Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
JOHAN HARTMAN & MATTIAS RANTALAINEN
CO-FOUNDERS, STRATIPATH
That’s what we, a pathologist and an AI researcher, discovered when ourresearch groups joined forces at Karolinska Institutet. Despite our differentscientific perspectives, we shared a common goal: to take research beyond theacademic setting and into clinical reality—where it can truly help patients. We began by tackling a major clinical gap...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
ALEXANDER STOROZHUK
FOUNDER - PRNEWS.IO AND MEDIALISTER
Starting out in Ukraine in 2004, I saw an opportunity: smaller businesses needed a way to share their stories, yet few platforms catered to them. As a university student, I built a basic news distribution system, and over the years, that idea grew into PRNEWS.IO — a platform that today...
DR CAROLYN PORTER
CEO, CYTOSEEK
Carolyn Porter is CEO of CytoSeek a discovery stage biotech company spun out of Bristol University developing the next generation of cell therapies for treatment of cancer. Carolyn has spent the majority of her career in the biotech sector working in University spin-out biotech companies, in translation of University innovations...
INNOVATE® Miami
TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT Downtown Miami is experiencing one of the most dynamic urban reinventions in the world. Less than 10 years ago, Downtown was a 9-to-5 business district, but today businesses are launching and thriving, city streets are populated around-the-clock, parks and cultural venues now occupy land that sat vacant...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
TÕNU ESKO & MIHKEL TAMMO
VICE RECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT & HEAD OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The development of research-intensive entrepreneurship in Estonia requires much more than researchers’ good ideas. How can we overcome systemic challenges and find opportunities to transfer research-based solutions from universities into business? The worlds of research and entrepreneurship do not always align. Only around 10% of the population is said to...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
PROF. DR. STEVEN VAN PASSEL
VICE-RECTOR VALORISATION AND SUSTAINABILITY, UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP.
At the University of Antwerp, we are committed to being a dynamic, entrepreneurial and forward-thinking institution that actively helps shape the future. We conduct excellent, fundamental research, and are internationally recognised in several key domains. But I believe our responsibility goes beyond academic excellence. It is crucial that the knowledge...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
STEVE PINTO
CEO, NEW REALITY & CTRL ROBOTICS
Jobs are changing and evolving faster than anyone expected and humanity needs to embrace technology to accelerate for the better. People need more tools to upskill themselves out of poverty and away from the jobs robots will take. My vision is to create the tools to upskill humanity faster and...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
WOUTER BLEUKX
HYDROGEN ACTIVITIES, INEOS
Young people are concerned about the impact of climate change. I think it is our job to address their concerns about the future. This is the reason why I took the job in INEOS’ hydrogen activities. It’s important that we can tell our children that the industrial sector is leading...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
Michael Volker
CEO WUTIF CAPITAL, ANGEL INVESTOR, WEST VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
I’ve been doing angel investing since the early 1980s after I took my first venture, a computer terminals manufacturer in Waterloo, public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Since then, I’ve invested in well over 200 startup ventures. I often hear entrepreneurs complain about the lack of funding. One of...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia
Lance Bachmann
Thought Leader Of 1SEO
For a city with a wealth of history behind it, it continues to propel itself forward and arrive at the forefront of innovation. The transformation of both Philadelphia and digital marketing within the 21st century alone is exhilarating, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The ecosystem made up...
INNOVATE® Nashville
DJ KREAL
FOUNDER AT JAILCORE
Be Your Own Boss Growing up, my dad always told me to be an entrepreneur — to “be your own boss.” He believed in taking charge of your own destiny, and that message stuck. His belief carried me through Clemson University, where I majored in marketing and minored in entrepreneurship....
INNOVATION Manitoba
JEFF FRANZ-LIEN, FOUNDER, IDEA MINERS INNOVATION SOLUTIONS INC.
People assume that innovation is about brilliant ideas. The truth is ideas are abundant. What’s rare and hard is transforming an idea into something real that creates value for others. That realization led to the creation of Idea Miners. After an IT career spanning tech, development, management, and enterprise architecture,...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
JASON CASSIDY
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GAME CREDITS
Living inside of the cryptocurrency sector for eight years gives one a unique perspective on innovation. Things move so quickly with blockchain technology that innovation tends to happen right in front of our very eyes. I grew up in the Caribbean when I was younger and there was virtually no...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
DAN GAMBLE
FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL, DGPR
Something I’ve found to be increasingly true in the communications profession is that there’s a wealth of untapped potential sitting under the surface. It’s why we’re seeing more and more chief communications officers join the ranks of executives at big tech organizations — and why progressive CEOs are investing more...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
ABDULLAH SNOBAR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DMZ AND CEO OF DMZ VENTURES
Let’s be real: Toronto tech has been hitting it out of the park lately. The ecosystem has soared to new highs. Venture funding deals are crushing new records. The GTA is rich with leading innovation hubs. Merger and acquisition activity is revving up. We’re now rated as North America’s fastest-growing...
INNOVATE® Puerto Rico
ENG. LUCY A CRESPO
CEO, P. R. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & RESEARCH TRUST
Innovation is a driver of well-being and economic development. Innovation and scientific advances are essential to driving economic growth, new business creation, and improving the quality of life. At the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, we continually strengthen our innovation culture by being optimistic, passionate, and curious. During...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
JACQUES VANDERMEIREN /ANNICK DE RIDDER
CEO/ PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES
In a rapidly changing world, with long-term disruptive evolutions, innovation is a powerful response. The ambition of Port of Antwerp-Bruges is to be the world’s first port that reconciles economy, people and climate. We believe in innovation as a lever towards a sustainable future. That is why the focus on...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
ANDY CRESTODINA
ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS - CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
I’m going to start my answer with a few questions: Why would anyone pay attention to your brand?How do you demonstrate your expertise?How will you ever get your service pages to rank if you don’t have content worth linking to?Why would anyone give you an email address?How do you share...
INNOVATE® Detroit
BONNIE FAHOOME
CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DESIGN CORE DETROIT
Detroit has been an epicenter of innovation for well over a century, leading the world in mass manufacturing, music and industrial design. In 1920, for example, Detroit police officer William Potts was credited with inventing the four-way and three-colored traffic light, a standard still used today for regulating traffic flow...
INNOVATE® Nashville
LARRY RUBIN
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN THNKS
Five Things You Need to Create a Highly Successful StartupAn entrepreneur’s journey is never easy. It requires perseverance to make it through the tough times and vision and commitment to stay true to yourself when the unexpected happens. Failure should be an expectation, something that happens every day, from hiring...
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™ Adelaide
DAVID MALLETT
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, YANUN PROJECT SERVICES
My people have been innovating on South Australian Country for more than 60,000 years. As a proud Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia’s South-East, my ancestors developed smart solutions to support their day to-day survival within the harsh Australian environment. For example, we would salvage small intricate bird bones to make...
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 –...
JOHAN HARTMAN & MATTIAS RANTALAINEN
CO-FOUNDERS, STRATIPATH
That’s what we, a pathologist and an AI researcher, discovered when ourresearch groups joined forces at Karolinska Institutet. Despite our differentscientific perspectives, we shared a common goal: to take research beyond theacademic setting and into clinical reality—where it can truly help patients. We began by tackling a major clinical gap...
ALEXANDER STOROZHUK
FOUNDER - PRNEWS.IO AND MEDIALISTER
Starting out in Ukraine in 2004, I saw an opportunity: smaller businesses needed a way to share their stories, yet few platforms catered to them. As a university student, I built a basic news distribution system, and over the years, that idea grew into PRNEWS.IO — a platform that today...
DR CAROLYN PORTER
CEO, CYTOSEEK
Carolyn Porter is CEO of CytoSeek a discovery stage biotech company spun out of Bristol University developing the next generation of cell therapies for treatment of cancer. Carolyn has spent the majority of her career in the biotech sector working in University spin-out biotech companies, in translation of University innovations...
TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT Downtown Miami is experiencing one of the most dynamic urban reinventions in the world. Less than 10 years ago, Downtown was a 9-to-5 business district, but today businesses are launching and thriving, city streets are populated around-the-clock, parks and cultural venues now occupy land that sat vacant...
TÕNU ESKO & MIHKEL TAMMO
VICE RECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT & HEAD OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The development of research-intensive entrepreneurship in Estonia requires much more than researchers’ good ideas. How can we overcome systemic challenges and find opportunities to transfer research-based solutions from universities into business? The worlds of research and entrepreneurship do not always align. Only around 10% of the population is said to...
PROF. DR. STEVEN VAN PASSEL
VICE-RECTOR VALORISATION AND SUSTAINABILITY, UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP.
At the University of Antwerp, we are committed to being a dynamic, entrepreneurial and forward-thinking institution that actively helps shape the future. We conduct excellent, fundamental research, and are internationally recognised in several key domains. But I believe our responsibility goes beyond academic excellence. It is crucial that the knowledge...
STEVE PINTO
CEO, NEW REALITY & CTRL ROBOTICS
Jobs are changing and evolving faster than anyone expected and humanity needs to embrace technology to accelerate for the better. People need more tools to upskill themselves out of poverty and away from the jobs robots will take. My vision is to create the tools to upskill humanity faster and...
WOUTER BLEUKX
HYDROGEN ACTIVITIES, INEOS
Young people are concerned about the impact of climate change. I think it is our job to address their concerns about the future. This is the reason why I took the job in INEOS’ hydrogen activities. It’s important that we can tell our children that the industrial sector is leading...
Michael Volker
CEO WUTIF CAPITAL, ANGEL INVESTOR, WEST VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
I’ve been doing angel investing since the early 1980s after I took my first venture, a computer terminals manufacturer in Waterloo, public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Since then, I’ve invested in well over 200 startup ventures. I often hear entrepreneurs complain about the lack of funding. One of...
Lance Bachmann
Thought Leader Of 1SEO
For a city with a wealth of history behind it, it continues to propel itself forward and arrive at the forefront of innovation. The transformation of both Philadelphia and digital marketing within the 21st century alone is exhilarating, and it shows no signs of slowing down. The ecosystem made up...
DJ KREAL
FOUNDER AT JAILCORE
Be Your Own Boss Growing up, my dad always told me to be an entrepreneur — to “be your own boss.” He believed in taking charge of your own destiny, and that message stuck. His belief carried me through Clemson University, where I majored in marketing and minored in entrepreneurship....
JEFF FRANZ-LIEN, FOUNDER, IDEA MINERS INNOVATION SOLUTIONS INC.
People assume that innovation is about brilliant ideas. The truth is ideas are abundant. What’s rare and hard is transforming an idea into something real that creates value for others. That realization led to the creation of Idea Miners. After an IT career spanning tech, development, management, and enterprise architecture,...
JASON CASSIDY
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GAME CREDITS
Living inside of the cryptocurrency sector for eight years gives one a unique perspective on innovation. Things move so quickly with blockchain technology that innovation tends to happen right in front of our very eyes. I grew up in the Caribbean when I was younger and there was virtually no...
DAN GAMBLE
FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL, DGPR
Something I’ve found to be increasingly true in the communications profession is that there’s a wealth of untapped potential sitting under the surface. It’s why we’re seeing more and more chief communications officers join the ranks of executives at big tech organizations — and why progressive CEOs are investing more...
ABDULLAH SNOBAR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DMZ AND CEO OF DMZ VENTURES
Let’s be real: Toronto tech has been hitting it out of the park lately. The ecosystem has soared to new highs. Venture funding deals are crushing new records. The GTA is rich with leading innovation hubs. Merger and acquisition activity is revving up. We’re now rated as North America’s fastest-growing...
ENG. LUCY A CRESPO
CEO, P. R. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & RESEARCH TRUST
Innovation is a driver of well-being and economic development. Innovation and scientific advances are essential to driving economic growth, new business creation, and improving the quality of life. At the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, we continually strengthen our innovation culture by being optimistic, passionate, and curious. During...
JACQUES VANDERMEIREN /ANNICK DE RIDDER
CEO/ PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES
In a rapidly changing world, with long-term disruptive evolutions, innovation is a powerful response. The ambition of Port of Antwerp-Bruges is to be the world’s first port that reconciles economy, people and climate. We believe in innovation as a lever towards a sustainable future. That is why the focus on...
ANDY CRESTODINA
ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS - CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
I’m going to start my answer with a few questions: Why would anyone pay attention to your brand?How do you demonstrate your expertise?How will you ever get your service pages to rank if you don’t have content worth linking to?Why would anyone give you an email address?How do you share...
BONNIE FAHOOME
CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DESIGN CORE DETROIT
Detroit has been an epicenter of innovation for well over a century, leading the world in mass manufacturing, music and industrial design. In 1920, for example, Detroit police officer William Potts was credited with inventing the four-way and three-colored traffic light, a standard still used today for regulating traffic flow...
LARRY RUBIN
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN THNKS
Five Things You Need to Create a Highly Successful StartupAn entrepreneur’s journey is never easy. It requires perseverance to make it through the tough times and vision and commitment to stay true to yourself when the unexpected happens. Failure should be an expectation, something that happens every day, from hiring...
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...
DAVID MALLETT
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, YANUN PROJECT SERVICES
My people have been innovating on South Australian Country for more than 60,000 years. As a proud Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia’s South-East, my ancestors developed smart solutions to support their day to-day survival within the harsh Australian environment. For example, we would salvage small intricate bird bones to make...
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 –...