Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Georgia

NEEDLING WORLDWIDE

WE ULTIMATELY STRIVE TO BECOME MORE ROBUST, SUPERIOR, AND MORE ASTUTE IN OUR OPERATIONS.

WHO IS NEEDLING WORLDWIDE:Needling Worldwide was established to address a common challenge encountered by numerous companies in their pursuit of certifications or compliance assessments. The CEO envisioned a superior solution based on her firsthand experiences with compliance standards and frameworks. This solution is comprised of a standardized, flat-fee alternative to...

INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3

Sourcetoad – Designing Software For Cruise Lines

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™ Curitiba

IDERIS

6-YEARS OF HISTORY OF BRAZIL’S LARGEST MARKETPLACE INTEGRATOR

Ideris was born in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, located in the southern region of Brazil, in the year 2017. The company is the result of the Tecnoparque program, which drives innovative local projects. Curitiba is a reference for innovation in Brazil, and in 2023, it was...

INNOVATE® Detroit

SOUTHWEST DETROIT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (SDBA)

Powering Progress, Building Legacy

Since 1957, the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA) has been the backbone of economic development in one of Detroit’s most dynamic and culturally rich areas. With a steadfast commitment to championing local businesses, revitalizing infrastructure, and fostering a thriving community, SDBA has evolved into a powerhouse for equitable economic growth...

SharpSpring

SharpSpring - The company

The company, built in Gainesville, is committed to fueling growth and deepening roots in its hometown

When SharpSpring CEO Rick Carlson gets questions about moving his growing tech company to a larger, more metropolitan city, his answer is always the same. “We have no plans to go anywhere. The talent coming out of the university is fueling the emergence of a true tech center in Gainesville,...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Can Online Mapping Software Beat Traditional GIS?

Reviewing 4 Platforms

Can Online Mapping Software Beat Traditional GIS? Reviewing 4 Platforms Geographic information systems used to belong to specialists. You needed a license, a training course, and a workstation that could handle the processing load. That was the cost of doing spatial analysis for a long time, and plenty of organizations...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

GUMPTION

GUMPTION -TACKLES DIGITAL AND BUSINESS ISSUES WITH CO-CREATION

TACKLES DIGITAL AND BUSINESS ISSUES WITH CO-CREATION

The health crisis has presented companies with new challenges. The appetite for digitization is now larger than ever before. Start-ups play an important role as drivers of innovation. Gumption is an innovation hub and ecosystem for young companies. The group’s 20 companies focus on business challenges and IT solutions, such...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Sparkle & Sabre

Sparkle & Sabre - Fashion and Jewellery That Boost Wearers’ Sense of Security and Well-Being

Fashion and Jewellery That Boost Wearers’ Sense of Security and Well-Being

ELEVATOR PITCH “Every woman deserves to feel beautiful; every woman deserves to feel safe; every woman deserves to feel happy.” is the motto at Sparkle & Sabre, a small jewelry company specializing in stylish pieces that boost wearers’ sense of security and well-being. With a majority of available self-defense products...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Explainable Is Too Soft:

in 2026 We Need Forensic Audit Trails in Medical AI

The epiphany didn’t come from a breakthrough in model architecture or a surge in accuracy metrics. It came from watching a physiotherapist from Lviv stare blankly at a screen. Dmytro Grybeniuk and Oleh Ivchenko, specialists in machine learning infrastructure, were attending the MedAI hackathon at Odesa National Polytechnic University not...

INNOVATION Quebec

CIMEQ

EST LE CENTRE COLLÉGIAL DE TRANSFERT DE TECHNOLOGIE (CCTT) DANS LE SECTEUR DE LA MICROÉLECTRONIQUE.

L’innovation et la technologie sont l’affaire du Centre d’innovation en microélectronique du Québec (CIMEQ) dans les secteurs de l’électronique, de l’Internet des objets, du génie logiciel et de l’intelligence artificielle. Depuis 1983, le Centre aide des entreprises de tous les secteurs à développer de nouveaux produits, à adapter leurs manières...

INNOVATE® Nashville

FIRSTBANK

FIRSTBANK-PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW WAVE

PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW WAVE

It’s not often you hear about companies that thrive for over a century, but FirstBank, from its humble start in rural West Tennessee in 1906 continues to evolve and conquer 117 years later. From its original mission of serving a small-town farming community, FirstBank, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with a...

INNOVATE™ Kitchener Waterloo

CATALYST COMMONS

BUILT FOR ENTREPRENEURS, BY ENTREPRENEURS

In the heart of KW’s tech hub, a century-old industrial site has been reimagined as one of Canada’s largest privately held coworking spaces. What used to be Dominion Tire factory is now the home base for more than 170 companies who work out of Catalyst Commons. Inside its 120,000-plus square...

INNOVATE® Nashville

COUTURE TECHNOLOGIES

COUTURE TECHNOLOGIES-

Virtual Try On Technology is Reshaping How Customers Shop for Clothing Online

You know when you shop for clothes online, but you don’t know which size to buy or if an item will look good on your body? Couture Technologies helps apparel brands solve this massive financial and sustainability challenge by seamlessly integrating its patent-pending virtual try on technology with a brand’s...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

Monsana

AI finds the options, doctors choose the right one.

Doctors make treatment decisions every day. But sometimes, the most promising option isn’t part of the standard treatment, it is part of a clinical trial. In Belgium alone, over 1,400 clinical trials run each year. Yet with doctors seeing 30 or more patients a day, keeping up with them is...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

NOWPOW

NOWPOW-Built On The Idea That “Knowledge Is Power

Built On The Idea That “Knowledge Is Power,” This Women-Owned And Operated SaaS Platform Uses Community Resource Networks And Evidence Based Referral Technology To Connect People To The Right Health And Social Resources Through All Of Life’s Ages And Stages

Healthcare innovation is often defined by radical discoveries like new vaccines or groundbreaking surgical techniques. But just as important are the innovations that reimagine how we use existing resources. These advancements make it possible for everyone to live their healthiest lives — through more equitable access to services that promote...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

302 INTERACTIVE

302 INTERACTIVE- IS A STUDIO OF GAME DESIGNERS ON A MISSION TO SAVE THE WORLD BY BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY AND REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS

IS A STUDIO OF GAME DESIGNERS ON A MISSION TO SAVE THE WORLD BY BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY AND REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS

Over the last seven years, their mission has been to provide an environment that brings game developers together to build the games of today and the metaverse of tomorrow. As digital experience developers, 302 Interactive has adopted the best practices of modern game development, product design, lean, and agile methodologies...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

HELICONNFT

HELICONNFT-OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE, WHERE SAVING THE METAVERSE ALSO SAVES THE PLANET IN REAL-LIFE

HeliconNFT is a new online universe, combining a gaming metaverse with a NFT buying & trading platform that provides real rewards where you can play, mine and earn to become the master of a new market. Ultimately, HeliconNFT bridges the gap between centralised games and decentralized NFTs for a true...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTRE QUÉBÉCOIS D’INNOVATION EN BIOTECHNOLOGIE (CQIB)

LE CQIB, AU CŒUR DE L’ÉCOSYSTÈME ENTREPRENEURRIAL EN SCIENCES DE LA VIE

Les lecteurs de cette publication sont bien placés pour le savoir : le Québec est un terreau incroyablement fertile pour l’innovation. Si on génère autant d’innovations en sol québécois, c’est notamment parce que nous avons en place des organisations mobilisatrice qui catalyse notre expertise et notre savoir. Parmi ces organisations,...

INNOVATION Quebec

CEIM

STIMULATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FOSTERING THE GROWTH OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

As an organization that has been serving innovation for more than 25 years, we are particularly proud to have supported companies that have since become flagships of our ecosystem, or that now act as powerful catalysts for progress and change in our society. “Our entrepreneurs’ capacity to create and to...

INNOVATION Quebec

SCALE AI

VERS UNE ÉCONOMIE PROPULSÉE PAR L’IA POUR LE CANADA

En tant que grappe d’innovation mondiale du Canada en IA, Scale AI agit comme un pôle d’investissement et d’innovation pour accélérer l’adoption et l’intégration rapide de l’intelligence artificielle dans les chaînes d’approvisionnement, à travers des projets porteurs pour l’économie d’ici. Véritable lien pancanadien entre les différents piliers de la communauté...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

DIPPERFOX

GRINDING THROUGH THE COMPETITION

Dipperfox, an Estonian-based heavy machinery attachment innovation powerhouse, has transformed the global approach to stump removal with its pioneering range of high-efficiency stump crushers. Designed for speed, durability, and versatility, Dipperfox stump grinders are rapidly becoming the tool of choice for professionals in forestry, landscaping, municipal services, and construction. Launched...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Boundless Innovations

Boundless Innovations - An Award-winning Product Design And Development Company

An Award-winning Product Design And Development Company

Boundless Innovations LLC is an award-winning product design and development company, plus advocates of the open innovation movement since 2004. We invent independently and form strategic partnerships with great companies such as Design Circle (seen below) to design, prototype, co-invent, and bring new products, innovations, and businesses to market via...

INNOVATION Quebec

CERFO

CCTT IN BOREAL FORESTRY

Sainte-Foy’s Centre d’enseignement et de recherche en foresterie (CERFO) is a college centre for the transfer of technology (CCTT). Our mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of technology and businesses, organizations and colleges in the Quebec forest sector. For nearly 40 years, our experts have been drawing on...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Forcura

Forcura-Designed Specifically For The Complexity Of Home Health And Hospice Agencies

Designed Specifically For The Complexity Of Home Health And Hospice Agencies

Craig Mandeville, CEO of Jacksonville, Florida-based healthcare technology provider Forcura founded his company for personal reasons, hoping to lessen the time his wife spent driving back and forth to her employer’s home healthcare agency. In her role at the time, Heather Mandeville helped patients who were leaving a hospital transition...

INNOVATE® Georgia

NEEDLING WORLDWIDE

WE ULTIMATELY STRIVE TO BECOME MORE ROBUST, SUPERIOR, AND MORE ASTUTE IN OUR OPERATIONS.

WHO IS NEEDLING WORLDWIDE:Needling Worldwide was established to address a common challenge encountered by numerous companies in their pursuit of certifications or compliance assessments. The CEO envisioned a superior solution based on her firsthand experiences with compliance standards and frameworks. This solution is comprised of a standardized, flat-fee alternative to...

INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3

Sourcetoad – Designing Software For Cruise Lines

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™ Curitiba

IDERIS

6-YEARS OF HISTORY OF BRAZIL’S LARGEST MARKETPLACE INTEGRATOR

Ideris was born in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, located in the southern region of Brazil, in the year 2017. The company is the result of the Tecnoparque program, which drives innovative local projects. Curitiba is a reference for innovation in Brazil, and in 2023, it was...

INNOVATE® Detroit

SOUTHWEST DETROIT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (SDBA)

Powering Progress, Building Legacy

Since 1957, the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA) has been the backbone of economic development in one of Detroit’s most dynamic and culturally rich areas. With a steadfast commitment to championing local businesses, revitalizing infrastructure, and fostering a thriving community, SDBA has evolved into a powerhouse for equitable economic growth...

SharpSpring

SharpSpring - The company

The company, built in Gainesville, is committed to fueling growth and deepening roots in its hometown

When SharpSpring CEO Rick Carlson gets questions about moving his growing tech company to a larger, more metropolitan city, his answer is always the same. “We have no plans to go anywhere. The talent coming out of the university is fueling the emergence of a true tech center in Gainesville,...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Can Online Mapping Software Beat Traditional GIS?

Reviewing 4 Platforms

Can Online Mapping Software Beat Traditional GIS? Reviewing 4 Platforms Geographic information systems used to belong to specialists. You needed a license, a training course, and a workstation that could handle the processing load. That was the cost of doing spatial analysis for a long time, and plenty of organizations...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

GUMPTION

GUMPTION -TACKLES DIGITAL AND BUSINESS ISSUES WITH CO-CREATION

TACKLES DIGITAL AND BUSINESS ISSUES WITH CO-CREATION

The health crisis has presented companies with new challenges. The appetite for digitization is now larger than ever before. Start-ups play an important role as drivers of innovation. Gumption is an innovation hub and ecosystem for young companies. The group’s 20 companies focus on business challenges and IT solutions, such...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Sparkle & Sabre

Sparkle & Sabre - Fashion and Jewellery That Boost Wearers’ Sense of Security and Well-Being

Fashion and Jewellery That Boost Wearers’ Sense of Security and Well-Being

ELEVATOR PITCH “Every woman deserves to feel beautiful; every woman deserves to feel safe; every woman deserves to feel happy.” is the motto at Sparkle & Sabre, a small jewelry company specializing in stylish pieces that boost wearers’ sense of security and well-being. With a majority of available self-defense products...

Global Innovation Spotlight

Explainable Is Too Soft:

in 2026 We Need Forensic Audit Trails in Medical AI

The epiphany didn’t come from a breakthrough in model architecture or a surge in accuracy metrics. It came from watching a physiotherapist from Lviv stare blankly at a screen. Dmytro Grybeniuk and Oleh Ivchenko, specialists in machine learning infrastructure, were attending the MedAI hackathon at Odesa National Polytechnic University not...

INNOVATION Quebec

CIMEQ

EST LE CENTRE COLLÉGIAL DE TRANSFERT DE TECHNOLOGIE (CCTT) DANS LE SECTEUR DE LA MICROÉLECTRONIQUE.

L’innovation et la technologie sont l’affaire du Centre d’innovation en microélectronique du Québec (CIMEQ) dans les secteurs de l’électronique, de l’Internet des objets, du génie logiciel et de l’intelligence artificielle. Depuis 1983, le Centre aide des entreprises de tous les secteurs à développer de nouveaux produits, à adapter leurs manières...

INNOVATE® Nashville

FIRSTBANK

FIRSTBANK-PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW WAVE

PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW WAVE

It’s not often you hear about companies that thrive for over a century, but FirstBank, from its humble start in rural West Tennessee in 1906 continues to evolve and conquer 117 years later. From its original mission of serving a small-town farming community, FirstBank, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with a...

INNOVATE™ Kitchener Waterloo

CATALYST COMMONS

BUILT FOR ENTREPRENEURS, BY ENTREPRENEURS

In the heart of KW’s tech hub, a century-old industrial site has been reimagined as one of Canada’s largest privately held coworking spaces. What used to be Dominion Tire factory is now the home base for more than 170 companies who work out of Catalyst Commons. Inside its 120,000-plus square...

INNOVATE® Nashville

COUTURE TECHNOLOGIES

COUTURE TECHNOLOGIES-

Virtual Try On Technology is Reshaping How Customers Shop for Clothing Online

You know when you shop for clothes online, but you don’t know which size to buy or if an item will look good on your body? Couture Technologies helps apparel brands solve this massive financial and sustainability challenge by seamlessly integrating its patent-pending virtual try on technology with a brand’s...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

Monsana

AI finds the options, doctors choose the right one.

Doctors make treatment decisions every day. But sometimes, the most promising option isn’t part of the standard treatment, it is part of a clinical trial. In Belgium alone, over 1,400 clinical trials run each year. Yet with doctors seeing 30 or more patients a day, keeping up with them is...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

NOWPOW

NOWPOW-Built On The Idea That “Knowledge Is Power

Built On The Idea That “Knowledge Is Power,” This Women-Owned And Operated SaaS Platform Uses Community Resource Networks And Evidence Based Referral Technology To Connect People To The Right Health And Social Resources Through All Of Life’s Ages And Stages

Healthcare innovation is often defined by radical discoveries like new vaccines or groundbreaking surgical techniques. But just as important are the innovations that reimagine how we use existing resources. These advancements make it possible for everyone to live their healthiest lives — through more equitable access to services that promote...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

302 INTERACTIVE

302 INTERACTIVE- IS A STUDIO OF GAME DESIGNERS ON A MISSION TO SAVE THE WORLD BY BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY AND REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS

IS A STUDIO OF GAME DESIGNERS ON A MISSION TO SAVE THE WORLD BY BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY AND REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS

Over the last seven years, their mission has been to provide an environment that brings game developers together to build the games of today and the metaverse of tomorrow. As digital experience developers, 302 Interactive has adopted the best practices of modern game development, product design, lean, and agile methodologies...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

HELICONNFT

HELICONNFT-OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE, WHERE SAVING THE METAVERSE ALSO SAVES THE PLANET IN REAL-LIFE

HeliconNFT is a new online universe, combining a gaming metaverse with a NFT buying & trading platform that provides real rewards where you can play, mine and earn to become the master of a new market. Ultimately, HeliconNFT bridges the gap between centralised games and decentralized NFTs for a true...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTRE QUÉBÉCOIS D’INNOVATION EN BIOTECHNOLOGIE (CQIB)

LE CQIB, AU CŒUR DE L’ÉCOSYSTÈME ENTREPRENEURRIAL EN SCIENCES DE LA VIE

Les lecteurs de cette publication sont bien placés pour le savoir : le Québec est un terreau incroyablement fertile pour l’innovation. Si on génère autant d’innovations en sol québécois, c’est notamment parce que nous avons en place des organisations mobilisatrice qui catalyse notre expertise et notre savoir. Parmi ces organisations,...

INNOVATION Quebec

CEIM

STIMULATING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FOSTERING THE GROWTH OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

As an organization that has been serving innovation for more than 25 years, we are particularly proud to have supported companies that have since become flagships of our ecosystem, or that now act as powerful catalysts for progress and change in our society. “Our entrepreneurs’ capacity to create and to...

INNOVATION Quebec

SCALE AI

VERS UNE ÉCONOMIE PROPULSÉE PAR L’IA POUR LE CANADA

En tant que grappe d’innovation mondiale du Canada en IA, Scale AI agit comme un pôle d’investissement et d’innovation pour accélérer l’adoption et l’intégration rapide de l’intelligence artificielle dans les chaînes d’approvisionnement, à travers des projets porteurs pour l’économie d’ici. Véritable lien pancanadien entre les différents piliers de la communauté...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

DIPPERFOX

GRINDING THROUGH THE COMPETITION

Dipperfox, an Estonian-based heavy machinery attachment innovation powerhouse, has transformed the global approach to stump removal with its pioneering range of high-efficiency stump crushers. Designed for speed, durability, and versatility, Dipperfox stump grinders are rapidly becoming the tool of choice for professionals in forestry, landscaping, municipal services, and construction. Launched...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Boundless Innovations

Boundless Innovations - An Award-winning Product Design And Development Company

An Award-winning Product Design And Development Company

Boundless Innovations LLC is an award-winning product design and development company, plus advocates of the open innovation movement since 2004. We invent independently and form strategic partnerships with great companies such as Design Circle (seen below) to design, prototype, co-invent, and bring new products, innovations, and businesses to market via...

INNOVATION Quebec

CERFO

CCTT IN BOREAL FORESTRY

Sainte-Foy’s Centre d’enseignement et de recherche en foresterie (CERFO) is a college centre for the transfer of technology (CCTT). Our mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of technology and businesses, organizations and colleges in the Quebec forest sector. For nearly 40 years, our experts have been drawing on...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Forcura

Forcura-Designed Specifically For The Complexity Of Home Health And Hospice Agencies

Designed Specifically For The Complexity Of Home Health And Hospice Agencies

Craig Mandeville, CEO of Jacksonville, Florida-based healthcare technology provider Forcura founded his company for personal reasons, hoping to lessen the time his wife spent driving back and forth to her employer’s home healthcare agency. In her role at the time, Heather Mandeville helped patients who were leaving a hospital transition...

Ecosystems