Stories of Innovation

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™ Curitiba

ESTEIO

55-YEARS MAPPING OUR WORLD

ESTEIO ENGENHARIA E AEROLEVANTAMENTOS S.A. was founded in 1969 as a privately held Brazilian company. Acting as a consultancy company, ESTEIO’s activities are mainly concentrated on the development of projects, services and researches in the area of civil and cartographic engineering. In 1979, ESTEIO was officially recognized by Brazilian Ministry...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

OSHUN Family Center

Rebuilding the Future of Maternal Health in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is home to some of the most respected hospitals and medical institutions in the country. And yet Black mothers in this city are still more likely to experience severe maternal complications, more likely to report feeling unheard, and more likely to navigate postpartum anxiety, depression, and trauma without sustained...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

VUNANI FUND MANAGERS

HOW VUNANI HAS HARNESSED INNOVATION TO STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE

We are a proudly Pan-African financial and diversified investment management company, active in nine African countries. We are fully committed to our promise of nurturing an integrated range of innovative products and services, in order to deliver positive, consistent return for our clients. This is premised on our value proposition...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS

ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS-Web Design

Web Design, Development and Optimization with Deep Roots in the City of Chicago

They both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and met in high school. When Barrett Lombardo and Andy Crestodina graduated, they headed off to the University of Iowa together.   They shared a dorm room and one of those boxy Macintosh computers. It was the early 1990s. Most people...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

STARTUP DAY

A COMMUNITY-POWERED FESTIVAL FOR BOLD INNOVATORS

sTARTUp Has ‘Tartu’ in its name – and that’s no coincidence. sTARTUp Day, Northern Europe’s most startup-minded business festival, is a unique event that thrives on the power of its community. Born from a shared vision in a sauna in 2015, it has evolved into a world-class gathering in Tartu,...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

upace™

Revolutionizing How Members Engage with Recreation Centers

Revolutionizing How Members Engage with Recreation Centers In 2014, Rachel Koretsky founded Upace, which has since skyrocketed to become the top mobile app engagement and reservation platform, supporting over one million members of community recreation centers across the US and Canada. Her journey started at American University, driven by a...

INNOVATE® Seattle

Madrona

A Partner and Backer of Founders at the Innovation, Early and Acceleration Stages

Madrona starts working with leadership teams before the first investment, supporting them with capital and hard work. We have been doing this since 1995 and actively invest in AI, enterprise technology, marketplaces and more. As the tech footprint in Seattle has grown, so have we. Madrona opened a Silicon Valley...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTRE QUÉBÉCOIS D’INNOVATION EN BIOTECHNOLOGIE (CQIB)

LE CQIB, AU CŒUR DE L’ÉCOSYSTÈME ENTREPRENEURRIAL EN SCIENCES DE LA VIE

Les lecteurs de cette publication sont bien placés pour le savoir : le Québec est un terreau incroyablement fertile pour l’innovation. Si on génère autant d’innovations en sol québécois, c’est notamment parce que nous avons en place des organisations mobilisatrice qui catalyse notre expertise et notre savoir. Parmi ces organisations,...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

NAII

ACCELERATING AI AND QUANTUM IMPACT: FROM STOCKHOLM TO THE WORLD

Founded in 2017, the Stockholm-based Nordic Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII) is an independent think-and-do tank that converts advances in AI, quantum, energy, and space technologies into executive-level strategy and delivery. NAII sits at the intersection of technology, industry, policy, and society with a consistent lens on European technological sovereignty. VIRTUAL...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Compassus

Where Compassion Meets Innovation in Home-Based Health Care

As more patients and families choose care at home, Compassus is redefining what compassionate, high-quality home-based care looks like. Since its founding in 2006, Compassus has grown from a hospice provider into one of the nation’s largest and most trusted home-based health care organizations. Today, Compassus operates in more than...

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...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

DYNAMIK FOCUS

DYNAMIK FOCUS-Creating local and digital activations at events or on streaming platforms to help promote your product or service

Creating local and digital activations at events or on streaming platforms to help promote your product or service

Dynamik Focus was Founded in October 2016 By Aziza Brown. After varying experiences with previous esports teams, and seeing a need for representation and structure in the growing esports space, she partnered with former teammate Devin Harris, and Dynamik Focus was born. Soon after the organization was founded, Dynamik Focus...

INNOVATION Quebec

PROMPT

VOTRE DÉTONATEUR D’INNOVATION POUR LA RECHERCHE ET LE DÉVELOPPEMENT EN NOUVELLES TECHNOLOGIES

Depuis 20 ans, Prompt, regroupement sectoriel de recherche industrielle (RSRI) mandaté par le gouvernement du Québec, stimule les collaborations et finance les projets de R-D à fort impact. Nous sommes les pionniers de l’innovation collaborative, où les actrices et les acteurs de première ligne des mondes entrepreneuriaux travaillent avec celles...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

AVATAR

THERE IS A NEW ENERGY FUTURE. LET’S GO BUILD IT.

LEADERSHIP. COLLABORATION. CAPITAL. IT’S HOW WE’RE TURNING ENERGY TRANSITION INTO A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY.Avatar was born from the simple premise that solutions to the complex challenges of climate change and energy transition must come from within the energy industry. By working inside incumbent heavy industry, Avatar Innovations unlocks industry validated solutions...

Global Innovation Spotlight

3 Equipment Innovations That Can Double Your Massage Bookings

Woman receiving leg massage at spa.

3 Equipment Innovations That Can Double Your Massage Bookings Three unbelievable tweaks that can potentially double massage bookings include upgrading to aerospace-grade carbon-fiber equipment for rapid room turnover.  Integrating IoT pressure-mapping sensors helps drive data-based client retention significantly. Additionally, adopting advanced ergonomic designs prolongs the therapist’s career longevity. These innovations...

INNOVATION Quebec

Université de Sherbrooke

Innovation runs deep in the DNA of the Université de Sherbrooke. To innovate, it dares to think differently and builds on its culture of partnerships. Since its creation, UdeS has closely collaborated with the business, industrial and community sectors. Today, this proximity makes UdeS a key partner that organizations naturally...

INNOVATION Quebec

MAIN

EST LE MOUVEMENT DES ACCÉLÉRATEURS D’INNOVATION DU QUÉBEC

Depuis 2016, nous avons la conviction que la collaboration et la mutualisation des pratiques et des ressources (le mouvement) de tous ceux et celles qui par leur accompagnement permettent de réaliser en moins de temps qu’il n’en faudrait autrement (les accélérateurs), peuvent décupler l’impact des startups (l’innovation) de toutes les...

INNOVATION Quebec

INAF

EN AVANT VERS UNE ALIMENTATION DURABLE

Les défis du secteur bioalimentaire sont complexes et exacerbés par de grandes menaces telles que les changements climatiques et les inégalités sociales. Il est crucial de se préoccuper de l’impact de nos choix alimentaires sur la société et l’environnement. Favoriser l’accès à une alimentation saine, variée et durable tout en...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

ROOMII

ROOMII’S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO ASPIRATIONAL FURNITURE FOR EVERY ROOM IN YOUR HOME

Roomii is an online marketplace that lets you lease out your furniture to people who don’t want to own it. Our platform lets you earn a return on your furniture investment while helping people furnish their space short-term with quality pre-owned furniture. Roomii’s story began in the spring of 2020....

Global Innovation Spotlight

The Silent Layer of Innovation:

How Dynamic QR Technology Connects Physical and Digital Worlds

Every few years, a technology quietly shifts from being a simple tool to becoming part of the invisible infrastructure that moves the world forward. QR codes have reached that point not through hype, but through the natural way people now interact with information. What was once a square barcode on...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

//KOOD

FROM TAXI DRIVER TO PROGRAMMER WITH //KOOD PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING

When //kood’s first coding school, kood/Jõhvi, was founded in Estonia, it was an ambitious experiment to see if a practical, flexible programming school could be built to adapt quickly to the needs of the modern job market. Instead of following a traditional academic calendar or rigid curriculum, the goal was...

INNOVATE® Georgia

AWARE FORCE

CYBERSECURITY TRAINING AND AWARENESS

“Cybersecurity is a priority for virtually every organization in the world. Job #1 is engaging your workforce in cyber safety with interesting, relevant content because employees represent the biggest attack surface of all. Aware Force accomplishes that in innovative ways that no other companies can match.”– Richard Warner, Aware Force...

INNOVATE® Nashville

IDEMIA

IDEMIA-A twenty-year innovation journey positions Tennessee as the technology backbone of the fingerprinting background check industry

A twenty-year innovation journey positions Tennessee as the technology backbone of the fingerprinting background check industry

In March 1996, Casey Mayfield interviewed with a small biometrics company in Springfield, IL in a stylish business suit she’d purchased for $25 at a secondhand store. She met the owners, was fascinated with the technology, and signed on to be a Fingerprint Technician. She soon met Erik Wolle, who...

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™ Curitiba

ESTEIO

55-YEARS MAPPING OUR WORLD

ESTEIO ENGENHARIA E AEROLEVANTAMENTOS S.A. was founded in 1969 as a privately held Brazilian company. Acting as a consultancy company, ESTEIO’s activities are mainly concentrated on the development of projects, services and researches in the area of civil and cartographic engineering. In 1979, ESTEIO was officially recognized by Brazilian Ministry...

INNOVATE® Philadelphia

OSHUN Family Center

Rebuilding the Future of Maternal Health in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is home to some of the most respected hospitals and medical institutions in the country. And yet Black mothers in this city are still more likely to experience severe maternal complications, more likely to report feeling unheard, and more likely to navigate postpartum anxiety, depression, and trauma without sustained...

INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1

VUNANI FUND MANAGERS

HOW VUNANI HAS HARNESSED INNOVATION TO STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE

We are a proudly Pan-African financial and diversified investment management company, active in nine African countries. We are fully committed to our promise of nurturing an integrated range of innovative products and services, in order to deliver positive, consistent return for our clients. This is premised on our value proposition...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS

ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS-Web Design

Web Design, Development and Optimization with Deep Roots in the City of Chicago

They both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and met in high school. When Barrett Lombardo and Andy Crestodina graduated, they headed off to the University of Iowa together.   They shared a dorm room and one of those boxy Macintosh computers. It was the early 1990s. Most people...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

STARTUP DAY

A COMMUNITY-POWERED FESTIVAL FOR BOLD INNOVATORS

sTARTUp Has ‘Tartu’ in its name – and that’s no coincidence. sTARTUp Day, Northern Europe’s most startup-minded business festival, is a unique event that thrives on the power of its community. Born from a shared vision in a sauna in 2015, it has evolved into a world-class gathering in Tartu,...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

upace™

Revolutionizing How Members Engage with Recreation Centers

Revolutionizing How Members Engage with Recreation Centers In 2014, Rachel Koretsky founded Upace, which has since skyrocketed to become the top mobile app engagement and reservation platform, supporting over one million members of community recreation centers across the US and Canada. Her journey started at American University, driven by a...

INNOVATE® Seattle

Madrona

A Partner and Backer of Founders at the Innovation, Early and Acceleration Stages

Madrona starts working with leadership teams before the first investment, supporting them with capital and hard work. We have been doing this since 1995 and actively invest in AI, enterprise technology, marketplaces and more. As the tech footprint in Seattle has grown, so have we. Madrona opened a Silicon Valley...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTRE QUÉBÉCOIS D’INNOVATION EN BIOTECHNOLOGIE (CQIB)

LE CQIB, AU CŒUR DE L’ÉCOSYSTÈME ENTREPRENEURRIAL EN SCIENCES DE LA VIE

Les lecteurs de cette publication sont bien placés pour le savoir : le Québec est un terreau incroyablement fertile pour l’innovation. Si on génère autant d’innovations en sol québécois, c’est notamment parce que nous avons en place des organisations mobilisatrice qui catalyse notre expertise et notre savoir. Parmi ces organisations,...

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

NAII

ACCELERATING AI AND QUANTUM IMPACT: FROM STOCKHOLM TO THE WORLD

Founded in 2017, the Stockholm-based Nordic Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII) is an independent think-and-do tank that converts advances in AI, quantum, energy, and space technologies into executive-level strategy and delivery. NAII sits at the intersection of technology, industry, policy, and society with a consistent lens on European technological sovereignty. VIRTUAL...

INNOVATE® Nashville

Compassus

Where Compassion Meets Innovation in Home-Based Health Care

As more patients and families choose care at home, Compassus is redefining what compassionate, high-quality home-based care looks like. Since its founding in 2006, Compassus has grown from a hospice provider into one of the nation’s largest and most trusted home-based health care organizations. Today, Compassus operates in more than...

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...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

DYNAMIK FOCUS

DYNAMIK FOCUS-Creating local and digital activations at events or on streaming platforms to help promote your product or service

Creating local and digital activations at events or on streaming platforms to help promote your product or service

Dynamik Focus was Founded in October 2016 By Aziza Brown. After varying experiences with previous esports teams, and seeing a need for representation and structure in the growing esports space, she partnered with former teammate Devin Harris, and Dynamik Focus was born. Soon after the organization was founded, Dynamik Focus...

INNOVATION Quebec

PROMPT

VOTRE DÉTONATEUR D’INNOVATION POUR LA RECHERCHE ET LE DÉVELOPPEMENT EN NOUVELLES TECHNOLOGIES

Depuis 20 ans, Prompt, regroupement sectoriel de recherche industrielle (RSRI) mandaté par le gouvernement du Québec, stimule les collaborations et finance les projets de R-D à fort impact. Nous sommes les pionniers de l’innovation collaborative, où les actrices et les acteurs de première ligne des mondes entrepreneuriaux travaillent avec celles...

INNOVATE™ Alberta

AVATAR

THERE IS A NEW ENERGY FUTURE. LET’S GO BUILD IT.

LEADERSHIP. COLLABORATION. CAPITAL. IT’S HOW WE’RE TURNING ENERGY TRANSITION INTO A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY.Avatar was born from the simple premise that solutions to the complex challenges of climate change and energy transition must come from within the energy industry. By working inside incumbent heavy industry, Avatar Innovations unlocks industry validated solutions...

Global Innovation Spotlight

3 Equipment Innovations That Can Double Your Massage Bookings

Woman receiving leg massage at spa.

3 Equipment Innovations That Can Double Your Massage Bookings Three unbelievable tweaks that can potentially double massage bookings include upgrading to aerospace-grade carbon-fiber equipment for rapid room turnover.  Integrating IoT pressure-mapping sensors helps drive data-based client retention significantly. Additionally, adopting advanced ergonomic designs prolongs the therapist’s career longevity. These innovations...

INNOVATION Quebec

Université de Sherbrooke

Innovation runs deep in the DNA of the Université de Sherbrooke. To innovate, it dares to think differently and builds on its culture of partnerships. Since its creation, UdeS has closely collaborated with the business, industrial and community sectors. Today, this proximity makes UdeS a key partner that organizations naturally...

INNOVATION Quebec

MAIN

EST LE MOUVEMENT DES ACCÉLÉRATEURS D’INNOVATION DU QUÉBEC

Depuis 2016, nous avons la conviction que la collaboration et la mutualisation des pratiques et des ressources (le mouvement) de tous ceux et celles qui par leur accompagnement permettent de réaliser en moins de temps qu’il n’en faudrait autrement (les accélérateurs), peuvent décupler l’impact des startups (l’innovation) de toutes les...

INNOVATION Quebec

INAF

EN AVANT VERS UNE ALIMENTATION DURABLE

Les défis du secteur bioalimentaire sont complexes et exacerbés par de grandes menaces telles que les changements climatiques et les inégalités sociales. Il est crucial de se préoccuper de l’impact de nos choix alimentaires sur la société et l’environnement. Favoriser l’accès à une alimentation saine, variée et durable tout en...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

ROOMII

ROOMII’S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO ASPIRATIONAL FURNITURE FOR EVERY ROOM IN YOUR HOME

Roomii is an online marketplace that lets you lease out your furniture to people who don’t want to own it. Our platform lets you earn a return on your furniture investment while helping people furnish their space short-term with quality pre-owned furniture. Roomii’s story began in the spring of 2020....

Global Innovation Spotlight

The Silent Layer of Innovation:

How Dynamic QR Technology Connects Physical and Digital Worlds

Every few years, a technology quietly shifts from being a simple tool to becoming part of the invisible infrastructure that moves the world forward. QR codes have reached that point not through hype, but through the natural way people now interact with information. What was once a square barcode on...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

//KOOD

FROM TAXI DRIVER TO PROGRAMMER WITH //KOOD PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING

When //kood’s first coding school, kood/Jõhvi, was founded in Estonia, it was an ambitious experiment to see if a practical, flexible programming school could be built to adapt quickly to the needs of the modern job market. Instead of following a traditional academic calendar or rigid curriculum, the goal was...

INNOVATE® Georgia

AWARE FORCE

CYBERSECURITY TRAINING AND AWARENESS

“Cybersecurity is a priority for virtually every organization in the world. Job #1 is engaging your workforce in cyber safety with interesting, relevant content because employees represent the biggest attack surface of all. Aware Force accomplishes that in innovative ways that no other companies can match.”– Richard Warner, Aware Force...

INNOVATE® Nashville

IDEMIA

IDEMIA-A twenty-year innovation journey positions Tennessee as the technology backbone of the fingerprinting background check industry

A twenty-year innovation journey positions Tennessee as the technology backbone of the fingerprinting background check industry

In March 1996, Casey Mayfield interviewed with a small biometrics company in Springfield, IL in a stylish business suit she’d purchased for $25 at a secondhand store. She met the owners, was fascinated with the technology, and signed on to be a Fingerprint Technician. She soon met Erik Wolle, who...

Ecosystems