Thought Leaders
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
KRISTINA NOELL
ANACOSTIA BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Progress isn’t just a metric; it’s a mindset. I envision a world where art is at the heart of innovation, powering inclusive economic growth and nurturing a vibrant, diverse, and connected society. My journey has been fueled by a lifelong commitment to learning—both through formal education and the invaluable experiences...
VOICES of the Future
DR. ABIR HADDAD
THE FUTURE OF LAW
Challenging the status quo requires a brave voice, one that resounds with a clarity and vision that slices through the din to shape the contours of tomorrow. My conversation with Dr. Abir Haddad, a luminary in the realm of legal transformation, unfurls a narrative rich with rebelliousness, innovation, and a...
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...
AI Québec
PROF. ANDREA LODI
EST PROFESSEUR TITULAIRE EN OPTIMISATION MATHÉMATIQUE À POLYTECHNIQUE MONTRÉAL
À mon arrivée à Montréal en 2015, j’ai trouvé au Québec un environnement des plus stimulants, où la collaboration entre les grands établissements universitaires est non seulement encouragée, mais aussi reconnue comme un moyen de parvenir à une carrière fructueuse. Cela a sans aucun doute été un facteur déterminant dans...
INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2
Chaya Pamula
President & Ceo - Pamten
I’ve always believed that, with anything you do in life, it’s important to find your passion. Once you find that passion and set short- and long-term goals, you can transform your dream into a reality. Today’s technology gives us the unique opportunity to find and follow our path in more...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
CLAIRE CAWTHORN
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, HELICONNFT
NFTS AND GAMING: THE PERFECT MATCH?Hello, I’m Claire Cawthorn, Chief Marketing Officer of HeliconNFT, a play-to-earn NFT ecosystem that gives gamers the power to monetize their in-game assets by tokenizing them into NFTs and allowing them to play with these NFTs in amazing blockchain games on our platform. Throughout my...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
PAULO ROSADO
FOUNDER AND CEO, OUTSYSTEMS
The uncertainties of the pandemic and decades-old roadblocks in the software development process have driven significant changes in the approaches I see today’s organizations taking when building the applications that fuel their business. These new approaches to development are gaining in popularity because while the pressure on IT to deliver...
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™ Stockholm
STINA WALLMARK
INVESTMENT DIRECTOR LIFE SCIENCES, VOIMA VENTURES
Early-stage life sciences and healthtech are not just about innovation – they are about belief. Belief that something complex, expensive and uncertain can one day change how we prevent, diagnose, or treat disease. In the earliest stages, focus is survival. Startups do not lose momentum because competitors move faster –...
INNOVATIONS in Pharmaceutical Development®
Paulo Teixeira
General Manager, Pfizer Portugal
We are living unique times as the result of an unprecedented global health crisis, not only at a corporate level, in which we redefined priorities and innovated the way we work, but in all aspects of our lives. Social distancing became part of our routine and, for the first time...
INNOVATE® Nashville
MATT FORBUSH
FOUNDER OF ZIGY
Zigy was born out of the simple yet often overlooked truth that a business’s success lives or dies at the frontline. While executives may set the strategy, it’s the employees at the counter, on the floor, or behind the wheel who determine whether customers return, sales grow, and brands thrive....
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
XIMENA VALLE
AIA LEED AP, FOUNDING PRINCIPAL, FIFTEEN ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
Two hundred and fifty years ago, Philadelphia became the birthplace of a radical idea: systems can be redesigned, and when they are, societies and economies flourish. As our City marks this milestone and stands as America’s first World Heritage City, we are again at an inflection point. Industries are navigating...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
ROGÉRIO COLAÇO
DEAN, INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO
At Instituto Superior Técnico we believe that although we cannot do more than the bigger ones, although we cannot do better than the best ones, we could be at least as big as the bigger ones and as best as the best ones. And we also believe that we can...
INNOVATIONS in Pharmaceutical Development®
Cristina Campos
Country President, Novartis Portugal & Head Integrated Access Programs & Markets Novartis Global Hea
Healthcare is a top priority of an aging society, this industry is key in the development of innovative treatments to address society’s needs and to foster better health, for longer and healthier lives. COVID-19 only made this clearer. With a global scale and deep understanding of healthcare needs, the pharma...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
SUNIL SHARMA
MANAGING DIRECTOR, TECHSTARS TORONTO
The modern entrepreneur is truly global and the desire to move across the world in pursuit of creating the next billion-dollar tech startup has never been more real. With the onset of remote work, global mobility has become more desirable. The onus is on countries to make themselves more attractive...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
PETER KRUSE
ENTREPRENEUR & INVESTOR
Most people know the statistics: most new businesses can’t pay a market salary and stay profitable within five years. Funding dries up. The idea wasn’t strong enough. There was no real product–market fit. On paper, the odds look discouraging. So why would anyone step into that arena? For me, the...
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...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
SEBASTIAN FUCHS
CEO, STARTUP PEOPLE
Stockholm’s startup scene – and ecosystems everywhere – love to celebrate the one percent: the global successes, the polished founders, the big exits. But that’s not the story that matters most. What really defines an ecosystem are the founders you don’t see. The ones grinding at kitchen tables. The ones...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
MATHAPELO MZIZI - DEMAND DIRECTOR (ERICSSON)
BOARD MEMBER (NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR) AND INCLUSIVE INNOVATION ADVOCATE
There’s an African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Another says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” And both, I believe, capture the very heartbeat of innovation. When I look at Sweden’s innovation scene, I...
INNOVATE® Seattle
AMY SALLIN
DIRECOTR, BUERK CENTERFOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Amy Sallin pairs her experience in Silicon Valley’s 80s startup scene with 20+ years in academia. Amy joined the Buerk Center in 2012 and transformed the signature Dempsey Startup Competition and Jones + Foster Accelerator on her way to becoming director in 2018. It starts with a promise. For 30...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
MARTIN MOKGWARE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BOTSWANA COMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY AUTHORITY
What does innovation mean to you?Innovation simply means new ways of doing things and bringing in new ideas or improving what already exists to solve challenges brought about by new ways of living. Overtime, the word Innovation is commonly associated with technology for the simple reason that modern life is...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
NINA ALBERT
DEPUTY MAYOR FOR PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
As Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, I have the privilege of witnessing firsthand the remarkable evolution of our city into a hub of innovation and opportunity. Innovation, to me, means leveraging our unique assets and positioning Washington, D.C., at the forefront of America’s economic future. As the nation’s...
AI Québec
ALAIN LAVOIE
CEO, LEXROCKAI AND COPRESIDENT, IROSOFT
Quebec has the reputation of being a major player in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). We may believe it, but exactly what will it be like? From a strictly objective point of view, the fact that Prof. Yoshua Bengio is one of the Top 3 most cited researchers worldwide...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
ANDREAS GRAPE
CO-FOUNDER & CEO, NORDIC ANGELS
In a world obsessed with optimization, algorithms, and appearances, I realized that authenticity was my sharpest edge. It didn’t get me the fastest wins, but the ones it brought were real. They stuck. They mattered. When I started showing up as my true self – flawed, honest, passionate – I...
KRISTINA NOELL
ANACOSTIA BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Progress isn’t just a metric; it’s a mindset. I envision a world where art is at the heart of innovation, powering inclusive economic growth and nurturing a vibrant, diverse, and connected society. My journey has been fueled by a lifelong commitment to learning—both through formal education and the invaluable experiences...
DR. ABIR HADDAD
THE FUTURE OF LAW
Challenging the status quo requires a brave voice, one that resounds with a clarity and vision that slices through the din to shape the contours of tomorrow. My conversation with Dr. Abir Haddad, a luminary in the realm of legal transformation, unfurls a narrative rich with rebelliousness, innovation, and a...
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...
PROF. ANDREA LODI
EST PROFESSEUR TITULAIRE EN OPTIMISATION MATHÉMATIQUE À POLYTECHNIQUE MONTRÉAL
À mon arrivée à Montréal en 2015, j’ai trouvé au Québec un environnement des plus stimulants, où la collaboration entre les grands établissements universitaires est non seulement encouragée, mais aussi reconnue comme un moyen de parvenir à une carrière fructueuse. Cela a sans aucun doute été un facteur déterminant dans...
Chaya Pamula
President & Ceo - Pamten
I’ve always believed that, with anything you do in life, it’s important to find your passion. Once you find that passion and set short- and long-term goals, you can transform your dream into a reality. Today’s technology gives us the unique opportunity to find and follow our path in more...
CLAIRE CAWTHORN
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, HELICONNFT
NFTS AND GAMING: THE PERFECT MATCH?Hello, I’m Claire Cawthorn, Chief Marketing Officer of HeliconNFT, a play-to-earn NFT ecosystem that gives gamers the power to monetize their in-game assets by tokenizing them into NFTs and allowing them to play with these NFTs in amazing blockchain games on our platform. Throughout my...
PAULO ROSADO
FOUNDER AND CEO, OUTSYSTEMS
The uncertainties of the pandemic and decades-old roadblocks in the software development process have driven significant changes in the approaches I see today’s organizations taking when building the applications that fuel their business. These new approaches to development are gaining in popularity because while the pressure on IT to deliver...
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...
STINA WALLMARK
INVESTMENT DIRECTOR LIFE SCIENCES, VOIMA VENTURES
Early-stage life sciences and healthtech are not just about innovation – they are about belief. Belief that something complex, expensive and uncertain can one day change how we prevent, diagnose, or treat disease. In the earliest stages, focus is survival. Startups do not lose momentum because competitors move faster –...
Paulo Teixeira
General Manager, Pfizer Portugal
We are living unique times as the result of an unprecedented global health crisis, not only at a corporate level, in which we redefined priorities and innovated the way we work, but in all aspects of our lives. Social distancing became part of our routine and, for the first time...
MATT FORBUSH
FOUNDER OF ZIGY
Zigy was born out of the simple yet often overlooked truth that a business’s success lives or dies at the frontline. While executives may set the strategy, it’s the employees at the counter, on the floor, or behind the wheel who determine whether customers return, sales grow, and brands thrive....
XIMENA VALLE
AIA LEED AP, FOUNDING PRINCIPAL, FIFTEEN ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
Two hundred and fifty years ago, Philadelphia became the birthplace of a radical idea: systems can be redesigned, and when they are, societies and economies flourish. As our City marks this milestone and stands as America’s first World Heritage City, we are again at an inflection point. Industries are navigating...
ROGÉRIO COLAÇO
DEAN, INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO
At Instituto Superior Técnico we believe that although we cannot do more than the bigger ones, although we cannot do better than the best ones, we could be at least as big as the bigger ones and as best as the best ones. And we also believe that we can...
Cristina Campos
Country President, Novartis Portugal & Head Integrated Access Programs & Markets Novartis Global Hea
Healthcare is a top priority of an aging society, this industry is key in the development of innovative treatments to address society’s needs and to foster better health, for longer and healthier lives. COVID-19 only made this clearer. With a global scale and deep understanding of healthcare needs, the pharma...
SUNIL SHARMA
MANAGING DIRECTOR, TECHSTARS TORONTO
The modern entrepreneur is truly global and the desire to move across the world in pursuit of creating the next billion-dollar tech startup has never been more real. With the onset of remote work, global mobility has become more desirable. The onus is on countries to make themselves more attractive...
PETER KRUSE
ENTREPRENEUR & INVESTOR
Most people know the statistics: most new businesses can’t pay a market salary and stay profitable within five years. Funding dries up. The idea wasn’t strong enough. There was no real product–market fit. On paper, the odds look discouraging. So why would anyone step into that arena? For me, the...
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...
SEBASTIAN FUCHS
CEO, STARTUP PEOPLE
Stockholm’s startup scene – and ecosystems everywhere – love to celebrate the one percent: the global successes, the polished founders, the big exits. But that’s not the story that matters most. What really defines an ecosystem are the founders you don’t see. The ones grinding at kitchen tables. The ones...
MATHAPELO MZIZI - DEMAND DIRECTOR (ERICSSON)
BOARD MEMBER (NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR) AND INCLUSIVE INNOVATION ADVOCATE
There’s an African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Another says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” And both, I believe, capture the very heartbeat of innovation. When I look at Sweden’s innovation scene, I...
AMY SALLIN
DIRECOTR, BUERK CENTERFOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Amy Sallin pairs her experience in Silicon Valley’s 80s startup scene with 20+ years in academia. Amy joined the Buerk Center in 2012 and transformed the signature Dempsey Startup Competition and Jones + Foster Accelerator on her way to becoming director in 2018. It starts with a promise. For 30...
MARTIN MOKGWARE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BOTSWANA COMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY AUTHORITY
What does innovation mean to you?Innovation simply means new ways of doing things and bringing in new ideas or improving what already exists to solve challenges brought about by new ways of living. Overtime, the word Innovation is commonly associated with technology for the simple reason that modern life is...
NINA ALBERT
DEPUTY MAYOR FOR PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
As Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, I have the privilege of witnessing firsthand the remarkable evolution of our city into a hub of innovation and opportunity. Innovation, to me, means leveraging our unique assets and positioning Washington, D.C., at the forefront of America’s economic future. As the nation’s...
ALAIN LAVOIE
CEO, LEXROCKAI AND COPRESIDENT, IROSOFT
Quebec has the reputation of being a major player in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). We may believe it, but exactly what will it be like? From a strictly objective point of view, the fact that Prof. Yoshua Bengio is one of the Top 3 most cited researchers worldwide...
ANDREAS GRAPE
CO-FOUNDER & CEO, NORDIC ANGELS
In a world obsessed with optimization, algorithms, and appearances, I realized that authenticity was my sharpest edge. It didn’t get me the fastest wins, but the ones it brought were real. They stuck. They mattered. When I started showing up as my true self – flawed, honest, passionate – I...