Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
UNIONWEAR
USA MADE BASEBALL CAPS AND TOTE BAGS: DESIGNED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MANUFACTURED BY ROBOTS.
Unionwear manufactures – from scratch—100% made in USA baseball hats, backpacks, messenger bags, portfolios, and binders, with 160 union sewers in Newark, NJ. Mitch Cahn founded Unionwear in 1992 with six sewers and a contract to make baseball hats for Ralph Lauren, and has evolved by buying legacy manufacturers of...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ALT TEX
FOOD-TO-FABRIC FASHION
Fashion’s Pollution ProblemThe $2.5 trillion fashion industry is one of the top-most polluting industries in the world, generating 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, the heavy reliance by the industry on synthetic, petroleum-derived, fabrics such as polyester, is projected to create over a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
FOUNDER INSTITUTE
Since Its Inception In 2009, The Founder Institute Has Always Maintained One Guiding Principle; “There Are A Lot Of Big Problems In The World, And We Are Here To Help Founders Build Companies That Will Solve Them.”
OriginsFrom its Silicon Valley origins, Co-founders Adeo Ressi and Jonathan Greechan have built an unparalleled global network of over 5,000 Portfolio Companies, across 200 cities with the largest mentor network in the world of 21,000 Mentors, innovators, investors and ecosystem builders. With chapters on every continent except Antarctica and $30B...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
Myya
Innovating Post-Mastectomy Care
At the heart of Myya lies a deeply personal mission inspired by the life and challenges faced by the Founder and CEO, Jasmine Jones. Witnessing her grandmother’s battle with breast cancer and the subsequent difficulties in finding supportive, well-fitting post-mastectomy bras and prostheses ignited a passion within Jasmine to create...
INNOVATION Quebec
CHAUDIÈRES-APPALACHES ÉCONOMIQUE
BUSINESS ACCELERATOR AND INCUBATOR
For nearly 15 years, our mission at ChaudièresAppalaches Économique (CAE) has been to stimulate economic development by pooling our members’ assets and services, as well as those of our economic development partners. CAE’s services include business mentoring, entrepreneurship outreach, and support for eco-friendly businesses and eco-innovation. Since 2018, CAE has...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
Beacon HR
MAINTAINING PEACE OF MIND FOR FOUNDERS WITH FLEXIBLE TALENT SOLUTIONS
Beacon HR is in the business of transforming companies to help them become stronger, more modern, and more resilient. Change seems to be the only constant in this era of the Great Resignation, followed by a recessionary environment. Scrambling to come up with short-term actions and pivots to stay competitive...
INNOVATE® Nashville
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
INSPIRING INNOVATION AROUND AN ENDURING PURPOSE
What never changes: Christ-centeredness and transformative experiences.What drives change: Curiosity and courage. For more than 134 years, Lipscomb University has been a Christ-centered academic institution rooted in purpose-driven education. Located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, Lipscomb is one of the few institutions in the nation offering educational pathways from...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
FLORIDA MAN GAMING
Putting the “Florida Man” in Gaming With Tampa Local Esports Company FMG
Florida Man Gaming is a Tampa, Fl-based esports organization that has brought innovation to the community through partnerships with like-minded local businesses intending to help bridge the gap in our community. Florida Man Gaming is an American esports gaming community founded in 2019 with the vision to bring a...
INNOVATE® Miami
Crowd Capital
We make investors happy by keeping families in their homes
Crowd Capital is a game changing social impact fintech operating at the intersection of crowd financing, investment platforms, and real estate. We help defaulting borrowers secure their homes while delivering above market average financial returns to our customers in a frictionless and transparent way. By leveraging machine learning and mobile...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
NUMEDICO
THIS ADELAIDE-BASED MEDTECH START-UP HAS FOUND GLOBAL RECOGNITION
THIS ADELAIDE-BASED MEDTECH START-UP HAS FOUND GLOBAL RECOGNITION WITH MORE EFFICIENT, SAFER AND AFFORDABLE DRUG DELIVERY METHODS. SPACE RESEARCH FOR REAL-WORLD PROBLEMSPushing the boundaries of medical research all the way into orbit, Numedico’s latest business venture is a partnership with satellite infrastructure provider ResearchSat to explore newmethods to administer medication....
INNOVATE® South Carolina
Code/+/Trust
Agile, On-Shore Product Studio for End-to-End Software Development
At Code/+/Trust, we’re more than just a development shop, we’re your strategic co-founders, product visionaries, and fractional CTOs. What do bourbon barrels, jails, and hospitals have in common? They’re all part of the industries our clients have disrupted with our help. We use a flexible, industry-agnostic process: discovery, user research,...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
CHEFS WAREHOUSE
WHIPPING UP A WINNING RECIPE
As businesses go, restaurants aren’t for the faint of heart. The hospitality industry is one of cutthroat competition. This industry demands discipline, dedication, constant innovation, passion, opportunity, and perseverance from restaurateurs, managers, kitchen staff, and front-of-house staff. Creating fine-dining cuisine is as much an art form as it is the science...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
WILD + PINE
NOT OUR FIRST RODEO
At the height of the energy boom, Wild + Pine was created to help restore, reclaim, and conserve some of Alberta’s most challenging and remote landscapes across the industry. Something they do well, but regenerating Canada’s great boreal forest isn’t for the faint of heart. Today, Wild + Pine develops...
INNOVATION Quebec
INNOVATION MARITIME
CCTT DU SECTEUR MARITIME
Créativité et savoir-faire au service de l’industrie maritime. Actif depuis plus de vingt ans dans le secteur maritime, Innovation maritime (IMAR) est un centre de recherche appliquée affilié à l’Institut maritime du Québec (IMQ). La mission du CCTT est de contribuer au développement du secteur maritime et stimuler l’excellence par...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
MIDTOWN YOUTH ACADEMY
Fighting for youth through boxing and books
In establishing Midtown Youth Academy in 1977, Golden Gloves champ Eugene “Thunder” Hughes began with a make-shift boxing ring and a noble goal: draw at-risk youth away from the mean and drug-infested streets of Washington, D.C., and guide them to a successful path in life. “We let them knock themselves...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
ICOSAGEN
ESTONIA’S INDEPENDENT BIOTECH PIONEER WITH GLOBAL REACH
On Northern Europe’s digital frontier, Icosagen stands out in the biotechnology landscape. Based in Tartu, Estonia’s second‑largest city, it is not only the country’s largest biotech company but also one of the most agile Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CRDMOs) operating globally. What truly sets Icosagen apart is its...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
TESE TECHNOLOGY
ARCHITECTURE URBANISM AND CULTURE
Located in the city of Curitiba, Brazil, and affiliated with the Tecnoparque, a City Hall program, TESE Technology Architecture Urban Planning and Culture is part of a group of companies founded by Mirna Cortopassi Lobo, Rodrigo and Diogo Cortopassi Lobo in 1987. The scope of TESE is wide and operates...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
KOLT Creatives
UNTAPPED POTENTIAL
Untapped potential: a breeding ground for innovation and disruption. South Africa is overflowing with infinite talent. Unlocking their potential means unlocking opportunities. Millennials are excelling by themselves and for themselves. South Africa’s students and junior talent are the very essence of untapped potential. They are breaking down barriers. Alexa Georga...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
SHIFT CAPITAL
INVESTING WHERE IT MATTERS MOST
SHIFT Capital’s Blueprint for Just Communities A Philadelphia-born B Corporation is rewriting the rules of real estate — proving that purpose and profit can build something greater than either alone. In the neighborhoods that have long been overlooked by conventional real estate investment, SHIFT Capital has spent nearly a decade...
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® Puerto Rico
Very few people were talking about entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico when Grupo Guayacan, Inc. was born in 1996. Founded by Enrique “Ricky” Adsuar as a private sector mission-driven nonprofit organization, it has served entrepreneurs with a unique model that has coupled private equity investment with a series of programs to...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
PCG SOFTWARE
THE TRAILBLAZING DIGITAL SOLUTIONS STARTUP DRIVING INNOVATION IN BOTSWANA AND SOON AFRICA!
PCG Software is a multi-award-winning, youth-led software development startup that offers bespoke digital solutions. We offer a diverse range of services including planning and consulting, back-end integrations, application development, testing and maintenance to deliver quality software apps that work across multiple platforms and devices. From left to right: Michael Mavuso –...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
SC Competes | Palmeto AI Corridor
Advancing AI Excellence Through Research, Collaboration, and Infrastructure
Artificial intelligence is one of SC Competes’ priority “critical technologies” for growing South Carolina’s economy and talent base. With the launch of its Palmetto AI Corridor in 2021, SC Competes acts as a connector and catalyst: we convene industry–academic–government partners, map opportunities and gaps, seed pilot programs, and translate AI...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
“People have asked me why i started Espero Biopharma in jacksonville when there is no industry and few talent locally” Here are the reasons. Few American cities of any size are home to so many facilities, among them Ackerman Cancer Center, Baptist Health, Brooks Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Memorial Hospital,...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
UNIONWEAR
USA MADE BASEBALL CAPS AND TOTE BAGS: DESIGNED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, MANUFACTURED BY ROBOTS.
Unionwear manufactures – from scratch—100% made in USA baseball hats, backpacks, messenger bags, portfolios, and binders, with 160 union sewers in Newark, NJ. Mitch Cahn founded Unionwear in 1992 with six sewers and a contract to make baseball hats for Ralph Lauren, and has evolved by buying legacy manufacturers of...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ALT TEX
FOOD-TO-FABRIC FASHION
Fashion’s Pollution ProblemThe $2.5 trillion fashion industry is one of the top-most polluting industries in the world, generating 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, the heavy reliance by the industry on synthetic, petroleum-derived, fabrics such as polyester, is projected to create over a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
FOUNDER INSTITUTE
Since Its Inception In 2009, The Founder Institute Has Always Maintained One Guiding Principle; “There Are A Lot Of Big Problems In The World, And We Are Here To Help Founders Build Companies That Will Solve Them.”
OriginsFrom its Silicon Valley origins, Co-founders Adeo Ressi and Jonathan Greechan have built an unparalleled global network of over 5,000 Portfolio Companies, across 200 cities with the largest mentor network in the world of 21,000 Mentors, innovators, investors and ecosystem builders. With chapters on every continent except Antarctica and $30B...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
Myya
Innovating Post-Mastectomy Care
At the heart of Myya lies a deeply personal mission inspired by the life and challenges faced by the Founder and CEO, Jasmine Jones. Witnessing her grandmother’s battle with breast cancer and the subsequent difficulties in finding supportive, well-fitting post-mastectomy bras and prostheses ignited a passion within Jasmine to create...
INNOVATION Quebec
CHAUDIÈRES-APPALACHES ÉCONOMIQUE
BUSINESS ACCELERATOR AND INCUBATOR
For nearly 15 years, our mission at ChaudièresAppalaches Économique (CAE) has been to stimulate economic development by pooling our members’ assets and services, as well as those of our economic development partners. CAE’s services include business mentoring, entrepreneurship outreach, and support for eco-friendly businesses and eco-innovation. Since 2018, CAE has...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
Beacon HR
MAINTAINING PEACE OF MIND FOR FOUNDERS WITH FLEXIBLE TALENT SOLUTIONS
Beacon HR is in the business of transforming companies to help them become stronger, more modern, and more resilient. Change seems to be the only constant in this era of the Great Resignation, followed by a recessionary environment. Scrambling to come up with short-term actions and pivots to stay competitive...
INNOVATE® Nashville
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
INSPIRING INNOVATION AROUND AN ENDURING PURPOSE
What never changes: Christ-centeredness and transformative experiences.What drives change: Curiosity and courage. For more than 134 years, Lipscomb University has been a Christ-centered academic institution rooted in purpose-driven education. Located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, Lipscomb is one of the few institutions in the nation offering educational pathways from...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
FLORIDA MAN GAMING
Putting the “Florida Man” in Gaming With Tampa Local Esports Company FMG
Florida Man Gaming is a Tampa, Fl-based esports organization that has brought innovation to the community through partnerships with like-minded local businesses intending to help bridge the gap in our community. Florida Man Gaming is an American esports gaming community founded in 2019 with the vision to bring a...
INNOVATE® Miami
Crowd Capital
We make investors happy by keeping families in their homes
Crowd Capital is a game changing social impact fintech operating at the intersection of crowd financing, investment platforms, and real estate. We help defaulting borrowers secure their homes while delivering above market average financial returns to our customers in a frictionless and transparent way. By leveraging machine learning and mobile...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
NUMEDICO
THIS ADELAIDE-BASED MEDTECH START-UP HAS FOUND GLOBAL RECOGNITION
THIS ADELAIDE-BASED MEDTECH START-UP HAS FOUND GLOBAL RECOGNITION WITH MORE EFFICIENT, SAFER AND AFFORDABLE DRUG DELIVERY METHODS. SPACE RESEARCH FOR REAL-WORLD PROBLEMSPushing the boundaries of medical research all the way into orbit, Numedico’s latest business venture is a partnership with satellite infrastructure provider ResearchSat to explore newmethods to administer medication....
INNOVATE® South Carolina
Code/+/Trust
Agile, On-Shore Product Studio for End-to-End Software Development
At Code/+/Trust, we’re more than just a development shop, we’re your strategic co-founders, product visionaries, and fractional CTOs. What do bourbon barrels, jails, and hospitals have in common? They’re all part of the industries our clients have disrupted with our help. We use a flexible, industry-agnostic process: discovery, user research,...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
CHEFS WAREHOUSE
WHIPPING UP A WINNING RECIPE
As businesses go, restaurants aren’t for the faint of heart. The hospitality industry is one of cutthroat competition. This industry demands discipline, dedication, constant innovation, passion, opportunity, and perseverance from restaurateurs, managers, kitchen staff, and front-of-house staff. Creating fine-dining cuisine is as much an art form as it is the science...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
WILD + PINE
NOT OUR FIRST RODEO
At the height of the energy boom, Wild + Pine was created to help restore, reclaim, and conserve some of Alberta’s most challenging and remote landscapes across the industry. Something they do well, but regenerating Canada’s great boreal forest isn’t for the faint of heart. Today, Wild + Pine develops...
INNOVATION Quebec
INNOVATION MARITIME
CCTT DU SECTEUR MARITIME
Créativité et savoir-faire au service de l’industrie maritime. Actif depuis plus de vingt ans dans le secteur maritime, Innovation maritime (IMAR) est un centre de recherche appliquée affilié à l’Institut maritime du Québec (IMQ). La mission du CCTT est de contribuer au développement du secteur maritime et stimuler l’excellence par...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
MIDTOWN YOUTH ACADEMY
Fighting for youth through boxing and books
In establishing Midtown Youth Academy in 1977, Golden Gloves champ Eugene “Thunder” Hughes began with a make-shift boxing ring and a noble goal: draw at-risk youth away from the mean and drug-infested streets of Washington, D.C., and guide them to a successful path in life. “We let them knock themselves...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
ICOSAGEN
ESTONIA’S INDEPENDENT BIOTECH PIONEER WITH GLOBAL REACH
On Northern Europe’s digital frontier, Icosagen stands out in the biotechnology landscape. Based in Tartu, Estonia’s second‑largest city, it is not only the country’s largest biotech company but also one of the most agile Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CRDMOs) operating globally. What truly sets Icosagen apart is its...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
TESE TECHNOLOGY
ARCHITECTURE URBANISM AND CULTURE
Located in the city of Curitiba, Brazil, and affiliated with the Tecnoparque, a City Hall program, TESE Technology Architecture Urban Planning and Culture is part of a group of companies founded by Mirna Cortopassi Lobo, Rodrigo and Diogo Cortopassi Lobo in 1987. The scope of TESE is wide and operates...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
KOLT Creatives
UNTAPPED POTENTIAL
Untapped potential: a breeding ground for innovation and disruption. South Africa is overflowing with infinite talent. Unlocking their potential means unlocking opportunities. Millennials are excelling by themselves and for themselves. South Africa’s students and junior talent are the very essence of untapped potential. They are breaking down barriers. Alexa Georga...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
SHIFT CAPITAL
INVESTING WHERE IT MATTERS MOST
SHIFT Capital’s Blueprint for Just Communities A Philadelphia-born B Corporation is rewriting the rules of real estate — proving that purpose and profit can build something greater than either alone. In the neighborhoods that have long been overlooked by conventional real estate investment, SHIFT Capital has spent nearly a decade...
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® Puerto Rico
Very few people were talking about entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico when Grupo Guayacan, Inc. was born in 1996. Founded by Enrique “Ricky” Adsuar as a private sector mission-driven nonprofit organization, it has served entrepreneurs with a unique model that has coupled private equity investment with a series of programs to...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
PCG SOFTWARE
THE TRAILBLAZING DIGITAL SOLUTIONS STARTUP DRIVING INNOVATION IN BOTSWANA AND SOON AFRICA!
PCG Software is a multi-award-winning, youth-led software development startup that offers bespoke digital solutions. We offer a diverse range of services including planning and consulting, back-end integrations, application development, testing and maintenance to deliver quality software apps that work across multiple platforms and devices. From left to right: Michael Mavuso –...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
SC Competes | Palmeto AI Corridor
Advancing AI Excellence Through Research, Collaboration, and Infrastructure
Artificial intelligence is one of SC Competes’ priority “critical technologies” for growing South Carolina’s economy and talent base. With the launch of its Palmetto AI Corridor in 2021, SC Competes acts as a connector and catalyst: we convene industry–academic–government partners, map opportunities and gaps, seed pilot programs, and translate AI...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
“People have asked me why i started Espero Biopharma in jacksonville when there is no industry and few talent locally” Here are the reasons. Few American cities of any size are home to so many facilities, among them Ackerman Cancer Center, Baptist Health, Brooks Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Memorial Hospital,...