Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Nashville

FIRST SOUTH FINANCIAL

BANKING WITH FRIENDS

The Story of First South Financial’s Strength, Innovation, and Community Impact. For nearly seven decades, First South Financial has stood as a trusted partner in helping individuals, families, and business owners achieve their financial goals. What began as a modest effort to provide accessible banking services has grown into one...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

METTĀ CREATIVE

GATHERING INTENTIONALLY IN THE PRESENT TO CO-CREATE A BETTER FUTURE

Born out of a desire for an alternative to unfulfilling college night-life, Mettā Creative has existed on the fringes of DMV culture since November 2016. Mettā, which means “loving-kindness” in Sanskrit, is a bonding agent, a glue between people, their community, and the public good. In the early days, Creative...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

HOMEMADE IN DC

Feeding Innovation in the Heart of D.C

Homemade in DC is innovating on the staid corporate catering and gifting scene, combining local sourcing, diverse founders and small businesses, storytelling, and rich data all on one platform. Founded by Mackenzie Loy, this growing organization is not just an online marketplace; it is a vibrant hub for corporate catering...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

WE ARE CISCO

WE ARE CISCO- Cisco Helps Seize The Opportunities Of Tomorrow By Proving That Amazing Things Can Happen When You Connect The Unconnected

Cisco Helps Seize The Opportunities Of Tomorrow By Proving That Amazing Things Can Happen When You Connect The Unconnected

An integral part of our DNA is creating long-lasting customer partnerships, working together to identify our customers’ needs and provide solutions that fuel their success. We have preserved this keen focus on solving business challenges since our founding in 1984. Len Bosack and wife Sandy Lerner, both working for Stanford...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

MKE TECH HUB

A LEGACY OF INNOVATION DRIVING A FUTURE OF IMPACT

Shaped by a rich industrial legacy, Milwaukee is evolving into a beacon of modern innovation. With biohealth, AI, water, energy technology, smart manufacturing, and financial services leading the way, Milwaukee’s dynamic ecosystem is not only thriving, but attracting attention from investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators worldwide. Here, tradition meets technology, and...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

FLOW

FLOW- IS FLIPPING THE PROPERTY INDUSTRY

IS FLIPPING THE PROPERTY INDUSTRY

FLOW IS DEMOCRATISING THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY’S ARCHAIC OPERATING MODEL FOR AGENTS, EMPOWERING THEM IN A DIGITAL WORLD AND GIVING BUYER, SELLER AND AGENT THE BENEFIT OF A BETTER, MORE TRANSPARENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE PROCESS. THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGY CAN STILL BE HUMAN – AND FLOW MAKES SURE THAT ESTATE AGENTS...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Tyler York

Relationship-centered real estate, valuing people over profit, and inspiring others to do the same.

“Relationship-centered real estate, valuing people over profit, and inspiring others to do the same” – this was the vision of Founder and CEO Charlie Peterson when launching Tyler York Real Estate Brokers at the beginning of 2018. After a meteoric rise in Nashville real estate beginning in 2013, Charlie quickly...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

NINETEEN 21

NINETEEN 21-UNORTHODOX THINKING

UNORTHODOX THINKING

Established in 2019, Nineteen21 is an innovative subscription business that presents savings and rewards solutions across a number of tiers. The company initially sought out to find a solution for college and varsity students to save money and maximise on the value of their limited monthly allowances. The company built...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

KLABIN IN PARANÁ

ROOTS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

The largest producer and exporter of paper for packaging and sustainable solutions in paper packaging in Brazil, Klabin is a protagonist in a history characterized by innovation and a commitment with sustainable development. Founded in 1899, the Company stands out as the only one in Brazil offering solutions in softwood,...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Gresham Smith

Pioneering Innovation in Design

Gresham Smith, a leading architecture, engineering, design and consulting firm that has called Nashville home for more than 50 years, is an industry leader in innovation. At Gresham Smith, innovation is not just about adopting emerging technologies—it’s about transforming the design and planning process to create healthier, more connected communities....

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

TO ALL OF OUR DMV INNOVATORS AND DREAMERS! Government and politics: two pillars that have long been synonymous with the identity of the capital region. While these will always remain cornerstones of the DMV, a new narrative is emerging – that of a global innovation hub for startups, emerging tech,...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

KARTRIJ

KARTRIJ-TO UNITE GAMERS THROUGH THE DISCOVERY OF AMAZING BRANDS THAT CELEBRATE THEIR LIFESTYLE

TO UNITE GAMERS THROUGH THE DISCOVERY OF AMAZING BRANDS THAT CELEBRATE THEIR LIFESTYLE

Kartrij is a free platform that helps gamers discover brands through cash back offers. Gamers earn cash back automatically by securely linking their credit card to the platform and shopping at the stores they already do. Kartrij enables gaming brands to effectively advertise through real-time customer insights and custom offers....

INNOVATE® Georgia

AWARE FORCE

CYBERSECURITY TRAINING AND AWARENESS

“Cybersecurity is a priority for virtually every organization in the world. Job #1 is engaging your workforce in cyber safety with interesting, relevant content because employees represent the biggest attack surface of all. Aware Force accomplishes that in innovative ways that no other companies can match.”– Richard Warner, Aware Force...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

GOPURSUE

Empowering the Next Generation

GoPursue is a revolutionary organization transforming the landscape of career exploration for K-12 students. This vibrant social impact company has carved a unique niche in the educational technology space, addressing critical gaps in workforce development and career preparedness. Founded by Kathryn Adabonyan, a former math teacher and career and technical...

INNOVATION Quebec

L’INSTITUT D’IA APPLIQUÉE DE CONCORDIA (IA2)

L’INSTITUT D’IA APPLIQUÉE DE CONCORDIA (IA2) EST UNE UNITÉ DE RECHERCHE APPLIQUÉE MULTIDISCIPLINAIRE QUI REPRÉSENTE PLUS DE 120 PROFESSEURS ET LEURS ÉTUDIANTS GRADUÉS AFFILIÉS AUX 4 FACULTÉS DE L’UNIVERSITÉ CONCORDIA : ARTS ET SCIENCES, BEAUX ARTS, ÉCOLE DE GÉNIE ET D’INFORMATIQUE GINA CODY, ET ÉCOLE DE GESTION JOHN MOLSON. Organisés...

INNOVATION Quebec

PRIMA

Se démarquer sur les marchés grâce auxmatériaux avancés et… à PRIMA Québec

Standing out in the market thanks to advanced materials... and PRIMA Québec

PRIMA Québec is the advanced materials research and innovation hub that supports and promotes the advanced materials ecosystem and acts as an engine of innovation and economic growth in Quebec.   It is a leading catalyst between the industrial and research communities. Acting as a sectoral industrial research group (SIRG),...

Global Innovation Spotlight

REALITAPP A.S.

REALITAPP A.S. -DIGITAL REAL ESTATE

DIGITAL REAL ESTATE

DIGITAL REAL ESTATE A groundbreaking online tool for both the office and the field – RealitApp. Three quarters of real estate agencies in Slovakia would welcome the opportunity to make their work easier through a mobile interface, instead of the old school use of notebooks or Excel. When the creators...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

LEADS 2B

A SALES-FOCUSED TECH COMPANY

Founded by three experienced systems developers and sales professionals, the company was born with the goal to offer the market a platform with all the features that a marketing and sales department need to achieve its goals. During the previous experiences of its founders, an opportunity was noticed in providing...

INNOVATION Quebec

CRISPESH

CCTT EN INCLUSION DES PERSONNES EN SITUATION DE HANDICAP

SpécialisationLe Centre de recherche pour l’inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap (CRISPESH) est un centre collégial de recherche appliquée et de transfert (CCTT) en pratiques sociales novatrices affilié au cégep du Vieux Montréal et au collège Dawson. Ses champs d’expertises sont l’inclusion scolaire, professionnelle et sociale des personnes en...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

PHYSIQ

Technology Pioneered To Predict Failure Of Mission-Critical Industrial Equipment Delivers Powerful Platform To Protect The Most Complex “Machine” Of All – The Human Body

A leader in digital medicine, dedicated to generating real-time health insight via physiological data and patented artificial intelligence (AI) analytics, physIQ is on a mission to transform healthcare. The physIQ enterprise-ready cloud platform is designed to continuously collect and process data from any wearable biosensor using an expanding portfolio of...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

RADICAL VENTURES

RADICAL VENTURES - AN AI-FOCUSED VENTURE CAPITAL FUND INVESTING IN PEOPLE WHO ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HOW WE LIVE

AN AI-FOCUSED VENTURE CAPITAL FUND INVESTING IN PEOPLE WHO ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HOW WE LIVE, WORK AND PLAY

Like Benjamin Franklin knotting a key to a kite in a lightning storm, today’s AI researchers are unlocking technology that is reshaping our world. From quantum neural networks and natural language processing, to AI for drug discovery, the path to future innovations and commercialization is charted by a small subset...

INNOVATION Quebec

THE ADRIQ

THE ADRIQ: ACCOMPANY.GATHER. TRANSFORM

ACCOMPANY. GATHER. TRANSFORM.

Mission and outreach in QuebecSupport and promote research and innovation in Quebec with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of businesses, here and abroad. Our mission at the ADRIQ (The Association pour le Développement de la Recherche et de l’Innovation du Québec) guides us in our objectives, actions, operations, and...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

UNIONWEAR

USA MADE BASEBALL CAPS AND TOTE BAGS: DESIGNED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MANUFACTURED BY ROBOTS.

Unionwear manufactures – from scratch—100% made in USA baseball hats, backpacks, messenger bags, portfolios, and binders, with 160 union sewers in Newark, NJ. Mitch Cahn founded Unionwear in 1992 with six sewers and a contract to make baseball hats for Ralph Lauren, and has evolved by buying legacy manufacturers of...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

FLAMEHAWK STUDIOS

FLAMEHAWK STUDIOS-“PLAY YOUR HOMEWORK” WITH THE MECHANICAL WORLD OF DR. GEARBOX

"PLAY YOUR HOMEWORK” WITH THE MECHANICAL WORLD OF DR. GEARBOX

Flamehawk Studios is a “games for good” startup that focuses on three main themes: e-learning, diversity and inclusion, and charity. Flamehawk’s first effort is The Mechanical World of Dr. Gearbox. Teachers may consider it a remote learning tool but students consider it a fun game that is clearly inspired by...

INNOVATE® Nashville

FIRST SOUTH FINANCIAL

BANKING WITH FRIENDS

The Story of First South Financial’s Strength, Innovation, and Community Impact. For nearly seven decades, First South Financial has stood as a trusted partner in helping individuals, families, and business owners achieve their financial goals. What began as a modest effort to provide accessible banking services has grown into one...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

METTĀ CREATIVE

GATHERING INTENTIONALLY IN THE PRESENT TO CO-CREATE A BETTER FUTURE

Born out of a desire for an alternative to unfulfilling college night-life, Mettā Creative has existed on the fringes of DMV culture since November 2016. Mettā, which means “loving-kindness” in Sanskrit, is a bonding agent, a glue between people, their community, and the public good. In the early days, Creative...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

HOMEMADE IN DC

Feeding Innovation in the Heart of D.C

Homemade in DC is innovating on the staid corporate catering and gifting scene, combining local sourcing, diverse founders and small businesses, storytelling, and rich data all on one platform. Founded by Mackenzie Loy, this growing organization is not just an online marketplace; it is a vibrant hub for corporate catering...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

WE ARE CISCO

WE ARE CISCO- Cisco Helps Seize The Opportunities Of Tomorrow By Proving That Amazing Things Can Happen When You Connect The Unconnected

Cisco Helps Seize The Opportunities Of Tomorrow By Proving That Amazing Things Can Happen When You Connect The Unconnected

An integral part of our DNA is creating long-lasting customer partnerships, working together to identify our customers’ needs and provide solutions that fuel their success. We have preserved this keen focus on solving business challenges since our founding in 1984. Len Bosack and wife Sandy Lerner, both working for Stanford...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

MKE TECH HUB

A LEGACY OF INNOVATION DRIVING A FUTURE OF IMPACT

Shaped by a rich industrial legacy, Milwaukee is evolving into a beacon of modern innovation. With biohealth, AI, water, energy technology, smart manufacturing, and financial services leading the way, Milwaukee’s dynamic ecosystem is not only thriving, but attracting attention from investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators worldwide. Here, tradition meets technology, and...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

FLOW

FLOW- IS FLIPPING THE PROPERTY INDUSTRY

IS FLIPPING THE PROPERTY INDUSTRY

FLOW IS DEMOCRATISING THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY’S ARCHAIC OPERATING MODEL FOR AGENTS, EMPOWERING THEM IN A DIGITAL WORLD AND GIVING BUYER, SELLER AND AGENT THE BENEFIT OF A BETTER, MORE TRANSPARENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE PROCESS. THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGY CAN STILL BE HUMAN – AND FLOW MAKES SURE THAT ESTATE AGENTS...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Tyler York

Relationship-centered real estate, valuing people over profit, and inspiring others to do the same.

“Relationship-centered real estate, valuing people over profit, and inspiring others to do the same” – this was the vision of Founder and CEO Charlie Peterson when launching Tyler York Real Estate Brokers at the beginning of 2018. After a meteoric rise in Nashville real estate beginning in 2013, Charlie quickly...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

NINETEEN 21

NINETEEN 21-UNORTHODOX THINKING

UNORTHODOX THINKING

Established in 2019, Nineteen21 is an innovative subscription business that presents savings and rewards solutions across a number of tiers. The company initially sought out to find a solution for college and varsity students to save money and maximise on the value of their limited monthly allowances. The company built...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

KLABIN IN PARANÁ

ROOTS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

The largest producer and exporter of paper for packaging and sustainable solutions in paper packaging in Brazil, Klabin is a protagonist in a history characterized by innovation and a commitment with sustainable development. Founded in 1899, the Company stands out as the only one in Brazil offering solutions in softwood,...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Gresham Smith

Pioneering Innovation in Design

Gresham Smith, a leading architecture, engineering, design and consulting firm that has called Nashville home for more than 50 years, is an industry leader in innovation. At Gresham Smith, innovation is not just about adopting emerging technologies—it’s about transforming the design and planning process to create healthier, more connected communities....

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

TO ALL OF OUR DMV INNOVATORS AND DREAMERS! Government and politics: two pillars that have long been synonymous with the identity of the capital region. While these will always remain cornerstones of the DMV, a new narrative is emerging – that of a global innovation hub for startups, emerging tech,...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

KARTRIJ

KARTRIJ-TO UNITE GAMERS THROUGH THE DISCOVERY OF AMAZING BRANDS THAT CELEBRATE THEIR LIFESTYLE

TO UNITE GAMERS THROUGH THE DISCOVERY OF AMAZING BRANDS THAT CELEBRATE THEIR LIFESTYLE

Kartrij is a free platform that helps gamers discover brands through cash back offers. Gamers earn cash back automatically by securely linking their credit card to the platform and shopping at the stores they already do. Kartrij enables gaming brands to effectively advertise through real-time customer insights and custom offers....

INNOVATE® Georgia

AWARE FORCE

CYBERSECURITY TRAINING AND AWARENESS

“Cybersecurity is a priority for virtually every organization in the world. Job #1 is engaging your workforce in cyber safety with interesting, relevant content because employees represent the biggest attack surface of all. Aware Force accomplishes that in innovative ways that no other companies can match.”– Richard Warner, Aware Force...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

GOPURSUE

Empowering the Next Generation

GoPursue is a revolutionary organization transforming the landscape of career exploration for K-12 students. This vibrant social impact company has carved a unique niche in the educational technology space, addressing critical gaps in workforce development and career preparedness. Founded by Kathryn Adabonyan, a former math teacher and career and technical...

INNOVATION Quebec

L’INSTITUT D’IA APPLIQUÉE DE CONCORDIA (IA2)

L’INSTITUT D’IA APPLIQUÉE DE CONCORDIA (IA2) EST UNE UNITÉ DE RECHERCHE APPLIQUÉE MULTIDISCIPLINAIRE QUI REPRÉSENTE PLUS DE 120 PROFESSEURS ET LEURS ÉTUDIANTS GRADUÉS AFFILIÉS AUX 4 FACULTÉS DE L’UNIVERSITÉ CONCORDIA : ARTS ET SCIENCES, BEAUX ARTS, ÉCOLE DE GÉNIE ET D’INFORMATIQUE GINA CODY, ET ÉCOLE DE GESTION JOHN MOLSON. Organisés...

INNOVATION Quebec

PRIMA

Se démarquer sur les marchés grâce auxmatériaux avancés et… à PRIMA Québec

Standing out in the market thanks to advanced materials... and PRIMA Québec

PRIMA Québec is the advanced materials research and innovation hub that supports and promotes the advanced materials ecosystem and acts as an engine of innovation and economic growth in Quebec.   It is a leading catalyst between the industrial and research communities. Acting as a sectoral industrial research group (SIRG),...

Global Innovation Spotlight

REALITAPP A.S.

REALITAPP A.S. -DIGITAL REAL ESTATE

DIGITAL REAL ESTATE

DIGITAL REAL ESTATE A groundbreaking online tool for both the office and the field – RealitApp. Three quarters of real estate agencies in Slovakia would welcome the opportunity to make their work easier through a mobile interface, instead of the old school use of notebooks or Excel. When the creators...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

LEADS 2B

A SALES-FOCUSED TECH COMPANY

Founded by three experienced systems developers and sales professionals, the company was born with the goal to offer the market a platform with all the features that a marketing and sales department need to achieve its goals. During the previous experiences of its founders, an opportunity was noticed in providing...

INNOVATION Quebec

CRISPESH

CCTT EN INCLUSION DES PERSONNES EN SITUATION DE HANDICAP

SpécialisationLe Centre de recherche pour l’inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap (CRISPESH) est un centre collégial de recherche appliquée et de transfert (CCTT) en pratiques sociales novatrices affilié au cégep du Vieux Montréal et au collège Dawson. Ses champs d’expertises sont l’inclusion scolaire, professionnelle et sociale des personnes en...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

PHYSIQ

Technology Pioneered To Predict Failure Of Mission-Critical Industrial Equipment Delivers Powerful Platform To Protect The Most Complex “Machine” Of All – The Human Body

A leader in digital medicine, dedicated to generating real-time health insight via physiological data and patented artificial intelligence (AI) analytics, physIQ is on a mission to transform healthcare. The physIQ enterprise-ready cloud platform is designed to continuously collect and process data from any wearable biosensor using an expanding portfolio of...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

RADICAL VENTURES

RADICAL VENTURES - AN AI-FOCUSED VENTURE CAPITAL FUND INVESTING IN PEOPLE WHO ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HOW WE LIVE

AN AI-FOCUSED VENTURE CAPITAL FUND INVESTING IN PEOPLE WHO ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HOW WE LIVE, WORK AND PLAY

Like Benjamin Franklin knotting a key to a kite in a lightning storm, today’s AI researchers are unlocking technology that is reshaping our world. From quantum neural networks and natural language processing, to AI for drug discovery, the path to future innovations and commercialization is charted by a small subset...

INNOVATION Quebec

THE ADRIQ

THE ADRIQ: ACCOMPANY.GATHER. TRANSFORM

ACCOMPANY. GATHER. TRANSFORM.

Mission and outreach in QuebecSupport and promote research and innovation in Quebec with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of businesses, here and abroad. Our mission at the ADRIQ (The Association pour le Développement de la Recherche et de l’Innovation du Québec) guides us in our objectives, actions, operations, and...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

UNIONWEAR

USA MADE BASEBALL CAPS AND TOTE BAGS: DESIGNED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MANUFACTURED BY ROBOTS.

Unionwear manufactures – from scratch—100% made in USA baseball hats, backpacks, messenger bags, portfolios, and binders, with 160 union sewers in Newark, NJ. Mitch Cahn founded Unionwear in 1992 with six sewers and a contract to make baseball hats for Ralph Lauren, and has evolved by buying legacy manufacturers of...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

FLAMEHAWK STUDIOS

FLAMEHAWK STUDIOS-“PLAY YOUR HOMEWORK” WITH THE MECHANICAL WORLD OF DR. GEARBOX

"PLAY YOUR HOMEWORK” WITH THE MECHANICAL WORLD OF DR. GEARBOX

Flamehawk Studios is a “games for good” startup that focuses on three main themes: e-learning, diversity and inclusion, and charity. Flamehawk’s first effort is The Mechanical World of Dr. Gearbox. Teachers may consider it a remote learning tool but students consider it a fun game that is clearly inspired by...

Ecosystems