Stories of Innovation
INNOVATION Quebec
OROT
CONNECTED HEALTH INNOVATION HUB
The connected health innovation hub – OROT plays a key role in revolutionizing how health and medical technologies are developed to improve care. Clinicians, researchers, healthcare users and entrepreneurs are challenged to use innovative, human-centred design to create exceptional, lower-cost experiences for healthcare recipients. OROT is part of the Integrated...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
VERSUS - The Rise of a Lifestyle Powerhouse
The Rise of a Lifestyle Powerhouse
VERSUS is a multi-dimensional lifestyle brand rewriting the rules of hospitality, marketing, and venture capital in Washington, D.C. Under the visionary leadership of CEO Vinoda Basnayake, VERSUS has become synonymous with innovation and disruption. This dynamic brand is not just about creating spaces but crafting experiences that resonate deeply with...
INNOVATION Quebec
ITEGA
CCTT IN PACKAGING AND FOOD ENGINEERING
Collège de Maisonneuve’s Institut de technologie des emballages et du génie alimentaire (ITEGA) is a college centre for technology transfer (CCTT) specializing in the agri-food sector. Our mission is to assist businesses in developing and implementing new packaging and food processing technologies to help them increase their competitiveness and take...
INNOVATE® South Florida
LOCALITY BANK
BANKING REINVENTED FOR SOUTH FLORIDA’S ENTREPRENEURS
BANKING REINVENTED FOR SOUTH FLORIDA’S ENTREPRENEURS Empowering Local Businesses to Maximize Their Potential In Fort Lauderdale, a new kind of community bank is reshaping what it means to trust your banker. Locality Bank, founded in 2021 by Keith Costello, Drew Saito, and Corey LeBlanc, is on a mission to serve...
INNOVATE® Kansas City
STORYTAILOR
CREATE MOMENTS OF TOGETHERNESS, NOT MORE SCREEN TIME.
Storytailor®is a Kansas City studio turning story time into a hands on adventure for families everywhere. Founded in 2022 by award winning children’s author and illustrator JQ Sirls and product builder Herston Fails, the company builds live stories that wrap around each child like a custom fitted cape. One moment...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
BMW
Full Speed Towards The Mobility Of The Future
With more than 100 years of history and a journey based on the courage to innovate and compete among the best, the BMW Group continues to learn from the challenges of the past to respond to the opportunities of the future. We believe that the answer to great challenges is...
INNOVATION Quebec
ROZVELT
WHERE BREATH CONTROL MEETS THE WILD
ROZVELT is a bold new force in Canadian outdoor innovation — a Quebec-based startup rewriting the rules of scent control in hunting and wildlife observation. Founded in 2024 by Nicholas Monette (CEO) and George Korkejian (COO), Rozvelt was born from a simple but overlooked truth: while most scent-masking gear focuses...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Holmes Custom
Creating Personalised Products
Now celebrating its 65th year in business, Jacksonville-based Holmes Custom designs, manufactures, and retails personalized products across 8 web brands. How does a business that was started in the 1950s stand the test of time? There’s only one way: Innovation. What began as a rubber stamp manufacturer in a garage...
INNOVATE® Detroit
ANN ARBOR SPARK
Igniting Economic Innovation in Washtenaw County
Established in 2004 through a visionary initiative that included the University of Michigan and other community leaders, Ann Arbor SPARK was created to transform Ann Arbor into a national hub for innovation, business, and talent. Today, it is a catalyst for innovation and economic growth. Ann Arbor SPARK helps drive...
INNOVATE® Georgia
AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY
WE ARE COMMITTED TO INFUSING A CULTURE OF CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY-WE ARE COMMITTED TO INFUSING A CULTURE OF CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGHOUT ALL OF OUR COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS. A 10-YEAR-OLD UNIVERSITY WITH 195 YEARS OF HISTORYAs the state’s flagship health sciences and medical research university, home of the state’s Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, and one of...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Peoplr
Turning HR Headaches Into Great Business Results
ELEVATOR PITCH Peoplr is a team of Human Resources experts who tackle all kinds of headaches and turn them into great business results by providing flexible and cost-effective strategies that address a company’s human resources needs. From start-ups to thriving Fortune 100 companies, Peoplr has each client covered with expert...
INNOVATION Quebec
Kemitek
CCTT EN CHIMIE VERTE ET MISE À L’ÉCHELLE DE PROCÉDÉS
Fondé en 2002, Kemitek est à la fois un CCTT et un centre d’accès à la technologie canadien (CAT) affilié au Cégep de Thetford. Notre centre a pour mission d’aider les entreprises à innover dans les domaines de la chimie verte et de la mise à l’échelle de procédés tout...
INNOVATE® Miami
8base
Computing Infrastructure, Application Core Services And Integrations Delivered Through A Single API Endpoint
ELEVATOR PITCH8base is a next-generation backend-as-a-service for building SaaS and other go-to-market applications. The 8base Platform includes computing infrastructure, application core services, and integrations delivered through a single API endpoint. 8base also offers 8base Labs, a team of SaaS architects, designers, and engineers that help companies build on the 8base...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
Bristol Private Equity Club
ELEVATOR PITCH Bristol Private Equity Club (BPEC) was founded by Jerry Barnes alongside five local influential and successful entrepreneurs in May 2016 and has, to date, provided circa £6M to 18 Bristol-based tech companies, some of whom are progressing to being globally-recognised leaders in their specialised sector. These investments have...
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™ 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,...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
SENSOWELL
TRANSFORMING SLEEP INTO A LIFE-SAVING SCIENCE
Modern medicine is extraordinary – but it often arrives too late. By the time patients enter a hospital, many health conditions have already compromised their quality of life. Sensowell was created to turn this model on its head, leading a shift from reactive treatments to proactive prevention. The company’s mission...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
SIME
WHY INNOVATION STARTS WITH PEOPLE, NOT PRESSURE
In a world defined by rapid technological change, constant disruption, and ever-higher performance demands, Ola Ahlvarsson has spent nearly three decades championing a quietly radical idea: that true innovation doesn’t start with pressure or tools—it starts with people. Widely regarded as one of the Nordic region’s most influential thought leaders...
INNOVATE® Detroit
Detroit Venture Partners
Shaping the Future of Tech in Detroit and Beyond
Founded in 2010 by Dan Gilbert, the visionary behind Rocket Companies and Rocket Mortgage, Detroit Venture Partners (DVP) is at the forefront of Detroit’s entrepreneurial renaissance. Gilbert’s leadership in reshaping industries through his companies extends seamlessly into DVP, a venture capital firm committed to investing in bold entrepreneurs and game-changing...
INNOVATION Quebec
INÉDI
CCTT EN DESIGN INDUSTRIEL
Les designers industriels interviennent dans la conception de produits avec lesquels vous interagissez au quotidien. Que vous soyez agriculteur, athlète, thérapeute, artiste de cirque ou manufacturier, il est fort probable qu’un designer industriel ait été impliqué dans laconception des expériences, des services ou des produits que vous utilisez. Le design...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
MAX MATTHIESSEN
RESHAPING FINANCIAL ADVISORY FOR A MORE HUMAN AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
As Europe faces widening wealth gaps, rising climate pressures, and a demographic shift toward longer retirements, traditional financial advice is no longer enough. Companies today want more than solid pension and investment products — they want to build resilience, protect their people and position themselves as employers of choice in...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
PORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES
BUILDING THE PORT OF THE FUTURE
Major challenges on energy transition, climate, mobility, and digital transformation are ahead of us and are closely linked to the activities of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, being the 2nd largest port in Europe and the 2nd largest integrated chemical cluster in the world. The recent merger between the ports of Antwerp...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
GIGI'S PLAYHOUSE
The True Definition Of Innovation Can Be Found At GiGi’s Playhouse, Where Changing The World Is In The Palm Of Your Hand
What started in 2003 as a mother’s vision to change the world’s perception of individuals with Down syndrome and create opportunities for her daughter, GiGi, evolved into a global movement of acceptance for all. GiGi’s Playhouse started in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and has catapulted to an entrepreneurial network of 60...
INNOVATE® Miami
FinConecta
Providing the technology infrastructure necessary to implement open banking
FinConecta provides the technology infrastructure necessary to implement open banking. Through one single integration, FinConecta can easily connect Financial Institutions’ core banking systems with third-party FinTech providers worldwide. The platform that tests and integrates tech solutions 10x faster, accelerating open banking. The digital era brings new disruptive technologies, innovative business...
INNOVATION Quebec
OROT
CONNECTED HEALTH INNOVATION HUB
The connected health innovation hub – OROT plays a key role in revolutionizing how health and medical technologies are developed to improve care. Clinicians, researchers, healthcare users and entrepreneurs are challenged to use innovative, human-centred design to create exceptional, lower-cost experiences for healthcare recipients. OROT is part of the Integrated...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
VERSUS - The Rise of a Lifestyle Powerhouse
The Rise of a Lifestyle Powerhouse
VERSUS is a multi-dimensional lifestyle brand rewriting the rules of hospitality, marketing, and venture capital in Washington, D.C. Under the visionary leadership of CEO Vinoda Basnayake, VERSUS has become synonymous with innovation and disruption. This dynamic brand is not just about creating spaces but crafting experiences that resonate deeply with...
INNOVATION Quebec
ITEGA
CCTT IN PACKAGING AND FOOD ENGINEERING
Collège de Maisonneuve’s Institut de technologie des emballages et du génie alimentaire (ITEGA) is a college centre for technology transfer (CCTT) specializing in the agri-food sector. Our mission is to assist businesses in developing and implementing new packaging and food processing technologies to help them increase their competitiveness and take...
INNOVATE® South Florida
LOCALITY BANK
BANKING REINVENTED FOR SOUTH FLORIDA’S ENTREPRENEURS
BANKING REINVENTED FOR SOUTH FLORIDA’S ENTREPRENEURS Empowering Local Businesses to Maximize Their Potential In Fort Lauderdale, a new kind of community bank is reshaping what it means to trust your banker. Locality Bank, founded in 2021 by Keith Costello, Drew Saito, and Corey LeBlanc, is on a mission to serve...
INNOVATE® Kansas City
STORYTAILOR
CREATE MOMENTS OF TOGETHERNESS, NOT MORE SCREEN TIME.
Storytailor®is a Kansas City studio turning story time into a hands on adventure for families everywhere. Founded in 2022 by award winning children’s author and illustrator JQ Sirls and product builder Herston Fails, the company builds live stories that wrap around each child like a custom fitted cape. One moment...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
BMW
Full Speed Towards The Mobility Of The Future
With more than 100 years of history and a journey based on the courage to innovate and compete among the best, the BMW Group continues to learn from the challenges of the past to respond to the opportunities of the future. We believe that the answer to great challenges is...
INNOVATION Quebec
ROZVELT
WHERE BREATH CONTROL MEETS THE WILD
ROZVELT is a bold new force in Canadian outdoor innovation — a Quebec-based startup rewriting the rules of scent control in hunting and wildlife observation. Founded in 2024 by Nicholas Monette (CEO) and George Korkejian (COO), Rozvelt was born from a simple but overlooked truth: while most scent-masking gear focuses...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Holmes Custom
Creating Personalised Products
Now celebrating its 65th year in business, Jacksonville-based Holmes Custom designs, manufactures, and retails personalized products across 8 web brands. How does a business that was started in the 1950s stand the test of time? There’s only one way: Innovation. What began as a rubber stamp manufacturer in a garage...
INNOVATE® Detroit
ANN ARBOR SPARK
Igniting Economic Innovation in Washtenaw County
Established in 2004 through a visionary initiative that included the University of Michigan and other community leaders, Ann Arbor SPARK was created to transform Ann Arbor into a national hub for innovation, business, and talent. Today, it is a catalyst for innovation and economic growth. Ann Arbor SPARK helps drive...
INNOVATE® Georgia
AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY
WE ARE COMMITTED TO INFUSING A CULTURE OF CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY-WE ARE COMMITTED TO INFUSING A CULTURE OF CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGHOUT ALL OF OUR COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS. A 10-YEAR-OLD UNIVERSITY WITH 195 YEARS OF HISTORYAs the state’s flagship health sciences and medical research university, home of the state’s Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, and one of...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Peoplr
Turning HR Headaches Into Great Business Results
ELEVATOR PITCH Peoplr is a team of Human Resources experts who tackle all kinds of headaches and turn them into great business results by providing flexible and cost-effective strategies that address a company’s human resources needs. From start-ups to thriving Fortune 100 companies, Peoplr has each client covered with expert...
INNOVATION Quebec
Kemitek
CCTT EN CHIMIE VERTE ET MISE À L’ÉCHELLE DE PROCÉDÉS
Fondé en 2002, Kemitek est à la fois un CCTT et un centre d’accès à la technologie canadien (CAT) affilié au Cégep de Thetford. Notre centre a pour mission d’aider les entreprises à innover dans les domaines de la chimie verte et de la mise à l’échelle de procédés tout...
INNOVATE® Miami
8base
Computing Infrastructure, Application Core Services And Integrations Delivered Through A Single API Endpoint
ELEVATOR PITCH8base is a next-generation backend-as-a-service for building SaaS and other go-to-market applications. The 8base Platform includes computing infrastructure, application core services, and integrations delivered through a single API endpoint. 8base also offers 8base Labs, a team of SaaS architects, designers, and engineers that help companies build on the 8base...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
Bristol Private Equity Club
ELEVATOR PITCH Bristol Private Equity Club (BPEC) was founded by Jerry Barnes alongside five local influential and successful entrepreneurs in May 2016 and has, to date, provided circa £6M to 18 Bristol-based tech companies, some of whom are progressing to being globally-recognised leaders in their specialised sector. These investments have...
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™ 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,...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
SENSOWELL
TRANSFORMING SLEEP INTO A LIFE-SAVING SCIENCE
Modern medicine is extraordinary – but it often arrives too late. By the time patients enter a hospital, many health conditions have already compromised their quality of life. Sensowell was created to turn this model on its head, leading a shift from reactive treatments to proactive prevention. The company’s mission...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
SIME
WHY INNOVATION STARTS WITH PEOPLE, NOT PRESSURE
In a world defined by rapid technological change, constant disruption, and ever-higher performance demands, Ola Ahlvarsson has spent nearly three decades championing a quietly radical idea: that true innovation doesn’t start with pressure or tools—it starts with people. Widely regarded as one of the Nordic region’s most influential thought leaders...
INNOVATE® Detroit
Detroit Venture Partners
Shaping the Future of Tech in Detroit and Beyond
Founded in 2010 by Dan Gilbert, the visionary behind Rocket Companies and Rocket Mortgage, Detroit Venture Partners (DVP) is at the forefront of Detroit’s entrepreneurial renaissance. Gilbert’s leadership in reshaping industries through his companies extends seamlessly into DVP, a venture capital firm committed to investing in bold entrepreneurs and game-changing...
INNOVATION Quebec
INÉDI
CCTT EN DESIGN INDUSTRIEL
Les designers industriels interviennent dans la conception de produits avec lesquels vous interagissez au quotidien. Que vous soyez agriculteur, athlète, thérapeute, artiste de cirque ou manufacturier, il est fort probable qu’un designer industriel ait été impliqué dans laconception des expériences, des services ou des produits que vous utilisez. Le design...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
MAX MATTHIESSEN
RESHAPING FINANCIAL ADVISORY FOR A MORE HUMAN AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
As Europe faces widening wealth gaps, rising climate pressures, and a demographic shift toward longer retirements, traditional financial advice is no longer enough. Companies today want more than solid pension and investment products — they want to build resilience, protect their people and position themselves as employers of choice in...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
PORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES
BUILDING THE PORT OF THE FUTURE
Major challenges on energy transition, climate, mobility, and digital transformation are ahead of us and are closely linked to the activities of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, being the 2nd largest port in Europe and the 2nd largest integrated chemical cluster in the world. The recent merger between the ports of Antwerp...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
GIGI'S PLAYHOUSE
The True Definition Of Innovation Can Be Found At GiGi’s Playhouse, Where Changing The World Is In The Palm Of Your Hand
What started in 2003 as a mother’s vision to change the world’s perception of individuals with Down syndrome and create opportunities for her daughter, GiGi, evolved into a global movement of acceptance for all. GiGi’s Playhouse started in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and has catapulted to an entrepreneurial network of 60...
INNOVATE® Miami
FinConecta
Providing the technology infrastructure necessary to implement open banking
FinConecta provides the technology infrastructure necessary to implement open banking. Through one single integration, FinConecta can easily connect Financial Institutions’ core banking systems with third-party FinTech providers worldwide. The platform that tests and integrates tech solutions 10x faster, accelerating open banking. The digital era brings new disruptive technologies, innovative business...