Stories of Innovation

FUNDERS & INVESTORSUnderstanding that early-stage companies have particularly unique challenges when it comes to securing capital, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) offers a suite of resources to support them throughout their lifecycle. As the State’s principal agency for driving economic growth, the Authority plays a pivotal role in...

Nashville, Tennessee – a city once known primarily for country music – is now becoming synonymous with health innovation. With the establishment of its U.S. Operations Hub, Global Health Connector has solidified its presence in a city poised to lead a new era of healthcare transformation. As a global nonprofit...

NORTHEASTERN BRINGS OVER 100 YEARS OF EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION TO PACIFIC NORTHWEST. Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a global research university with 13 campuses and the recognized leader in lifelong, experiential learning. Our emphasis on experience empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to make an impact in their communities,...

A webshop’s success depends not only on products and design but also on the technical foundation that supports daily operations. Hosting is the backbone of every online store, determining speed, reliability, and the ability to handle growth. Modern businesses increasingly look for flexible and future-proof environments that can adapt to...

Livly, Inc. is revolutionizing apartment living & powering communities across the globe. Founded in Chicago in 2017, Livly has built the first unified enterprise-grade operating system tailored specifically for residential properties. The Livly operating system serves as the remote control for apartment living, connecting residents, guests, staff, and vendors with...

Hack for Earth began as an ambitious experiment to reinvent the hackathon tool, but it has since evolved into a global movement redefining innovation and democracy for the 21st century. At its core is the concept of citizen-driven innovation, which empowers citizens all over the world to co-create solutions for...

SkyPlanner is a 5-star-rated, Silver Salesforce Consulting & AppExchange Partner based in Miami, FL with offices in Bogota, Colombia, and Vitoria, Brazil specialized in helping companies of all shapes and sizes leverage the power of Salesforce to do more with their businesses. At SkyPlanner, we believe in fully integrating ourselves...

Renovatio Global (“Renovatio”) is a strategic business development consulting firm that helps “abundance mentality” CEOs hone vision, relationships, and resources into a force that hyper grows companies and redirects markets. The company is actively engaged in sectors including Technology, Defense, Energy, Healthcare, Media, and Internet Platforms. Renovatio is a Latin...

King Price Insurance launched with a world-first innovation – premiums that automatically decrease monthly as cars depreciate in value – and hasn’t stopped since. When they opened their doors in 2012, South Africa’s conservative insurance industry didn’t think they’d last three months. But, a decade later, the R100 million start-up...

History of the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) The DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) has played a pivotal role in fostering the growth and success of small businesses in Washington, DC. Established with a mission to support and empower local entrepreneurs, DSLBD...

WHAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF DRONE CADETS? In 2016 Sgt. Tony Reid, was a corrections officer at Rikers Island, a jail in New York City, working with incarcerated adolescents 16 to 18 years old. For 8 long years, he witnessed first-hand the plight of young men of color who became...

Established in 2016, Nubian Seed (PTY) Ltd is a green beauty manufacturer of natural and organic personal care products, made using raw plant based ingredients which are indigenous to the African continent. The Nubian Seed product range is a reflection of Africa’s bio diversity, as well as global growing interest...

The Institute for Life Science Entrepreneurship (ILSE) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization and staffed by a team of executives and entrepreneurs to accelerate life science discoveries to improve human health, including new medicines, devices, and transformative technologies. ILSE is a hub for hands-on entrepreneur support and company formation and...

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING: HOW STRATUS INDUSTRIES IS PIONEERING A NEW ERA Stratus Industries, established in 2013, is redefining manufacturing by combining traditional strengths with a tech-driven approach. Led by co-founder Lyle Stoflet, the company embodies the motto “Make Manufacturing Cool Again,” aiming to reshape an industry often seen...

Perched on a cliffside above the historic harbour of North America’s oldest city, Genesis is literally and figuratively at the edge of innovation, helping shape one of Atlantic Canada’s most vibrant startup communities. Since its launch in 1997, Genesis programming has been the starting point for over 1,000 aspiring tech...

BRIEF BACKGROUND Botswana’s rags to riches economic success story is often compared to that of countries such as United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore. A former British protectorate, Botswana was poor by all standards when it got its independence. By the early to mid 80s, the country’s mineral resource was...

Allowing amputees to regain/maintain their active lifestyles Seamless Transition, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is dedicated to transforming the lives of warfighters and Veterans. Led by CEO and Founder Sarah Malinowski, the company’s mission is to introduce groundbreaking prosthetic solutions that go beyond mere functionality, offering unprecedented mobility and freedom to...

Transformative, innovative and disruptive. The tech industry has become a strategic driver of the economy and an integral part of our society’s functioning. With the rise of artificial intelligence, 5G, smart devices, big data and asynchronous work modes, among other emerging technologies, we can expect an ever-growing demand for technological...

CARAVELA-A VENTURE CAPITAL FIRM SPECIALIZING IN EARLY-STAGE INVESTMENTS ACROSS LATIN AMERICA, FOCUSING ON PRE-SEED, SEED, AND SERIES A ROUNDS. They employ a sector-agnostic strategy, aiming to build a diverse portfolio of 25-30 companies in each of their funds. Caravela is known both for their go-to market approach, having analyzed more...

Retail Capital was born in 2011 as an idea on a white napkin. Those drawings became the framework of what ended up being the first Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) product for businesses in South Africa. Driven by a deep passion to support the SME sector, Retail Capital has since innovated...

VISION: We’re enabling a world where the systems are so effective and smart that problems are identified and solved before you even know they exist. And if you ever need to contact support, an artificial intelligent assistant will do it for you, making life easier for everyone. The ‘Uber’ of...

It was March 2016 and VeroSource had to lay off its sole employee. Picture it: Everything was looking great for VeroSource, the digital healthcare start-up based out of Fredericton, New Brunswick. The company was about to celebrate its second anniversary. It had just landed a deal with a large company...

UP Catalyst is a European deep tech company headquartered in Estonia that produces climate-neutral carbon materials—such as battery-grade graphite and carbon nanotubes—directly from industrial CO2 emissions. Founded in 2019 by Dr. Gary Urb, Dr. Sander Ratso, Dr. Kätlin Kaare and Dr. Ivar Kruusenberg, the company is on a mission to...

The world is obsessed with changing businesses for good. Ask the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship South Africa (Branson Centre) for its take on that, and it’ll tell you that is actually a misnomer. Fundamentally, business is good. The focus of the Branson Centre is entrepreneurialism and social responsibility. The Branson...