Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
DCI MARKETING
CELEBRATING ITS 80TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2024, DCI MARKETING FOSTERS A CULTURE OF INNOVATION FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS FOR FORTUNE 50 COMPANIES, MAJOR RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS.
As American forces crossed the English Channel to liberate France in June 1944, Milwaukee native Lloyd A. Sauer was thinking forward to a post-war era. Sauer purchased a small company called ColorPrint Products Printing and began producing window signage for shoe stores. But it was Cadillac and Harley-Davidson that propelled...
INNOVATION Quebec
PROMPT
YOUR INNOVATION BOOSTER FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES
For 20 years, Prompt, an industrial research sectoral group (Regroupement sectoriel de recherche industrielle – RSRI) mandated by the Québec Government, has been reinforcing collaboration and funding high-impact R&D projects. We are pioneers of collaborative innovation model, where front-line entrepreneurial players work with stakeholders in science and academia to invent...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
Thrive Health
Making Healthcare Work Better for Everyone
Thrive Health is a digital healthcare platform company, founded in 2016 with a mission to make healthcare work better for everyone. The company provides an interactive patient engagement solution that enables healthcare providers to build custom clinical workflows, and offers patients enhanced access to their health data. Thrive Health’s innovative...
INNOVATE® Nashville
TRACTOR SUPPLY CO
POWERING LIFE OUT HERE
How Tractor Supply Blends Tradition, Technology and Trust to Serve Rural America. Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO) has quietly become one of the most successful and innovative retailers in the United States, earning a loyal following while staying true to its core mission: serving the needs of rural lifestyles. Since...
INNOVATE® Seattle
MAVERON
BACKING TRANSFORMATIVE CONSUMERBUSINESSES FOR OVER 25 YEARS.
In the 1990s, Howard Schultz built Starbucks into one of the world’s most iconic consumer businesses. In 1998, after taking Starbucks public, Dan Levitan and Howard founded Maveron. They recognized that digital technologies would integrate into people’s lives in unprecedented ways and that great teams attacking consumer-focused problems would require...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
MITACS
BRINGING INNOVATION INTO REACH FOR ALBERTANS
A national not-for-profit organization, Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. It assists organizations in reaching their goals, funds cutting-edge innovation, and creates job opportunities for students and postdocs. These achievements are supported by the Government of Alberta, the Government of...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
Fem Equity
Our vision is to close the pay gap for career women by $1 BILLION DOLLARS by 2030
Fem Equity, a pioneering career & workforce platform driven by artificial intelligence, has reached a significant milestone by generating over a million dollars in salary impact since its establishment. With a vision to narrow the pay gap for career women by $1 billion by 2030, Fem Equity is dedicated to...
INNOVATE® South Florida
GUIDENT
WE MAKE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES SAFER
The rapid growth of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) adoption across various industries presents significant opportunities but raises safety concerns. Guident addresses these challenges by providing a Remote Monitor and Control Center (RMCC) solution, which is crucial for operating AVs safely and efficiently in compliance with regulations. Guident is a Florida corporation...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
PEAK POWER
MAKING IT PROFITABLE FOR THE BUILDING SECTOR TO ACHIEVE NET ZERO
Peak Power is a Canadian climate tech company at the forefront of the energy transition. We are the only company bringing together batteries, grid-interactive buildings, and bi-directional electric vehicles into one technology platform, Peak Synergy. This technology enables our commercial and industrial real estate partners to achieve net-zero goals, cut operating...
Global Innovation Spotlight
The Free Browser Tool Stack
How one founder runs a startup without paid subscriptions
Running a startup without paid subscriptions forces every choice to be practical. The best setup is a small group of browser-based services that handle writing, planning, files, design, communication, and basic finance. I keep the workflow lean because every recurring fee reduces runway, and the ability to edit PDF documents...
INNOVATION Quebec
CINTECH AGROALIMENTAIRE
CCTT EN AGROALIMENTAIRE
Chez Cintech agroalimentaire c’est en collectif que nous entendons bien agir. En misant sur l’association des expertises de nos équipes, mais également en nous appuyant sur les savoirfaire spécifiques de chacun de nos clients, nous cherchons à répondre aux nouvelles attentes des consommateurs, plus généralement de la société en matière...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
B.EST SOLUTIONS
REDEFINING SECURE DIGITAL IDENTITY WHILE STRENGTHENING LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS
Can a digital state be built from scratch with external expertise and support? B.EST Solutions has spent the past 15 years proving that it can. Founded with the mission of adapting Estonia’s pioneering digital state experience to new contexts, the company has become a trusted developer and operator of national...
INNOVATE® Nashville
UnityAI
The Future of Smarter, More Efficient Healthcare Operations
Hospitals are some of the most profound institutions in America — places where nearly everyone begins and ends their lives. The complexity of these institutions, operationally and administratively, is immense. While no individual or team can optimize this complexity, UnityAI believes AI can. UnityAI didn’t start with a grand vision...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Where to Invest in 2026: Real Strategies for Cash, Stocks, and Gold
Real 2026 investing means using cash, short-duration, high-quality equities, power-demand winners, and selective global income, rather than chasing noise.
The 2026 market is not offering cheap mistakes. On March 18, 2026, the Federal Reserve kept the federal funds target range at 3.5% to 3.75%, while the ECB held its deposit facility at 2.00% on March 19, and the IMF’s January update still projected global growth at 3.3% for 2026....
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL
INNOVATING IN FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR MORE THAN 165 YEARS
INNOVATING IN FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR MORE THAN 165 YEARS Founded in 1857, Northwestern Mutual, a FORTUNE 500® financial services company, embodies a unique culture dedicated to helping people achieve financial security. As a mutual company, Northwestern Mutual answers to its policy owners — not Wall Street. Through a comprehensive planning...
INNOVATE® Nashville
DALTON GETS PEOPLE
AND THAT'S HOW THEY GET RESULTS
Since 1989, truly understanding people has been a unique trait of Dalton – a leading advertising, public relations and digital marketing agency with offices across the Southeast, in Nashville, Atlanta and Jacksonville. On every project, Dalton digs deep to uncover the insights and human truths that get to the emotional...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
COHO COLLECTIVE KITCHENS
THE SECRET INGREDIENT FOR FOOD ENTREPRENEURS COHO IS REDEFINING THE SPACE-AS-A-SERVICE INDUSTRY AND THE FUTURE OF CULINARY ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The shared kitchen industry, also known as commissaries, is a rapidly growing sector that is changing how people think about food and culinary entrepreneurship. When starting or scaling a business, food and beverage based entrepreneurs face significant challenges and risks and require significant investment in space, equipment, and overhead costs....
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Sourcetoad – Designing Software For Cruise Lines
Let’s Solve It Together
Sourcetoad is a technology and innovation company that specialises in delivering software and development services for the cruise industry. Their flagship product is Cruise Director, a platform for synchronizing and managing guest and crew systems. Designing software for cruise lines can be tricky. Cruise ships are strange beasts; they have...
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
XElement Technology
TACKLING THE CHALLENGES OF WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT: XELEMENT TECHNOLOGY LEADS THE WAY
TACKLING THE CHALLENGES OF WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT: XELEMENT TECHNOLOGY LEADS THE WAY As climate change accelerates, the effects on our environment become more pronounced. Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and dwindling resources create a host of problems, with water quality being acritical concern. Warmer temperatures and oxygen depletion disrupt the...
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® 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® Gaming & Esports
DREAMCRAFT
We Are Hands-On Venture Engineers Who Support Dreamers And Crafters Building Legendary Companies
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...
INNOVATION Quebec
LAVAL INNOV
Founded in 2018 at the instigation of visionary Laval residents and benefiting from the financial support of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI) and the city of Laval, Laval Innov aims to make innovation an essential lever for the sustainable development of Laval
As a Regional Space for Acceleration and Growth (ERAC) in Laval, it aims to stimulate and enhance the appropriation and integration of innovation in the territory, whether through its activities with companies or through the implementation of important structuring projects with a regional scope. Innovate in LavalStrategically positioned north of...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
DCI MARKETING
CELEBRATING ITS 80TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2024, DCI MARKETING FOSTERS A CULTURE OF INNOVATION FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS FOR FORTUNE 50 COMPANIES, MAJOR RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS.
As American forces crossed the English Channel to liberate France in June 1944, Milwaukee native Lloyd A. Sauer was thinking forward to a post-war era. Sauer purchased a small company called ColorPrint Products Printing and began producing window signage for shoe stores. But it was Cadillac and Harley-Davidson that propelled...
INNOVATION Quebec
PROMPT
YOUR INNOVATION BOOSTER FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES
For 20 years, Prompt, an industrial research sectoral group (Regroupement sectoriel de recherche industrielle – RSRI) mandated by the Québec Government, has been reinforcing collaboration and funding high-impact R&D projects. We are pioneers of collaborative innovation model, where front-line entrepreneurial players work with stakeholders in science and academia to invent...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
Thrive Health
Making Healthcare Work Better for Everyone
Thrive Health is a digital healthcare platform company, founded in 2016 with a mission to make healthcare work better for everyone. The company provides an interactive patient engagement solution that enables healthcare providers to build custom clinical workflows, and offers patients enhanced access to their health data. Thrive Health’s innovative...
INNOVATE® Nashville
TRACTOR SUPPLY CO
POWERING LIFE OUT HERE
How Tractor Supply Blends Tradition, Technology and Trust to Serve Rural America. Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO) has quietly become one of the most successful and innovative retailers in the United States, earning a loyal following while staying true to its core mission: serving the needs of rural lifestyles. Since...
INNOVATE® Seattle
MAVERON
BACKING TRANSFORMATIVE CONSUMERBUSINESSES FOR OVER 25 YEARS.
In the 1990s, Howard Schultz built Starbucks into one of the world’s most iconic consumer businesses. In 1998, after taking Starbucks public, Dan Levitan and Howard founded Maveron. They recognized that digital technologies would integrate into people’s lives in unprecedented ways and that great teams attacking consumer-focused problems would require...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
MITACS
BRINGING INNOVATION INTO REACH FOR ALBERTANS
A national not-for-profit organization, Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. It assists organizations in reaching their goals, funds cutting-edge innovation, and creates job opportunities for students and postdocs. These achievements are supported by the Government of Alberta, the Government of...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
Fem Equity
Our vision is to close the pay gap for career women by $1 BILLION DOLLARS by 2030
Fem Equity, a pioneering career & workforce platform driven by artificial intelligence, has reached a significant milestone by generating over a million dollars in salary impact since its establishment. With a vision to narrow the pay gap for career women by $1 billion by 2030, Fem Equity is dedicated to...
INNOVATE® South Florida
GUIDENT
WE MAKE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES SAFER
The rapid growth of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) adoption across various industries presents significant opportunities but raises safety concerns. Guident addresses these challenges by providing a Remote Monitor and Control Center (RMCC) solution, which is crucial for operating AVs safely and efficiently in compliance with regulations. Guident is a Florida corporation...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
PEAK POWER
MAKING IT PROFITABLE FOR THE BUILDING SECTOR TO ACHIEVE NET ZERO
Peak Power is a Canadian climate tech company at the forefront of the energy transition. We are the only company bringing together batteries, grid-interactive buildings, and bi-directional electric vehicles into one technology platform, Peak Synergy. This technology enables our commercial and industrial real estate partners to achieve net-zero goals, cut operating...
Global Innovation Spotlight
The Free Browser Tool Stack
How one founder runs a startup without paid subscriptions
Running a startup without paid subscriptions forces every choice to be practical. The best setup is a small group of browser-based services that handle writing, planning, files, design, communication, and basic finance. I keep the workflow lean because every recurring fee reduces runway, and the ability to edit PDF documents...
INNOVATION Quebec
CINTECH AGROALIMENTAIRE
CCTT EN AGROALIMENTAIRE
Chez Cintech agroalimentaire c’est en collectif que nous entendons bien agir. En misant sur l’association des expertises de nos équipes, mais également en nous appuyant sur les savoirfaire spécifiques de chacun de nos clients, nous cherchons à répondre aux nouvelles attentes des consommateurs, plus généralement de la société en matière...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
B.EST SOLUTIONS
REDEFINING SECURE DIGITAL IDENTITY WHILE STRENGTHENING LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS
Can a digital state be built from scratch with external expertise and support? B.EST Solutions has spent the past 15 years proving that it can. Founded with the mission of adapting Estonia’s pioneering digital state experience to new contexts, the company has become a trusted developer and operator of national...
INNOVATE® Nashville
UnityAI
The Future of Smarter, More Efficient Healthcare Operations
Hospitals are some of the most profound institutions in America — places where nearly everyone begins and ends their lives. The complexity of these institutions, operationally and administratively, is immense. While no individual or team can optimize this complexity, UnityAI believes AI can. UnityAI didn’t start with a grand vision...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Where to Invest in 2026: Real Strategies for Cash, Stocks, and Gold
Real 2026 investing means using cash, short-duration, high-quality equities, power-demand winners, and selective global income, rather than chasing noise.
The 2026 market is not offering cheap mistakes. On March 18, 2026, the Federal Reserve kept the federal funds target range at 3.5% to 3.75%, while the ECB held its deposit facility at 2.00% on March 19, and the IMF’s January update still projected global growth at 3.3% for 2026....
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL
INNOVATING IN FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR MORE THAN 165 YEARS
INNOVATING IN FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR MORE THAN 165 YEARS Founded in 1857, Northwestern Mutual, a FORTUNE 500® financial services company, embodies a unique culture dedicated to helping people achieve financial security. As a mutual company, Northwestern Mutual answers to its policy owners — not Wall Street. Through a comprehensive planning...
INNOVATE® Nashville
DALTON GETS PEOPLE
AND THAT'S HOW THEY GET RESULTS
Since 1989, truly understanding people has been a unique trait of Dalton – a leading advertising, public relations and digital marketing agency with offices across the Southeast, in Nashville, Atlanta and Jacksonville. On every project, Dalton digs deep to uncover the insights and human truths that get to the emotional...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
COHO COLLECTIVE KITCHENS
THE SECRET INGREDIENT FOR FOOD ENTREPRENEURS COHO IS REDEFINING THE SPACE-AS-A-SERVICE INDUSTRY AND THE FUTURE OF CULINARY ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The shared kitchen industry, also known as commissaries, is a rapidly growing sector that is changing how people think about food and culinary entrepreneurship. When starting or scaling a business, food and beverage based entrepreneurs face significant challenges and risks and require significant investment in space, equipment, and overhead costs....
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Sourcetoad – Designing Software For Cruise Lines
Let’s Solve It Together
Sourcetoad is a technology and innovation company that specialises in delivering software and development services for the cruise industry. Their flagship product is Cruise Director, a platform for synchronizing and managing guest and crew systems. Designing software for cruise lines can be tricky. Cruise ships are strange beasts; they have...
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
XElement Technology
TACKLING THE CHALLENGES OF WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT: XELEMENT TECHNOLOGY LEADS THE WAY
TACKLING THE CHALLENGES OF WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT: XELEMENT TECHNOLOGY LEADS THE WAY As climate change accelerates, the effects on our environment become more pronounced. Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and dwindling resources create a host of problems, with water quality being acritical concern. Warmer temperatures and oxygen depletion disrupt the...
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® 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® Gaming & Esports
DREAMCRAFT
We Are Hands-On Venture Engineers Who Support Dreamers And Crafters Building Legendary Companies
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...
INNOVATION Quebec
LAVAL INNOV
Founded in 2018 at the instigation of visionary Laval residents and benefiting from the financial support of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI) and the city of Laval, Laval Innov aims to make innovation an essential lever for the sustainable development of Laval
As a Regional Space for Acceleration and Growth (ERAC) in Laval, it aims to stimulate and enhance the appropriation and integration of innovation in the territory, whether through its activities with companies or through the implementation of important structuring projects with a regional scope. Innovate in LavalStrategically positioned north of...