Thought Leaders
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™ Bristol & Bath
Sado Jirde
Director at BSWN
The West of England’s economy is worth £33 billion a year. Bristol alone, as the economic and innovative hub of the region, is worth £13.6 billion, and it is forecast to remain one of the UK’s fastest-growing economies for years to come. However, research undertaken by the Centre on the...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
PIERRE LEMIRE
CEO, KENT IMAGING
Struggle and EmergeFor as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for building high-tech imaging products. This passion has been the driving force of my professional life, and while I’ve managed to parlay it into a long, varied and rewarding career, it hasn’t always been easy. My successes...
INNOVATION Quebec
PRÉFACE DE MURIELLE LABERGE
RECTRICE DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC EN OUTAOUAIS
L’innovation est intrinsèquement liée à la recherche constante d’amélioration. Elle requiert un esprit créatif et agile pour se concrétiser. C’est cet état d’esprit qui pousse les individus en quête de l’amélioration du bien-être et de la création d’un monde meilleur à se consacrer aux innovations sociales fondées sur des valeurs...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
LINDA MACLACHLAN
FOUNDER, CHAIRPERSON AND PAMELA DIAZ, CEO, PRESIDENT - ENTARA
“Resilience” is a common word heard among the cyber security and IT crowd. Solution providers boast of tools that your business can employ to stay ahead of the pack – because, after all, it’s not the entire herd that’s taken down by a lone predator, but the slowest member. At...
INNOVATE™ Ottawa
Why do we pursue innovation in health care? The population is aging, and patients are entering the health-care system with more complex health needs. As a leader in world-first health-care research and as a part of the Ottawa community, The Ottawa Hospital pursues health-care innovation to support healthier populations while...
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™ Alberta
PIERRE LEMIRE
KENT IMAGING, CEO
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for building high-tech imaging products. This passion has been the driving force of my professional life, and while I’ve managed to parlay it into a long, varied and rewarding career, it hasn’t always been easy. My successes have been...
Global Innovation Spotlight
CRISTÓBAL VIEDMA
CEO, LINGOKIDS
Esta ciudad, Madrid, lo supo bien durante la crisis del coronavirus, que no solo tuvo que parar con su ritmo ferviente tan característico, sino aprovechar la dificultad para reinventarse. En nuestro caso, como empresa afincada en Madrid, ¿qué hicimos para que en tan solo dos años, llegáramos a los hogares...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
WAYNE KARPOFF
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT, WILLOWGLEN SYSTEMS
In 1986, I left my position at the University of Alberta to enter the world of high-technology startups. Back then, there were no business support platforms that we enjoy today, such as Startup Edmonton or Platform Calgary. Canadians were cynical of the high-tech sector and assumed it was all in...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
CHRIS KERR
VICE PRESIDENT HOME AND DISTRIBUTION, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
A new era of residential energy management is emerging in Australia in response to rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Driven by ‘prosumers’, so named as they both produce and consume resources, including energy, this emerging market has the potential to reshape homes of the future and it has already...
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™ Montréal
Carl Baillargeon
Communications and Marketing Director - Technoparc Montréal
English: It’s a park. It’s techno. The Technoparc is relaxed and peaceful. The site is also green. Very green. With a huge proportion of green space and protected zones, located between areas of concrete omnipresence, the feel of nature is flagrant and fragrant. A perfect setting for companies and...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
BIG LEADERSHIP TEAM
BRISTOL INNOVATORS GROUP
In Spring 2019, two of our team – Charlie Widdows and Rob Sheffield – discussed how to create a network that would focus on innovation across Bristol. They had an intuitive sense that this was needed, but lacked the time and resource to turn the idea into reality. Then in...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
ROB NEWPORT
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, WEBURBAN
Over two and half decades ago, I remember first picking up a mouse and keyboard to play Quake on a University lab computer for over eight hours straight. Fast forward to today, and that 3dfx Voodoo graphics card has been replaced with racks of memory laden GPU cards chained to...
INNOVATE™ Flanders
ANNELEEN VANDER ELSTRAETEN
MANAGING PARTNER, FOUR & FIVE
WHY INNOVATORS NEED A NEW BREED OF LAW FIRM When I first started my legal career, founding my own law firm wasn’t even a consideration. I was content working at a top-tier firm, focusing on drafting contracts and managing legal transactions. But everything changed during a business trip to Silicon...
INNOVATE® Nashville
LARISSA MARSHALL
DIRECTOR OF PRACTICE INNOVATION AT POLSINELLI
Innovation in the legal industry can often feel counter-intuitive. After all, law is built on precedent, on looking backward to go forward. A cornerstone of the profession is to manage risk and reduce uncertainty, adding additional tension to innovation and experimentation. And yet, the legal industry finds itself amid some...
INNOVATE® San Diego Vol.1
Kevin L. Faulconer
Mayor - City Of San Diego
The region’s world-class universities, research institutions, and life sciences industry have a long history of groundbreaking discoveries that have saved lives across the globe, including several companies working around the clock right now in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.As Mayor, I have pushed to make the City of San...
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...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
STIJN COENEN
CEO, THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
“The sky is not the limit anymore.” Quite a bold statement, likely to provoke more than a few raised eyebrows or some smug laughter. It is, however, the proud motto and goal of the students that enroll annually in Thomas More’s ICE honours programme, tailored for those students who want...
INNOVATE® Gainesville
Chad Paris
CEO - Parisleaf
Chad Paris Ceo – Parisleaf I can vividly recall the moment I realized how special Gainesville is. I was in Mexico for my sister’s wedding and feeling homesick for a place I’d only called home for a short time. Beyond the confusion of feeling such a strong connection to a...
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™ Alberta
ANKUR D. MAHAJAN
CO-FOUNDER, PULP SHRED
My wife inscribed this quote on a plaque for me as a gift. The profundity, yet the simplicity, of the message hits home for me. It also puts into perspective my priorities in life. We all have our fears and blinders. Sometimes we may get swayed by things that are...
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
Jay Hallberg
CEO and Founder
There’s no greater transformative force in the world’s businesses than technology’s ability to connect people, increase competitiveness, and ultimately help organizations grow. But as the business technology market nears $4 trillion in annual spend, two significant challenges have emerged for both the businesses who buy technology and the vendors who...
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...
Sado Jirde
Director at BSWN
The West of England’s economy is worth £33 billion a year. Bristol alone, as the economic and innovative hub of the region, is worth £13.6 billion, and it is forecast to remain one of the UK’s fastest-growing economies for years to come. However, research undertaken by the Centre on the...
PIERRE LEMIRE
CEO, KENT IMAGING
Struggle and EmergeFor as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for building high-tech imaging products. This passion has been the driving force of my professional life, and while I’ve managed to parlay it into a long, varied and rewarding career, it hasn’t always been easy. My successes...
PRÉFACE DE MURIELLE LABERGE
RECTRICE DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC EN OUTAOUAIS
L’innovation est intrinsèquement liée à la recherche constante d’amélioration. Elle requiert un esprit créatif et agile pour se concrétiser. C’est cet état d’esprit qui pousse les individus en quête de l’amélioration du bien-être et de la création d’un monde meilleur à se consacrer aux innovations sociales fondées sur des valeurs...
LINDA MACLACHLAN
FOUNDER, CHAIRPERSON AND PAMELA DIAZ, CEO, PRESIDENT - ENTARA
“Resilience” is a common word heard among the cyber security and IT crowd. Solution providers boast of tools that your business can employ to stay ahead of the pack – because, after all, it’s not the entire herd that’s taken down by a lone predator, but the slowest member. At...
Why do we pursue innovation in health care? The population is aging, and patients are entering the health-care system with more complex health needs. As a leader in world-first health-care research and as a part of the Ottawa community, The Ottawa Hospital pursues health-care innovation to support healthier populations while...
PIERRE LEMIRE
KENT IMAGING, CEO
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for building high-tech imaging products. This passion has been the driving force of my professional life, and while I’ve managed to parlay it into a long, varied and rewarding career, it hasn’t always been easy. My successes have been...
CRISTÓBAL VIEDMA
CEO, LINGOKIDS
Esta ciudad, Madrid, lo supo bien durante la crisis del coronavirus, que no solo tuvo que parar con su ritmo ferviente tan característico, sino aprovechar la dificultad para reinventarse. En nuestro caso, como empresa afincada en Madrid, ¿qué hicimos para que en tan solo dos años, llegáramos a los hogares...
WAYNE KARPOFF
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT, WILLOWGLEN SYSTEMS
In 1986, I left my position at the University of Alberta to enter the world of high-technology startups. Back then, there were no business support platforms that we enjoy today, such as Startup Edmonton or Platform Calgary. Canadians were cynical of the high-tech sector and assumed it was all in...
CHRIS KERR
VICE PRESIDENT HOME AND DISTRIBUTION, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
A new era of residential energy management is emerging in Australia in response to rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Driven by ‘prosumers’, so named as they both produce and consume resources, including energy, this emerging market has the potential to reshape homes of the future and it has already...
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...
Carl Baillargeon
Communications and Marketing Director - Technoparc Montréal
English: It’s a park. It’s techno. The Technoparc is relaxed and peaceful. The site is also green. Very green. With a huge proportion of green space and protected zones, located between areas of concrete omnipresence, the feel of nature is flagrant and fragrant. A perfect setting for companies and...
BIG LEADERSHIP TEAM
BRISTOL INNOVATORS GROUP
In Spring 2019, two of our team – Charlie Widdows and Rob Sheffield – discussed how to create a network that would focus on innovation across Bristol. They had an intuitive sense that this was needed, but lacked the time and resource to turn the idea into reality. Then in...
ROB NEWPORT
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, WEBURBAN
Over two and half decades ago, I remember first picking up a mouse and keyboard to play Quake on a University lab computer for over eight hours straight. Fast forward to today, and that 3dfx Voodoo graphics card has been replaced with racks of memory laden GPU cards chained to...
ANNELEEN VANDER ELSTRAETEN
MANAGING PARTNER, FOUR & FIVE
WHY INNOVATORS NEED A NEW BREED OF LAW FIRM When I first started my legal career, founding my own law firm wasn’t even a consideration. I was content working at a top-tier firm, focusing on drafting contracts and managing legal transactions. But everything changed during a business trip to Silicon...
LARISSA MARSHALL
DIRECTOR OF PRACTICE INNOVATION AT POLSINELLI
Innovation in the legal industry can often feel counter-intuitive. After all, law is built on precedent, on looking backward to go forward. A cornerstone of the profession is to manage risk and reduce uncertainty, adding additional tension to innovation and experimentation. And yet, the legal industry finds itself amid some...
Kevin L. Faulconer
Mayor - City Of San Diego
The region’s world-class universities, research institutions, and life sciences industry have a long history of groundbreaking discoveries that have saved lives across the globe, including several companies working around the clock right now in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.As Mayor, I have pushed to make the City of San...
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...
STIJN COENEN
CEO, THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
“The sky is not the limit anymore.” Quite a bold statement, likely to provoke more than a few raised eyebrows or some smug laughter. It is, however, the proud motto and goal of the students that enroll annually in Thomas More’s ICE honours programme, tailored for those students who want...
Chad Paris
CEO - Parisleaf
Chad Paris Ceo – Parisleaf I can vividly recall the moment I realized how special Gainesville is. I was in Mexico for my sister’s wedding and feeling homesick for a place I’d only called home for a short time. Beyond the confusion of feeling such a strong connection to a...
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...
ANKUR D. MAHAJAN
CO-FOUNDER, PULP SHRED
My wife inscribed this quote on a plaque for me as a gift. The profundity, yet the simplicity, of the message hits home for me. It also puts into perspective my priorities in life. We all have our fears and blinders. Sometimes we may get swayed by things that are...
Jay Hallberg
CEO and Founder
There’s no greater transformative force in the world’s businesses than technology’s ability to connect people, increase competitiveness, and ultimately help organizations grow. But as the business technology market nears $4 trillion in annual spend, two significant challenges have emerged for both the businesses who buy technology and the vendors who...