Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

NEWARK DRIVING INNOVATION THROUGH DIVERSITY & SOCIAL MOBILITY

Rutgers University–Newark is a leading urban research university that leverages diversity and high-impact scholarship to cultivate the talent essential to transform communities and change the world. An anchor institution in our home city, we are not just in but of Newark. The RU-N community has long recognized that our location...

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™ Colombia

ALIVE VENTURES

PIONEERING A NEW WAY TO INVEST & TACKLE SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN COLOMBIA AND BEYOND

Despite significant progress in the fight against poverty in Latin America, inequality remains stubbornly high. In 2018, Santiago Alvarez and Virgilio Barco created impact fund manager ALIVE Ventures to channel investment to innovative companies tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing low-income communities in Latam, helping to reduce inequality....

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

HELICONNFT

HELICONNFT-OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE, WHERE SAVING THE METAVERSE ALSO SAVES THE PLANET IN REAL-LIFE

HeliconNFT is a new online universe, combining a gaming metaverse with a NFT buying & trading platform that provides real rewards where you can play, mine and earn to become the master of a new market. Ultimately, HeliconNFT bridges the gap between centralised games and decentralized NFTs for a true...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTRE DES TECHNOLOGIES DE L’EAU

L’AVENIR DE L’EAU EST UNE PRÉOCCUPATION MONDIALE!

Le Cteau (Centre des technologies de l’eau) y consacre tous ses efforts depuis 2008 en tant que seul centre de transfert technologique dédié aux technologies de l’eau et à la gestion écologique de la ressource. Son équipe interdisciplinaire comprend notamment des microbiologistes, des chimistes, des ingénieurs (génie de l’eau, civil,...

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...

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...

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™ Adelaide

HEX 20

BRINGING SPACE CLOSER

HEX20 is an Australian space company that specializes in providing cost-effective platforms, advanced sensor technologies, and customized hardware for the SmallSat and CubeSat markets. The company aims to design and develop state-of-the-art, scalable platforms and subsystems for small satellites. Their products are derived from flight heritage programs, focusing on creating...

INNOVATION Quebec

MEDTECH CANADA

MEDTECH CANADA-Promouvoir l’innovation en soin de santé

Promouvoir l’innovation en soin de santé

Depuis cinq décennies, Medtech Canada défend vigoureusement l’innovation en soins de santé au Québec. Les membres de notre association nationale représentant le secteur de la technologie médicale offrent des innovations qui, chaque jour, servent à diagnostiquer, à traiter et à rehausser la qualité de vie des patients au Canada et...

INNOVATE® Miami

Refresh Miami

Its mission—to educate, inspire, connect and grow South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem

ELEVATOR PITCHOUR STORYIn 2006, Brian Breslin saw untapped potential in South Florida’s fledgling startup ecosystem and quickly realized there lacked a support system for the tech and startup community. From this idea, Refresh Miami was founded. Its mission: to educate, inspire, connect, and grow South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem....

INNOVATE® Philadelphia: 250 Years of Innovation

BESTMOW

FOR 250 YEARS, PHILADELPHIA HAS TRANSFORMED IDEAS INTO INFRASTRUCTURE. BESTMOW CONTINUES THAT TRADITION. THIS TIME, THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS AUTONOMOUS.

Engineering the Autonomous Garden Industrial revolutions rarely announce themselves. They begin quietly – inside laboratories, within algorithms, in the convergence of disciplines that once appeared unrelated. BESTMOW represents such a convergence. What appears, on the surface, to be a robotic lawn mower is in fact a distributed low-speed autonomous driving...

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® Washington DMV Edition

DOT LEMON

REMON HENES-DC ZESTY STORY-AN INNOVATOR SHAPING THE NARRATIVE OF D.C.

A Visionary Among D.C.’s Top 100 InnovatorsRemon Henes stands out as one of the District of Columbia’s 100 leading innovators, offering the world a fresh perspective on Washington through his groundbreaking project, DC Zesty Story. An award-winning producer and filmmaker from Cairo, Remon’s dynamic vision led to the inception of...

Global Innovation Spotlight

HILCO CONSUMER - RETAIL

INNOVATING FOR THE RETAIL LIFECYCLE – FROM BEGINNING TO END AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Can a business founded as a retail liquidation firm innovate to save retail? Hilco Consumer-Retail (HCR) is undoubtedly trying – and succeeding in BIG WAYS! Retail – and the consumer product businesses that feed them inventory – is among the most troubled sectors in the United States and worldwide. This...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

INVEST PUERTO RICO

WHY PUERTO RICO?

“ARMED WITH AN AMBITIOUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, PUERTO RICO IS GIVING GAME-CHANGERS FROM MYRIAD FIELDS THE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO MAKE “IT” HAPPEN.” – ELLA WOGER-NIEVES – CEO, INVEST PUERTO RICO The day began like any other: a morning power-walk along the beach under a rising 7:00 a.m....

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

HALCYON HOUSE

A Haven for Big Risks and Bold Ideas

Halcyon, a non-profit incubator for early-stage start-ups, stands as a lighthouse of innovation. It is a unique and impactful organization dedicated to fostering the growth and development of impact-driven businesses. Halcyon accelerates the future of business by focusing on ventures that integrate a social mission into their core that also...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

LEARN BY LOCI

UNLOCKING THE SUPERCOMPUTER IN OUR HEADS TO MAKE US ALL SAFER

Picture this:You’re standing in the lobby of an office building waiting for the elevator. The only thing in view is an evacuation map posted on the wall so you take it in. Several minutes later, you’re sitting comfortably in a waiting room when the fire alarm goes off. Can you...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Bees in the D

Revitalizing Detroit’s Ecosystem, One Pollinator at a Time

In the heart of Detroit’s revitalization, an organization is buzzing with purpose – Bees in the D. Founded in 2016 by Brian Peterson-Roest, a lifelong educator and conservationist, this nonprofit has grown into a movement dedicated to protecting pollinators, restoring native habitats, and educating communities on the critical role these...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

NEWZOO

NEWZOO-TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE BIG IDEA — THAT’S THE GIST OF NEWZOO’S BEGINNINGS

TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE BIG IDEA — THAT’S THE GIST OF NEWZOO’S BEGINNINGS

But Newzoo wasn’t its founder’s (Peter Warman and Thijs Hagoort) first venture into the world of business. Far from it. After becoming friends playing basketball in high school, the industrious duo sold custom-designed t-shirts. Those early days taught them a valuable lesson: custom production based on manuals does not scale...

INNOVATE® Maryland

SoKat

Turning AI Research Into Mission-Ready Infrastructure

When Dr. Jim Kyung-Soo Liew founded SoKat in 2014, the problem he set out to solve wasn’t a shortage of AI innovation. It was separation. Research was accelerating inside the world’s leading universities. Yet much of that intelligence stalled before it reached the institutions that needed it most. Federal agencies...

INNOVATION Quebec

HEC Montreal’s Tech3Lab

The largest public user experience research laboratory in the world

HEC Montreal’s Tech3Lab specializes in the evaluation of user experience in the context of business technologies. The research conducted at the Tech3Lab is characterized by the use of tools derived from neuroscience to develop a rich understanding of the experience actually lived by users, whether they are consumers, employees or...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

STEMLINGO

Unlocking Hidden Genius in STEM

Recognizing a significant gap in STEM exposure products and materials for students aged 13 and above, LINGO steps in to fill this void. Aisha Bowe, the Founder and CEO of LINGO, knows firsthand the importance of having access to quality STEM education. Graduating high school with a 2.3 GPA, she...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

INTEGER HOTSPOT

INTEGERHOTSPOT- THE INNO-GRATION AGENCY

THE INNO-GRATION AGENCY

“Inno-gration”? For IntegerHotspot’s, true innovation, founded in full integration, has informed the approach and ethos since day one. And has afforded the agency an edge since before certain interpretations of “integration” infiltrated agency zeitgeist. THE INTEGRATION ARCHETYPEIntegerHotspot’s was founded in 1999 by advertising maverick, Di Wilson as Pod Communications. From...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

NEWARK DRIVING INNOVATION THROUGH DIVERSITY & SOCIAL MOBILITY

Rutgers University–Newark is a leading urban research university that leverages diversity and high-impact scholarship to cultivate the talent essential to transform communities and change the world. An anchor institution in our home city, we are not just in but of Newark. The RU-N community has long recognized that our location...

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™ Colombia

ALIVE VENTURES

PIONEERING A NEW WAY TO INVEST & TACKLE SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN COLOMBIA AND BEYOND

Despite significant progress in the fight against poverty in Latin America, inequality remains stubbornly high. In 2018, Santiago Alvarez and Virgilio Barco created impact fund manager ALIVE Ventures to channel investment to innovative companies tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing low-income communities in Latam, helping to reduce inequality....

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

HELICONNFT

HELICONNFT-OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER A SUSTAINABLE NFT GLOBAL MARKETPLACE, WHERE SAVING THE METAVERSE ALSO SAVES THE PLANET IN REAL-LIFE

HeliconNFT is a new online universe, combining a gaming metaverse with a NFT buying & trading platform that provides real rewards where you can play, mine and earn to become the master of a new market. Ultimately, HeliconNFT bridges the gap between centralised games and decentralized NFTs for a true...

INNOVATION Quebec

CENTRE DES TECHNOLOGIES DE L’EAU

L’AVENIR DE L’EAU EST UNE PRÉOCCUPATION MONDIALE!

Le Cteau (Centre des technologies de l’eau) y consacre tous ses efforts depuis 2008 en tant que seul centre de transfert technologique dédié aux technologies de l’eau et à la gestion écologique de la ressource. Son équipe interdisciplinaire comprend notamment des microbiologistes, des chimistes, des ingénieurs (génie de l’eau, civil,...

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...

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...

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™ Adelaide

HEX 20

BRINGING SPACE CLOSER

HEX20 is an Australian space company that specializes in providing cost-effective platforms, advanced sensor technologies, and customized hardware for the SmallSat and CubeSat markets. The company aims to design and develop state-of-the-art, scalable platforms and subsystems for small satellites. Their products are derived from flight heritage programs, focusing on creating...

INNOVATION Quebec

MEDTECH CANADA

MEDTECH CANADA-Promouvoir l’innovation en soin de santé

Promouvoir l’innovation en soin de santé

Depuis cinq décennies, Medtech Canada défend vigoureusement l’innovation en soins de santé au Québec. Les membres de notre association nationale représentant le secteur de la technologie médicale offrent des innovations qui, chaque jour, servent à diagnostiquer, à traiter et à rehausser la qualité de vie des patients au Canada et...

INNOVATE® Miami

Refresh Miami

Its mission—to educate, inspire, connect and grow South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem

ELEVATOR PITCHOUR STORYIn 2006, Brian Breslin saw untapped potential in South Florida’s fledgling startup ecosystem and quickly realized there lacked a support system for the tech and startup community. From this idea, Refresh Miami was founded. Its mission: to educate, inspire, connect, and grow South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem....

INNOVATE® Philadelphia: 250 Years of Innovation

BESTMOW

FOR 250 YEARS, PHILADELPHIA HAS TRANSFORMED IDEAS INTO INFRASTRUCTURE. BESTMOW CONTINUES THAT TRADITION. THIS TIME, THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS AUTONOMOUS.

Engineering the Autonomous Garden Industrial revolutions rarely announce themselves. They begin quietly – inside laboratories, within algorithms, in the convergence of disciplines that once appeared unrelated. BESTMOW represents such a convergence. What appears, on the surface, to be a robotic lawn mower is in fact a distributed low-speed autonomous driving...

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® Washington DMV Edition

DOT LEMON

REMON HENES-DC ZESTY STORY-AN INNOVATOR SHAPING THE NARRATIVE OF D.C.

A Visionary Among D.C.’s Top 100 InnovatorsRemon Henes stands out as one of the District of Columbia’s 100 leading innovators, offering the world a fresh perspective on Washington through his groundbreaking project, DC Zesty Story. An award-winning producer and filmmaker from Cairo, Remon’s dynamic vision led to the inception of...

Global Innovation Spotlight

HILCO CONSUMER - RETAIL

INNOVATING FOR THE RETAIL LIFECYCLE – FROM BEGINNING TO END AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Can a business founded as a retail liquidation firm innovate to save retail? Hilco Consumer-Retail (HCR) is undoubtedly trying – and succeeding in BIG WAYS! Retail – and the consumer product businesses that feed them inventory – is among the most troubled sectors in the United States and worldwide. This...

INNOVATE® Puerto Rico

INVEST PUERTO RICO

WHY PUERTO RICO?

“ARMED WITH AN AMBITIOUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, PUERTO RICO IS GIVING GAME-CHANGERS FROM MYRIAD FIELDS THE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO MAKE “IT” HAPPEN.” – ELLA WOGER-NIEVES – CEO, INVEST PUERTO RICO The day began like any other: a morning power-walk along the beach under a rising 7:00 a.m....

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

HALCYON HOUSE

A Haven for Big Risks and Bold Ideas

Halcyon, a non-profit incubator for early-stage start-ups, stands as a lighthouse of innovation. It is a unique and impactful organization dedicated to fostering the growth and development of impact-driven businesses. Halcyon accelerates the future of business by focusing on ventures that integrate a social mission into their core that also...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

LEARN BY LOCI

UNLOCKING THE SUPERCOMPUTER IN OUR HEADS TO MAKE US ALL SAFER

Picture this:You’re standing in the lobby of an office building waiting for the elevator. The only thing in view is an evacuation map posted on the wall so you take it in. Several minutes later, you’re sitting comfortably in a waiting room when the fire alarm goes off. Can you...

INNOVATE® Detroit

Bees in the D

Revitalizing Detroit’s Ecosystem, One Pollinator at a Time

In the heart of Detroit’s revitalization, an organization is buzzing with purpose – Bees in the D. Founded in 2016 by Brian Peterson-Roest, a lifelong educator and conservationist, this nonprofit has grown into a movement dedicated to protecting pollinators, restoring native habitats, and educating communities on the critical role these...

INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports

NEWZOO

NEWZOO-TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE BIG IDEA — THAT’S THE GIST OF NEWZOO’S BEGINNINGS

TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE BIG IDEA — THAT’S THE GIST OF NEWZOO’S BEGINNINGS

But Newzoo wasn’t its founder’s (Peter Warman and Thijs Hagoort) first venture into the world of business. Far from it. After becoming friends playing basketball in high school, the industrious duo sold custom-designed t-shirts. Those early days taught them a valuable lesson: custom production based on manuals does not scale...

INNOVATE® Maryland

SoKat

Turning AI Research Into Mission-Ready Infrastructure

When Dr. Jim Kyung-Soo Liew founded SoKat in 2014, the problem he set out to solve wasn’t a shortage of AI innovation. It was separation. Research was accelerating inside the world’s leading universities. Yet much of that intelligence stalled before it reached the institutions that needed it most. Federal agencies...

INNOVATION Quebec

HEC Montreal’s Tech3Lab

The largest public user experience research laboratory in the world

HEC Montreal’s Tech3Lab specializes in the evaluation of user experience in the context of business technologies. The research conducted at the Tech3Lab is characterized by the use of tools derived from neuroscience to develop a rich understanding of the experience actually lived by users, whether they are consumers, employees or...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

STEMLINGO

Unlocking Hidden Genius in STEM

Recognizing a significant gap in STEM exposure products and materials for students aged 13 and above, LINGO steps in to fill this void. Aisha Bowe, the Founder and CEO of LINGO, knows firsthand the importance of having access to quality STEM education. Graduating high school with a 2.3 GPA, she...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

INTEGER HOTSPOT

INTEGERHOTSPOT- THE INNO-GRATION AGENCY

THE INNO-GRATION AGENCY

“Inno-gration”? For IntegerHotspot’s, true innovation, founded in full integration, has informed the approach and ethos since day one. And has afforded the agency an edge since before certain interpretations of “integration” infiltrated agency zeitgeist. THE INTEGRATION ARCHETYPEIntegerHotspot’s was founded in 1999 by advertising maverick, Di Wilson as Pod Communications. From...

Ecosystems