Stories of Innovation

INVID Group was founded in 2003 in the garage of Alberto Lugo’s parents’ house. Back then, his main drive was to create exciting jobs on the island and have a positive work environment that would stimulate innovation and contribute to the economic growth of Puerto Rico. Since then, INVID has...

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...

A city synonymous with automotive innovation, Plug and Play’s Detroit operation is making waves with its groundbreaking approach to mobility. As a global leader in fostering innovation, Plug and Play has established itself as a critical player in the tech ecosystem. However, in Detroit, the organization is doing more than...

Philadelphia Youth Basketball (PYB) was launched in 2015 with a bold vision: to help young people build positive and powerful lives. PYB has spent the past decade leveraging the iconic game of basketball by building a holistic program, a robust organization, and a world-class Center that provides a comprehensive array...

How can we ensure that the healthcare technologies we develop are robust enough to break into different markets? How can we support, and coach Quebec entrepreneurs as well as help stimulate the innovation ecosystem? This is the mission of MEDTEQ+ , a panCanadian consortium for industrial research and innovation in...

If you woke up tomorrow and decided to start a company, how would you do it? Where would you begin? The reality is that most founders start companies alone, spending the first few months in a metaphorical (or, oftentimes, literal) garage figuring out how to get off the ground and...

Small businesses make up 99.9% of all companies in the United States. Within a year, 20% of new small businesses fail. That number rises to 30% before the end of the second year. After five years, half of those small businesses have failed. Profits only start trickling in after 18...

THE DUTCH BLOCKCHAIN COALITION (DBC) IS A COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION OF AFFILIATES FROM GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITIES, CENTERS OF EXPERTISE AND THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR. ITS MISSION IS TO INCREASE BOTH KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF BLOCKCHAIN IN THE NETHERLANDS, THEREBY SPEEDING UP THE DECENTRALIZATION OF DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE. IN THAT CONTEXT, THE DBC IS PRIMARILY...

Founded in Vancouver in 2011 by Beth Boyle, Katie Dunsworth-Reiach, and Sara Padidar, Talk Shop’s vision is to help it’s clients get known, and be understood. Under the leadership of the founding partners and Managing Partner Katie Stevens, Talk Shop has grown substantially to include more than fifty team members....

Across government agencies, digital systems guide citizens through enrollment and benefits programs that support everyday life. Access to those programs depends on infrastructure capable of managing volumes of information while maintaining accuracy and security. From its headquarters in McLean, Virginia, Maximus helps government agencies deliver those services with speed and...

Game Quitters provides the best tools, resources, and support for gamers of all ages to keep gaming under control and maintain their health and wellbeing. We believe there are benefits and risks associated with playing video games and individuals should be equipped to navigate that experience. We do this by...

In a world dominated by ever-evolving financial technology, Splitit emerged as a beacon of innovation, ushering in a new era of responsible shopping. While the ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (BNPL) industry surged forward, Splitit stood out as a trailblazer, transforming the landscape through their merchant-branded Installments-as-a-Service platform. Their mission was...

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...

Australians throw out a staggering 2.7 million single-use or disposable coffee cups every day, amounting to one billion coffee cups thrown out each year. In response to this waste crisis, Reusably, an Adelaide-based sustainability start-up, is on a mission to eliminateexcessive use of disposable goods and accelerate the transition away...

“THE QUEBEC FINTECH INDUSTRY IS THRIVING. WITH THE LARGEST FINTECH HUB IN CANADA AND THE FINTECH CANADA FORUM, A MAJOR ANNUAL INDUSTRY GATHERING, THE STAGE IS SET FOR INNOVATION TO MEET THE REAL NEEDS OF A TRANSFORMING INDUSTRY.” Sebastian Boisjoly, vice-président, FinTech et Innovations technologiques, Finance Montréal Financial technologies (FinTech)...

When its founders, Richard Chan and Winston Walker, learned that educators were purchasing their research-grade equipment to help students get hands-on experience with electrophoresis in their classrooms, they sought to develop a teacher and student-friendly electrophoresis system that was safe, compact, fast, and affordable, making it possible to complete inquiry...

SUPERWISE® is leading the next evolution in AI – making intelligent technology work for real-world industries, not just research labs. With practical, scalable, and low-friction tools, SUPERWISE empowers organizations to use AI to increase efficiency, improve decision-making, and transform how work gets done – from the executive suite to the...

Across roles at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and human impact, Ekateirna Vert-Wong has demonstrated a belief that progress is most meaningful when it benefits people while safeguarding the future. Both as an executive leading biomedical teams and an entrepreneur building climate-resilient medicine in Maryland, her path has been guided...

NEXT is a trailblazer in the innovative business sector, offering advanced startup-centric legal solutions. Born from the established law firm Shulman Rogers, NEXT is redefining legal services for startups and emerging growth companies. NEXT founder Anthony Millin drew from his experience as an entrepreneur, partner in an early-stage VC Fund,...

Un acteur clé du développementresponsable de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) Le CEIMIA est un acteur clé du développement responsable de l’intelligence artificielle, fondé sur des principes d’éthique, de droits de la personne, d’inclusion, de diversité, d’innovation et de croissance économique. Notre rôle est de développer et de mettre en œuvre des...

SAUNUM’S UNIQUE BENEFITS SAUNUM’S UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION: HEALTH, INNOVATION, AND MARKET DIFFERENTIATION The Story of Saunum Andrus Vare, Thermal Engineer and The Creator of Saunum: “Inspired by the experience of my grandparents’ 100-year-old smoke sauna, I set out to create an innovative solution that combines the best features of a...

For nearly a century, the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts has been a cornerstone of Detroit’s artistic and cultural community. Founded in 1928 by visionary philanthropist Matilda Rausch Dodge Wilson, Music Hall has played a pivotal role in enriching Detroit with performances and educational programs that reflect the...

Edesa Biotech, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on commercializing latestage, research-validated assets. In 2020, the Markham-based company positioned itself on the frontline of the Covid-19 treatment race when one of its leading drug candidates showed great promise as a “rescue therapy” for hospitalized patients with a life-threatening form of...

Very few people were talking about entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico when Grupo Guayacan, Inc. was born in 1996. Founded by Enrique “Ricky” Adsuar as a private sector mission-driven nonprofit organization, it has served entrepreneurs with a unique model that has coupled private equity investment with a series of programs to...