Thought Leaders
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Theodore R. Willich
CEO - NLP Logix
NLP Logix teaches computers to do what humans can do or want to do. They automate. This means that at NLP Logix, they teach machines to do almost any repetitive business process that humans do, to help humans to do things faster and better. The company harnesses the power of...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
Neil Douglas
Director, Viper Innovations
When we started our company in 2007, one of the first questions we had to ask ourselves, was where is the best place to be located? The client base for our products and services was international and so our selection did not have to be governed by the location of...
INNOVATE™ Bengaluru
Prof. Vijay Chandru
Mentor and Investor
Mentor and Investor “True tech innovation in India is happening in life sciences, nanoscience, chemistry, mechanical engineering and the like”, says Prof. Vijay Chandru, one of the earliest academics in India to move from an impressive career in academics to highly successful deep science entrepreneurship. “If you look at creativity...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
JOHN MACRITCHIE
ASSISTANT VICE-PRESIDENT, ZONE LEARNING AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
It might be odd to hear this from someone who leads incubation at a university, but not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur and not every startup will succeed. Our success has come as a result of embracing this experience, and how it develops students and innovators. Leveraging startup and...
AI Québec
PHILIPPE MOLARET
DIRECTEUR TECHNIQUE CHEZ THALES
Elle vise l’accroissement des capacités opérationnelles dans plusieurs secteurs d’application tels que la santé, la sécurité, ou le transport. L’agent intelligent que nous développons n’est pas qu’un ‘simple’ double numérique. L’Agent couvre trois fonctionnalités; 1) une veille permanente sur la situation opérationnelle dans son cadre d’emploi et dont il informe...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
JOSE ESPINOZA
FOUNDER OF MOVE THE NEEDLE, LLC
Daysi Gardenia Bernita, migrated to the USA in the pursuit of the American Dream with her six month old son in tote. Though a successful engineer in her native country of Ecuador, the language barrier and need to provide for her son and family back home, relegated her to being...
INNOVATE® Georgia
RT EVANS
PRESIDENT & CEO, EVANS GENERAL CONTRACTORS
Evans was founded on the mindset that execution of complex design-build projects is achieved through team synergy, a focus on client needs, and innovative problem solving. While design-build is an essential part of our business, Evans’ approach to all projects, regardless of the delivery method, is created with the same...
VOICES of the Future
DR. ROD BERGER
NARRATIVES AT THE NEXUS
Dr. Rod Berger is the consummate storyteller. As a narrative mad scientist myself, I am but an amateur in the presence of Dr. Berger’s awe-inspiring talent. His views illuminate the corridors of tomorrow through the prism of today’s stories with foresight and wisdom. “My passion for storytelling began many years...
INNOVATION Quebec
FRANTZ SAINTELLEMY
PRÉSIDENT ET CHEF DE L’EXPLOITATION, LEDDARTECH, CHANCELIER ET PRÉSIDENT DU CA
Le Québec est un terreau fertile pour l’entrepreneuriat deeptech, qui repose sur le savoir et la recherche de pointe, et ouvre de nouvelles perspectives dans plusieurs domaines de haute technologie. Ces entreprises repoussent les limites de l’innovation et créent des solutions novatrices ayant un impact profond sur notre société. Les...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Shamit Patel
CEO of Alpha Nodus
Shamit Patel is the CEO of Alpha Nodus, developer of the Gravity Healthcare system, a revolutionary tracking system that reduces patient wait times, improves physician practice workflow and productivity, and protects revenue. He has 15 years of wireless startup experience, exits with acquisitions by Intel, Qualcomm & Alereon, and was...
INNOVATE™ Montréal
Alan MacIntosh
Partner, Real Ventures Chairman, OSMO Foundation
The Future Starts Here An entrepreneurial endeavor of consequence is provocatively described as the pursuit of an opportunity beyond the resources you currently control combined with challenges you have yet to imagine. Ten years ago when the Notman Project was conceived, it had many such hallmarks from the discouraging skeptics...
INNOVATE® Georgia
VANESSA EDMONDS
UTILITY 2030 COLLABORATIVE - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
YOUR ROLE IN SHAPING A SUSTAINABLE WORLD STARTS TODAY Our planet faces unprecedented challenges. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, the transition to clean energy is more urgent than ever, and water resources are under increasing strain. Our world’s sustainability and the well-being of future generations are on the...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
ANGEL RICH
CREDITRICH - FOUNDER
Don’t die broke. This mantra is at the heart of everything I do, demonstrating the power of financial literacy and justice. Growing up in Washington, D.C., with roots tracing back to sharecroppers in South Carolina, I’ve always been connected to the Black community’s history and struggles. My great-grandparents were among...
INNOVATE® Utah
Carine Strom Clark
Saas CEO - Public Board Member, Silicon Slopes & Strategic Alliances
Thirty years ago when I started my career at Novell, I never imagined that someday Utah would benefit from a vibrant and amazing technology community, dubbed Silicon Slopes. Back then, technology was a small ecosystem in which super-nerdy coders and geeks – like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Chris Sugden
Managing Partner - Edison Partners
At Edison Partners, we believe that there’s no stronger relationship than the one an investor has with an entrepreneur and the management team. Trust and empathy are the foundations to a successful partnership. There’s a reason for that. Mutual understanding is the prerequisite for a great outcome. You each must...
INNOVATIONS in Pharmaceutical Development®
Ping Yeh
CO-Founder and CEO - Stemonix
Coming back from the brink of death sounds so dramatic, but that’s truly how I feel. In 2012, I was literally dying. I had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and, a few months into my treatment, I learned that my cancer was resistant to the drugs. My only treatment option...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
PATRIK STRÖMBERG
PHD MBA, CEO AT ANACARDIO
I have spent my entire career in Stockholm’s vibrant Life Science innovation space, with renowned universities, great scientists, and companies. After attaining a PhD in Biochemistry from Karolinska Institutet, I have held various positions within R&D and corporate development at Astra Zeneca and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi), such as Vice...
INNOVATE® Minnesota
Reed Robinson
Founder - BETA
Nearly 150 years ago, General Cadwallader Washburn and Charles Pillsbury set up mills along the Mississippi, introducing scalable food-processing and global food distribution. A short time later, William Worrall Mayo moved to Rochester, and with the help of his two sons and the Sisters of Saint Francis, they would invent...
INNOVATE® Jacksonville
Sara Frasca
Vice President, Innovation Enablement - Platypus Labs
The concept of innovation can be completely overwhelming. Images of Edison inventing the light bulb or Henry Ford revolutionizing manufacturing push the idea of innovation outside the reach of us mere mortals. If we define innovation as a gigantic, change-the-world, cure-cancer type breakthrough, the concept is relegated to a select...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
MAX BROWN
Vice President Horizon 3 Technology
Although the aerospace industry finds itself in unprecedented times, at GKN Aerospace we have much to be excited about. Over the past 12 months we have maintained an important balance, with a firm focus on our short-term priorities in response to the corona virus pandemic, alongside continued support for our...
INNOVATE® Georgia
RAVI VENKATESAN
CEO, CANTALOUPE, INC.
Ravi Venkatesan was appointed CEO of Cantaloupe in September 2022, previously holding roles as COO and CTO. With 20+ years in the tech world, he also led innovations at Bakkt and Bridge2 Solutions and held leadership positions at Accenture and Cbeyond. He received his B.S. in electronics from Bangalore University...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
SHAUN M. ROWLES
Author, The Money revolution
GOLD RUSHOn January 24th, 1848, Swiss-born Johann Sutter was dismayed by the news that his chief mechanic delivered: Gold had been discovered on the site of Sutter’s sawmill. Most readers are aware that this discovery kicked off the “California Gold Rush,” but few ever hear of Sutter’s immediate reaction: “From...
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™ Adelaide
HEATHER CROALL
DIRECTOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ADELAIDE FRINGE
Innovation is a core value at Adelaide Fringe. It’s something I’ve focused on since I took on the role as Director and Chief Executive in 2015, implementing an agile and inclusive model to help artists, producers and presenters thrive in South Australia’s arts industry. Adelaide is the ultimate city for...
Theodore R. Willich
CEO - NLP Logix
NLP Logix teaches computers to do what humans can do or want to do. They automate. This means that at NLP Logix, they teach machines to do almost any repetitive business process that humans do, to help humans to do things faster and better. The company harnesses the power of...
Neil Douglas
Director, Viper Innovations
When we started our company in 2007, one of the first questions we had to ask ourselves, was where is the best place to be located? The client base for our products and services was international and so our selection did not have to be governed by the location of...
Prof. Vijay Chandru
Mentor and Investor
Mentor and Investor “True tech innovation in India is happening in life sciences, nanoscience, chemistry, mechanical engineering and the like”, says Prof. Vijay Chandru, one of the earliest academics in India to move from an impressive career in academics to highly successful deep science entrepreneurship. “If you look at creativity...
JOHN MACRITCHIE
ASSISTANT VICE-PRESIDENT, ZONE LEARNING AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
It might be odd to hear this from someone who leads incubation at a university, but not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur and not every startup will succeed. Our success has come as a result of embracing this experience, and how it develops students and innovators. Leveraging startup and...
PHILIPPE MOLARET
DIRECTEUR TECHNIQUE CHEZ THALES
Elle vise l’accroissement des capacités opérationnelles dans plusieurs secteurs d’application tels que la santé, la sécurité, ou le transport. L’agent intelligent que nous développons n’est pas qu’un ‘simple’ double numérique. L’Agent couvre trois fonctionnalités; 1) une veille permanente sur la situation opérationnelle dans son cadre d’emploi et dont il informe...
JOSE ESPINOZA
FOUNDER OF MOVE THE NEEDLE, LLC
Daysi Gardenia Bernita, migrated to the USA in the pursuit of the American Dream with her six month old son in tote. Though a successful engineer in her native country of Ecuador, the language barrier and need to provide for her son and family back home, relegated her to being...
RT EVANS
PRESIDENT & CEO, EVANS GENERAL CONTRACTORS
Evans was founded on the mindset that execution of complex design-build projects is achieved through team synergy, a focus on client needs, and innovative problem solving. While design-build is an essential part of our business, Evans’ approach to all projects, regardless of the delivery method, is created with the same...
DR. ROD BERGER
NARRATIVES AT THE NEXUS
Dr. Rod Berger is the consummate storyteller. As a narrative mad scientist myself, I am but an amateur in the presence of Dr. Berger’s awe-inspiring talent. His views illuminate the corridors of tomorrow through the prism of today’s stories with foresight and wisdom. “My passion for storytelling began many years...
FRANTZ SAINTELLEMY
PRÉSIDENT ET CHEF DE L’EXPLOITATION, LEDDARTECH, CHANCELIER ET PRÉSIDENT DU CA
Le Québec est un terreau fertile pour l’entrepreneuriat deeptech, qui repose sur le savoir et la recherche de pointe, et ouvre de nouvelles perspectives dans plusieurs domaines de haute technologie. Ces entreprises repoussent les limites de l’innovation et créent des solutions novatrices ayant un impact profond sur notre société. Les...
Shamit Patel
CEO of Alpha Nodus
Shamit Patel is the CEO of Alpha Nodus, developer of the Gravity Healthcare system, a revolutionary tracking system that reduces patient wait times, improves physician practice workflow and productivity, and protects revenue. He has 15 years of wireless startup experience, exits with acquisitions by Intel, Qualcomm & Alereon, and was...
Alan MacIntosh
Partner, Real Ventures Chairman, OSMO Foundation
The Future Starts Here An entrepreneurial endeavor of consequence is provocatively described as the pursuit of an opportunity beyond the resources you currently control combined with challenges you have yet to imagine. Ten years ago when the Notman Project was conceived, it had many such hallmarks from the discouraging skeptics...
VANESSA EDMONDS
UTILITY 2030 COLLABORATIVE - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
YOUR ROLE IN SHAPING A SUSTAINABLE WORLD STARTS TODAY Our planet faces unprecedented challenges. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, the transition to clean energy is more urgent than ever, and water resources are under increasing strain. Our world’s sustainability and the well-being of future generations are on the...
ANGEL RICH
CREDITRICH - FOUNDER
Don’t die broke. This mantra is at the heart of everything I do, demonstrating the power of financial literacy and justice. Growing up in Washington, D.C., with roots tracing back to sharecroppers in South Carolina, I’ve always been connected to the Black community’s history and struggles. My great-grandparents were among...
Carine Strom Clark
Saas CEO - Public Board Member, Silicon Slopes & Strategic Alliances
Thirty years ago when I started my career at Novell, I never imagined that someday Utah would benefit from a vibrant and amazing technology community, dubbed Silicon Slopes. Back then, technology was a small ecosystem in which super-nerdy coders and geeks – like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael...
Chris Sugden
Managing Partner - Edison Partners
At Edison Partners, we believe that there’s no stronger relationship than the one an investor has with an entrepreneur and the management team. Trust and empathy are the foundations to a successful partnership. There’s a reason for that. Mutual understanding is the prerequisite for a great outcome. You each must...
Ping Yeh
CO-Founder and CEO - Stemonix
Coming back from the brink of death sounds so dramatic, but that’s truly how I feel. In 2012, I was literally dying. I had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and, a few months into my treatment, I learned that my cancer was resistant to the drugs. My only treatment option...
PATRIK STRÖMBERG
PHD MBA, CEO AT ANACARDIO
I have spent my entire career in Stockholm’s vibrant Life Science innovation space, with renowned universities, great scientists, and companies. After attaining a PhD in Biochemistry from Karolinska Institutet, I have held various positions within R&D and corporate development at Astra Zeneca and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi), such as Vice...
Reed Robinson
Founder - BETA
Nearly 150 years ago, General Cadwallader Washburn and Charles Pillsbury set up mills along the Mississippi, introducing scalable food-processing and global food distribution. A short time later, William Worrall Mayo moved to Rochester, and with the help of his two sons and the Sisters of Saint Francis, they would invent...
Sara Frasca
Vice President, Innovation Enablement - Platypus Labs
The concept of innovation can be completely overwhelming. Images of Edison inventing the light bulb or Henry Ford revolutionizing manufacturing push the idea of innovation outside the reach of us mere mortals. If we define innovation as a gigantic, change-the-world, cure-cancer type breakthrough, the concept is relegated to a select...
MAX BROWN
Vice President Horizon 3 Technology
Although the aerospace industry finds itself in unprecedented times, at GKN Aerospace we have much to be excited about. Over the past 12 months we have maintained an important balance, with a firm focus on our short-term priorities in response to the corona virus pandemic, alongside continued support for our...
RAVI VENKATESAN
CEO, CANTALOUPE, INC.
Ravi Venkatesan was appointed CEO of Cantaloupe in September 2022, previously holding roles as COO and CTO. With 20+ years in the tech world, he also led innovations at Bakkt and Bridge2 Solutions and held leadership positions at Accenture and Cbeyond. He received his B.S. in electronics from Bangalore University...
SHAUN M. ROWLES
Author, The Money revolution
GOLD RUSHOn January 24th, 1848, Swiss-born Johann Sutter was dismayed by the news that his chief mechanic delivered: Gold had been discovered on the site of Sutter’s sawmill. Most readers are aware that this discovery kicked off the “California Gold Rush,” but few ever hear of Sutter’s immediate reaction: “From...
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...
HEATHER CROALL
DIRECTOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ADELAIDE FRINGE
Innovation is a core value at Adelaide Fringe. It’s something I’ve focused on since I took on the role as Director and Chief Executive in 2015, implementing an agile and inclusive model to help artists, producers and presenters thrive in South Australia’s arts industry. Adelaide is the ultimate city for...