Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
HOTMILK
THE MAIN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM IN THE SMARTEST CITY IN THE WORLD
Hotmilk is the innovation ecosystem of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), considered the most innovative university in the country. Regarded as the primary innovation ecosystem in Paraná (and positioned among the largest in Brazil), Hotmilk operates on multiple fronts: accelerating over 100 resident startups, opening new business opportunities...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
SITTERCITY
As the first and largest digital platform for finding in-home care, Sittercity, a Bright Horizons company, has come a long way since 2001. , We were the first to make online child care an employee benefit and we continue to connect millions of parents with babysitters and nannies every year....
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
MANNESOFT
A COMPANY SPECIALIZED IN INTEGRATED SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS.
Mannesoft (software solutions) originated in Brazil, in the city of Curitiba in 1993, founded by Luis Armando Dias, a student who discovered his passion for technology. With an entrepreneurial vision, he recognized the potential of information technology, leading to the creation of various software solutions. The company evolved alongside technological...
INNOVATE® Nashville
MCVANTAGE
ROOTED IN LEGACY, BRANCHING INTO INNOVATION
McVantage Packaging stands as a testament to resilience and forward-thinking in the wood pallet, crate, industrial lumber, and supply chain industry. Founded nearly 75 years ago in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the company has evolved from a family-run lumber operation into a regional powerhouse serving the Central-Southeastern United States. With plants in...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
CHICAGO HOPES FOR KIDS
IS CHANGING ACADEMIC TRAJECTORIES FOR STUDENTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
Chicago HOPES for Kids is the only organization in Chicago that provides educational after school and remote learning programs for students experiencing homelessness in grades Kindergarten through 9th, directly to the shelters and communities where they live. It is our mission to provide students with the resources and encouragement they...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
LEANKEEP
REVOLUTIONIZING FACILITY MANAGEMENT: THE LEANKEEP SUCCESS STORY
In the dynamic world of facility management and maintenance, one name stands out for its innovative approach and remarkable success: Leankeep. This SaaS company has transformed the way businesses handle their maintenance and facilities management, offering a suite of solutions that cater to a diverse range of sectors including condominium...
INNOVATE® Nashville
CURCIO DERMATOLOGY
A Life-Long Calling To Heal, Cutting-Edge Medical Expertise, And An Entrepreneurship-Mindset Are At The Heart Of Helping Others
ANSWERING THE CALL TO HEALFor as long as I can remember, medicine has been a special calling for me. And nearly as long, I realized my passion for healing was through dermatology. This was a gift that I inherited from my father, Frederick David Curcio, III, M.D. He knew that...
INNOVATION Quebec
CDCQ
CCTT IN COMPOSITES DEVELOPMENT
Founded in 1989, the Centre de développement des composites du Québec (CDCQ) is an applied research centre affiliated and integrated with the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme—the only college in Quebec offering a technical program in composite materials engineering. The CDCQ’s research facilities are adjacent to the CEGEP. Our mission and visionThrough...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
TELUS STORYHIVE
SUPPORTING NEW AND EMERGING CONTENT CREATORS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALBERTA
10 years- Established in 2013$52M+ in production funding provided1,100+ projects funded Since 2013, TELUS STORYHIVE has supported a community of thousands of local content creators across British Columbia and Alberta, providing over $52 million in production funding and over 10,000 hours of robust training and one on one mentorship. STORYHIVE...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
WUNDERMAN THOMPSON
BUILDING GROWTH FOR AMBITIOUS BRANDS
Something has changed in the last two years in Puerto Rico, and we are not talking about the pandemic. J. Walter Thompson, a pioneer agency in strategy and creativity, merged with Wunderman, a leading agency in data and technology. In 2019, Wunderman Thompson Puerto Rico was born, an agency that...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY & PNC NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Cultivating the Future of HBCU Innovation
Howard University: A Catalyst for Change Howard University is a bastion of excellence and a catalyst for change. This historically Black College and University (HBCU) has long been at the forefront of educating and empowering diverse minds, and its latest venture, the Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship,...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
NEUMANN SPACE
Innovating locally to deliver global leadership in Space Mobility
Introducing Neumann SpaceFounded in 2015, Neumann Space is an Australian-owned company that provides world leading propulsion systems for spacecraft. The company’s origins are itself a story of innovation. It’s Chief Scientist and Founder, Dr. Patrick “Paddy” Neumann, developed the technology during his PhD for a plasma propulsion system that uses...
INNOVATION Quebec
L’I2E3
50 ans d’innovations biosourcées
L’Institut d’Innovations en Écomatériaux, Écoproduits et Écoénergies (I2E3) se veut une entité pluridisciplinaire participant à l’avancement de l’économie biosourcée dans une perspective d’économie verte, circulaire et régionale. L’I2E3 est l’évolution stratégique d’un centre de recherche en pâtes et papiers ayant démarré ses activités à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières en...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
CLARICY
POWERING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH DEEPTECH
Founded in 2022 by Johanna Stina Haar (MA) at the age of 24, Claricy is an Estonian DeepTech company that helps small and mid-sized enterprises navigate digital transformation. Johanna holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in IT management, complemented by experience as both a financial specialist...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
HAVE YOU HEARD
WE ARE A MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY, HOWEVER, OUR DNA, HOW WE STARTED AND OUR REASON FOR BEING HAS ALWAYS MADE US DIFFERENT
We were never just advertising people wanting to do big TV ads, we were entrepreneurs wanting to build brands and businesses. We were also very inexperienced and naïve and while that made things much more challenging in the early years, it has made us more effective the more time has...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
VIL
Empowering logistics for over 20 years
Creating added value for and enhancing competitiveness of all Flemish companies with logistics operations is VIL’s main focus. And it has been for over twenty years. From a small non-profit organization, VIL has grown to be a hands-on, company driven organization, with a staff of 35 employees. Since 2017 VIL...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
BITCOIN.COM
Helping to Build and Expose the Works of Africa’s Fintech Innovators to the World
There is no question that the global financial services industry has failed to serve everyone and has for a long time not been for everyone. The fact that more than 1.5 billion people are still without a bank account or have no access to banking services is ample evidence of...
INNOVATION Quebec
Le CQDM
Accélérer la découverte de médicaments
Ce consortium de recherche biopharmaceutique à but non lucratif soutient et facilite l’innovation multipartite afin d’accélérer la transformation de découvertes de pointe en vaccins, en produits thérapeutiques et en diagnostics répondant à des besoins médicaux non satisfaits, tout en générant des retombées importantes pour l’économie canadienne. Un modèle de...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
SHRMLABS
Spearheading Workplace Innovation Globally
Spearheading Workplace Innovation Globally As the pioneering innovation lab and venture capital arm of SHRM, headquartered in Alexandria, Va., SHRMLabs drives the development of revolutionary and ethical technologies tailored to solve pressing real-world workplace challenges. By connecting a global community of over 325,000 HR professionals with leading startups and innovators...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
RETROVIRAL
That’s The Start Of The Journey
I heard an apt soundbite from Tim Ferris on a recent podcast: ‘Your network is your net worth’, and for anyone contemplating starting a business, ‘who you know’ is always greater than ‘what you know’. “My main focus in 2010 was to give myself three months and then if...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Why Lean Innovation Thrives on Agile Digital Foundations
Lean innovation loves speed, but it worships clarity. That combination sounds simple until a team tries to run experiments on a digital base held together with wishful thinking and last year’s duct tape. Ideas don’t die because they’re unworkable. They die because the system can’t change without breaking, because data...
Global Innovation Spotlight
65% of Progressive Jackpots Are Now Won on Phones, Yet the Tech World Is Looking to Smart Glasses. Is the Timing Right?
The image was created by us with AI, specifically for this article. The next platform debate is already moving past the phone. In May 2025, Reuters reported that Apple was aiming for smart glasses by the end of 2026. Around the same time, Apple services chief Eddy Cue said, “You...
INNOVATION Quebec
L’AQT
AU CŒUR DE L’INNOVATION TECHNO-NUMÉRIQUE DU QUÉBEC
Transformatrice, innovatrice et perturbatrice. L’industrie techno est devenue un moteur stratégique de l’économie, une partie intégrante du mode de fonctionnement de notre société. Avec l’essor de l’intelligence artificielle, de la 5G, des appareils intelligents, des mégadonnées, des modes de travail asynchrones, entre autres technologies émergentes, on peut s’attendre à une...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
INVERTED VENTURES
WE FINANCE PARADIGM SHIFTS
FINANCING PARADIGM SHIFTSA paradigm shift is a revolutionary and disruptive change in the human experience. Inverted Ventures is a single family office of investors with a passion for technology that radically improves the human experience. We invest in founders with visions for the future that will lead to fundamental changes...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
HOTMILK
THE MAIN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM IN THE SMARTEST CITY IN THE WORLD
Hotmilk is the innovation ecosystem of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), considered the most innovative university in the country. Regarded as the primary innovation ecosystem in Paraná (and positioned among the largest in Brazil), Hotmilk operates on multiple fronts: accelerating over 100 resident startups, opening new business opportunities...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
SITTERCITY
As the first and largest digital platform for finding in-home care, Sittercity, a Bright Horizons company, has come a long way since 2001. , We were the first to make online child care an employee benefit and we continue to connect millions of parents with babysitters and nannies every year....
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
MANNESOFT
A COMPANY SPECIALIZED IN INTEGRATED SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS.
Mannesoft (software solutions) originated in Brazil, in the city of Curitiba in 1993, founded by Luis Armando Dias, a student who discovered his passion for technology. With an entrepreneurial vision, he recognized the potential of information technology, leading to the creation of various software solutions. The company evolved alongside technological...
INNOVATE® Nashville
MCVANTAGE
ROOTED IN LEGACY, BRANCHING INTO INNOVATION
McVantage Packaging stands as a testament to resilience and forward-thinking in the wood pallet, crate, industrial lumber, and supply chain industry. Founded nearly 75 years ago in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the company has evolved from a family-run lumber operation into a regional powerhouse serving the Central-Southeastern United States. With plants in...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
CHICAGO HOPES FOR KIDS
IS CHANGING ACADEMIC TRAJECTORIES FOR STUDENTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
Chicago HOPES for Kids is the only organization in Chicago that provides educational after school and remote learning programs for students experiencing homelessness in grades Kindergarten through 9th, directly to the shelters and communities where they live. It is our mission to provide students with the resources and encouragement they...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
LEANKEEP
REVOLUTIONIZING FACILITY MANAGEMENT: THE LEANKEEP SUCCESS STORY
In the dynamic world of facility management and maintenance, one name stands out for its innovative approach and remarkable success: Leankeep. This SaaS company has transformed the way businesses handle their maintenance and facilities management, offering a suite of solutions that cater to a diverse range of sectors including condominium...
INNOVATE® Nashville
CURCIO DERMATOLOGY
A Life-Long Calling To Heal, Cutting-Edge Medical Expertise, And An Entrepreneurship-Mindset Are At The Heart Of Helping Others
ANSWERING THE CALL TO HEALFor as long as I can remember, medicine has been a special calling for me. And nearly as long, I realized my passion for healing was through dermatology. This was a gift that I inherited from my father, Frederick David Curcio, III, M.D. He knew that...
INNOVATION Quebec
CDCQ
CCTT IN COMPOSITES DEVELOPMENT
Founded in 1989, the Centre de développement des composites du Québec (CDCQ) is an applied research centre affiliated and integrated with the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme—the only college in Quebec offering a technical program in composite materials engineering. The CDCQ’s research facilities are adjacent to the CEGEP. Our mission and visionThrough...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
TELUS STORYHIVE
SUPPORTING NEW AND EMERGING CONTENT CREATORS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALBERTA
10 years- Established in 2013$52M+ in production funding provided1,100+ projects funded Since 2013, TELUS STORYHIVE has supported a community of thousands of local content creators across British Columbia and Alberta, providing over $52 million in production funding and over 10,000 hours of robust training and one on one mentorship. STORYHIVE...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
WUNDERMAN THOMPSON
BUILDING GROWTH FOR AMBITIOUS BRANDS
Something has changed in the last two years in Puerto Rico, and we are not talking about the pandemic. J. Walter Thompson, a pioneer agency in strategy and creativity, merged with Wunderman, a leading agency in data and technology. In 2019, Wunderman Thompson Puerto Rico was born, an agency that...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY & PNC NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Cultivating the Future of HBCU Innovation
Howard University: A Catalyst for Change Howard University is a bastion of excellence and a catalyst for change. This historically Black College and University (HBCU) has long been at the forefront of educating and empowering diverse minds, and its latest venture, the Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship,...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
NEUMANN SPACE
Innovating locally to deliver global leadership in Space Mobility
Introducing Neumann SpaceFounded in 2015, Neumann Space is an Australian-owned company that provides world leading propulsion systems for spacecraft. The company’s origins are itself a story of innovation. It’s Chief Scientist and Founder, Dr. Patrick “Paddy” Neumann, developed the technology during his PhD for a plasma propulsion system that uses...
INNOVATION Quebec
L’I2E3
50 ans d’innovations biosourcées
L’Institut d’Innovations en Écomatériaux, Écoproduits et Écoénergies (I2E3) se veut une entité pluridisciplinaire participant à l’avancement de l’économie biosourcée dans une perspective d’économie verte, circulaire et régionale. L’I2E3 est l’évolution stratégique d’un centre de recherche en pâtes et papiers ayant démarré ses activités à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières en...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
CLARICY
POWERING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH DEEPTECH
Founded in 2022 by Johanna Stina Haar (MA) at the age of 24, Claricy is an Estonian DeepTech company that helps small and mid-sized enterprises navigate digital transformation. Johanna holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in IT management, complemented by experience as both a financial specialist...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
HAVE YOU HEARD
WE ARE A MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY, HOWEVER, OUR DNA, HOW WE STARTED AND OUR REASON FOR BEING HAS ALWAYS MADE US DIFFERENT
We were never just advertising people wanting to do big TV ads, we were entrepreneurs wanting to build brands and businesses. We were also very inexperienced and naïve and while that made things much more challenging in the early years, it has made us more effective the more time has...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
VIL
Empowering logistics for over 20 years
Creating added value for and enhancing competitiveness of all Flemish companies with logistics operations is VIL’s main focus. And it has been for over twenty years. From a small non-profit organization, VIL has grown to be a hands-on, company driven organization, with a staff of 35 employees. Since 2017 VIL...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
BITCOIN.COM
Helping to Build and Expose the Works of Africa’s Fintech Innovators to the World
There is no question that the global financial services industry has failed to serve everyone and has for a long time not been for everyone. The fact that more than 1.5 billion people are still without a bank account or have no access to banking services is ample evidence of...
INNOVATION Quebec
Le CQDM
Accélérer la découverte de médicaments
Ce consortium de recherche biopharmaceutique à but non lucratif soutient et facilite l’innovation multipartite afin d’accélérer la transformation de découvertes de pointe en vaccins, en produits thérapeutiques et en diagnostics répondant à des besoins médicaux non satisfaits, tout en générant des retombées importantes pour l’économie canadienne. Un modèle de...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
SHRMLABS
Spearheading Workplace Innovation Globally
Spearheading Workplace Innovation Globally As the pioneering innovation lab and venture capital arm of SHRM, headquartered in Alexandria, Va., SHRMLabs drives the development of revolutionary and ethical technologies tailored to solve pressing real-world workplace challenges. By connecting a global community of over 325,000 HR professionals with leading startups and innovators...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
RETROVIRAL
That’s The Start Of The Journey
I heard an apt soundbite from Tim Ferris on a recent podcast: ‘Your network is your net worth’, and for anyone contemplating starting a business, ‘who you know’ is always greater than ‘what you know’. “My main focus in 2010 was to give myself three months and then if...
Global Innovation Spotlight
Why Lean Innovation Thrives on Agile Digital Foundations
Lean innovation loves speed, but it worships clarity. That combination sounds simple until a team tries to run experiments on a digital base held together with wishful thinking and last year’s duct tape. Ideas don’t die because they’re unworkable. They die because the system can’t change without breaking, because data...
Global Innovation Spotlight
65% of Progressive Jackpots Are Now Won on Phones, Yet the Tech World Is Looking to Smart Glasses. Is the Timing Right?
The image was created by us with AI, specifically for this article. The next platform debate is already moving past the phone. In May 2025, Reuters reported that Apple was aiming for smart glasses by the end of 2026. Around the same time, Apple services chief Eddy Cue said, “You...
INNOVATION Quebec
L’AQT
AU CŒUR DE L’INNOVATION TECHNO-NUMÉRIQUE DU QUÉBEC
Transformatrice, innovatrice et perturbatrice. L’industrie techno est devenue un moteur stratégique de l’économie, une partie intégrante du mode de fonctionnement de notre société. Avec l’essor de l’intelligence artificielle, de la 5G, des appareils intelligents, des mégadonnées, des modes de travail asynchrones, entre autres technologies émergentes, on peut s’attendre à une...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
INVERTED VENTURES
WE FINANCE PARADIGM SHIFTS
FINANCING PARADIGM SHIFTSA paradigm shift is a revolutionary and disruptive change in the human experience. Inverted Ventures is a single family office of investors with a passion for technology that radically improves the human experience. We invest in founders with visions for the future that will lead to fundamental changes...