Stories of Innovation

Global Innovation Spotlight

Flutterwave’s Olugbenga Agboola

What It Takes To Found a Successful Tech Firm

Take it from someone who knows: Scaling a firm from simple startup to unicorn status isn’t for the faint of heart. For Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, the founder and CEO of the African e-payments platform Flutterwave, earning a valuation of more than $1 billion wasn’t about having the best idea or...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

TRIBE LABEL

TRIBE LABEL-VIDEO GAME FASHION DONE RIGHT. BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS

VIDEO GAME FASHION DONE RIGHT. BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS

Tribe Label is a lifestyle brand with a focus around gaming but with community at its’ core. We’re creating a brand that you can connect with and be proud to wear. When you’re searching through your closet for something to wear and you see a Tribe Label piece, we want...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

POPULAR

THE HEART OF THE GOLDEN MILE

To create a corporate campus that would redefine Hato Rey as a center of urban movement. That is the vision that Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s leading financial institution dreamt up years ago for Popular Campus, a $300 million expansion project that will centralize a significant portion of...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

NATURE'S FYND

NATURE'S FYND-TRANSFORMING HOW THE WORLD EATS WITH FY™

TRANSFORMING HOW THE WORLD EATS WITH FY™, A NEW-TO-THE-WORLD, NUTRITIONAL FUNGI PROTEIN

The story of Nature’s Fynd™ begins millions of years ago, in an acidic hot spring located in what is today Yellowstone National Park when a remarkable microbe was born. In 2009, NASA-backed research on extremophiles led our co-founder to the park’s hot springs. He then isolated and discovered a remarkable...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

GRIT STUDIO

WE ELEVATE BRANDS

In the competitive world of digital marketing, standing out requires more than just expertise; it demands innovation, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. At Grit Studio, we embody these qualities. We are a content-first digital marketing studio dedicated to empowering premium brands through creative innovation and data-driven results. Founded...

INNOVATE® South Florida

Lighthouse for The Blind of The Palm Beaches

Providing Independence for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Providing Independence for the Blind & Visually Impaired TECH DOING GOOD Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches is a 501 (c )(3)non-profit organization committed to empowering individuals ages 0-expiration who are blind or visually impaired by providing essential services and support. Since its establishment in 1946, its mission...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

PRAKTIKAL

MAKING ABSTRACT SCIENCE TANGIBLE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

Remember learning to ride a bicycle? No amount of physics equations about angular momentum or center of gravity could replace that moment when you finally felt the balance click into place. Your hands knew when to turn the handlebars, your body learned to lean into curves, and suddenly, you were...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Optical Academy

Has been pioneering the change in the delivery of eye care

Optical Academy- Has been pioneering the change in the delivery of eye care by making eye care the most convenient, affordable, and accessible it has ever been. The company came to life 14 years ago after CEO, Abby Ayoub, crossed paths with a 15-year-old girl who was desperate for an...

INNOVATE® South Florida

Betr Holdings, Inc.

REDEFINING SPORTS GAMING AND MEDIA FROM SOUTH FLORIDA

REDEFINING SPORTS GAMING AND MEDIA FROM SOUTH FLORIDA Betr Holdings, Inc. is a Miami-based sports gaming and media company at the forefront of innovation in the sports betting and entertainment sectors. Co-founded in 2022 by entrepreneur Joey Levy and professional boxer and serial entrepreneur Jake Paul. Betr is revolutionizing how...

INNOVATION Quebec

INOVEM

CCTT IN WOODWORKING AND FURNITURE

As a woodworking and furniture innovation centre, Inovem has been supporting Quebec businesses since 1983. A true catalyst for innovation, our CCTT has become the benchmark for sustainable technologies in the woodworking, furniture and appearance wood products industry. Furniture, woodworking and appearance wood products businesses can count on Inovem’s expertise...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

DOMEIN WALTERUS, VINEYARD, WINERY, DISTILLERY

DOMEIN WALTERUS

FILLED WITH PURITY, MADE WITH PASSION.”

Your drinks, our life’s work with an eco-conscious mindsetOur vision in making drinks for you. Whether it’s our own label or your private label. We work for every brand as if it were our own. Working with respect of nature’s products, makes us enthusiastic and driven to make your label...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

SC Competes | Palmeto AI Corridor

Advancing AI Excellence Through Research, Collaboration, and Infrastructure

Artificial intelligence is one of SC Competes’ priority “critical technologies” for growing South Carolina’s economy and talent base. With the launch of its Palmetto AI Corridor in 2021, SC Competes acts as a connector and catalyst: we convene industry–academic–government partners, map opportunities and gaps, seed pilot programs, and translate AI...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

BMO

GARY CONKRIGHT

DRIVES INNOVATION WHERE WE WORK AND LIVE

ABOUT BMOFor over 200 years, BMO has been helping individuals and families, small and medium-sized businesses, corporations and institutions that form the backbone of the communities we serve. We are a highly diversified financial services provider, with a deep sense of purpose and a clear strategy for driving strong customer...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

VOIMA VENTURES

SCALING SCIENCE: HOW VOIMA VENTURES POWERS DEEP TECH INNOVATION IN THE NORDICS

Voima Ventures has emerged as one of the Nordic region’s most distinctive venture capital firms, focusing on the commercialization and scaling of science-based innovation. Founded in 2019, with offices in Helsinki and Stockholm, the firm invests in early-stage companies developing breakthrough technologies with the potential to address global challenges and...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

VÄRMEVERKET

A CULTURAL POWERHOUSE REIMAGINING CREATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

In the southern outskirts of Stockholm, in a repurposed industrial facility once devoted to generating heat, something entirely different is now being produced—culture, community, and creative opportunity. Värmeverket, founded as a response to the increasingly precarious conditions for artists and cultural workers, has quickly established itself as one of Sweden’s...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

AMPLIFY CAPITAL

TARGETING QUANTITATIVE IMPACT OUTCOMES; DELIVERING DOUBLE BOTTOM LINE RETURNS

Amplify Capital is a Canadian-based investment fund that provides early-stage companies long-term equity solutions and strategic support to develop their business to solve challenges affecting our future. Led by veteran private equity executive Kathryn Wortsman, Amplify Capital invests exclusively in impact ventures that demonstrate significant, measurable impact alongside market-rate returns....

INNOVATION Quebec

IREQ, HYDRO-QUÉBEC’S

RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The energy transition is in full swing. The energy industry is undergoing profound transformations prompted by the search for sustainable solutions to address the impacts of climate change, meet our customers’ evolving needs and consumption habits and reap the benefits of the broad accessibility of new technologies. The invention of...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

UPLING

From Adversity to Innovation

Upling LLC revolutionizes cannabis access in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, offering a swift online platform for legal cannabis purchases from local dispensaries. Its user-friendly app ensures that whether for medical or recreational purposes, cannabis delivery is just a few taps away. Adhering strictly to state and federal laws, Upling guarantees...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

MYSOCIALIFE

MYSOCIALIFE- IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY

IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY, DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND MEDIA LITERACY, IN ORDER TO FIRST MAKE THEM CONSCIOUS AND AWARE OF SAFETY ONLINE, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY ALLOW THEM TO EXPLORE INTELLIGENTLY AND LATER EXCEL IN A COMPETITIVE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

In order to ensure this is successful, the South African-based educators also teach learners’ parents and their teachers too, as well as mental health professionals, helping to bridge the technological divide and provide the much-needed insights and tools to navigate a complex social landscape.   “The more we do that,...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Peoplr

Peoplr - Turning HR Headaches Into Great Business Results

Turning HR Headaches Into Great Business Results

ELEVATOR PITCH Peoplr is a team of Human Resources experts who tackle all kinds of headaches and turn them into great business results by providing flexible and cost-effective strategies that address a company’s human resources needs. From start-ups to thriving Fortune 100 companies, Peoplr has each client covered with expert...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

TRENDALYZE

TRENDALYZE

The industrial internet is vast but can be monetized fast with intelligent search. We are the leading knowledge management system for IoT data

In today’s world, business professionals understand that knowledge is power and want to be able to intelligently monitor and predict events leveraging data. However, data is accumulating at an unprecedented rate, pouring in from all sources. We help business professionals and organizations navigate the industrial internet and organize data to...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

SUNBEAT ENERGY

WE PROVIDE THE FUTURE OF ENERGY

SunBeat Energy provides energy storage products for solar energy residential and commercial energy customers. It provides customers, through distributors and partners, a resilience energy solution to save money, prepare for power outages and help protect the environment. Our strategic relations provide access to industry-leading distributors, installers, and sales companies. Our...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

RECO

RECO-ONE DREAM

ONE DREAM, ONE APPLICATION, ONE VISION

Reco. Was founded in 2017 with only one dream, one application. one vision, and that is to create a tool to enhance and help financial advisors’ workflow. Our core vision expanding to providing solutions to complete the circle with, technology – Insurance and telecommunication to businesses and organisations.   The...

INNOVATE® Seattle

SYNDIO

SYNDIO HELPS HR LEADERS NAVIGATE THIS NEW WORLD WITH TECHNOLOGY

SYNDIO HELPS HR LEADERS NAVIGATE THIS NEW WORLD WITH TECHNOLOGY Companies with great cultures win in the market. Yet today, vital  elements that define culture — like how a company values its employees through pay and advancement — are on full display. In this environment of growing transparency requirements, it’s...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Flutterwave’s Olugbenga Agboola

What It Takes To Found a Successful Tech Firm

Take it from someone who knows: Scaling a firm from simple startup to unicorn status isn’t for the faint of heart. For Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, the founder and CEO of the African e-payments platform Flutterwave, earning a valuation of more than $1 billion wasn’t about having the best idea or...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

TRIBE LABEL

TRIBE LABEL-VIDEO GAME FASHION DONE RIGHT. BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS

VIDEO GAME FASHION DONE RIGHT. BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS

Tribe Label is a lifestyle brand with a focus around gaming but with community at its’ core. We’re creating a brand that you can connect with and be proud to wear. When you’re searching through your closet for something to wear and you see a Tribe Label piece, we want...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

POPULAR

THE HEART OF THE GOLDEN MILE

To create a corporate campus that would redefine Hato Rey as a center of urban movement. That is the vision that Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s leading financial institution dreamt up years ago for Popular Campus, a $300 million expansion project that will centralize a significant portion of...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

NATURE'S FYND

NATURE'S FYND-TRANSFORMING HOW THE WORLD EATS WITH FY™

TRANSFORMING HOW THE WORLD EATS WITH FY™, A NEW-TO-THE-WORLD, NUTRITIONAL FUNGI PROTEIN

The story of Nature’s Fynd™ begins millions of years ago, in an acidic hot spring located in what is today Yellowstone National Park when a remarkable microbe was born. In 2009, NASA-backed research on extremophiles led our co-founder to the park’s hot springs. He then isolated and discovered a remarkable...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

GRIT STUDIO

WE ELEVATE BRANDS

In the competitive world of digital marketing, standing out requires more than just expertise; it demands innovation, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. At Grit Studio, we embody these qualities. We are a content-first digital marketing studio dedicated to empowering premium brands through creative innovation and data-driven results. Founded...

INNOVATE® South Florida

Lighthouse for The Blind of The Palm Beaches

Providing Independence for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Providing Independence for the Blind & Visually Impaired TECH DOING GOOD Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches is a 501 (c )(3)non-profit organization committed to empowering individuals ages 0-expiration who are blind or visually impaired by providing essential services and support. Since its establishment in 1946, its mission...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

PRAKTIKAL

MAKING ABSTRACT SCIENCE TANGIBLE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

Remember learning to ride a bicycle? No amount of physics equations about angular momentum or center of gravity could replace that moment when you finally felt the balance click into place. Your hands knew when to turn the handlebars, your body learned to lean into curves, and suddenly, you were...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Optical Academy

Has been pioneering the change in the delivery of eye care

Optical Academy- Has been pioneering the change in the delivery of eye care by making eye care the most convenient, affordable, and accessible it has ever been. The company came to life 14 years ago after CEO, Abby Ayoub, crossed paths with a 15-year-old girl who was desperate for an...

INNOVATE® South Florida

Betr Holdings, Inc.

REDEFINING SPORTS GAMING AND MEDIA FROM SOUTH FLORIDA

REDEFINING SPORTS GAMING AND MEDIA FROM SOUTH FLORIDA Betr Holdings, Inc. is a Miami-based sports gaming and media company at the forefront of innovation in the sports betting and entertainment sectors. Co-founded in 2022 by entrepreneur Joey Levy and professional boxer and serial entrepreneur Jake Paul. Betr is revolutionizing how...

INNOVATION Quebec

INOVEM

CCTT IN WOODWORKING AND FURNITURE

As a woodworking and furniture innovation centre, Inovem has been supporting Quebec businesses since 1983. A true catalyst for innovation, our CCTT has become the benchmark for sustainable technologies in the woodworking, furniture and appearance wood products industry. Furniture, woodworking and appearance wood products businesses can count on Inovem’s expertise...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

DOMEIN WALTERUS, VINEYARD, WINERY, DISTILLERY

DOMEIN WALTERUS

FILLED WITH PURITY, MADE WITH PASSION.”

Your drinks, our life’s work with an eco-conscious mindsetOur vision in making drinks for you. Whether it’s our own label or your private label. We work for every brand as if it were our own. Working with respect of nature’s products, makes us enthusiastic and driven to make your label...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

SC Competes | Palmeto AI Corridor

Advancing AI Excellence Through Research, Collaboration, and Infrastructure

Artificial intelligence is one of SC Competes’ priority “critical technologies” for growing South Carolina’s economy and talent base. With the launch of its Palmetto AI Corridor in 2021, SC Competes acts as a connector and catalyst: we convene industry–academic–government partners, map opportunities and gaps, seed pilot programs, and translate AI...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

BMO

GARY CONKRIGHT

DRIVES INNOVATION WHERE WE WORK AND LIVE

ABOUT BMOFor over 200 years, BMO has been helping individuals and families, small and medium-sized businesses, corporations and institutions that form the backbone of the communities we serve. We are a highly diversified financial services provider, with a deep sense of purpose and a clear strategy for driving strong customer...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

VOIMA VENTURES

SCALING SCIENCE: HOW VOIMA VENTURES POWERS DEEP TECH INNOVATION IN THE NORDICS

Voima Ventures has emerged as one of the Nordic region’s most distinctive venture capital firms, focusing on the commercialization and scaling of science-based innovation. Founded in 2019, with offices in Helsinki and Stockholm, the firm invests in early-stage companies developing breakthrough technologies with the potential to address global challenges and...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

VÄRMEVERKET

A CULTURAL POWERHOUSE REIMAGINING CREATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

In the southern outskirts of Stockholm, in a repurposed industrial facility once devoted to generating heat, something entirely different is now being produced—culture, community, and creative opportunity. Värmeverket, founded as a response to the increasingly precarious conditions for artists and cultural workers, has quickly established itself as one of Sweden’s...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

AMPLIFY CAPITAL

TARGETING QUANTITATIVE IMPACT OUTCOMES; DELIVERING DOUBLE BOTTOM LINE RETURNS

Amplify Capital is a Canadian-based investment fund that provides early-stage companies long-term equity solutions and strategic support to develop their business to solve challenges affecting our future. Led by veteran private equity executive Kathryn Wortsman, Amplify Capital invests exclusively in impact ventures that demonstrate significant, measurable impact alongside market-rate returns....

INNOVATION Quebec

IREQ, HYDRO-QUÉBEC’S

RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The energy transition is in full swing. The energy industry is undergoing profound transformations prompted by the search for sustainable solutions to address the impacts of climate change, meet our customers’ evolving needs and consumption habits and reap the benefits of the broad accessibility of new technologies. The invention of...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

UPLING

From Adversity to Innovation

Upling LLC revolutionizes cannabis access in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, offering a swift online platform for legal cannabis purchases from local dispensaries. Its user-friendly app ensures that whether for medical or recreational purposes, cannabis delivery is just a few taps away. Adhering strictly to state and federal laws, Upling guarantees...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

MYSOCIALIFE

MYSOCIALIFE- IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY

IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY, DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND MEDIA LITERACY, IN ORDER TO FIRST MAKE THEM CONSCIOUS AND AWARE OF SAFETY ONLINE, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY ALLOW THEM TO EXPLORE INTELLIGENTLY AND LATER EXCEL IN A COMPETITIVE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

In order to ensure this is successful, the South African-based educators also teach learners’ parents and their teachers too, as well as mental health professionals, helping to bridge the technological divide and provide the much-needed insights and tools to navigate a complex social landscape.   “The more we do that,...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Peoplr

Peoplr - Turning HR Headaches Into Great Business Results

Turning HR Headaches Into Great Business Results

ELEVATOR PITCH Peoplr is a team of Human Resources experts who tackle all kinds of headaches and turn them into great business results by providing flexible and cost-effective strategies that address a company’s human resources needs. From start-ups to thriving Fortune 100 companies, Peoplr has each client covered with expert...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

TRENDALYZE

TRENDALYZE

The industrial internet is vast but can be monetized fast with intelligent search. We are the leading knowledge management system for IoT data

In today’s world, business professionals understand that knowledge is power and want to be able to intelligently monitor and predict events leveraging data. However, data is accumulating at an unprecedented rate, pouring in from all sources. We help business professionals and organizations navigate the industrial internet and organize data to...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

SUNBEAT ENERGY

WE PROVIDE THE FUTURE OF ENERGY

SunBeat Energy provides energy storage products for solar energy residential and commercial energy customers. It provides customers, through distributors and partners, a resilience energy solution to save money, prepare for power outages and help protect the environment. Our strategic relations provide access to industry-leading distributors, installers, and sales companies. Our...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

RECO

RECO-ONE DREAM

ONE DREAM, ONE APPLICATION, ONE VISION

Reco. Was founded in 2017 with only one dream, one application. one vision, and that is to create a tool to enhance and help financial advisors’ workflow. Our core vision expanding to providing solutions to complete the circle with, technology – Insurance and telecommunication to businesses and organisations.   The...

INNOVATE® Seattle

SYNDIO

SYNDIO HELPS HR LEADERS NAVIGATE THIS NEW WORLD WITH TECHNOLOGY

SYNDIO HELPS HR LEADERS NAVIGATE THIS NEW WORLD WITH TECHNOLOGY Companies with great cultures win in the market. Yet today, vital  elements that define culture — like how a company values its employees through pay and advancement — are on full display. In this environment of growing transparency requirements, it’s...

Ecosystems