, businesses, and opportunities. With everything being so new, it can be challenging for founders...

INNOVATE® Kansas City

PORTER HOUSE KC

GOING BEYOND SURFACE-LEVEL IMPACT

The Porter House KC is renowned in Kansas City for its commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship among the underrepresented. Its story is not just about an entrepreneurship support organization; it’s about a catalyst for change in Kansas City’s urban core, pushing the envelope of what it means to ‘scale deep’ in...

Global Innovation Spotlight

HILCO CONSUMER - RETAIL

INNOVATING FOR THE RETAIL LIFECYCLE – FROM BEGINNING TO END AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Can a business founded as a retail liquidation firm innovate to save retail? Hilco Consumer-Retail (HCR) is undoubtedly trying – and succeeding in BIG WAYS! Retail – and the consumer product businesses that feed them inventory – is among the most troubled sectors in the United States and worldwide. This...

INNOVATE® Seattle

coinme

THE WORLD’S TRUSTED GATEWAY TO DIGITAL CURRENCIES AND A BETTER FINANCIAL FUTURE

THE WORLD’S TRUSTED GATEWAY TO DIGITAL CURRENCIESAND A BETTER FINANCIAL FUTURE Capitalizing on the Promise of Bitcoin Coinme was founded in 2014 with a mission to be the world’s trusted gateway to digital currency and a better financial future. CEO and co-founder Neil Bergquist saw bitcoin’s potential to provide access...

INNOVATE® South Florida

FAU TECH RUNWAY® Florida Atlantic University

INNOVATION AND NTREPRENEURSHIP AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY Florida Atlantic UniversityFounded in 1961, Florida Atlantic University has become a catalyst for innovation across its six campuses. Spanning six campuses with over 30,000 students, Florida Atlantic has earned recognition as a top public university. By doubling research expenditures and enhancing student achievement,...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ROADS AGENCY SOC LTD (SANRAL)

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ROADS AGENCY SOC LTD (SANRAL)- IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORM THE PUBLIC SECTOR

IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORM THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ROADS AGENCY SOC LTD (SANRAL) WAS ESTABLISHED IN APRIL 1998 BY AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT, AS AN INDEPENDENT STATUTORY COMPANY OPERATING ALONG COMMERCIAL LINES AND AT ARM’S LENGTH FROM GOVERNMENT

WITH A MANDATE TO FINANCE, DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN THE NATIONAL ROAD NETWORK OF OVER 22 000 KM, SANRAL LEADS THE WAY ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN A POST-COVID SOUTH AFRICA.   Innovation is at the forefront of SANRAL’s agenda in the infrastructure development space. In recent years the Agency has increasingly...

Ecosystems