Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
INSTASHIELD
Invention and Entrepreneurship Run in the Family
INSTASHIELD FILLS PPE SHORTAGE, DONATES 1 MILLION SHIELDS TO PEOPLE IN NEED InstaShield™ is a new kind of face shield that ships flat and is folded to fit over a cap or visor. The company was founded in March 2020 by Dan Brown Jr. to help fill the nation’s PPE...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
ENLIGHTEN MILLIONAIRE™ PODCAST
Meditation and Wealth, Why One Leads to the Other
Are you working hard, but not getting the results you want or expect? You’re probably wondering how some people make it look so easy. The answer might surprise you – they’ve found a way to tap into their inner power and potential. When thinking about ways to grow your...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
TREE TOOLS
INNOVATIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE TOOLS
In 2001, Tree Tools built its headquarters in the Curitiba Software Park, an area dedicated to software production, and since then has been part of the Curitiba City Council’s Tecnoparque program. Curitiba is an innovative city and was chosen in Barcelona, Spain, as the Smartest City in the World in...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
NOWY.IO
A Vision Born from Wanderlust
People travel and take holidays for many different reasons. “Think about shoes,” says Branda Fan, Founder of Nowy. “We all have different styles and needs, and no one else can tell you if a pair is actually comfortable. Just like that, travel isn’t one-size-fits-all. We might all be heading somewhere...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
START IT @KBC
OPENING DOORS FOR INNOVATION
Start it @KBC is a unique no-strings-attached startup accelerator supporting and promoting innovative and scalable entrepreneurship. As the largest startup ecosystem in Belgium representing around 1,000 coached startups, this rapidly growing community offers access to vast expertise, an enormous global network and state-of-the art work spaces. A unique proposition Start...
INNOVATE® Maryland
THE BIOTECH CORRIDOR
WHERE INNOVATION LEADS
There must be more MDs and PhDs per capita in a 10-mile radius of Rockville, Maryland, than anywhere else in the country. Montgomery County is the foundation of the Biotech Corridor, a dynamic hub for life science research, innovation, and commercialization, with 13,000 private sector employees and 400 life sciences...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
EPIGENICA
DEMOCRATIZING LARGE-SCALE EPIGENOMICS FOR THE AGE OF PERSONALIZED HEALTHCARE
Not long ago, decoding DNA was the holy grail of biology. Today, a growing number of scientists and clinicians believe that the key to the next generation of healthcare lies in understanding how our genes are controlled – epigenetics. Epigenica, a Swedish biotech company founded by Dr. Mohamad Takwa and...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
When visitors arrive in destinations like Nashville, Las Vegas, or Boston, they know exactly what to expect. Whether it’s the music, the nightlife, or the culture, these epicenters of travel and tourism always deliver. Wander has effectively become visitors’ go-to resource for where to eat, drink, shop, and play. –...
Global Innovation Spotlight
3 Surprising Innovations for Better Sleep Tonight
3 Surprising Innovations for Better Sleep Tonight Maya Liu, a robotics founder, blanked during a crucial investor pitch due to exhaustion. Chronic sleep debt saps an innovator’s edge faster than almost anything else. Her turnaround began not with coffee, but with smarter sleep technology. Tonight, you can tap into similar...
INNOVATE® Seattle
Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship
UW’S BUERK CENTER IS IN THE BUSINESS OF IDEAS
Inside the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business is a small office dedicated to helping big entrepreneurial ideas take shape. The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship offers academic programs and real-world experiences for undergraduate and graduate students interested in the startup process. By empowering early-stage founders to embrace a sense...
INNOVATE® Georgia
UCB
USING TECHNOLOGY TO HELP PEOPLE LIVING WITH SEVERE DISEASE
UCB PRIORITIZES PATIENT VALUE, FOSTERING A CARING CULTURE SHAPED BY INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. EMPHASIZING TECH-DRIVEN INNOVATION AND HUMAN-CENTRIC HEALTHCARE, WE LEVERAGE AI AND DIGITAL STRATEGIES TO ADVANCE PATIENT CARE.. At UCB, we come together every day to work, laser-focused, on a simple question: How will this create value for people living...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
SCRA
A Unique and Pivotal Player in SC’s Innovation Ecosystem
The South Carolina Research Authority has the distinct honor and responsibility to fuel South Carolina’s innovation economy. In 2024, it contributed over $1.33 billion to the state’s economy and supported 6624 South Carolina-based jobs. The average annual salary of these jobs was almost $92,000, 71% higher than the statewide average....
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
DYNE
IS A B2B SAAS COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN PROVIDING CUTTING-EDGE ANALYTICS SOLUTIONS FOR THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
What Dyne DoesDyne is a B2B SaaS company that specialises in providing cutting-edge analytics for all types of restaurants. Its innovative software utilises AI and machine learning to help restaurants optimise their internal operations and ultimately increase profitability. Their platform’s current key features offer a wide range of functionality, from...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
HERAN PARTNERS & THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
HERAN PARTNERS WAS LAUNCHED IN 2020 WITH THE MISSION TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE BY FOCUSSING ON DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION ON THE VERGE OF LIFE SCIENCES AND DATA
HERAN empowered and took the investment experience and track record of its founders into the future. As an investment firm active in the Venture Capital space, HERAN aims to fuel growth of innovative technologies by supporting start-ups & scale-ups. HERAN’s sole focus lies within the healthcare market with investments ranging...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
THE GOOD THINGS GUY
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...
INNOVATION Quebec
CRITM
Une ressource incontournable pour l’innovation en transformation métallique
L’industrie de la transformation métallique revêt une importance majeure dans l’économie du Québec. Avec de multiples défis à relever en matière de main-d’œuvre, de compétitivité mondiale, de productivité, d’énergie et d’empreinte environnementale, les entreprises doivent se démarquer et innover constamment. C’est en 2014, pour répondre à ses enjeux, que le...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
DIGITAL HEALTH
Health Sciences, Life Sciences and Digital Health at the University of Bristol
The University of Bristol (UoB) is a research-intensive University with a global reputation ranked in the world’s top 60 and the UK’s top 10 in the QS World University Rankings 2021. Health, Life Sciences and Digital Health are areas of strength with world class teaching, research and enterprise development. UoB...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
COPPERBOX
Leadership. Inspired.
Although leadership is hard work, the work of developing leaders is at its essence ‘heart work.’ That became increasingly clear to Wayland Lum as he thought about how to help business executives achieve transformational change in their leadership. “I started Copperbox because I believed that we could do leadership development...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
MUSE
EEG-POWERED MEDITATION & SLEEP MUSE® IS A BRAIN-SENSING HEADBAND THAT HELPS YOU REFOCUS DURING THE DAY AND RECOVER OVERNIGHT
At Muse®, we live at the heart of personal transformation through human-centered technology. We are a team of engineers, scientists, artists, marketers, and developers with a mission to help people live happier, healthier, and more connected lives through leading brainwave technologies and experiences. Muse has worked with top-tier goods, transportation,...
INNOVATE® South Florida
PREMIERVIRTUAL
LAUNCHED IN LATE 2019 WHERE OUR MOTTO AT THE TIME WAS ‘FUTURE FOCUSED’
From the very beginning we knew that our virtual hiring event platform was ahead of its time, and that employers would have to be ‘Future Focused’ in order to embrace it. Founder and President of Premier Virtual, Steve Edwards saw the shift to digital firsthand as he hosted in-person job...
INNOVATION Quebec
Entrepreneuriat ULaval (EUL)
Is the incubator for innovative andresponsible businesses at Université Laval, in Québec
EUL provides coaching and support to entrepreneurs from the university community who dream big, and whose businesses show high potential in terms of growth and societal impact, to propel them toward success. Louis-Philippe Pleau, CEO & Co-Founder of LumIR Lasers EUL supports start-ups in the field of high technology applied...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
MOTRAC
SUSTAINABLE INTRALOGISTICS AND CLEANING, IN EVERY POSSIBLE SENSE
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MOTRACSimply put: whether you’re a small starter company or an industry giant, you can expect Motrac to offer tailor-made solutions in the fields of intralogistics and cleaning. As an Antwerp-based products & services provider with over 50 years of experience, they use their expertise to assist...
INNOVATION Quebec
CONSEIL DE L’INNOVATION DU QUÉBEC
THE INNOVATION REVOLUTION FOR QUÉBEC’S FUTURE
The mission of the Conseil de l’innovation du Québec is to boost innovation within Québec’s businesses and society. Its team takes action to develop the innovation ecosystem and build a stronger culture of innovation all around the province. From social innovation, artificial intelligence and sustainable development to business prosperity, it’s...
INNOVATE® Georgia
BLACKROCK
CHARTING THE WAY FORWARD
For BlackRock, continuous innovation is key. BlackRock’s Aladdin® business—which provides an investment management platform for institutional investors and wealth managers—is at the heart of the company’s tech innovation. Aladdin provides a unified investment management platform that gives clients a full view of their portfolio, across public and private markets—and enables...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
INSTASHIELD
Invention and Entrepreneurship Run in the Family
INSTASHIELD FILLS PPE SHORTAGE, DONATES 1 MILLION SHIELDS TO PEOPLE IN NEED InstaShield™ is a new kind of face shield that ships flat and is folded to fit over a cap or visor. The company was founded in March 2020 by Dan Brown Jr. to help fill the nation’s PPE...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
ENLIGHTEN MILLIONAIRE™ PODCAST
Meditation and Wealth, Why One Leads to the Other
Are you working hard, but not getting the results you want or expect? You’re probably wondering how some people make it look so easy. The answer might surprise you – they’ve found a way to tap into their inner power and potential. When thinking about ways to grow your...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
TREE TOOLS
INNOVATIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE TOOLS
In 2001, Tree Tools built its headquarters in the Curitiba Software Park, an area dedicated to software production, and since then has been part of the Curitiba City Council’s Tecnoparque program. Curitiba is an innovative city and was chosen in Barcelona, Spain, as the Smartest City in the World in...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
NOWY.IO
A Vision Born from Wanderlust
People travel and take holidays for many different reasons. “Think about shoes,” says Branda Fan, Founder of Nowy. “We all have different styles and needs, and no one else can tell you if a pair is actually comfortable. Just like that, travel isn’t one-size-fits-all. We might all be heading somewhere...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
START IT @KBC
OPENING DOORS FOR INNOVATION
Start it @KBC is a unique no-strings-attached startup accelerator supporting and promoting innovative and scalable entrepreneurship. As the largest startup ecosystem in Belgium representing around 1,000 coached startups, this rapidly growing community offers access to vast expertise, an enormous global network and state-of-the art work spaces. A unique proposition Start...
INNOVATE® Maryland
THE BIOTECH CORRIDOR
WHERE INNOVATION LEADS
There must be more MDs and PhDs per capita in a 10-mile radius of Rockville, Maryland, than anywhere else in the country. Montgomery County is the foundation of the Biotech Corridor, a dynamic hub for life science research, innovation, and commercialization, with 13,000 private sector employees and 400 life sciences...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
EPIGENICA
DEMOCRATIZING LARGE-SCALE EPIGENOMICS FOR THE AGE OF PERSONALIZED HEALTHCARE
Not long ago, decoding DNA was the holy grail of biology. Today, a growing number of scientists and clinicians believe that the key to the next generation of healthcare lies in understanding how our genes are controlled – epigenetics. Epigenica, a Swedish biotech company founded by Dr. Mohamad Takwa and...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
When visitors arrive in destinations like Nashville, Las Vegas, or Boston, they know exactly what to expect. Whether it’s the music, the nightlife, or the culture, these epicenters of travel and tourism always deliver. Wander has effectively become visitors’ go-to resource for where to eat, drink, shop, and play. –...
Global Innovation Spotlight
3 Surprising Innovations for Better Sleep Tonight
3 Surprising Innovations for Better Sleep Tonight Maya Liu, a robotics founder, blanked during a crucial investor pitch due to exhaustion. Chronic sleep debt saps an innovator’s edge faster than almost anything else. Her turnaround began not with coffee, but with smarter sleep technology. Tonight, you can tap into similar...
INNOVATE® Seattle
Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship
UW’S BUERK CENTER IS IN THE BUSINESS OF IDEAS
Inside the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business is a small office dedicated to helping big entrepreneurial ideas take shape. The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship offers academic programs and real-world experiences for undergraduate and graduate students interested in the startup process. By empowering early-stage founders to embrace a sense...
INNOVATE® Georgia
UCB
USING TECHNOLOGY TO HELP PEOPLE LIVING WITH SEVERE DISEASE
UCB PRIORITIZES PATIENT VALUE, FOSTERING A CARING CULTURE SHAPED BY INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. EMPHASIZING TECH-DRIVEN INNOVATION AND HUMAN-CENTRIC HEALTHCARE, WE LEVERAGE AI AND DIGITAL STRATEGIES TO ADVANCE PATIENT CARE.. At UCB, we come together every day to work, laser-focused, on a simple question: How will this create value for people living...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
SCRA
A Unique and Pivotal Player in SC’s Innovation Ecosystem
The South Carolina Research Authority has the distinct honor and responsibility to fuel South Carolina’s innovation economy. In 2024, it contributed over $1.33 billion to the state’s economy and supported 6624 South Carolina-based jobs. The average annual salary of these jobs was almost $92,000, 71% higher than the statewide average....
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
DYNE
IS A B2B SAAS COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN PROVIDING CUTTING-EDGE ANALYTICS SOLUTIONS FOR THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
What Dyne DoesDyne is a B2B SaaS company that specialises in providing cutting-edge analytics for all types of restaurants. Its innovative software utilises AI and machine learning to help restaurants optimise their internal operations and ultimately increase profitability. Their platform’s current key features offer a wide range of functionality, from...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
HERAN PARTNERS & THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
HERAN PARTNERS WAS LAUNCHED IN 2020 WITH THE MISSION TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE BY FOCUSSING ON DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION ON THE VERGE OF LIFE SCIENCES AND DATA
HERAN empowered and took the investment experience and track record of its founders into the future. As an investment firm active in the Venture Capital space, HERAN aims to fuel growth of innovative technologies by supporting start-ups & scale-ups. HERAN’s sole focus lies within the healthcare market with investments ranging...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
THE GOOD THINGS GUY
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...
INNOVATION Quebec
CRITM
Une ressource incontournable pour l’innovation en transformation métallique
L’industrie de la transformation métallique revêt une importance majeure dans l’économie du Québec. Avec de multiples défis à relever en matière de main-d’œuvre, de compétitivité mondiale, de productivité, d’énergie et d’empreinte environnementale, les entreprises doivent se démarquer et innover constamment. C’est en 2014, pour répondre à ses enjeux, que le...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
DIGITAL HEALTH
Health Sciences, Life Sciences and Digital Health at the University of Bristol
The University of Bristol (UoB) is a research-intensive University with a global reputation ranked in the world’s top 60 and the UK’s top 10 in the QS World University Rankings 2021. Health, Life Sciences and Digital Health are areas of strength with world class teaching, research and enterprise development. UoB...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
COPPERBOX
Leadership. Inspired.
Although leadership is hard work, the work of developing leaders is at its essence ‘heart work.’ That became increasingly clear to Wayland Lum as he thought about how to help business executives achieve transformational change in their leadership. “I started Copperbox because I believed that we could do leadership development...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
MUSE
EEG-POWERED MEDITATION & SLEEP MUSE® IS A BRAIN-SENSING HEADBAND THAT HELPS YOU REFOCUS DURING THE DAY AND RECOVER OVERNIGHT
At Muse®, we live at the heart of personal transformation through human-centered technology. We are a team of engineers, scientists, artists, marketers, and developers with a mission to help people live happier, healthier, and more connected lives through leading brainwave technologies and experiences. Muse has worked with top-tier goods, transportation,...
INNOVATE® South Florida
PREMIERVIRTUAL
LAUNCHED IN LATE 2019 WHERE OUR MOTTO AT THE TIME WAS ‘FUTURE FOCUSED’
From the very beginning we knew that our virtual hiring event platform was ahead of its time, and that employers would have to be ‘Future Focused’ in order to embrace it. Founder and President of Premier Virtual, Steve Edwards saw the shift to digital firsthand as he hosted in-person job...
INNOVATION Quebec
Entrepreneuriat ULaval (EUL)
Is the incubator for innovative andresponsible businesses at Université Laval, in Québec
EUL provides coaching and support to entrepreneurs from the university community who dream big, and whose businesses show high potential in terms of growth and societal impact, to propel them toward success. Louis-Philippe Pleau, CEO & Co-Founder of LumIR Lasers EUL supports start-ups in the field of high technology applied...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
MOTRAC
SUSTAINABLE INTRALOGISTICS AND CLEANING, IN EVERY POSSIBLE SENSE
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MOTRACSimply put: whether you’re a small starter company or an industry giant, you can expect Motrac to offer tailor-made solutions in the fields of intralogistics and cleaning. As an Antwerp-based products & services provider with over 50 years of experience, they use their expertise to assist...
INNOVATION Quebec
CONSEIL DE L’INNOVATION DU QUÉBEC
THE INNOVATION REVOLUTION FOR QUÉBEC’S FUTURE
The mission of the Conseil de l’innovation du Québec is to boost innovation within Québec’s businesses and society. Its team takes action to develop the innovation ecosystem and build a stronger culture of innovation all around the province. From social innovation, artificial intelligence and sustainable development to business prosperity, it’s...
INNOVATE® Georgia
BLACKROCK
CHARTING THE WAY FORWARD
For BlackRock, continuous innovation is key. BlackRock’s Aladdin® business—which provides an investment management platform for institutional investors and wealth managers—is at the heart of the company’s tech innovation. Aladdin provides a unified investment management platform that gives clients a full view of their portfolio, across public and private markets—and enables...