Thought Leaders
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Shane Needham
In marketing, the Engagement Economy is defined as the competition for the valuable attention and cognitive bandwidth of a target audience. It’s a very real and valuable asset that is becoming more complex and harder to attain with each passing year. But, this is not the Engagement Economy I’m talking...
INNOVATE® San Diego Vol.1
Mitchell Kronenberg
PHD, President & Chief Scientific Officer
As a top-ranked research institute, innovation is at the heart of what we do. Naturally, I think a lot about how to create an environment where ideas flow freely and scientists can do their best work. For most of us, novel and useful ideas don’t just spontaneously spring to life,...
INNOVATE® Northern Virginia
CRAIG CHASON
LEADER & PARTNER, PILLSBURY’S NORTHERN VIRGINIA CORPORATE GROUP
When people talk about innovation, they often focus on the breakthrough idea or the individual who disrupted an industry. While those moments capture headlines, I believe innovation truly begins with cultivating a dynamic business community – one that brings together curious minds who might not otherwise cross paths. You want...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
ANK DE WILDE
FOUNDER & CEO, ABSOLEM
As founder and CEO, I lead an engineering company with my business partner Bruno Dejaeghere. Over the last 10 years I made it my ongoing mission to make this sustainable human-centric approach part of our organisation. I envision Absolem as a company that puts people and society first, without having...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
JOE VOLPE
CO-FOUNDER, CESCAPHE
As the co-founder of Cescaphe, I never set out to disrupt the hospitality and events industry, I set out to create an experience I couldn’t find elsewhere. When we launched Cescaphe, the traditional wedding and event model was fragmented, making for an unpleasant client experience, when it should be a...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
KELLY BROZYNA
CEO-STATE DIRECTOR, AMERICA’S SBDC NEW JERSEY
New Jersey is an amazing, dynamic, and engaging state with a beautiful tapestry of people, landscapes, and industries. Having lived in several states nationwide, I can truly attest to New Jersey’s brilliance in spirit and ingenuity. It is synonymous and a bit foretelling that NJ was the first state to...
INNOVATE® Nashville
LEAH MELBER
PH.D. PRESIDENT & CEO OF ADVENTURE SCIENCE CENTER
We all have a memory of visiting a science museum; a larger-than-life exhibition, dynamic program, or time with friends and family. Each person’s experience may be different, but they all have one commonality: connecting with a world larger than themselves. Science museums may be the only science learning the public...
INNOVATE™ Logistics
KRIS NEYENS
MANAGER INTERNATIONALIZATION AT VIL FLANDERS INNOVATION CLUSTER FOR LOGISTICS
Global logistics is facing strong growth, even in uncertain times, and an ever-increasing demand for quality and speed of service, and to do so in a way that does not strain our overall quality of life. The focus here must be on sustainability. The aim is to make the best...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
ALEX KROOGMAN
CEO | PRESSREADER GROUP OF COMPANIES
ALEX KROOGMAN CEO | PRESSREADER GROUP OF COMPANIES To this day, I look forward to each Monday when Spotify releases my new Discover Weekly playlist. Why, because it’s built entirely for me. It’s personalized with the music I know, plus lots of music I haven’t even heard of before but...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Lisa Marks-Canty
President & Managing Partner – Nest Global Solutions
Innovation is very important for any company to grow and be successful. However, in order to innovate, a company needs to be able to learn how to monetize its innovation. That means being able to exceed or meet goals by monetizing products, and that happens when companies recognize the needs...
AI Québec
MADELEINE JEAN
ACTING CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PROMPT
In the field of artificial intelligence, the world of academic research has excelled in Quebec. It has produced renowned researchers and thinkers in operational research and, more recently, in deep learning. Our researchers are amongst the most cited in these fields. Graduate students from all over the world aspire to...
VOICES of the Future
KAY VAN-PETERSEN
THE BUILDER
In my pursuit to unravel the mysteries of what the future holds, I had the privilege of interviewing Kay Van-Petersen, an avant-garde thinker and a trailblazer in the realm of finance and technology. His insights, not just on where we are heading but on how we can shape our trajectory,...
INNOVATE® Miami
Kate Black
Shareholder - Greenberg Traurig, P. A.
“Miami is Becoming A HealthTech Innovation Hub.” Kate Black, Shareholder – Greenberg Traurig, P. A. Miami has a singularly scrappy, entrepreneurial spirit, making it well situated to become a regional technology hub that plays a vital role in connecting the global economy – especially in healthcare, life sciences, and consumer...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
Manik Arora
Arora Engineers, inc
Philadelphia is the birthplace of our country and home to an eclectic mix of historical and modern infrastructure. However, with its rapid development over the years, the number of users is quickly exceeding the original capacity of its built environment. In response to this roadblock, two of our major transportation...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
MARIA LUISA FERRÉ RANGEL
CEO GRUPO FERRÉ RANGEL (GFR)
When you’re part of a family business with over 100 years of history, the questions often asked are: How do you stay relevant? What is the formula to successfully operate a business for that long? For us, the answer has always been about three things: resiliency, people, and leadership. Be...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
THE HON. DR. SUSAN CLOSE
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AND SPACE INDUSTRIES
South Australia is an innovative, collaborative and forward-thinking state with defence and space manufacturing at the heart of our emerging high-tech economy. Home to a critical mass of defence industry, cutting-edge research and education institutions as well as world-class infrastructure, precincts and advanced manufacturing capability, South Australia is firmly established...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
PHILIP VON SEGEBADEN
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS, NOVATRON FUSION GROUP.
Fusion energy—the process that powers the sun—has long been considered the holy grail of clean energy. Unlike traditional nuclear fission, fusion offers the promise of limitless, emission-free power without the hazardous waste. For decades, scientists have worked to make fusion commercially viable, and today, the world is closer than ever...
INNOVATE® San Diego Vol.1
Neal Bloom
Founder - Fresh Brewed Tech
Neal Bloom Founder – Fresh Brewed Tech In San Diego many different industry clusters are contributing to and benefiting from force multiplying through collaboration. That is one of San Diego’s great strengths – collaboration. In a community that is commonly described as having a ‘give before you get’ mentality, we...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
JENNY RINGSÖ
FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR, I AM YOUR SISTER (IAYS)
THE LIFESTYLE OF NOT GIVING UP Entrepreneurship isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle. A way of living built on persistence, humility, and the willingness to reinvent yourself again and again. When you decide to follow an idea, you don’t just commit to a vision. You commit to setbacks, uncertainty, and...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
Tommy Hodinh
Chairman & CEO MagRabbit, Inc.
On March 8th, 1965 I watched the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade land on the beach of DaNang, Vietnam. As a 14-year-old Vietnamese teenager, I had lived my entire life under the threat of war. With the arrival of 2000 U.S. Marines that day, I had my first taste of hope....
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
ADRIAN TISATO
DIRECTOR, WRP LEGAL & ADVISORY
Adrian Tisato is a commercial lawyer with expertise in public administration and innovation, and decades of leadership in the arts, music, and film. When car manufacturing closed in Adelaide, he dedicated himself to working with the private sector and the State Government to open up new economic opportunities through innovation....
INNOVATE™ Alberta
BRADLEY COWARD, CORPORATE ADVISOR & CO FOUNDER TRADEACE INC.
BRADLEY COWARD, CORPORATE ADVISOR & CO FOUNDER TRADEACE INC.
IT’S HUMAN NATURE TO RESIST CHANGEAccelerated change is the clarion cry of entrepreneurs and the Achilles heel of large organizations and industries. Many entrepreneurs today use the mantra: “Go big or go home,” and so it is with innovation. Innovation by its very nature needs to sit, enabled by technology,...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
BONISWA PEZISA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEDIOLOGY
Creativity, in the context of advertising and marketing, is and always has been a driving force for me. Being exposed to the power that brands can have on humanity and their collective behaviour has reinforced my ambition to always be a force-for-good, and leave a positive dent on the planet....
INNOVATE® South Florida
DR. KEVIN COX
PROFESSOR - FAU TECH RUNWAY®
Reflection on the Evolution of South Florida’s Innovation Ecosystem For more than a decade, it’s been my honor and privilege to be deeply immersed within the South Florida entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. As the Director of Florida Atlantic University’s Adams Center for Entrepreneurship, a member of Tech Runway’s Board, a...
Shane Needham
In marketing, the Engagement Economy is defined as the competition for the valuable attention and cognitive bandwidth of a target audience. It’s a very real and valuable asset that is becoming more complex and harder to attain with each passing year. But, this is not the Engagement Economy I’m talking...
Mitchell Kronenberg
PHD, President & Chief Scientific Officer
As a top-ranked research institute, innovation is at the heart of what we do. Naturally, I think a lot about how to create an environment where ideas flow freely and scientists can do their best work. For most of us, novel and useful ideas don’t just spontaneously spring to life,...
CRAIG CHASON
LEADER & PARTNER, PILLSBURY’S NORTHERN VIRGINIA CORPORATE GROUP
When people talk about innovation, they often focus on the breakthrough idea or the individual who disrupted an industry. While those moments capture headlines, I believe innovation truly begins with cultivating a dynamic business community – one that brings together curious minds who might not otherwise cross paths. You want...
ANK DE WILDE
FOUNDER & CEO, ABSOLEM
As founder and CEO, I lead an engineering company with my business partner Bruno Dejaeghere. Over the last 10 years I made it my ongoing mission to make this sustainable human-centric approach part of our organisation. I envision Absolem as a company that puts people and society first, without having...
JOE VOLPE
CO-FOUNDER, CESCAPHE
As the co-founder of Cescaphe, I never set out to disrupt the hospitality and events industry, I set out to create an experience I couldn’t find elsewhere. When we launched Cescaphe, the traditional wedding and event model was fragmented, making for an unpleasant client experience, when it should be a...
KELLY BROZYNA
CEO-STATE DIRECTOR, AMERICA’S SBDC NEW JERSEY
New Jersey is an amazing, dynamic, and engaging state with a beautiful tapestry of people, landscapes, and industries. Having lived in several states nationwide, I can truly attest to New Jersey’s brilliance in spirit and ingenuity. It is synonymous and a bit foretelling that NJ was the first state to...
LEAH MELBER
PH.D. PRESIDENT & CEO OF ADVENTURE SCIENCE CENTER
We all have a memory of visiting a science museum; a larger-than-life exhibition, dynamic program, or time with friends and family. Each person’s experience may be different, but they all have one commonality: connecting with a world larger than themselves. Science museums may be the only science learning the public...
KRIS NEYENS
MANAGER INTERNATIONALIZATION AT VIL FLANDERS INNOVATION CLUSTER FOR LOGISTICS
Global logistics is facing strong growth, even in uncertain times, and an ever-increasing demand for quality and speed of service, and to do so in a way that does not strain our overall quality of life. The focus here must be on sustainability. The aim is to make the best...
ALEX KROOGMAN
CEO | PRESSREADER GROUP OF COMPANIES
ALEX KROOGMAN CEO | PRESSREADER GROUP OF COMPANIES To this day, I look forward to each Monday when Spotify releases my new Discover Weekly playlist. Why, because it’s built entirely for me. It’s personalized with the music I know, plus lots of music I haven’t even heard of before but...
Lisa Marks-Canty
President & Managing Partner – Nest Global Solutions
Innovation is very important for any company to grow and be successful. However, in order to innovate, a company needs to be able to learn how to monetize its innovation. That means being able to exceed or meet goals by monetizing products, and that happens when companies recognize the needs...
MADELEINE JEAN
ACTING CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PROMPT
In the field of artificial intelligence, the world of academic research has excelled in Quebec. It has produced renowned researchers and thinkers in operational research and, more recently, in deep learning. Our researchers are amongst the most cited in these fields. Graduate students from all over the world aspire to...
KAY VAN-PETERSEN
THE BUILDER
In my pursuit to unravel the mysteries of what the future holds, I had the privilege of interviewing Kay Van-Petersen, an avant-garde thinker and a trailblazer in the realm of finance and technology. His insights, not just on where we are heading but on how we can shape our trajectory,...
Kate Black
Shareholder - Greenberg Traurig, P. A.
“Miami is Becoming A HealthTech Innovation Hub.” Kate Black, Shareholder – Greenberg Traurig, P. A. Miami has a singularly scrappy, entrepreneurial spirit, making it well situated to become a regional technology hub that plays a vital role in connecting the global economy – especially in healthcare, life sciences, and consumer...
Manik Arora
Arora Engineers, inc
Philadelphia is the birthplace of our country and home to an eclectic mix of historical and modern infrastructure. However, with its rapid development over the years, the number of users is quickly exceeding the original capacity of its built environment. In response to this roadblock, two of our major transportation...
MARIA LUISA FERRÉ RANGEL
CEO GRUPO FERRÉ RANGEL (GFR)
When you’re part of a family business with over 100 years of history, the questions often asked are: How do you stay relevant? What is the formula to successfully operate a business for that long? For us, the answer has always been about three things: resiliency, people, and leadership. Be...
THE HON. DR. SUSAN CLOSE
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE AND SPACE INDUSTRIES
South Australia is an innovative, collaborative and forward-thinking state with defence and space manufacturing at the heart of our emerging high-tech economy. Home to a critical mass of defence industry, cutting-edge research and education institutions as well as world-class infrastructure, precincts and advanced manufacturing capability, South Australia is firmly established...
PHILIP VON SEGEBADEN
HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS, NOVATRON FUSION GROUP.
Fusion energy—the process that powers the sun—has long been considered the holy grail of clean energy. Unlike traditional nuclear fission, fusion offers the promise of limitless, emission-free power without the hazardous waste. For decades, scientists have worked to make fusion commercially viable, and today, the world is closer than ever...
Neal Bloom
Founder - Fresh Brewed Tech
Neal Bloom Founder – Fresh Brewed Tech In San Diego many different industry clusters are contributing to and benefiting from force multiplying through collaboration. That is one of San Diego’s great strengths – collaboration. In a community that is commonly described as having a ‘give before you get’ mentality, we...
JENNY RINGSÖ
FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR, I AM YOUR SISTER (IAYS)
THE LIFESTYLE OF NOT GIVING UP Entrepreneurship isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle. A way of living built on persistence, humility, and the willingness to reinvent yourself again and again. When you decide to follow an idea, you don’t just commit to a vision. You commit to setbacks, uncertainty, and...
Tommy Hodinh
Chairman & CEO MagRabbit, Inc.
On March 8th, 1965 I watched the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade land on the beach of DaNang, Vietnam. As a 14-year-old Vietnamese teenager, I had lived my entire life under the threat of war. With the arrival of 2000 U.S. Marines that day, I had my first taste of hope....
ADRIAN TISATO
DIRECTOR, WRP LEGAL & ADVISORY
Adrian Tisato is a commercial lawyer with expertise in public administration and innovation, and decades of leadership in the arts, music, and film. When car manufacturing closed in Adelaide, he dedicated himself to working with the private sector and the State Government to open up new economic opportunities through innovation....
BRADLEY COWARD, CORPORATE ADVISOR & CO FOUNDER TRADEACE INC.
BRADLEY COWARD, CORPORATE ADVISOR & CO FOUNDER TRADEACE INC.
IT’S HUMAN NATURE TO RESIST CHANGEAccelerated change is the clarion cry of entrepreneurs and the Achilles heel of large organizations and industries. Many entrepreneurs today use the mantra: “Go big or go home,” and so it is with innovation. Innovation by its very nature needs to sit, enabled by technology,...
BONISWA PEZISA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEDIOLOGY
Creativity, in the context of advertising and marketing, is and always has been a driving force for me. Being exposed to the power that brands can have on humanity and their collective behaviour has reinforced my ambition to always be a force-for-good, and leave a positive dent on the planet....
DR. KEVIN COX
PROFESSOR - FAU TECH RUNWAY®
Reflection on the Evolution of South Florida’s Innovation Ecosystem For more than a decade, it’s been my honor and privilege to be deeply immersed within the South Florida entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. As the Director of Florida Atlantic University’s Adams Center for Entrepreneurship, a member of Tech Runway’s Board, a...