Thought Leaders
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
Joshua Baer
Founder - Capital Factory
Joshua Baer is the founder of Capital Factory, a coworking community and mentorship-based accelerator designed to help startups find their first investors, customers, and employees. Joshua founded his first startup in 1996 in his college dormitory at Carnegie Mellon University and now teaches a class at the University of Texas...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
DR MARC-ALAIN WIDDOWSON
DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL MEDICINE
In August 2019, I was appointed as the director of The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp. I studied Anthropology and Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge University before specialising in epidemiology of infectious diseases. I have lived and worked in eight different countries and on projects around the world, with...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
DR. TERRY ROCK
PRESIDENT AND CEO - PLATFORM CALGARY
In 1988 Calgary hosted the Olympic Winter Games. For sixteen days in February, the rest of the world was introduced to a small prairie city that would continue punching above its weight for years to come. We still hold the remnants of those Olympic Games, but today we have new...
Global Innovation Spotlight
DR. JOE PEREZ
SENIOR SYSTEMS ANALYST, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
BALANCING ART AND SCIENCE: THE POWER OF DATA STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCEAs a seasoned thought leader in the realm of data analytics and business intelligence, I am passionate about communicating the innovative role of data storytelling in effectively communicating data-driven insights. While different perspectives exist on its nature, some viewing...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
LING Y. HUANG
PRESIDENT & CEO, TECHNOLOGY NORTH CORPORATION
Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” — Tom Freston The term ‘innovation’ often evokes visions of rockets bound for Mars, self-driving cars, or the alluring promise of fusion energy. Yet to me, innovation is as crucial in our daily lives...
INNOVATE® Orlando
Pat Geraghty
GuideWell
GuideWell is driven by our mission to help people and communities achieve better health, which is why our enterprise is not content that today’s health care industry will serve the needs of people tomorrow. Better health demands better interactions with consumers, deeper knowledge of what health needs are, and...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
JAYSHREE NAIDOO
CEO, YIEDI
Just over two decades ago I sat in a university lecture hall while pursuing an E Commerce course and we were introduced to our guest speaker for the day, she worked at a large bank, just like me, but her title fascinated me, she was called a “futurist”. Her main...
INNOVATE® Nashville
SILAS DEANE
VICE PRESIDENT, COURTS AND JUSTICE, TYLER TECHNOLOGIES
I started my company, VendEngine, with zero outside investment, credit, or employees – nothing but an idea. Ten tough years later, managing the business on cash flow management, I sold it to an S&P 500 business for $89 million. It was an atypical entrepreneur’s journey. I’d do it all again....
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
PROFESSOR SIMON LUCEY
DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR MACHINE LEARNING (AIML), THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
Not only does Adelaide offer a great lifestyle and work-life balance for families, but in my field—artificial intelligence (AI)— the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) helps position the city as a global leader in research and innovation excellence. I’ve had the privilege of visiting many of the leading AI...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
THERESA A LYONS
FOUNDER, LYONS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
A LEGACY IN THE MAKINGOur clients are the heartbeat of our existence. They remind us why we chose this path. They are the reason we fight, innovate, and care. We carry their battles as if they were our own because, in truth, they are. The discipline of law falls under...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
OLA AHLVARSSON
CO-CREATOR, CURATOR AND HOST, SIME
WHY INNOVATION STARTS WITH PEOPLE, NOT PRESSURE For most of my career, I’ve worked at the intersection of technology, business, and culture. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few decades, it’s this: real innovation doesn’t start with tools, processes, or pressure. It starts with people. Since...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
KIENO KAMMIES
CO-FOUNDER, INNOVATION CITY
I’m a capitalist with a social conscience. We should be trying to make a difference in other people’s lives so that they can also see the path ahead. Your future can only happen once you start living what you want to be. It is especially true in business as well....
INNOVATE® Nashville
DR. EDMUND JACKSON
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, UNITYAI
Healthcare is drowning in complexity. Despite groundbreaking advancements in medicine, patient care is still weighed down by archaic, fragmented systems and overwhelming administrative burdens. The problem isn’t a lack of effort, greed or incompetence: it’s the sheer weight of words, data, movement and decisions that clinicians must push through all...
INNOVATE® Orlando
Frank DiBello
President & Chief Executive Officer - Space Florida
Frank DiBello, Space Florida President and CEO, was selected in May 2009 to lead Space Florida, which is the principal state agency for aerospace-related economic development, and the Space Authority for the State of Florida. In his position, he develops and executes programs designed to attract, retain and grow aerospace...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
Ashland Viscosi
Founder - Creatives Meet Business (CMB)
Austin has long been known as a hub of and for creativity. Monikers like the “Live Music Capital of the World” and “Keep Austin Weird” are known by those far outside of Austin’s City Limits. While it might have been music that initially landed Austin on the map, it’s our...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
MARIAM NUSRAT
FOUNDER & CEO OF BRESHNA.IO
Innovation goes beyond creating something new; it’s about making a meaningful difference. My journey, from Pakistan to the World Bank and into the realms of technology and communications, has been driven by this ethos. The turning point was recognizing gaming’s potential as a tool for impactful communication. With a background...
VOICES of the Future
DR. RISA RYGER
EMBRACING CHANGE FOR A VIBRANT FUTURE
In an era where change is our only constant, one woman has taken it upon herself to guide us through the shifting sands of time: Dr. Risa Ryger, a distinguished clinical psychologist, international speaker, and entrepreneur. She has dedicated her life to helping individuals and organizations navigate the often turbulent...
INNOVATE® Miami
Alberto Carvalho
Superintendent - Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Innovation in education takes the form of rich, powerful, explosive choice. Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-Dade County Public Schools class=”img-responsive”> In education, innovation is about ensuring that today’s students emerge from the educational process with a critical skill set that empowers them to work in diverse teams, enables them to reason...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
JOAO ARAUJO
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, THALES
Railways has been my constant obsession in the last 30 years, after I assumed the role of developing the Railway business in Portugal. As a fresh Engineer from IST, I started my career at Alcatel as telecoms engineer. Soon my commercial attitude and aptitude drove me to new challenges with...
INNOVATE™ Bengaluru
Revathy Ashok
Angel Investor, Adviser & Co-founder of Strategy Garage
With an increasing number of startups looking to scale up, we spoke to angel investor and advisor Revathy Ashok about what investors look for. Ashok is one of the early members of the Indian Angel Network and co-founder of Strategy Garage, a boutique advisory for startups & SMEs, and says...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
OLIVER VÄÄRTNÕU
CYBERNETICA AS - CEO
At Cybernetica AS, we believe that technology is not just a tool; it is a force that shapes the future. We don’t simply build systems—we pioneer a philosophy rooted in cybernetics, the art of guiding and adapting systems. Inspired by the Greek word kybernētēs, meaning “steersman” or “governor,” we actively...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
Eduardo Baptista Correia
CEO, Taguspark
Development and innovation are close concepts that are at the basis of the evolution of mankind. If we look at this evolution we see that development is essentially felt in a stable set of elements: the ways in which we communicate, how we obtain information and learn, how we move...
INNOVATE® Maryland
TAMMI THOMAS
PRESIDENT, TEDCO
Innovation does not begin with disruption. It begins with perspective. It asks us to re-examine what we think we know, remain open to alternative paths, and create space for collaboration across disciplines, industries, and lived experiences. True innovation happens when ideas are not only imagined – but supported, challenged, and...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Terri Willingham
Executive Director of the Foundation for Community Driven Innovation
I think the word “innovation” is overused. Not that I don’t appreciate or value interesting ideas, but I think many things touted as innovative today are simply refurbished old ideas or mid-to-late 20th century concepts clothed in the early21st century parlance of so-called influencers. I think we need to be...
Joshua Baer
Founder - Capital Factory
Joshua Baer is the founder of Capital Factory, a coworking community and mentorship-based accelerator designed to help startups find their first investors, customers, and employees. Joshua founded his first startup in 1996 in his college dormitory at Carnegie Mellon University and now teaches a class at the University of Texas...
DR MARC-ALAIN WIDDOWSON
DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL MEDICINE
In August 2019, I was appointed as the director of The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp. I studied Anthropology and Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge University before specialising in epidemiology of infectious diseases. I have lived and worked in eight different countries and on projects around the world, with...
DR. TERRY ROCK
PRESIDENT AND CEO - PLATFORM CALGARY
In 1988 Calgary hosted the Olympic Winter Games. For sixteen days in February, the rest of the world was introduced to a small prairie city that would continue punching above its weight for years to come. We still hold the remnants of those Olympic Games, but today we have new...
DR. JOE PEREZ
SENIOR SYSTEMS ANALYST, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER
BALANCING ART AND SCIENCE: THE POWER OF DATA STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCEAs a seasoned thought leader in the realm of data analytics and business intelligence, I am passionate about communicating the innovative role of data storytelling in effectively communicating data-driven insights. While different perspectives exist on its nature, some viewing...
LING Y. HUANG
PRESIDENT & CEO, TECHNOLOGY NORTH CORPORATION
Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” — Tom Freston The term ‘innovation’ often evokes visions of rockets bound for Mars, self-driving cars, or the alluring promise of fusion energy. Yet to me, innovation is as crucial in our daily lives...
Pat Geraghty
GuideWell
GuideWell is driven by our mission to help people and communities achieve better health, which is why our enterprise is not content that today’s health care industry will serve the needs of people tomorrow. Better health demands better interactions with consumers, deeper knowledge of what health needs are, and...
SILAS DEANE
VICE PRESIDENT, COURTS AND JUSTICE, TYLER TECHNOLOGIES
I started my company, VendEngine, with zero outside investment, credit, or employees – nothing but an idea. Ten tough years later, managing the business on cash flow management, I sold it to an S&P 500 business for $89 million. It was an atypical entrepreneur’s journey. I’d do it all again....
PROFESSOR SIMON LUCEY
DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR MACHINE LEARNING (AIML), THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
Not only does Adelaide offer a great lifestyle and work-life balance for families, but in my field—artificial intelligence (AI)— the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) helps position the city as a global leader in research and innovation excellence. I’ve had the privilege of visiting many of the leading AI...
THERESA A LYONS
FOUNDER, LYONS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.
A LEGACY IN THE MAKINGOur clients are the heartbeat of our existence. They remind us why we chose this path. They are the reason we fight, innovate, and care. We carry their battles as if they were our own because, in truth, they are. The discipline of law falls under...
OLA AHLVARSSON
CO-CREATOR, CURATOR AND HOST, SIME
WHY INNOVATION STARTS WITH PEOPLE, NOT PRESSURE For most of my career, I’ve worked at the intersection of technology, business, and culture. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few decades, it’s this: real innovation doesn’t start with tools, processes, or pressure. It starts with people. Since...
KIENO KAMMIES
CO-FOUNDER, INNOVATION CITY
I’m a capitalist with a social conscience. We should be trying to make a difference in other people’s lives so that they can also see the path ahead. Your future can only happen once you start living what you want to be. It is especially true in business as well....
DR. EDMUND JACKSON
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, UNITYAI
Healthcare is drowning in complexity. Despite groundbreaking advancements in medicine, patient care is still weighed down by archaic, fragmented systems and overwhelming administrative burdens. The problem isn’t a lack of effort, greed or incompetence: it’s the sheer weight of words, data, movement and decisions that clinicians must push through all...
Frank DiBello
President & Chief Executive Officer - Space Florida
Frank DiBello, Space Florida President and CEO, was selected in May 2009 to lead Space Florida, which is the principal state agency for aerospace-related economic development, and the Space Authority for the State of Florida. In his position, he develops and executes programs designed to attract, retain and grow aerospace...
Ashland Viscosi
Founder - Creatives Meet Business (CMB)
Austin has long been known as a hub of and for creativity. Monikers like the “Live Music Capital of the World” and “Keep Austin Weird” are known by those far outside of Austin’s City Limits. While it might have been music that initially landed Austin on the map, it’s our...
MARIAM NUSRAT
FOUNDER & CEO OF BRESHNA.IO
Innovation goes beyond creating something new; it’s about making a meaningful difference. My journey, from Pakistan to the World Bank and into the realms of technology and communications, has been driven by this ethos. The turning point was recognizing gaming’s potential as a tool for impactful communication. With a background...
DR. RISA RYGER
EMBRACING CHANGE FOR A VIBRANT FUTURE
In an era where change is our only constant, one woman has taken it upon herself to guide us through the shifting sands of time: Dr. Risa Ryger, a distinguished clinical psychologist, international speaker, and entrepreneur. She has dedicated her life to helping individuals and organizations navigate the often turbulent...
Alberto Carvalho
Superintendent - Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Innovation in education takes the form of rich, powerful, explosive choice. Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-Dade County Public Schools class=”img-responsive”> In education, innovation is about ensuring that today’s students emerge from the educational process with a critical skill set that empowers them to work in diverse teams, enables them to reason...
JOAO ARAUJO
COUNTRY DIRECTOR, THALES
Railways has been my constant obsession in the last 30 years, after I assumed the role of developing the Railway business in Portugal. As a fresh Engineer from IST, I started my career at Alcatel as telecoms engineer. Soon my commercial attitude and aptitude drove me to new challenges with...
Revathy Ashok
Angel Investor, Adviser & Co-founder of Strategy Garage
With an increasing number of startups looking to scale up, we spoke to angel investor and advisor Revathy Ashok about what investors look for. Ashok is one of the early members of the Indian Angel Network and co-founder of Strategy Garage, a boutique advisory for startups & SMEs, and says...
OLIVER VÄÄRTNÕU
CYBERNETICA AS - CEO
At Cybernetica AS, we believe that technology is not just a tool; it is a force that shapes the future. We don’t simply build systems—we pioneer a philosophy rooted in cybernetics, the art of guiding and adapting systems. Inspired by the Greek word kybernētēs, meaning “steersman” or “governor,” we actively...
Eduardo Baptista Correia
CEO, Taguspark
Development and innovation are close concepts that are at the basis of the evolution of mankind. If we look at this evolution we see that development is essentially felt in a stable set of elements: the ways in which we communicate, how we obtain information and learn, how we move...
TAMMI THOMAS
PRESIDENT, TEDCO
Innovation does not begin with disruption. It begins with perspective. It asks us to re-examine what we think we know, remain open to alternative paths, and create space for collaboration across disciplines, industries, and lived experiences. True innovation happens when ideas are not only imagined – but supported, challenged, and...
Terri Willingham
Executive Director of the Foundation for Community Driven Innovation
I think the word “innovation” is overused. Not that I don’t appreciate or value interesting ideas, but I think many things touted as innovative today are simply refurbished old ideas or mid-to-late 20th century concepts clothed in the early21st century parlance of so-called influencers. I think we need to be...