Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Georgia

FASTTEK GLOBAL

LEADERSHIP SETS THE TONE

In 2003, Carey Pachla joined Fast Switch, Ltd.; essentially, a start-up at the time. Over 16 years, she built the division she started into a best-in-class and purpose-driven organization with hundreds of team members servicing multiple organizations, which range in size from Fortune Top 10 to mid-size and start-up organizations....

Global Innovation Spotlight

The Dangerous Myth of "All-Season"

All-Season tire rubber hardening below 7 degrees Celsius, showing loss of flexibility and grip compared to optimal warm weather performance.

Why Your Tires Aren't Safe for Winter

The tires that came with your vehicle are likely labeled “All-Season.” It’s a comforting term that suggests they are ready for anything the calendar throws at them—from the heat of summer to the chill of winter. However, for drivers on the Vancouver North Shore and across Canada, relying on All-Season...

INNOVATION Quebec

DEL

LE BRAS DROIT EN AFFAIRES DES ENTREPRENEURS

Depuis 20 ans, DEL (Développement économique de l’agglomération de Longueuil) soutient les entrepreneur(e)s et accélère la réalisation de leurs projets d’affaires. Comment? En offrant un accompagnement d’affaires personnalisé et majoritairement sans frais. L’objectif de DEL est simple : faire réussir les entreprises de l’agglomération de Longueuil, par le biais de...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

PARK ADVERTISING

BORNE OUT OF A NEED TO OFFER WORLD-CLASS INNOVATIVE AND PIONEERING MEDIA OPTIONS WITHIN THE SOUTH AFRICAN MEDIA INDUSTRY, PARK ADVERTISING AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN CONTINUALLY DRIVING THIS ETHOS FOR YEARS

In 2018, Park Advertising was formalised as a new central holding company for The MediaShop and sister agency Meta Media....

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® New Jersey Vol.2

EDISON PARTNERS

EDISON PARTNERS-WE’RE AN INTEGRATED TEAM OF INVESTORS AND OPERATORS THAT LIVE AND BREATHE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACED BY COMPANIES AT THE GROWTH STAGE. Edison Partners is a leading growth equity firm that invests in high-growth, capital-efficient companies in the fintech, enterprise software and healthcare IT sectors. Over our 37-year...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

UTFPR

TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION TEAM BY UTFPR

The Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR) – Brazil, is a century-old center for technological education, founded in 1909. In 2005, it became the first Technological University in Brazil. In 2023, it has approximately 35,000 students in various undergraduate courses across 13 campuses distributed throughout the state of Paraná. The...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

VIDCRUITER

FROM A TEAM OF TWO TO 100+ – VIDCRUITER DRIVES THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL RECRUITMENT

When Sean Fahey, CEO of VidCruiter, was faced with a challenge of hiring 200 people in a time crunch, he learned how frustrating and inefficient it was to find and hire candidates the traditional way. He asked, “What if there’s a way to improve and scale the interviewing process for...

INNOVATE® Nashville

THNKS

THNKS-SPARKING A MOVEMENT OF GRATITUDE

SPARKING A MOVEMENT OF GRATITUDE

At Thnks, our mission is to leverage technology and the science of gratitude to help establish and build strong relationships for the modern world, through efficient, personalized, and thoughtful appreciation. Thnks has created a movement in workplaces with over 15,000 Thnks sent every week — helping business professionals improve their...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

PodTechs

Internationalization: Podcasting Across Languages with Artificial Voices

In the halls of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., two organizations met in 2019. PodTechs and Baycrest became partners in podcasting. Fast forward half a decade later, and in 2024, the duo accomplished a rare feat: Defy Dementia, which unpacks the significant effects of caregiving on brain health,...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

EIGHT X

A TRUSTED PARTNER IN HELPING ENTREPRENEURS SCALE THEIR BUSINESSES

IN TODAY’S COMPETITIVE AND UNCERTAIN ECONOMY, ENTREPRENEURS NEED A TRUSTED PARTNER WHO CAN HELP THEM SCALE THEIR BUSINESSES WITH MORE CASH AND LESS STRESS. This is where a Fractional CFO comes into play. A notable company in this field that has made a name for itself in this space is...

INNOVATION Quebec

CHAUDIÈRES-APPALACHES ÉCONOMIQUE

ESPACE RÉGIONAL ACCÉLÉRATION ET CROISSANCE DES ENTREPRISES

Depuis près de 15 ans, Chaudière-Appalaches Économique (CAÉ) a pour mission de stimuler le développement économique en soutenant la cohérence et la mise en commun des actions et des services de ses membres, en concertation avec les organismes partenaires du développement économique et dans le respect de leurs mandats. Parmi...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MobileFlow

Carpool, Cash In: MobileFlow’s Congestion Hack.

Mobility is more fragmented than ever. Urban congestion has long been treated as a civil-engineering problem—a matter of pouring more concrete or pricing drivers off the road. Urban gridlock has become the invisible tax of modern life. In cities like Los Angeles and New York, commuters lose between 50 to...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

Grant Thornton

Grant Thornton - A Truly Global Organisation

A Truly Global Organisation

Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms. These firms help dynamic organisations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, actionable advice through a broad range of services. Proactive teams, led by approachable partners in these firms, use insights, experience and...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

XANDYE

XANDYE-THE QUINTESSENTIAL

THE QUINTESSENTIAL, MODERN COVER TABLE, CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS AND LIFESTYLE BRAND THAT PRIDES ITSELF IN EXCELLENT QUALITY THAT IS ON PAR WITH ENTRY-LEVEL LUXURY PIECES

According to its founder and current Creative Director, Sandra Tebogo Kenanao, “Xandye is another name for ‘luxury’. We don’t compromise when it comes to quality. We design our products from scratch, taking time on detail and simple – yet elegant – aesthetics. We select the material and hardware to be...

INNOVATE® South Florida

FUEL VENTURE CAPITAL

MIAMI ROOTS AND A GLOBAL REACH

“When we launched Fuel Venture Capital in 2017, a lot of people thought we were crazy,” Fuel Venture Capital’s Founding Partner and Managing Director Jeff Ransdell has often been quoted as saying. He’s not wrong. Back then, #MiamiTech wasn’t even a thought. But, now less than even years in, Fuel...

INNOVATE® Nashville

LODESTONE ADVISORY GROUP

Is reimagining venture capital and economic development from the ground up

When we founded Lodestone Advisory Group in 2013, business leaders were tired of a management consulting industry that was a stiff, black box offering one-size-fits-all “solutions,” with little accountability on end results. Lodestone, named after the naturally occurring magnetic powder that gave early merchants and tradesmen the ability to navigate...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

SOLARSTEAM

LOWEST COST RENEWABLE HEAT

SolarSteam’s purpose is to decarbonize the highest emitting and hardest to abate heavy industry segments. The problem that SolarSteam addresses is the elephant in the energy room – industrial heat. Globally, thermal energy requirements constitute close to 50% of total GHG emissions. In Alberta approximately 2⁄3 of GHG emissions come...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

FRUITLAB

FRUITLAB-IS A COMMUNITY PLATFORM FOR THE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT ENJOY SMILING OR GAMING OR SMILING AND GAMING

IS A COMMUNITY PLATFORM FOR THE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT ENJOY SMILING OR GAMING OR SMILING AND GAMING

Imagine a social platform built especially for gamers that enabled users to earn cryptocurrency from their content and from playing their favourite games. Now imagine being able to use that cryptocurrency to buy games and in-game upgrades, purchase NFTs of content from top Content creators or to compete against other...

Global Innovation Spotlight

South African Institute of Canada

Helping South Africans Thrive, Connect, and Make Canada Home

When South Africans move to Canada, they don’t just leave behind family, culture, and familiar surroundings — they leave behind a network that took a lifetime to build. The South African Institute of Canada (SAIC) exists to rebuild that network — faster, stronger, and tailored for life on this side...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Bluewave Technologies Inc.

Bluewave Technologies Inc. - A health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s innovation hub

A health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s innovation hub

Created in 2015 company, BLUEWAVE Technologies is a health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s Innovation Hub. Innovation Hub. BLUEWAVE Technologies is a health-tech startup and the creator of the BLUEWAVE, a device that can deodorize items with its proprietary ozone infusion technology in as little as...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

A research, training and innovation powerhouse

With nearly 7,000 students across eight schools and an array of centers and institutes, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) leverages the university’s clinical, behavioral, public health, laboratory, engineering, and social science capabilities to train health professionals and researchers and expand access to quality care. RBHS is among the few...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

PARTSBADGER

ACCELERATING THE INNOVATION OF OTHERS

When Roy and Jimmy needed an enclosure machined for their small airborne electronics company, it took twelve inquiries over the course of weeks just to get a quote. When they finally did get a quote, it was cheaper to buy a CNC mill and make the machined parts themselves. So...

INNOVATE® Georgia

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA (UNG)

UNG STEPS INTO ITS BRIGHT FUTURE

The University of North Georgia (UNG) is uniquely positioned to help shape the future of higher education thanks to its willingness to think outside the box in crafting experiences that will prepare students to serve as leaders in an ever-changing world. UNG does this in three specific ways: Seeing its...

INNOVATE® Georgia

FASTTEK GLOBAL

LEADERSHIP SETS THE TONE

In 2003, Carey Pachla joined Fast Switch, Ltd.; essentially, a start-up at the time. Over 16 years, she built the division she started into a best-in-class and purpose-driven organization with hundreds of team members servicing multiple organizations, which range in size from Fortune Top 10 to mid-size and start-up organizations....

Global Innovation Spotlight

The Dangerous Myth of "All-Season"

All-Season tire rubber hardening below 7 degrees Celsius, showing loss of flexibility and grip compared to optimal warm weather performance.

Why Your Tires Aren't Safe for Winter

The tires that came with your vehicle are likely labeled “All-Season.” It’s a comforting term that suggests they are ready for anything the calendar throws at them—from the heat of summer to the chill of winter. However, for drivers on the Vancouver North Shore and across Canada, relying on All-Season...

INNOVATION Quebec

DEL

LE BRAS DROIT EN AFFAIRES DES ENTREPRENEURS

Depuis 20 ans, DEL (Développement économique de l’agglomération de Longueuil) soutient les entrepreneur(e)s et accélère la réalisation de leurs projets d’affaires. Comment? En offrant un accompagnement d’affaires personnalisé et majoritairement sans frais. L’objectif de DEL est simple : faire réussir les entreprises de l’agglomération de Longueuil, par le biais de...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

PARK ADVERTISING

BORNE OUT OF A NEED TO OFFER WORLD-CLASS INNOVATIVE AND PIONEERING MEDIA OPTIONS WITHIN THE SOUTH AFRICAN MEDIA INDUSTRY, PARK ADVERTISING AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN CONTINUALLY DRIVING THIS ETHOS FOR YEARS

In 2018, Park Advertising was formalised as a new central holding company for The MediaShop and sister agency Meta Media....

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® New Jersey Vol.2

EDISON PARTNERS

EDISON PARTNERS-WE’RE AN INTEGRATED TEAM OF INVESTORS AND OPERATORS THAT LIVE AND BREATHE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACED BY COMPANIES AT THE GROWTH STAGE. Edison Partners is a leading growth equity firm that invests in high-growth, capital-efficient companies in the fintech, enterprise software and healthcare IT sectors. Over our 37-year...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

UTFPR

TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION TEAM BY UTFPR

The Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR) – Brazil, is a century-old center for technological education, founded in 1909. In 2005, it became the first Technological University in Brazil. In 2023, it has approximately 35,000 students in various undergraduate courses across 13 campuses distributed throughout the state of Paraná. The...

INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada

VIDCRUITER

FROM A TEAM OF TWO TO 100+ – VIDCRUITER DRIVES THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL RECRUITMENT

When Sean Fahey, CEO of VidCruiter, was faced with a challenge of hiring 200 people in a time crunch, he learned how frustrating and inefficient it was to find and hire candidates the traditional way. He asked, “What if there’s a way to improve and scale the interviewing process for...

INNOVATE® Nashville

THNKS

THNKS-SPARKING A MOVEMENT OF GRATITUDE

SPARKING A MOVEMENT OF GRATITUDE

At Thnks, our mission is to leverage technology and the science of gratitude to help establish and build strong relationships for the modern world, through efficient, personalized, and thoughtful appreciation. Thnks has created a movement in workplaces with over 15,000 Thnks sent every week — helping business professionals improve their...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

PodTechs

Internationalization: Podcasting Across Languages with Artificial Voices

In the halls of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., two organizations met in 2019. PodTechs and Baycrest became partners in podcasting. Fast forward half a decade later, and in 2024, the duo accomplished a rare feat: Defy Dementia, which unpacks the significant effects of caregiving on brain health,...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

EIGHT X

A TRUSTED PARTNER IN HELPING ENTREPRENEURS SCALE THEIR BUSINESSES

IN TODAY’S COMPETITIVE AND UNCERTAIN ECONOMY, ENTREPRENEURS NEED A TRUSTED PARTNER WHO CAN HELP THEM SCALE THEIR BUSINESSES WITH MORE CASH AND LESS STRESS. This is where a Fractional CFO comes into play. A notable company in this field that has made a name for itself in this space is...

INNOVATION Quebec

CHAUDIÈRES-APPALACHES ÉCONOMIQUE

ESPACE RÉGIONAL ACCÉLÉRATION ET CROISSANCE DES ENTREPRISES

Depuis près de 15 ans, Chaudière-Appalaches Économique (CAÉ) a pour mission de stimuler le développement économique en soutenant la cohérence et la mise en commun des actions et des services de ses membres, en concertation avec les organismes partenaires du développement économique et dans le respect de leurs mandats. Parmi...

INNOVATE® Nashville

MobileFlow

Carpool, Cash In: MobileFlow’s Congestion Hack.

Mobility is more fragmented than ever. Urban congestion has long been treated as a civil-engineering problem—a matter of pouring more concrete or pricing drivers off the road. Urban gridlock has become the invisible tax of modern life. In cities like Los Angeles and New York, commuters lose between 50 to...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

Grant Thornton

Grant Thornton - A Truly Global Organisation

A Truly Global Organisation

Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading organisations of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms. These firms help dynamic organisations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, actionable advice through a broad range of services. Proactive teams, led by approachable partners in these firms, use insights, experience and...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

XANDYE

XANDYE-THE QUINTESSENTIAL

THE QUINTESSENTIAL, MODERN COVER TABLE, CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS AND LIFESTYLE BRAND THAT PRIDES ITSELF IN EXCELLENT QUALITY THAT IS ON PAR WITH ENTRY-LEVEL LUXURY PIECES

According to its founder and current Creative Director, Sandra Tebogo Kenanao, “Xandye is another name for ‘luxury’. We don’t compromise when it comes to quality. We design our products from scratch, taking time on detail and simple – yet elegant – aesthetics. We select the material and hardware to be...

INNOVATE® South Florida

FUEL VENTURE CAPITAL

MIAMI ROOTS AND A GLOBAL REACH

“When we launched Fuel Venture Capital in 2017, a lot of people thought we were crazy,” Fuel Venture Capital’s Founding Partner and Managing Director Jeff Ransdell has often been quoted as saying. He’s not wrong. Back then, #MiamiTech wasn’t even a thought. But, now less than even years in, Fuel...

INNOVATE® Nashville

LODESTONE ADVISORY GROUP

Is reimagining venture capital and economic development from the ground up

When we founded Lodestone Advisory Group in 2013, business leaders were tired of a management consulting industry that was a stiff, black box offering one-size-fits-all “solutions,” with little accountability on end results. Lodestone, named after the naturally occurring magnetic powder that gave early merchants and tradesmen the ability to navigate...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

SOLARSTEAM

LOWEST COST RENEWABLE HEAT

SolarSteam’s purpose is to decarbonize the highest emitting and hardest to abate heavy industry segments. The problem that SolarSteam addresses is the elephant in the energy room – industrial heat. Globally, thermal energy requirements constitute close to 50% of total GHG emissions. In Alberta approximately 2⁄3 of GHG emissions come...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

FRUITLAB

FRUITLAB-IS A COMMUNITY PLATFORM FOR THE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT ENJOY SMILING OR GAMING OR SMILING AND GAMING

IS A COMMUNITY PLATFORM FOR THE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT ENJOY SMILING OR GAMING OR SMILING AND GAMING

Imagine a social platform built especially for gamers that enabled users to earn cryptocurrency from their content and from playing their favourite games. Now imagine being able to use that cryptocurrency to buy games and in-game upgrades, purchase NFTs of content from top Content creators or to compete against other...

Global Innovation Spotlight

South African Institute of Canada

Helping South Africans Thrive, Connect, and Make Canada Home

When South Africans move to Canada, they don’t just leave behind family, culture, and familiar surroundings — they leave behind a network that took a lifetime to build. The South African Institute of Canada (SAIC) exists to rebuild that network — faster, stronger, and tailored for life on this side...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Bluewave Technologies Inc.

Bluewave Technologies Inc. - A health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s innovation hub

A health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s innovation hub

Created in 2015 company, BLUEWAVE Technologies is a health-tech startup that started out of the University of Florida’s Innovation Hub. Innovation Hub. BLUEWAVE Technologies is a health-tech startup and the creator of the BLUEWAVE, a device that can deodorize items with its proprietary ozone infusion technology in as little as...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

A research, training and innovation powerhouse

With nearly 7,000 students across eight schools and an array of centers and institutes, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) leverages the university’s clinical, behavioral, public health, laboratory, engineering, and social science capabilities to train health professionals and researchers and expand access to quality care. RBHS is among the few...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

PARTSBADGER

ACCELERATING THE INNOVATION OF OTHERS

When Roy and Jimmy needed an enclosure machined for their small airborne electronics company, it took twelve inquiries over the course of weeks just to get a quote. When they finally did get a quote, it was cheaper to buy a CNC mill and make the machined parts themselves. So...

INNOVATE® Georgia

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA (UNG)

UNG STEPS INTO ITS BRIGHT FUTURE

The University of North Georgia (UNG) is uniquely positioned to help shape the future of higher education thanks to its willingness to think outside the box in crafting experiences that will prepare students to serve as leaders in an ever-changing world. UNG does this in three specific ways: Seeing its...

Ecosystems