Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE® Nashville
BAKER DONELSON
FROM STARTUP TO STANDOUT
Baker Donelson’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Practice Fuels the Future of Emerging Companies. With a deep bench of attorneys who understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced by early-stage companies and rapid-growth ventures, Baker Donelson’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital (ECVC) team is a trusted partner for entrepreneurs and...
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™ Toronto
RADICAL VENTURES
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...
INNOVATE® Kansas City
SEARCY FINANCIAL
REDEFINING FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR THE MODERN ERA
In an industry often defined by numbers, Searcy Financial Services stands apart by focusing on people. Founded in 1976 and independently owned by second-generation leaders Jessica Kmetty, Marc Shaffer, John Fales, and Ryan Brooke, the firm has built a reputation not just for managing wealth, but for helping people make...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
MINDCHIP
THE RISE AT SEA: HOW MINDCHIP TEACHES SHIPS TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES
The sea has always been humanity’s vital artery—through it flow goods, people, and ideas. Yet the sea is also unpredictable and harsh. It is here, among waves and storms, that the Estonian deep-tech company MindChip faces a challenge that could reshape the future of maritime operations: how to make ships...
INNOVATION Quebec
IVADO LABS
EMPOWERING YOUR BUSINESS WITH AI
IVADO Labs supports organizations wishing to innovate using artificial intelligence technologies by providing access to cutting-edge expertise in this field. Its mission is to design and deliver customized solutions to companies that wish to exploit the potential of artificial intelligence to solve their problems, explore new possibilities, and remain competitive....
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
FLEXPODS
Our mission is to empower a collective of fitness and wellness professionals to build their brand
Laurent is a regular on the media circuit, seen on Oprah’s Live Your Best Life Tour, the Dr.Oz Show, TEDx talks, and many local news programs. Laurent had an idea. His idea was to create a space to support the fitness community. Providing affordable expertly designed and fully equipped fitness...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
CALGARY INNOVATION COALITION
Accelerating a venture’s journey, providing a path to success
The Calgary Innovation Coalition (CIC) is striving to create a healthy, inclusive, globally recognized innovation ecosystem supporting thriving ventures in the Calgary region. To accelerate the venture’s journey we leverage the connectivity, experience, and knowledge of our member network to identify and address ecosystem needs, enhance connections, and enable venture...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
GCT GLOBAL CONTAINER TERMINALS INC
SYNCHRONIZING CONTAINER LOGISTICS THROUGH INNOVATION, PRECISION,
GCT Global Container Terminals Inc. (GCT) is Vancouver’s homegrown success story in marine container terminal operations and innovation. GCT is among the most advanced operators on the continent and boasts the largest semi-automated on-dock rail facility in North America. Shipping line customers and cargo owners benefit from easy access to...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Provident Bank
Wants to Create Advocates for Life by Creating an Innovative, First-Class Employee an
Provident Bank, the oldest and second largest financial institution headquartered in NJ, was established in 1839 in a one-room office in Jersey City, New Jersey. Since its inception, it has continually reaffirmed its commitment to the customers and communities it serves, as well as its employees across New Jersey, New...
INNOVATE® Seattle
CIBC Innovation Banking
LOCAL TECH BANKING VETERANS BRING CANADIAN INFLUENCE TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
LOCAL TECH BANKING VETERANS BRING CANADIAN INFLUENCE TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST Since its founding in early 2018, CIBC Innovation Banking has been rapidly building its presence in key innovation clusters across the U.S. and Europe.In 2022, its Seattle team began serving the vibrant innovation economy of the Pacific Northwest. John...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MAHLAKO A PHAHLA
AN ORGANISATION THAT IS AFRICAN WOMEN-OWNED, MANAGED AND INSPIRED, THAT PROMOTES AFRICAN AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EXCELLENCE
Mahlako a Phahla, founded by sisters Makole Mupita and Meta Mhlarhi, is named after our mother Mahlako to pay homage to her pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit in building a successful family business at a time when it was difficult for many black people to do so. Mahlako is an...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
LACTEC
INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Lactec is one of Brazil’s largest private, self-sustaining and non-profit research centers, which for over 60-years has been at the service of the market and society, offering solutions based on science, technology and innovation. It operates strongly in the Energy, Sanitation, Environment, Industry and Infrastructure markets, throughout the innovation cycle,...
Global Innovation Spotlight
The economy of the fandom experience:
Merch, innovation, and sustainability
Everybody’s part of a fandom nowadays, with many people being part of several communities for different musicians, bands, movies, series, and sports teams at the same time. Since many are quite passionate about the fandoms they’re part of, it’s natural that they’d want to wear their interests on their sleeve....
INNOVATE® Maryland
NEU-ION
Reimagining Water Purification From Maryland to the World
In 1991, Lee Heikkinen and Bob Housaman founded Neu-Ion on a simple conviction: clients should be able to focus entirely on their own work, not on their water system. They built the company around great service first, taking full ownership of a client’s water quality so hospitals, laboratories, and manufacturers...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
BRL
Hardware Incubator
In addition to its world-leading research and teaching activities, Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) sits at the heart of the region’s thriving robotics sector, offering businesses and entrepreneurs a range of start-up, growth, innovation, training, and talent development solutions. Its Hardware Incubator and Robotics Innovation Facility have hosted and supported some...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
HUNGRY MARKETPLACE
Hungry for something better
This is a company unlike any other in the Washington DMV – and that’s saying a lot. HUNGRY Marketplace has revolutionized the office food market nationally. Founded by visionary entrepreneurs Jeff Grass and Eman and Shy Pahlevani, this Arlington, Virginia-based company is reshaping the landscape of office food solutions with...
INNOVATE® Seattle
BRINC
TRANSFORMING PUBLIC SAFETY: THE FUTURE OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Blake Resnick, the founder and CEO of BRINC, started his engineering career at McLaren Automotive at 14. He later worked at Tesla Motors and DJI, the world’s largest drone company. Growing up in Las Vegas, the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting deeply impacted Blake, leading him to focus on public...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Boundless Innovations
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...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
ULTRAZONIC
MEDICAL SCOOP TACKLES CURRENT CONTAMINATION WOES
UltraZonic has received a true (medical) world premiere. This Belgian company, specialized in innovative medical cleaning devices, has developed the first semi-automatic pre-cleaner for flexible endoscopes. Not the biggest luxury invention, knowing that endoscopes are popular hotbeds for several bacteria. “Due to great time pressure, staff often miss important cleaning...
INNOVATION Quebec
INOVEM
CCTT IN WOODWORKING AND FURNITURE
As a woodworking and furniture innovation centre, Inovem has been supporting Quebec businesses since 1983. A true catalyst for innovation, our CCTT has become the benchmark for sustainable technologies in the woodworking, furniture and appearance wood products industry. Furniture, woodworking and appearance wood products businesses can count on Inovem’s expertise...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
DOCTORS E-CONSULT
TAKING DIGITAL HEALTH IN BOTSWANA UP A NOTCH!!!
It is without a doubt that the Coronavirus has hampered many businesses, but like they say, “every problem contains in it the seeds of a solution.” From all across the world, solutions have been created to mitigate the effects of the virus, and here in Botswana, the lockdown period presented...
INNOVATION Quebec
IVÉO
POUR DES TERRITOIRES PLUS INTELLIGENTS ET DURABLES
IVÉO est un organisme sans but lucratif dont la mission est d’accélérer le déploiement d’innovations dans le milieu municipal. Ses interventions se situent principalement dans l’expérimentation et le montage de projets pilotes en réponse aux enjeux sociaux, environnementaux et économiques auxquels font face les villes. En agissant comme courtier d’innovation...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
LETSHEGO HOLDINGS
BOTSWANA-BORN LETSHEGO ADOPTS INNOVATION ACROSS FUNCTIONS TO ACHIEVE FUTURE-FIT VISION FOR PAN-AFRICAN OPERATION
Since first opening its doors in Gaborone 24 years ago, inclusive finance leader, Letshego Holdings Limited, has extended its reach into 11 sub Saharan markets through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. The Group went public with its listing on the Botswana Stock Exchange in 2002. As one of Botswana’s few...
INNOVATE® Nashville
BAKER DONELSON
FROM STARTUP TO STANDOUT
Baker Donelson’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Practice Fuels the Future of Emerging Companies. With a deep bench of attorneys who understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced by early-stage companies and rapid-growth ventures, Baker Donelson’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital (ECVC) team is a trusted partner for entrepreneurs and...
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™ Toronto
RADICAL VENTURES
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...
INNOVATE® Kansas City
SEARCY FINANCIAL
REDEFINING FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR THE MODERN ERA
In an industry often defined by numbers, Searcy Financial Services stands apart by focusing on people. Founded in 1976 and independently owned by second-generation leaders Jessica Kmetty, Marc Shaffer, John Fales, and Ryan Brooke, the firm has built a reputation not just for managing wealth, but for helping people make...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
MINDCHIP
THE RISE AT SEA: HOW MINDCHIP TEACHES SHIPS TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES
The sea has always been humanity’s vital artery—through it flow goods, people, and ideas. Yet the sea is also unpredictable and harsh. It is here, among waves and storms, that the Estonian deep-tech company MindChip faces a challenge that could reshape the future of maritime operations: how to make ships...
INNOVATION Quebec
IVADO LABS
EMPOWERING YOUR BUSINESS WITH AI
IVADO Labs supports organizations wishing to innovate using artificial intelligence technologies by providing access to cutting-edge expertise in this field. Its mission is to design and deliver customized solutions to companies that wish to exploit the potential of artificial intelligence to solve their problems, explore new possibilities, and remain competitive....
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
FLEXPODS
Our mission is to empower a collective of fitness and wellness professionals to build their brand
Laurent is a regular on the media circuit, seen on Oprah’s Live Your Best Life Tour, the Dr.Oz Show, TEDx talks, and many local news programs. Laurent had an idea. His idea was to create a space to support the fitness community. Providing affordable expertly designed and fully equipped fitness...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
CALGARY INNOVATION COALITION
Accelerating a venture’s journey, providing a path to success
The Calgary Innovation Coalition (CIC) is striving to create a healthy, inclusive, globally recognized innovation ecosystem supporting thriving ventures in the Calgary region. To accelerate the venture’s journey we leverage the connectivity, experience, and knowledge of our member network to identify and address ecosystem needs, enhance connections, and enable venture...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
GCT GLOBAL CONTAINER TERMINALS INC
SYNCHRONIZING CONTAINER LOGISTICS THROUGH INNOVATION, PRECISION,
GCT Global Container Terminals Inc. (GCT) is Vancouver’s homegrown success story in marine container terminal operations and innovation. GCT is among the most advanced operators on the continent and boasts the largest semi-automated on-dock rail facility in North America. Shipping line customers and cargo owners benefit from easy access to...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Provident Bank
Wants to Create Advocates for Life by Creating an Innovative, First-Class Employee an
Provident Bank, the oldest and second largest financial institution headquartered in NJ, was established in 1839 in a one-room office in Jersey City, New Jersey. Since its inception, it has continually reaffirmed its commitment to the customers and communities it serves, as well as its employees across New Jersey, New...
INNOVATE® Seattle
CIBC Innovation Banking
LOCAL TECH BANKING VETERANS BRING CANADIAN INFLUENCE TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
LOCAL TECH BANKING VETERANS BRING CANADIAN INFLUENCE TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST Since its founding in early 2018, CIBC Innovation Banking has been rapidly building its presence in key innovation clusters across the U.S. and Europe.In 2022, its Seattle team began serving the vibrant innovation economy of the Pacific Northwest. John...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
MAHLAKO A PHAHLA
AN ORGANISATION THAT IS AFRICAN WOMEN-OWNED, MANAGED AND INSPIRED, THAT PROMOTES AFRICAN AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EXCELLENCE
Mahlako a Phahla, founded by sisters Makole Mupita and Meta Mhlarhi, is named after our mother Mahlako to pay homage to her pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit in building a successful family business at a time when it was difficult for many black people to do so. Mahlako is an...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
LACTEC
INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Lactec is one of Brazil’s largest private, self-sustaining and non-profit research centers, which for over 60-years has been at the service of the market and society, offering solutions based on science, technology and innovation. It operates strongly in the Energy, Sanitation, Environment, Industry and Infrastructure markets, throughout the innovation cycle,...
Global Innovation Spotlight
The economy of the fandom experience:
Merch, innovation, and sustainability
Everybody’s part of a fandom nowadays, with many people being part of several communities for different musicians, bands, movies, series, and sports teams at the same time. Since many are quite passionate about the fandoms they’re part of, it’s natural that they’d want to wear their interests on their sleeve....
INNOVATE® Maryland
NEU-ION
Reimagining Water Purification From Maryland to the World
In 1991, Lee Heikkinen and Bob Housaman founded Neu-Ion on a simple conviction: clients should be able to focus entirely on their own work, not on their water system. They built the company around great service first, taking full ownership of a client’s water quality so hospitals, laboratories, and manufacturers...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
BRL
Hardware Incubator
In addition to its world-leading research and teaching activities, Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) sits at the heart of the region’s thriving robotics sector, offering businesses and entrepreneurs a range of start-up, growth, innovation, training, and talent development solutions. Its Hardware Incubator and Robotics Innovation Facility have hosted and supported some...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
HUNGRY MARKETPLACE
Hungry for something better
This is a company unlike any other in the Washington DMV – and that’s saying a lot. HUNGRY Marketplace has revolutionized the office food market nationally. Founded by visionary entrepreneurs Jeff Grass and Eman and Shy Pahlevani, this Arlington, Virginia-based company is reshaping the landscape of office food solutions with...
INNOVATE® Seattle
BRINC
TRANSFORMING PUBLIC SAFETY: THE FUTURE OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Blake Resnick, the founder and CEO of BRINC, started his engineering career at McLaren Automotive at 14. He later worked at Tesla Motors and DJI, the world’s largest drone company. Growing up in Las Vegas, the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting deeply impacted Blake, leading him to focus on public...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Boundless Innovations
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...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
ULTRAZONIC
MEDICAL SCOOP TACKLES CURRENT CONTAMINATION WOES
UltraZonic has received a true (medical) world premiere. This Belgian company, specialized in innovative medical cleaning devices, has developed the first semi-automatic pre-cleaner for flexible endoscopes. Not the biggest luxury invention, knowing that endoscopes are popular hotbeds for several bacteria. “Due to great time pressure, staff often miss important cleaning...
INNOVATION Quebec
INOVEM
CCTT IN WOODWORKING AND FURNITURE
As a woodworking and furniture innovation centre, Inovem has been supporting Quebec businesses since 1983. A true catalyst for innovation, our CCTT has become the benchmark for sustainable technologies in the woodworking, furniture and appearance wood products industry. Furniture, woodworking and appearance wood products businesses can count on Inovem’s expertise...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
DOCTORS E-CONSULT
TAKING DIGITAL HEALTH IN BOTSWANA UP A NOTCH!!!
It is without a doubt that the Coronavirus has hampered many businesses, but like they say, “every problem contains in it the seeds of a solution.” From all across the world, solutions have been created to mitigate the effects of the virus, and here in Botswana, the lockdown period presented...
INNOVATION Quebec
IVÉO
POUR DES TERRITOIRES PLUS INTELLIGENTS ET DURABLES
IVÉO est un organisme sans but lucratif dont la mission est d’accélérer le déploiement d’innovations dans le milieu municipal. Ses interventions se situent principalement dans l’expérimentation et le montage de projets pilotes en réponse aux enjeux sociaux, environnementaux et économiques auxquels font face les villes. En agissant comme courtier d’innovation...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
LETSHEGO HOLDINGS
BOTSWANA-BORN LETSHEGO ADOPTS INNOVATION ACROSS FUNCTIONS TO ACHIEVE FUTURE-FIT VISION FOR PAN-AFRICAN OPERATION
Since first opening its doors in Gaborone 24 years ago, inclusive finance leader, Letshego Holdings Limited, has extended its reach into 11 sub Saharan markets through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. The Group went public with its listing on the Botswana Stock Exchange in 2002. As one of Botswana’s few...