Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE™ South Africa

CINEVATION

CINEVATION -ENTERTAINMENT IS OUR BUSINESS! IT BEGAN WITH A DINNER. AND A DREAM

ENTERTAINMENT IS OUR BUSINESS! IT BEGAN WITH A DINNER. AND A DREAM

Throw in some “What if…” blue sky thinking, a good dollop of youth and passion and Cinevation was born. It was 1997 and cinemas were 35mm which meant advertising took months to produce and was so expensive that it was reserved only for the big guys. Over a glass of...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

ZAGITAS

ZAGITAS-THE ZAGITAS STORY ACTUALLY BEGAN MANY YEARS AGO BECAUSE OF THE FOUNDER’S PASSION TO SIMPLIFY AND IMPROVE PEOPLE’S WORK THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

THE ZAGITAS STORY ACTUALLY BEGAN MANY YEARS AGO BECAUSE OF THE FOUNDER’S PASSION TO SIMPLIFY AND IMPROVE PEOPLE’S WORK THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Carlos Secada as a child with his parents and sister lived alone in the middle of the Amazon jungle. He grew up deprived of any initiative coming from modernity and technology. It was only after returning to the city and studying, that he managed to start working for Accenture, and...

INNOVATE™ Kitchener Waterloo

LABSCUBED

FROM LABS BOTTLENECKS TO AUTOMATED BREAKTHROUGHS: LABSCUBED BUILDS THE FUTURE OF MATERIALS TESTING

Materials shape the world we live in. They make car tires safer on icy winter roads, help batteries run longer in electric vehicles, and enable lighter, stronger, and more sustainable plastics in everyday products. Every breakthrough material begins its life in a laboratory, where it istested, pushed to its limits,...

INNOVATION Quebec

PME MTL

AU SERVICE DE L’ENTREPRENEURIAT MONTRÉALAIS

PME MTL, le réseau de soutien aux entreprises de la Ville de Montréal, a pour mission d’anticiper et de soutenir le développement ocioéconomique de nos collectivités, de manière intégrée, concertée et durable. À travers son offre de financement et d’accompagnement, PME MTL intervient : Il offre du soutien aux entrepreneuses...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Electric Outdoors

Building Sustainable Off-Grid Camping Systems for a New Era of Outdoor Adventure

Based in Detroit, Michigan, and founded in 2023, clean tech startup Electric Outdoors is on a path to transform off-grid camping and sustainability in the outdoors. Its mission is driven by what the company has identified as a huge gap in the current outdoor recreation market: Connected glamping in remote...

INNOVATE® South Florida

CITY OF BOCA RATON – OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

WHERE BUSINESS THRIVES AND INNOVATION FLOURISHES

Boca Raton is not just a city; it’s a dynamic ecosystem where businesses, both established and emerging, find the resources and support they need to thrive. The City’s Office of Economic Development serves as the strategic partner for businesses aiming to establish roots, expand operations, and harness the competitive advantages...

INNOVATION Quebec

ÉCOFAUNE BORÉALE

CCTT EN INNOVATION ÉCORESPONSABLE DU SECTEUR CUIR, FOURRURE ET PRODUITS DÉRIVÉS

La mission du centre collégial de transfert technologique du Cégep de St-Félicien, Écofaune boréale, comprend principalement de la recherche appliquée combinant le développement technologique, l’aide technique, le transfert de connaissances, la diffusion d’information scientifique ainsi que l’acquisition de pratiques sociales novatrices permettant aux acteurs socio-économiques de la fourrure et du...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

3D CADWORKS

3D CADWORKS-TOP-SHELF INNOVATION

TOP-SHELF INNOVATION

OUR GOAL Our goal is helping companies to solve their mechanical challenges. Our innovation culture, eye for detail and focus on quality is what attracts customers such as Total, CNH, DEME, ArcelorMittal or Pfizer. From the moment a customer submits a problem to us, he feels the eagerness of our...

INNOVATION Quebec

TECHNUM QUEBEC

BROMONT, UNE VILLE D’AVANT-GARDE OÙ IL FAIT BON VIVRE

Technum Québec Zone d’innovation en technologies numériques C’est sous le signe de l’innovation que Bromont est née en 1964. La qualité de vie, la préservation de l’environnement et le développement économique durable font le succès de cette ville modèle. Près de 60 ans plus tard, l’innovation en est toujours le...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

ZF Transmission Group

ZF Brings Innovation and Next Generation Mobility to South Carolina

It is incredible to think that in the span of only 125 years the world has been completely transformed by the advent of modern transportation. It has opened the world to travel, commuting to work, moving goods and services in what used to take weeks or even months to a...

INNOVATE® Georgia

AFLAC

REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE

Aflac’s vision is to create a world in which people are better prepared for the expected — and unexpected — with benefits primary health insurance doesn’t cover. For nearly 70 years, Aflac supplemental insurance has provided millions of people worldwide the opportunity to focus on recovery instead of financial stress,...

INNOVATE® Miami

Penpal Schools

Helping teachers connect their students to learn with penpals around the world and from different backgrounds

PenPal Schools PenPal Schools is the world’s largest project-based learning community, with over a quarter million students in 150 countries. Students collaborate through online projects ranging from human rights and the environment to fake news and robotics, all while practicing literacy, technology, and social-emotional skills. PenPal Schools was recognized by...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

MYSOCIALIFE

MYSOCIALIFE- IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY

IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY, DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND MEDIA LITERACY, IN ORDER TO FIRST MAKE THEM CONSCIOUS AND AWARE OF SAFETY ONLINE, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY ALLOW THEM TO EXPLORE INTELLIGENTLY AND LATER EXCEL IN A COMPETITIVE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

In order to ensure this is successful, the South African-based educators also teach learners’ parents and their teachers too, as well as mental health professionals, helping to bridge the technological divide and provide the much-needed insights and tools to navigate a complex social landscape.   “The more we do that,...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

LIGGA

CONNECTIVITY IN SCHOOLS DRIVES DIGITAL INCLUSION IN INDIGENOUS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES IN PARANÁ

The arrival of Ligga’s fiber optic network in rural schools supports the work of teachers and encourages students’ knowledge and access to technology, benefiting the entire teaching ecosystem and the local community. Ligga, the main internet company and connectivity provider in Paraná, in partnership with the State Department of Education...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

THE WISTAR INSTITUTE

TODAY’S DISCOVERIES, TOMORROW’S CURES

More than 130 years after its founding, The Wistar Institute, the nation’s first independent biomedical research institute, is in the midst of its most consequential chapter yet. In December 2025, the National Cancer Institute awarded Wistar’s Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center an “Exceptional” rating, recognizing the Institute’s role as...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

PHIGITALS

PHIGITALS

Fashion + Web3: The Road to Sustainability

Phigitals [Physical + Digital] is a web3 enabled B2B Saas solution for sustainable fashion resale, allowing e-commerce retail platforms to recapture margin in the circular economy, boosting profits while reducing their carbon footprint by up to 86% per transaction (source: Financial Times). The company tethers individual fashion items to NFTs...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

ELEGANT FUEL

CHANGING THE FACE OF FUEL IN SOUTH AFRICA – ONE FORECOURT AT A TIME

We are a young, innovative and ever-expanding company. All our ventures are driven by a passionate, entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to meet our customers’ needs....

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

Local Initiatives Support Corporation DC (LISC)

Catalysts for Community Change

Catalysts for Community Change For over four decades, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has been a transformative force in the Washington, D.C., area, empowering underinvested communities and fostering innovative solutions to complex urban challenges. As Executive Director Ramon Jacobson eloquently puts it: “Our mission is to help people uncover...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

FIENTA

REDEFINING TICKETING FOR THE RELATIONSHIP ERA

When Fienta first launched, it was built to solve a deeper problem: how can event organisers build stronger relationships with their audiences – not just sell tickets? A decade later, the Estonia-based company has grown from a grassroots solution into a global platform, helping event organisers in more than 50...

INNOVATION Quebec

ExperiSens

CCTT IN THE MULTISENSORY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND HOSPITALITY

ExperiSens is a college centre for the transfer of technologies and innovative social practices (CCTT) at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) that performs applied research and provides technical assistance, training, and information to tourismand hospitality organizations and professionals while enriching the ITHQ’s educational mission. Optimizing hospitality...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

RAY FOIL

FROM ESTONIA’S INNOVATION ROOTS TO THE FUTURE OF EFOILING

In the quiet tech landscape of Estonia, a bold idea was born—one that would soon reshape the way people move on water. Andres Nöps, an electrical engineer with a background in elite athletics and a passion for clean energy, began designing a new kind of electric hydrofoil. It had to...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

METTĀ CREATIVE

GATHERING INTENTIONALLY IN THE PRESENT TO CO-CREATE A BETTER FUTURE

Born out of a desire for an alternative to unfulfilling college night-life, Mettā Creative has existed on the fringes of DMV culture since November 2016. Mettā, which means “loving-kindness” in Sanskrit, is a bonding agent, a glue between people, their community, and the public good. In the early days, Creative...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Holland & Knight

Service Without Boundaries

Founded in 1889, Holland & Knight is a global law firm with more than 2,200 lawyers and other professionals in 35 offices throughout the world. The Firm’s lawyers provide representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law. Interdisciplinary practice groups and industry-based teams provide clients with efficient access to...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

EDGE OF NFT

EDGE OF NFT

Edge of NFT launched as a podcast in March 2021 to cover “the top 1% in NFTs today, as well as what will stand the test of time.” The three hosts, Eathan Janney, Jeff Kelley and Josh Kriger, quickly found that this placed them in a unique position within the...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

CINEVATION

CINEVATION -ENTERTAINMENT IS OUR BUSINESS! IT BEGAN WITH A DINNER. AND A DREAM

ENTERTAINMENT IS OUR BUSINESS! IT BEGAN WITH A DINNER. AND A DREAM

Throw in some “What if…” blue sky thinking, a good dollop of youth and passion and Cinevation was born. It was 1997 and cinemas were 35mm which meant advertising took months to produce and was so expensive that it was reserved only for the big guys. Over a glass of...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

ZAGITAS

ZAGITAS-THE ZAGITAS STORY ACTUALLY BEGAN MANY YEARS AGO BECAUSE OF THE FOUNDER’S PASSION TO SIMPLIFY AND IMPROVE PEOPLE’S WORK THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

THE ZAGITAS STORY ACTUALLY BEGAN MANY YEARS AGO BECAUSE OF THE FOUNDER’S PASSION TO SIMPLIFY AND IMPROVE PEOPLE’S WORK THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Carlos Secada as a child with his parents and sister lived alone in the middle of the Amazon jungle. He grew up deprived of any initiative coming from modernity and technology. It was only after returning to the city and studying, that he managed to start working for Accenture, and...

INNOVATE™ Kitchener Waterloo

LABSCUBED

FROM LABS BOTTLENECKS TO AUTOMATED BREAKTHROUGHS: LABSCUBED BUILDS THE FUTURE OF MATERIALS TESTING

Materials shape the world we live in. They make car tires safer on icy winter roads, help batteries run longer in electric vehicles, and enable lighter, stronger, and more sustainable plastics in everyday products. Every breakthrough material begins its life in a laboratory, where it istested, pushed to its limits,...

INNOVATION Quebec

PME MTL

AU SERVICE DE L’ENTREPRENEURIAT MONTRÉALAIS

PME MTL, le réseau de soutien aux entreprises de la Ville de Montréal, a pour mission d’anticiper et de soutenir le développement ocioéconomique de nos collectivités, de manière intégrée, concertée et durable. À travers son offre de financement et d’accompagnement, PME MTL intervient : Il offre du soutien aux entrepreneuses...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Electric Outdoors

Building Sustainable Off-Grid Camping Systems for a New Era of Outdoor Adventure

Based in Detroit, Michigan, and founded in 2023, clean tech startup Electric Outdoors is on a path to transform off-grid camping and sustainability in the outdoors. Its mission is driven by what the company has identified as a huge gap in the current outdoor recreation market: Connected glamping in remote...

INNOVATE® South Florida

CITY OF BOCA RATON – OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

WHERE BUSINESS THRIVES AND INNOVATION FLOURISHES

Boca Raton is not just a city; it’s a dynamic ecosystem where businesses, both established and emerging, find the resources and support they need to thrive. The City’s Office of Economic Development serves as the strategic partner for businesses aiming to establish roots, expand operations, and harness the competitive advantages...

INNOVATION Quebec

ÉCOFAUNE BORÉALE

CCTT EN INNOVATION ÉCORESPONSABLE DU SECTEUR CUIR, FOURRURE ET PRODUITS DÉRIVÉS

La mission du centre collégial de transfert technologique du Cégep de St-Félicien, Écofaune boréale, comprend principalement de la recherche appliquée combinant le développement technologique, l’aide technique, le transfert de connaissances, la diffusion d’information scientifique ainsi que l’acquisition de pratiques sociales novatrices permettant aux acteurs socio-économiques de la fourrure et du...

INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2

3D CADWORKS

3D CADWORKS-TOP-SHELF INNOVATION

TOP-SHELF INNOVATION

OUR GOAL Our goal is helping companies to solve their mechanical challenges. Our innovation culture, eye for detail and focus on quality is what attracts customers such as Total, CNH, DEME, ArcelorMittal or Pfizer. From the moment a customer submits a problem to us, he feels the eagerness of our...

INNOVATION Quebec

TECHNUM QUEBEC

BROMONT, UNE VILLE D’AVANT-GARDE OÙ IL FAIT BON VIVRE

Technum Québec Zone d’innovation en technologies numériques C’est sous le signe de l’innovation que Bromont est née en 1964. La qualité de vie, la préservation de l’environnement et le développement économique durable font le succès de cette ville modèle. Près de 60 ans plus tard, l’innovation en est toujours le...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

ZF Transmission Group

ZF Brings Innovation and Next Generation Mobility to South Carolina

It is incredible to think that in the span of only 125 years the world has been completely transformed by the advent of modern transportation. It has opened the world to travel, commuting to work, moving goods and services in what used to take weeks or even months to a...

INNOVATE® Georgia

AFLAC

REIMAGINING THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE

Aflac’s vision is to create a world in which people are better prepared for the expected — and unexpected — with benefits primary health insurance doesn’t cover. For nearly 70 years, Aflac supplemental insurance has provided millions of people worldwide the opportunity to focus on recovery instead of financial stress,...

INNOVATE® Miami

Penpal Schools

Helping teachers connect their students to learn with penpals around the world and from different backgrounds

PenPal Schools PenPal Schools is the world’s largest project-based learning community, with over a quarter million students in 150 countries. Students collaborate through online projects ranging from human rights and the environment to fake news and robotics, all while practicing literacy, technology, and social-emotional skills. PenPal Schools was recognized by...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

MYSOCIALIFE

MYSOCIALIFE- IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY

IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY, DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND MEDIA LITERACY, IN ORDER TO FIRST MAKE THEM CONSCIOUS AND AWARE OF SAFETY ONLINE, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY ALLOW THEM TO EXPLORE INTELLIGENTLY AND LATER EXCEL IN A COMPETITIVE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

In order to ensure this is successful, the South African-based educators also teach learners’ parents and their teachers too, as well as mental health professionals, helping to bridge the technological divide and provide the much-needed insights and tools to navigate a complex social landscape.   “The more we do that,...

INNOVATE™ Curitiba

LIGGA

CONNECTIVITY IN SCHOOLS DRIVES DIGITAL INCLUSION IN INDIGENOUS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES IN PARANÁ

The arrival of Ligga’s fiber optic network in rural schools supports the work of teachers and encourages students’ knowledge and access to technology, benefiting the entire teaching ecosystem and the local community. Ligga, the main internet company and connectivity provider in Paraná, in partnership with the State Department of Education...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

THE WISTAR INSTITUTE

TODAY’S DISCOVERIES, TOMORROW’S CURES

More than 130 years after its founding, The Wistar Institute, the nation’s first independent biomedical research institute, is in the midst of its most consequential chapter yet. In December 2025, the National Cancer Institute awarded Wistar’s Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center an “Exceptional” rating, recognizing the Institute’s role as...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

PHIGITALS

PHIGITALS

Fashion + Web3: The Road to Sustainability

Phigitals [Physical + Digital] is a web3 enabled B2B Saas solution for sustainable fashion resale, allowing e-commerce retail platforms to recapture margin in the circular economy, boosting profits while reducing their carbon footprint by up to 86% per transaction (source: Financial Times). The company tethers individual fashion items to NFTs...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

ELEGANT FUEL

CHANGING THE FACE OF FUEL IN SOUTH AFRICA – ONE FORECOURT AT A TIME

We are a young, innovative and ever-expanding company. All our ventures are driven by a passionate, entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to meet our customers’ needs....

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

Local Initiatives Support Corporation DC (LISC)

Catalysts for Community Change

Catalysts for Community Change For over four decades, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has been a transformative force in the Washington, D.C., area, empowering underinvested communities and fostering innovative solutions to complex urban challenges. As Executive Director Ramon Jacobson eloquently puts it: “Our mission is to help people uncover...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

FIENTA

REDEFINING TICKETING FOR THE RELATIONSHIP ERA

When Fienta first launched, it was built to solve a deeper problem: how can event organisers build stronger relationships with their audiences – not just sell tickets? A decade later, the Estonia-based company has grown from a grassroots solution into a global platform, helping event organisers in more than 50...

INNOVATION Quebec

ExperiSens

CCTT IN THE MULTISENSORY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND HOSPITALITY

ExperiSens is a college centre for the transfer of technologies and innovative social practices (CCTT) at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) that performs applied research and provides technical assistance, training, and information to tourismand hospitality organizations and professionals while enriching the ITHQ’s educational mission. Optimizing hospitality...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

RAY FOIL

FROM ESTONIA’S INNOVATION ROOTS TO THE FUTURE OF EFOILING

In the quiet tech landscape of Estonia, a bold idea was born—one that would soon reshape the way people move on water. Andres Nöps, an electrical engineer with a background in elite athletics and a passion for clean energy, began designing a new kind of electric hydrofoil. It had to...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

METTĀ CREATIVE

GATHERING INTENTIONALLY IN THE PRESENT TO CO-CREATE A BETTER FUTURE

Born out of a desire for an alternative to unfulfilling college night-life, Mettā Creative has existed on the fringes of DMV culture since November 2016. Mettā, which means “loving-kindness” in Sanskrit, is a bonding agent, a glue between people, their community, and the public good. In the early days, Creative...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Holland & Knight

Service Without Boundaries

Founded in 1889, Holland & Knight is a global law firm with more than 2,200 lawyers and other professionals in 35 offices throughout the world. The Firm’s lawyers provide representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law. Interdisciplinary practice groups and industry-based teams provide clients with efficient access to...

INNOVATE® Blockchain

EDGE OF NFT

EDGE OF NFT

Edge of NFT launched as a podcast in March 2021 to cover “the top 1% in NFTs today, as well as what will stand the test of time.” The three hosts, Eathan Janney, Jeff Kelley and Josh Kriger, quickly found that this placed them in a unique position within the...

Ecosystems