Stories of Innovation

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™ Atlantic Canada

SMALL & LOCAL

REDEFINING LOCAL CONNECTIONS: THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PLATFORM FOR SMALL BUSINESSES & BUY LOCAL SHOPPERS

Many online users face a similar dilemma: they love supporting local but are too tempted by the ease of filling up their Big Box Store online shopping cart and pressing “Order.” If only there was another option—one that could effortlessly help users find and buy from local businesses instead. Good...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

THE MAKERSPACE

THE MAKERSPACE- WE DRIVE SOCIAL COHESION THROUGH THE COMMON LANGUAGE OF MAKING

WE DRIVE SOCIAL COHESION THROUGH THE COMMON LANGUAGE OF MAKING, A LANGUAGE THAT TRANSCENDS CLASS & CULTURE AND THAT UPLIFTS AS IT ENLIGHTENS

By leveraging the natural generosity inherent in maker culture, the project is able to unlock a new level of efficiency in skills transfer. Creating a safe environment where anyone can learn to use new technologies, where experienced professionals can share their knowledge and help the next generation. Makers” make things,...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Parallel Entrepreneur

How Mark Cleveland Is Redefining Entrepreneurship in Music City

In a city known for breakout artists and bold founders, Mark Cleveland is building something less obvious but no less revolutionary. Through his Parallel Entrepreneur brand – anchored by a podcast, a growing network, and a forthcoming book – Cleveland is giving voice to a specific kind of business leader:...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

LANTIS

THE INNOVATIVE NATURE OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE OOSTERWEEL LINK IN ANTWERP

The Oosterweel Link is a monumental infrastructure project aimed at completing the ringway around Antwerp, Belgium. This project, coordinated by Lantis (www.lantis.be), is designed to alleviate traffic congestion and improve connectivity, integrating groundbreaking techniques and sustainable practices. The innovative approach of this megaproject sets a new standard in Belgium with...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

P360

THE IMPACT OF P360’S INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

The life sciences industry is about improving people’s lives. It operates in an incredibly competitive and complex environment where being ahead of the curve is critical. And getting their life-enhancing products to physicians, specialists and other healthcare professionals requires that companies be proactive in adopting innovative technologies that help them...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

JUST VERTICAL

JUST VERTICAL-FURNITURE THAT FEEDS YOU - INDOOR GARDENS BUILT BY PLANT SCIENCE FOR EVERY GROWER AND EVERY HOME.

FURNITURE THAT FEEDS YOU - INDOOR GARDENS BUILT BY PLANT SCIENCE FOR EVERY GROWER AND EVERY HOME.

How salmon & sangria started a green revolution.Some of the most inspiring inventions come at the most innocuous times. In 2017, Just Vertical co-founders Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela were completing their Masters of Science at the University of Toronto. Bright eyed and full of enthusiasm, they hoped to equip...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

STOPit SOLUTIONS

IMPACT DRIVES WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE OPERATE.

“We help schools keep their students safe. That’s the best way to describe our mission.” Violence and mental health issues are running out of control in schools across our nation. There’s not a day that passes without news of a major safety incident, and we often don’t hear about the...

Global Innovation Spotlight

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026 Somewhere right now, a founder is about to spend $120,000 building an MVP that could have been shipped for $25,000. Not because the cheaper version would be worse. Because the founder picked the wrong tech stack for...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

LOG!VILLE

Where logistics and innovation meet

In the fall of 2021, VIL (Flanders Innovation Cluster for Logistics –http://www.vil.be/) opened its demonstration center Log!Ville at the Science Park in Niel, centrally located between Antwerp and Brussels. It was founded by VIL to accelerate the transfer/dissemination of innovative technologies and concepts in the field of transport and logistics...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

GOLD STANDARD GAMING

GOLD STANDARD GAMING-DRAMATICALLY INCREASE YOUR SALES BY UNLOCKING THE TRUE POWER OF THE ESPORTS & GAMING INDUSTRY

DRAMATICALLY INCREASE YOUR SALES BY UNLOCKING THE TRUE POWER OF THE ESPORTS & GAMING INDUSTRY

Starting as an esports talent agency in 2017, Gold Standard Gaming has become a full-service marketing company that caters to brands, influencers and corporations worldwide. The founder, Sebastian “Chosen1” Burton is a former professional gamer and spent many years as a consultant to some of the largest brands in the...

INNOVATION Quebec

L’INSTITUT QUANTIQUE

DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DE SHERBROOKE

Créé en 2016, l’Institut quantique (IQ) de l’Université de Sherbrooke réunit plus de 300 scientifiques spécialistes reconnus mondialement en matériaux, information et ingénierie quantiques dans le but d’effectuer des travaux en recherche fondamentale et de développer les technologies quantiques. Que ce soit en matière d’architecture d’ordinateur quantique, de supraconductivité ou...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

ZAS

The leading hospital network of the City of Antwerp

Two hospital networks merged in July 2024 in order to create ZAS, the largest healthcare organization in Belgium. ZAS stands for ‘Ziekenhuis aan de Stroom’ (‘Hospital by the river’), a reference to the Schelde, the river of commercial and strategic importance that defines the city. In similar fashion, ZAS plays...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

TACIT EDGE

Disrupting the ambiguity in Product Management

When Renee Matsalla and Christa Hill first met, they were on the team that would scale a Calgary-based tech startup to global heights. The two women formed an immediate connection through their passion for Product Management and problem-solving, yet in those early days on the team of Benevity — a...

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...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

Sunland Logistics Solutions

Leveraging an Innovative System to create Supply Chain Value for Customers & Create Mutual Value for all Stakeholders

Sunland Logistics Solutions is a 3PL partner leveraging leading technologies and lean principles to help shippers and manufacturers improve performance, innovate, and drive value in their supply chains. Specializing in supporting companies in the chemical, industrial, automotive, beverage, and retail industries, Sunland is positioned to become a flexible extension of...

INNOVATION Quebec

PHI CENTRE

Founded in 2012, the PHI Centre is dedicated to innovation at the frontiers of creative production and fosters the design, development, production, and presentation of a wide variety of disciplines and forms, with an emphasis on digital technologies and new media. Its programs and architecture are designed to be agile,...

INNOVATE® Nashville

INSEQUENCE

INSEQUENCE

INDUSTRY LEADER IN AUTOMOTIVE JUST-IN-SEQUENCE MANUFACTURING FOR OVER 25 YEARS

What exactly is innovation? It’s more than a brand new way of thinking, though that is definitely a key part of the equation. Genuine innovation also must have a practical application; that is, be impactfully useful. Sometimes the combination of novel idea and usefulness reach the summit and forge a...

Global Innovation Spotlight

DTF Gang Sheet Builder

Where Automation Meets Innovation in Print Tech

“We built this platform to solve real-world challenges print businesses face every day.” In the high-demand world of Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing, time is money—and errors are costly. Enter DTF Gang Sheet Builder, the industry’s most advanced solution for creating gang sheets, developed by Antigro Designer, the Kraków, Poland-based powerhouse behind...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

TOOMAS ALTNURME

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN ART, INNOVATION, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Few artists can claim to move as fluidly between continents, disciplines, and cultures as Dr. Toomas Altnurme. An Estonian sculptor, painter, designer, educator, and cultural ambassador, his creative life is a testament to how art can transcend geography and time. “I’ve always believed art is a universal language,” says Dr....

INNOVATE® Detroit

POCKETNEST

Financial Wellness for the Next Generation

Many people think having a “financial plan” means having a budget, a retirement savings account, and maybe a small cash reserve. But, those basic financials are only scratching the surface and exclude some key details like estate documents, saving strategies, or debt elimination plans. With that popular—and lacking—mindset, it’s perhaps...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

ENVISIONING LABS

PIONEERING SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION

In the face of climate change, the need for sustainable solutions has never been greater. Envisioning Labs, a Vancouver based deep tech firm, is at the forefront of this challenge, developing social and technological solutions that counter climate change and foster a carbon neutral future. Their focus on first principles-based,...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

DATADISTILLR

DATADISTILLR- COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Data is the source of all learning, and nothing should get in the way of that. Data should be easy to access and explore. We spend too long working on our data instead of with our data. Data tells a story, and it’s our job to unearth and tell that...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

NAKO TIMEPIECES

NAKO TIMEPIECES- A LUXURY WATCH DESIGNER BRAND WITH HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

A LUXURY WATCH DESIGNER BRAND WITH HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Born and designed in Gaborone, Botswana Nako Timepieces are merging innovation and luxury watchmaking that is proudly rooted in Botswana. BRAND PERSONALITYAn embodiment of Afrocentrism, Tswana origins, selfdiscovery, character and endurance. Having stepped over the line of classic iconic style and into the realm of simplicity — Nako Timepieces identifies...

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™ Atlantic Canada

SMALL & LOCAL

REDEFINING LOCAL CONNECTIONS: THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PLATFORM FOR SMALL BUSINESSES & BUY LOCAL SHOPPERS

Many online users face a similar dilemma: they love supporting local but are too tempted by the ease of filling up their Big Box Store online shopping cart and pressing “Order.” If only there was another option—one that could effortlessly help users find and buy from local businesses instead. Good...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

THE MAKERSPACE

THE MAKERSPACE- WE DRIVE SOCIAL COHESION THROUGH THE COMMON LANGUAGE OF MAKING

WE DRIVE SOCIAL COHESION THROUGH THE COMMON LANGUAGE OF MAKING, A LANGUAGE THAT TRANSCENDS CLASS & CULTURE AND THAT UPLIFTS AS IT ENLIGHTENS

By leveraging the natural generosity inherent in maker culture, the project is able to unlock a new level of efficiency in skills transfer. Creating a safe environment where anyone can learn to use new technologies, where experienced professionals can share their knowledge and help the next generation. Makers” make things,...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Parallel Entrepreneur

How Mark Cleveland Is Redefining Entrepreneurship in Music City

In a city known for breakout artists and bold founders, Mark Cleveland is building something less obvious but no less revolutionary. Through his Parallel Entrepreneur brand – anchored by a podcast, a growing network, and a forthcoming book – Cleveland is giving voice to a specific kind of business leader:...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

LANTIS

THE INNOVATIVE NATURE OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE OOSTERWEEL LINK IN ANTWERP

The Oosterweel Link is a monumental infrastructure project aimed at completing the ringway around Antwerp, Belgium. This project, coordinated by Lantis (www.lantis.be), is designed to alleviate traffic congestion and improve connectivity, integrating groundbreaking techniques and sustainable practices. The innovative approach of this megaproject sets a new standard in Belgium with...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

P360

THE IMPACT OF P360’S INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

The life sciences industry is about improving people’s lives. It operates in an incredibly competitive and complex environment where being ahead of the curve is critical. And getting their life-enhancing products to physicians, specialists and other healthcare professionals requires that companies be proactive in adopting innovative technologies that help them...

INNOVATE™ Toronto

JUST VERTICAL

JUST VERTICAL-FURNITURE THAT FEEDS YOU - INDOOR GARDENS BUILT BY PLANT SCIENCE FOR EVERY GROWER AND EVERY HOME.

FURNITURE THAT FEEDS YOU - INDOOR GARDENS BUILT BY PLANT SCIENCE FOR EVERY GROWER AND EVERY HOME.

How salmon & sangria started a green revolution.Some of the most inspiring inventions come at the most innocuous times. In 2017, Just Vertical co-founders Conner Tidd and Kevin Jakiela were completing their Masters of Science at the University of Toronto. Bright eyed and full of enthusiasm, they hoped to equip...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

STOPit SOLUTIONS

IMPACT DRIVES WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE OPERATE.

“We help schools keep their students safe. That’s the best way to describe our mission.” Violence and mental health issues are running out of control in schools across our nation. There’s not a day that passes without news of a major safety incident, and we often don’t hear about the...

Global Innovation Spotlight

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026

The New MVP Tech Stack: What Forward-Thinking Founders Are Betting On in 2026 Somewhere right now, a founder is about to spend $120,000 building an MVP that could have been shipped for $25,000. Not because the cheaper version would be worse. Because the founder picked the wrong tech stack for...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

LOG!VILLE

Where logistics and innovation meet

In the fall of 2021, VIL (Flanders Innovation Cluster for Logistics –http://www.vil.be/) opened its demonstration center Log!Ville at the Science Park in Niel, centrally located between Antwerp and Brussels. It was founded by VIL to accelerate the transfer/dissemination of innovative technologies and concepts in the field of transport and logistics...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

GOLD STANDARD GAMING

GOLD STANDARD GAMING-DRAMATICALLY INCREASE YOUR SALES BY UNLOCKING THE TRUE POWER OF THE ESPORTS & GAMING INDUSTRY

DRAMATICALLY INCREASE YOUR SALES BY UNLOCKING THE TRUE POWER OF THE ESPORTS & GAMING INDUSTRY

Starting as an esports talent agency in 2017, Gold Standard Gaming has become a full-service marketing company that caters to brands, influencers and corporations worldwide. The founder, Sebastian “Chosen1” Burton is a former professional gamer and spent many years as a consultant to some of the largest brands in the...

INNOVATION Quebec

L’INSTITUT QUANTIQUE

DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DE SHERBROOKE

Créé en 2016, l’Institut quantique (IQ) de l’Université de Sherbrooke réunit plus de 300 scientifiques spécialistes reconnus mondialement en matériaux, information et ingénierie quantiques dans le but d’effectuer des travaux en recherche fondamentale et de développer les technologies quantiques. Que ce soit en matière d’architecture d’ordinateur quantique, de supraconductivité ou...

INNOVATE™ Flanders

ZAS

The leading hospital network of the City of Antwerp

Two hospital networks merged in July 2024 in order to create ZAS, the largest healthcare organization in Belgium. ZAS stands for ‘Ziekenhuis aan de Stroom’ (‘Hospital by the river’), a reference to the Schelde, the river of commercial and strategic importance that defines the city. In similar fashion, ZAS plays...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

TACIT EDGE

Disrupting the ambiguity in Product Management

When Renee Matsalla and Christa Hill first met, they were on the team that would scale a Calgary-based tech startup to global heights. The two women formed an immediate connection through their passion for Product Management and problem-solving, yet in those early days on the team of Benevity — a...

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...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

Sunland Logistics Solutions

Leveraging an Innovative System to create Supply Chain Value for Customers & Create Mutual Value for all Stakeholders

Sunland Logistics Solutions is a 3PL partner leveraging leading technologies and lean principles to help shippers and manufacturers improve performance, innovate, and drive value in their supply chains. Specializing in supporting companies in the chemical, industrial, automotive, beverage, and retail industries, Sunland is positioned to become a flexible extension of...

INNOVATION Quebec

PHI CENTRE

Founded in 2012, the PHI Centre is dedicated to innovation at the frontiers of creative production and fosters the design, development, production, and presentation of a wide variety of disciplines and forms, with an emphasis on digital technologies and new media. Its programs and architecture are designed to be agile,...

INNOVATE® Nashville

INSEQUENCE

INSEQUENCE

INDUSTRY LEADER IN AUTOMOTIVE JUST-IN-SEQUENCE MANUFACTURING FOR OVER 25 YEARS

What exactly is innovation? It’s more than a brand new way of thinking, though that is definitely a key part of the equation. Genuine innovation also must have a practical application; that is, be impactfully useful. Sometimes the combination of novel idea and usefulness reach the summit and forge a...

Global Innovation Spotlight

DTF Gang Sheet Builder

Where Automation Meets Innovation in Print Tech

“We built this platform to solve real-world challenges print businesses face every day.” In the high-demand world of Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing, time is money—and errors are costly. Enter DTF Gang Sheet Builder, the industry’s most advanced solution for creating gang sheets, developed by Antigro Designer, the Kraków, Poland-based powerhouse behind...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

TOOMAS ALTNURME

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN ART, INNOVATION, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Few artists can claim to move as fluidly between continents, disciplines, and cultures as Dr. Toomas Altnurme. An Estonian sculptor, painter, designer, educator, and cultural ambassador, his creative life is a testament to how art can transcend geography and time. “I’ve always believed art is a universal language,” says Dr....

INNOVATE® Detroit

POCKETNEST

Financial Wellness for the Next Generation

Many people think having a “financial plan” means having a budget, a retirement savings account, and maybe a small cash reserve. But, those basic financials are only scratching the surface and exclude some key details like estate documents, saving strategies, or debt elimination plans. With that popular—and lacking—mindset, it’s perhaps...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

ENVISIONING LABS

PIONEERING SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION

In the face of climate change, the need for sustainable solutions has never been greater. Envisioning Labs, a Vancouver based deep tech firm, is at the forefront of this challenge, developing social and technological solutions that counter climate change and foster a carbon neutral future. Their focus on first principles-based,...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

DATADISTILLR

DATADISTILLR- COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Data is the source of all learning, and nothing should get in the way of that. Data should be easy to access and explore. We spend too long working on our data instead of with our data. Data tells a story, and it’s our job to unearth and tell that...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

NAKO TIMEPIECES

NAKO TIMEPIECES- A LUXURY WATCH DESIGNER BRAND WITH HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

A LUXURY WATCH DESIGNER BRAND WITH HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Born and designed in Gaborone, Botswana Nako Timepieces are merging innovation and luxury watchmaking that is proudly rooted in Botswana. BRAND PERSONALITYAn embodiment of Afrocentrism, Tswana origins, selfdiscovery, character and endurance. Having stepped over the line of classic iconic style and into the realm of simplicity — Nako Timepieces identifies...

Ecosystems