Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® South Carolina

GSP International Airport

Reaching New Heights

Our History Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), Upstate South Carolina’s commercial service airport, was established in October 1962. At the time of its opening, the idea of regional collaboration was not a common one among cities, counties, politicians, businesses, or economic development organizations. Without a major interstate roadway to connect the...

Global Innovation Spotlight

7 Pet-Friendly Innovations For Healthier And More Adaptable Homes

Dog resting on a modular washable couch in a family living room

Seven ideas that make a home easier to live in for the people and the animals in it.

Living with pets is wonderful. It’s also muddy, furry, and occasionally chaotic. Sound familiar? This guide isn’t a “best of” leaderboard. It’s a practical look at product categories that take some of the friction out of pet-owning homes. The innovations that actually earn their keep share a few traits. They’re...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

THE MOLECULAR SCIENCE RESEARCH CENTER (MSRC)

“The spark that can restart Puerto Rico’s Economy, through innovation, collaborations and industrial partnerships”

The MSRC is a 154,000 square feet advanced research facility with laboratories conducting basic and translational biomedical research in the areas of protein structure and dynamics, molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, bio-imaging, pharmacogenetics, and neurosciences. The MSRC is a joint project of the Río Piedras Campus and the Medical Sciences Campus,...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

VIL

Empowering logistics for over 20 years

Creating added value for and enhancing competitiveness of all Flemish companies with logistics operations is VIL’s main focus. And it has been for over twenty years. From a small non-profit organization, VIL has grown to be a hands-on, company driven organization, with a staff of 35 employees. Since 2017 VIL...

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...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

FINDORFF

TRANSFORMING A SPACE SO IT BETTER BENEFITS THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND COMMUNITY

TRANSFORMING A SPACE SO IT BETTER BENEFITS THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND COMMUNITY For over a decade, Findorff has been honored to build, reimagine, and renovate various spaces at Marquette University. From smaller and expedited projects to multi-million state-of-the-art facilities, Findorff understands the importance of innovation and deeply appreciates and values...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

NOVAFAST HOLDINGS

BEYOND PIPE DREAMS

Chev. Charles Figallo OAM OSJ is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian-owned private equity business, Novafast Holdings, and its three subsidiaries: DSA, Novafast, and Basetec Services. Based in Kilkenny, South Australia, Novafast Holdings, through its group of companies, offer project management, engineering, design, construction and maintenance services for the...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Disruption on the Drive: How Mobile Tire Services is Solving the $30 Billion Fragmentation Problem

A "The Tire Valet" mobile tire repair van performing on-site tire installation and balancing for a white Tesla Model Y in a residential West Vancouver neighborhood.

Disruption on the Drive: How Mobile Tire Services is Solving the $30 Billion Fragmentation Problem The automotive aftermarket has long been a bastion of traditionalism. For decades, the consumer experience has remained unchanged: a slow drive to a brick-and-mortar shop, a three-hour wait in a stale room, and a bill...

INNOVATION Quebec

Polymers Alliance Québec

ONE INDUSTRY, THREE SECTORS

Plastics MaterialsPlastic materials are polymers that can be shaped (molded), by various processes, using mechanical stress combined with the effect of heat which allows them to soften temporarily. Composite MaterialsComposite materials are polymers that are formed by the polymerization of resins usually mixed with reinforcing fillers such as fiberglass. Molds...

INNOVATION Quebec

CDCQ

CCTT IN COMPOSITES DEVELOPMENT

Founded in 1989, the Centre de développement des composites du Québec (CDCQ) is an applied research centre affiliated and integrated with the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme—the only college in Quebec offering a technical program in composite materials engineering. The CDCQ’s research facilities are adjacent to the CEGEP. Our mission and visionThrough...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Frost Brown Todd

National in Scope. Excellence in Practice and Client Service.

Frost Brown Todd isn’t just a law firm—we’re a strategic collaborator and advisor to businesses nationwide. With more than 600 attorneys in key markets across the U.S., we bring solution-driven legal insight to every corner of commerce. Our firm is especially known for its strength in the middle market and...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

BOTSWANA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (BIUST)

EMBRACING BOTSWANA’S TRANSFORMATION TO KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY

The Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) is a research-intensive University and the only specialised University in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM). It aims to increase: The mission of BIUST is to produce world-class research and innovation in science, engineering and technology contributing to industry growth and...

INNOVATE® Nashville

HeroWear

Evolving work, improving life: HeroWear exosuits help prevent backpain to improve worker quality of life.

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...

INNOVATION Quebec

CIRRELT

CIRRELT- Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les réseaux d’entreprise

CIRRELT Interuniversity Research Center on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation

What does challenges such as climate change, labor shortage, health logistics and economic uncertainty have in common? Certainly, then need to better understand these phenomena, to accurately predict trends, and design efficient, resilient, sustainable and safer systems, that guide our future actions towards a more prosperous and fairer world. For...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

WAKE

BORN IN CURITIBA TO REVOLUTIONIZE DIGITAL RETAIL

Founded in 2006, Fbits was born in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, located in the southern region of Brazil, as a result of the Tecnoparque program, which drives innovative local projects. Curitiba is a reference in innovation and was recently elected the Smartest City in the World....

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® Chicago Vol.1

WAVICLE DATA SOLUTIONS

WAVICLE DATA SOLUTIONS- MAKES SMART PEOPLE EVEN SMARTER THROUGH THE POWER OF DATA AND ANALYTICS

MAKES SMART PEOPLE EVEN SMARTER THROUGH THE POWER OF DATA AND ANALYTICS

  Wavicle Data Solutions is a nimble consulting firm that focuses 100% on providing end-to-end data and analytics strategy, services, and support. Thanks to its deep technical expertise, business acumen, and proprietary accelerators Wavicle is able to help its clients drastically reduce the time, cost, and risk of collecting, analyzing,...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

ÁLVAREZ-DÍAZ & VILLALÓN

ÁLVAREZ-DÍAZ & VILLALÓN

THE ART OF THE PIVOT

Álvarez-Díaz & Villalón® (AD&V®) is the largest Architecture and Interior Design Firm in Puerto Rico. The firm is dedicated to sustainable design that enhances people’s experience and improves their lives. Cristina Villalón, Co-Founder | Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz, Co-Founder | Monique Lugo López, President Throughout AD&V’s ® history, they have been reinventing...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

intoGo - Find Fun Faster

intoGo - Find Fun Faster

Find Fun Faster with intoGo! The app showcases everything fun to do in our region by tapping simple categories such as Brunch, Cool Date Ideas, Family Fun, and Local Events. intoGo is our cities easiest and most detailed mobile resource for where to go and what’s going on. ,  ...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

A SAFE HAVEN FOUNDATION

A SAFE HAVEN FOUNDATION-OUR MISSION: ASPIRE. TRANSFORM. SUSTAIN.

OUR MISSION: ASPIRE. TRANSFORM. SUSTAIN.

A Safe Haven Foundation is a 501(c)3 not for profit, social enterprise that helps people ASPIRE. TRANSFORM. and SUSTAIN¨ their lives as they transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency with pride and purpose. A Safe Haven provides the tools for each individual to overcome the root causes of homelessness through a...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

TACIT EDGE

Disrupting the ambiguity in Product Management

When Renee Matsalla and Christa Hill first met, they were on the team that would scale a Calgary-based tech startup to global heights. The two women formed an immediate connection through their passion for Product Management and problem-solving, yet in those early days on the team of Benevity — a...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

OMNICART

A SAAS PLATFORM AND DELIVERY OPERATING SYSTEM FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO WANT TO BUILD AND SCALE

OMNICART-A SAAS PLATFORM AND DELIVERY OPERATING SYSTEM FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO WANT TO BUILD AND SCALE A DELIVERY BUSINESS, AND WE ARE ON A MISSION TO EMPOWER EVERYONE TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF ON-DEMAND DELIVERY. In the same way that Shopify made it easier for anyone to start and scale an...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

ISAE

INSTITUTE OF ADMINISTRATION AND ECONOMICS OF MERCOSUR (ISAE)

Since its foundation in 1996 in the city of Curitiba, State of Paraná, the Superior Institute of Administration and Economics of Mercosur (ISAE) is committed to transformative education and innovative solutions to generate sustainable results. In classes, the use of active methodologies, combined with experiences focused on market practices, encourages...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

THE GOOD THINGS GUY

THE GOOD THINGS GUY - KNOWN AS A SOURCE OF GOOD NEWS AND INSPIRATIONAL STORIES.

BEST KNOWN AS A SOURCE OF GOOD NEWS AND INSPIRATIONAL STORIES BY SOUTH AFRICANS FOR SOUTH AFRICANS. SPARKED BY AN ONLINE VIRAL MOVEMENT, THE GOOD THINGS GUY IS NOW A GLOBAL MULTI-PLATFORM MEDIA COMPANY DELIVERING GOOD NEWS DAILY TO SOUTH AFRICANS

Kindness is the only thing that mattersSouth Africa’s news feeds are filled with hard news, stories of murder, corruption, robberies, and failing state-owned enterprises. Is there a space for good news – and do South Africans have an appetite for it? Brent Lindeque founded the Good Things Guy on 1...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

GSP International Airport

Reaching New Heights

Our History Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), Upstate South Carolina’s commercial service airport, was established in October 1962. At the time of its opening, the idea of regional collaboration was not a common one among cities, counties, politicians, businesses, or economic development organizations. Without a major interstate roadway to connect the...

Global Innovation Spotlight

7 Pet-Friendly Innovations For Healthier And More Adaptable Homes

Dog resting on a modular washable couch in a family living room

Seven ideas that make a home easier to live in for the people and the animals in it.

Living with pets is wonderful. It’s also muddy, furry, and occasionally chaotic. Sound familiar? This guide isn’t a “best of” leaderboard. It’s a practical look at product categories that take some of the friction out of pet-owning homes. The innovations that actually earn their keep share a few traits. They’re...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

THE MOLECULAR SCIENCE RESEARCH CENTER (MSRC)

“The spark that can restart Puerto Rico’s Economy, through innovation, collaborations and industrial partnerships”

The MSRC is a 154,000 square feet advanced research facility with laboratories conducting basic and translational biomedical research in the areas of protein structure and dynamics, molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, bio-imaging, pharmacogenetics, and neurosciences. The MSRC is a joint project of the Río Piedras Campus and the Medical Sciences Campus,...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

VIL

Empowering logistics for over 20 years

Creating added value for and enhancing competitiveness of all Flemish companies with logistics operations is VIL’s main focus. And it has been for over twenty years. From a small non-profit organization, VIL has grown to be a hands-on, company driven organization, with a staff of 35 employees. Since 2017 VIL...

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...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

FINDORFF

TRANSFORMING A SPACE SO IT BETTER BENEFITS THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND COMMUNITY

TRANSFORMING A SPACE SO IT BETTER BENEFITS THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND COMMUNITY For over a decade, Findorff has been honored to build, reimagine, and renovate various spaces at Marquette University. From smaller and expedited projects to multi-million state-of-the-art facilities, Findorff understands the importance of innovation and deeply appreciates and values...

INNOVATE™ Adelaide

NOVAFAST HOLDINGS

BEYOND PIPE DREAMS

Chev. Charles Figallo OAM OSJ is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian-owned private equity business, Novafast Holdings, and its three subsidiaries: DSA, Novafast, and Basetec Services. Based in Kilkenny, South Australia, Novafast Holdings, through its group of companies, offer project management, engineering, design, construction and maintenance services for the...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Disruption on the Drive: How Mobile Tire Services is Solving the $30 Billion Fragmentation Problem

A "The Tire Valet" mobile tire repair van performing on-site tire installation and balancing for a white Tesla Model Y in a residential West Vancouver neighborhood.

Disruption on the Drive: How Mobile Tire Services is Solving the $30 Billion Fragmentation Problem The automotive aftermarket has long been a bastion of traditionalism. For decades, the consumer experience has remained unchanged: a slow drive to a brick-and-mortar shop, a three-hour wait in a stale room, and a bill...

INNOVATION Quebec

Polymers Alliance Québec

ONE INDUSTRY, THREE SECTORS

Plastics MaterialsPlastic materials are polymers that can be shaped (molded), by various processes, using mechanical stress combined with the effect of heat which allows them to soften temporarily. Composite MaterialsComposite materials are polymers that are formed by the polymerization of resins usually mixed with reinforcing fillers such as fiberglass. Molds...

INNOVATION Quebec

CDCQ

CCTT IN COMPOSITES DEVELOPMENT

Founded in 1989, the Centre de développement des composites du Québec (CDCQ) is an applied research centre affiliated and integrated with the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme—the only college in Quebec offering a technical program in composite materials engineering. The CDCQ’s research facilities are adjacent to the CEGEP. Our mission and visionThrough...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Frost Brown Todd

National in Scope. Excellence in Practice and Client Service.

Frost Brown Todd isn’t just a law firm—we’re a strategic collaborator and advisor to businesses nationwide. With more than 600 attorneys in key markets across the U.S., we bring solution-driven legal insight to every corner of commerce. Our firm is especially known for its strength in the middle market and...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

BOTSWANA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (BIUST)

EMBRACING BOTSWANA’S TRANSFORMATION TO KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY

The Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) is a research-intensive University and the only specialised University in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM). It aims to increase: The mission of BIUST is to produce world-class research and innovation in science, engineering and technology contributing to industry growth and...

INNOVATE® Nashville

HeroWear

Evolving work, improving life: HeroWear exosuits help prevent backpain to improve worker quality of life.

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...

INNOVATION Quebec

CIRRELT

CIRRELT- Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les réseaux d’entreprise

CIRRELT Interuniversity Research Center on Enterprise Networks, Logistics and Transportation

What does challenges such as climate change, labor shortage, health logistics and economic uncertainty have in common? Certainly, then need to better understand these phenomena, to accurately predict trends, and design efficient, resilient, sustainable and safer systems, that guide our future actions towards a more prosperous and fairer world. For...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

WAKE

BORN IN CURITIBA TO REVOLUTIONIZE DIGITAL RETAIL

Founded in 2006, Fbits was born in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, located in the southern region of Brazil, as a result of the Tecnoparque program, which drives innovative local projects. Curitiba is a reference in innovation and was recently elected the Smartest City in the World....

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® Chicago Vol.1

WAVICLE DATA SOLUTIONS

WAVICLE DATA SOLUTIONS- MAKES SMART PEOPLE EVEN SMARTER THROUGH THE POWER OF DATA AND ANALYTICS

MAKES SMART PEOPLE EVEN SMARTER THROUGH THE POWER OF DATA AND ANALYTICS

  Wavicle Data Solutions is a nimble consulting firm that focuses 100% on providing end-to-end data and analytics strategy, services, and support. Thanks to its deep technical expertise, business acumen, and proprietary accelerators Wavicle is able to help its clients drastically reduce the time, cost, and risk of collecting, analyzing,...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

ÁLVAREZ-DÍAZ & VILLALÓN

ÁLVAREZ-DÍAZ & VILLALÓN

THE ART OF THE PIVOT

Álvarez-Díaz & Villalón® (AD&V®) is the largest Architecture and Interior Design Firm in Puerto Rico. The firm is dedicated to sustainable design that enhances people’s experience and improves their lives. Cristina Villalón, Co-Founder | Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz, Co-Founder | Monique Lugo López, President Throughout AD&V’s ® history, they have been reinventing...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

intoGo - Find Fun Faster

intoGo - Find Fun Faster

Find Fun Faster with intoGo! The app showcases everything fun to do in our region by tapping simple categories such as Brunch, Cool Date Ideas, Family Fun, and Local Events. intoGo is our cities easiest and most detailed mobile resource for where to go and what’s going on. ,  ...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

A SAFE HAVEN FOUNDATION

A SAFE HAVEN FOUNDATION-OUR MISSION: ASPIRE. TRANSFORM. SUSTAIN.

OUR MISSION: ASPIRE. TRANSFORM. SUSTAIN.

A Safe Haven Foundation is a 501(c)3 not for profit, social enterprise that helps people ASPIRE. TRANSFORM. and SUSTAIN¨ their lives as they transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency with pride and purpose. A Safe Haven provides the tools for each individual to overcome the root causes of homelessness through a...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

TACIT EDGE

Disrupting the ambiguity in Product Management

When Renee Matsalla and Christa Hill first met, they were on the team that would scale a Calgary-based tech startup to global heights. The two women formed an immediate connection through their passion for Product Management and problem-solving, yet in those early days on the team of Benevity — a...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

OMNICART

A SAAS PLATFORM AND DELIVERY OPERATING SYSTEM FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO WANT TO BUILD AND SCALE

OMNICART-A SAAS PLATFORM AND DELIVERY OPERATING SYSTEM FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO WANT TO BUILD AND SCALE A DELIVERY BUSINESS, AND WE ARE ON A MISSION TO EMPOWER EVERYONE TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF ON-DEMAND DELIVERY. In the same way that Shopify made it easier for anyone to start and scale an...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

ISAE

INSTITUTE OF ADMINISTRATION AND ECONOMICS OF MERCOSUR (ISAE)

Since its foundation in 1996 in the city of Curitiba, State of Paraná, the Superior Institute of Administration and Economics of Mercosur (ISAE) is committed to transformative education and innovative solutions to generate sustainable results. In classes, the use of active methodologies, combined with experiences focused on market practices, encourages...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

THE GOOD THINGS GUY

THE GOOD THINGS GUY - KNOWN AS A SOURCE OF GOOD NEWS AND INSPIRATIONAL STORIES.

BEST KNOWN AS A SOURCE OF GOOD NEWS AND INSPIRATIONAL STORIES BY SOUTH AFRICANS FOR SOUTH AFRICANS. SPARKED BY AN ONLINE VIRAL MOVEMENT, THE GOOD THINGS GUY IS NOW A GLOBAL MULTI-PLATFORM MEDIA COMPANY DELIVERING GOOD NEWS DAILY TO SOUTH AFRICANS

Kindness is the only thing that mattersSouth Africa’s news feeds are filled with hard news, stories of murder, corruption, robberies, and failing state-owned enterprises. Is there a space for good news – and do South Africans have an appetite for it? Brent Lindeque founded the Good Things Guy on 1...

Ecosystems