Thought Leaders
INNOVATE™ Bengaluru
Revathy Ashok
Angel Investor, Adviser & Co-founder of Strategy Garage
With an increasing number of startups looking to scale up, we spoke to angel investor and advisor Revathy Ashok about what investors look for. Ashok is one of the early members of the Indian Angel Network and co-founder of Strategy Garage, a boutique advisory for startups & SMEs, and says...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
Ann Molin
Hack for Earth - Founder & CEO
What if the next big breakthrough didn’t come from a boardroom or a lab, but from a team of global citizens with bold ideas? This is the essence of citizen-driven innovation—the foundation of the Hack for Earth movement that taps into the collective creativity of people from all around the...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
DAVID RYAN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SA WATER
At its heart, innovation is a simple concept: to bring to life new ideas that deliver value and benefits. We all live in the realm of ideas, and from small ideas can come big changes. In my experience, people working on the frontline play a leading role in generating ideas...
INNOVATION Quebec
JESSE VINCENT HERSCOVICI
PDG, AXELYS
No matter how big or small, they face strong competition in an unstable environment. In this context, the development of an IP strategy is essential to establish a path to the market. Although IP is a current topic in the business world, it is still too often misunderstood. According to...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
DUARTE AIRES
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, VECTOR MAIS
When we chose Oeiras to settle in 16 years ago, we aimed to keep up with the innovation and development that this municipality witnessed since the turn of the millennium with the creation of office parks until then never seen in Portugal. Besides offering the perfect conditions for Portuguese and...
INNOVATE® Seattle
MARIA COLACURCIO,
CEO, SYNDIO
Winning in the Transparency Era Workplace equity has taken on new urgency in today’s era of public salary ranges, pay gap reporting laws, voluntary disclosures by leading global companies, and investor scorecards. Every measure of how you value your people is now on display. This includes pay, performance, promotions, and...
INNOVATE® Tampa Bay Vol.3
Terri Willingham
Executive Director of the Foundation for Community Driven Innovation
I think the word “innovation” is overused. Not that I don’t appreciate or value interesting ideas, but I think many things touted as innovative today are simply refurbished old ideas or mid-to-late 20th century concepts clothed in the early21st century parlance of so-called influencers. I think we need to be...
INNOVATION Quebec
PIERRE FITZGIBBON
MINISTER OF ECONOMY, INNOVATION AND ENERGY, MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,AND MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE METROPOLIS AND THE MONTRÉAL REGION
By launching the 2022-2027 Québec Research and Innovation Investment Strategy (QRIIS2) and creating the role of chief innovator, our government has committed to putting innovation front and centre in Québec’s economic development in the coming years. More than ever, we want to support all those who have the desire to...
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® St. Louis
Emily Lohse Busch
Executive Director – Arch Grants
ST. LOUIS : A PLACE FOR SOLUTIONISTS. St. Louis is a community with deep civic pride. We’re aware of our challenges, but more importantly, we’re aware of our potential. As a person who has spent most of my career in the social sector, I am acutely aware of the role...
VOICES of the Future
CARA DE LANGE
THE FUTURE IS SOFTER
In the evolving corporate world, Cara de Lange stands out as a change-maker, TEDx speaker, author of ‘Softer Success,’ host of the Work Reset Revolution podcast, and a burnout researcher, advocating a shift from traditional corporate success to prioritizing employee well being. As the founder of Softer Success, Cara developed...
VOICES of the Future
FADI GHANDOUR
THE POWER VISION
In the grand tapestry of influential leaders who have shaped our world, few threads are as vibrant and enduring as the story of Fadi Ghandour. As I sit down with Fadi for our conversation, I’m reminded of his monumental contributions to entrepreneurship and social empowerment. His journey encapsulates the spirit...
INNOVATE® Miami
Felecia Hatcher
Pearson, Co-Founder, Tribe Co-Work & Urban Innovation Lab + Blacktech Week; Founder, Code Fever
The huge influences of the Caribbean, of South America, and Central America that we have here in Miami makes the entrepreneurial ecosystem unique across the States and arguably across the globe. So many people start a business out of necessity, which forces them to be really creative with limited resources—again,...
INNOVATE™ Bristol & Bath
NatWest
Olly Reid, Scale Acceleration Manager
THE INNOVATION MYTH – WHY OLD HABITS ARE STIFLING INNOVATION IN A NEW WORLD BY OLLY REID As John Holt once said, ‘’since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to...
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® Philadelphia: 250 Years of Innovation
PAUL LIEBERMAN, PH.D.
FOUNDING DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS, THE WISTAR INSTITUTE
“The goal of Wistar’s Center for Advanced Therapeutics is to identify and support academic champions—scientists conducting foundational research—and surround them with the expertise needed to advance their discoveries toward clinical impact,” said Paul Lieberman, Ph.D., founding director of the Center for Advanced Therapeutics (CAT) at The Wistar Institute. “Ultimately, the...
INNOVATE® Philadelphia: 250 Years of Innovation
NIGEL C. THIJS, SES
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AT NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER, PHILADELPHIA DIVISION
When I think about the future of innovation, I do not think about a single invention or a single breakthrough. I think about speed, collaboration, and adaptability. Innovation will belong to organizations that can learn quickly, test ideas early, and deliver real results without losing focus on mission impact. Philadelphia...
INNOVATE® Gainesville
Collin Austin
Founder - New Scooters 4 Less
Collin Austin Founder – New Scooters 4 Less Collin Austin founded New Scooters 4 Less at the age of 21, which has gone on to become one of the top scooter dealerships in the country. In the last two years he’s also founded Repaint The Wall, a digital media “un-agency,”...
AI Québec
YOSHUA BENGIO
FULL PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITÉ
My first passion will always remain understanding intelligence. This includes the artificial intelligences we are currently developing, but the natural ones as well. In recent years, my thinking about artificial and human intelligence has hinged on AI for social good. How can we ensure that what we do will benefit...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
BRIAN HARSTINE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ACQUIRE
Nearly every socio-economic sector is asking more questions, new questions, and challenging the way they have been doing just about everything, all the way down to their own personal finances and investment decisions. I came across an observation recently; when mass groups of people increase their awareness and knowledge of...
INNOVATE® Detroit
LAURA L. CHAVEZ-WAZEERUD-DIN
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTHWEST DETROIT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Innovation isn’t just about technology or groundbreaking inventions; it’s about fostering environments where communities thrive, cultures converge, and everyone has a seat at the table. As President and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA), I have the privilege of leading an organization that has been a cornerstone of...
INNOVATION Quebec
SOPHIE D’AMOURS
RECTRICE, UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL
The word innovation is used in many ways. However, it is clearly defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as « the use of new ideas and methods ». Beyond the idea, a new solution must be used, commercialized, purchased or deployed to be innovative. In a world where knowledge evolves at...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
JAANUS TAMM
CEO AND FOUNDER DEFSECINTEL SOLUTIONS, COUNCIL MEMBER OF THE ESTONIAN DEFENCE AND AEROSPACE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, COUNCIL MEMBER OF DEFENCE ESTONIA CLUSTER
When people ask me why I do what I do, my answer is simple: I build solutions that help our clients and partners win, protect, and increase security. My journey as an entrepreneur has always been shaped by real-world conflicts and the urgent need to innovate faster than the threats...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
RICHARD BUTLER
FOUNDER, RAGE WORKS
There is truly no one size fits all approach when it comes to podcasting and running a business, especially in New York City. However, this flexibility has allowed me to remain passionate about podcasting and do what I can to help the space grow and thrive, either by adding my...
Revathy Ashok
Angel Investor, Adviser & Co-founder of Strategy Garage
With an increasing number of startups looking to scale up, we spoke to angel investor and advisor Revathy Ashok about what investors look for. Ashok is one of the early members of the Indian Angel Network and co-founder of Strategy Garage, a boutique advisory for startups & SMEs, and says...
Ann Molin
Hack for Earth - Founder & CEO
What if the next big breakthrough didn’t come from a boardroom or a lab, but from a team of global citizens with bold ideas? This is the essence of citizen-driven innovation—the foundation of the Hack for Earth movement that taps into the collective creativity of people from all around the...
DAVID RYAN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SA WATER
At its heart, innovation is a simple concept: to bring to life new ideas that deliver value and benefits. We all live in the realm of ideas, and from small ideas can come big changes. In my experience, people working on the frontline play a leading role in generating ideas...
JESSE VINCENT HERSCOVICI
PDG, AXELYS
No matter how big or small, they face strong competition in an unstable environment. In this context, the development of an IP strategy is essential to establish a path to the market. Although IP is a current topic in the business world, it is still too often misunderstood. According to...
DUARTE AIRES
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, VECTOR MAIS
When we chose Oeiras to settle in 16 years ago, we aimed to keep up with the innovation and development that this municipality witnessed since the turn of the millennium with the creation of office parks until then never seen in Portugal. Besides offering the perfect conditions for Portuguese and...
MARIA COLACURCIO,
CEO, SYNDIO
Winning in the Transparency Era Workplace equity has taken on new urgency in today’s era of public salary ranges, pay gap reporting laws, voluntary disclosures by leading global companies, and investor scorecards. Every measure of how you value your people is now on display. This includes pay, performance, promotions, and...
Terri Willingham
Executive Director of the Foundation for Community Driven Innovation
I think the word “innovation” is overused. Not that I don’t appreciate or value interesting ideas, but I think many things touted as innovative today are simply refurbished old ideas or mid-to-late 20th century concepts clothed in the early21st century parlance of so-called influencers. I think we need to be...
PIERRE FITZGIBBON
MINISTER OF ECONOMY, INNOVATION AND ENERGY, MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,AND MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE METROPOLIS AND THE MONTRÉAL REGION
By launching the 2022-2027 Québec Research and Innovation Investment Strategy (QRIIS2) and creating the role of chief innovator, our government has committed to putting innovation front and centre in Québec’s economic development in the coming years. More than ever, we want to support all those who have the desire to...
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...
Emily Lohse Busch
Executive Director – Arch Grants
ST. LOUIS : A PLACE FOR SOLUTIONISTS. St. Louis is a community with deep civic pride. We’re aware of our challenges, but more importantly, we’re aware of our potential. As a person who has spent most of my career in the social sector, I am acutely aware of the role...
CARA DE LANGE
THE FUTURE IS SOFTER
In the evolving corporate world, Cara de Lange stands out as a change-maker, TEDx speaker, author of ‘Softer Success,’ host of the Work Reset Revolution podcast, and a burnout researcher, advocating a shift from traditional corporate success to prioritizing employee well being. As the founder of Softer Success, Cara developed...
FADI GHANDOUR
THE POWER VISION
In the grand tapestry of influential leaders who have shaped our world, few threads are as vibrant and enduring as the story of Fadi Ghandour. As I sit down with Fadi for our conversation, I’m reminded of his monumental contributions to entrepreneurship and social empowerment. His journey encapsulates the spirit...
Felecia Hatcher
Pearson, Co-Founder, Tribe Co-Work & Urban Innovation Lab + Blacktech Week; Founder, Code Fever
The huge influences of the Caribbean, of South America, and Central America that we have here in Miami makes the entrepreneurial ecosystem unique across the States and arguably across the globe. So many people start a business out of necessity, which forces them to be really creative with limited resources—again,...
NatWest
Olly Reid, Scale Acceleration Manager
THE INNOVATION MYTH – WHY OLD HABITS ARE STIFLING INNOVATION IN A NEW WORLD BY OLLY REID As John Holt once said, ‘’since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to...
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...
PAUL LIEBERMAN, PH.D.
FOUNDING DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS, THE WISTAR INSTITUTE
“The goal of Wistar’s Center for Advanced Therapeutics is to identify and support academic champions—scientists conducting foundational research—and surround them with the expertise needed to advance their discoveries toward clinical impact,” said Paul Lieberman, Ph.D., founding director of the Center for Advanced Therapeutics (CAT) at The Wistar Institute. “Ultimately, the...
NIGEL C. THIJS, SES
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AT NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER, PHILADELPHIA DIVISION
When I think about the future of innovation, I do not think about a single invention or a single breakthrough. I think about speed, collaboration, and adaptability. Innovation will belong to organizations that can learn quickly, test ideas early, and deliver real results without losing focus on mission impact. Philadelphia...
Collin Austin
Founder - New Scooters 4 Less
Collin Austin Founder – New Scooters 4 Less Collin Austin founded New Scooters 4 Less at the age of 21, which has gone on to become one of the top scooter dealerships in the country. In the last two years he’s also founded Repaint The Wall, a digital media “un-agency,”...
YOSHUA BENGIO
FULL PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITÉ
My first passion will always remain understanding intelligence. This includes the artificial intelligences we are currently developing, but the natural ones as well. In recent years, my thinking about artificial and human intelligence has hinged on AI for social good. How can we ensure that what we do will benefit...
BRIAN HARSTINE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ACQUIRE
Nearly every socio-economic sector is asking more questions, new questions, and challenging the way they have been doing just about everything, all the way down to their own personal finances and investment decisions. I came across an observation recently; when mass groups of people increase their awareness and knowledge of...
LAURA L. CHAVEZ-WAZEERUD-DIN
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTHWEST DETROIT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Innovation isn’t just about technology or groundbreaking inventions; it’s about fostering environments where communities thrive, cultures converge, and everyone has a seat at the table. As President and CEO of the Southwest Detroit Business Association (SDBA), I have the privilege of leading an organization that has been a cornerstone of...
SOPHIE D’AMOURS
RECTRICE, UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL
The word innovation is used in many ways. However, it is clearly defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as « the use of new ideas and methods ». Beyond the idea, a new solution must be used, commercialized, purchased or deployed to be innovative. In a world where knowledge evolves at...
JAANUS TAMM
CEO AND FOUNDER DEFSECINTEL SOLUTIONS, COUNCIL MEMBER OF THE ESTONIAN DEFENCE AND AEROSPACE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, COUNCIL MEMBER OF DEFENCE ESTONIA CLUSTER
When people ask me why I do what I do, my answer is simple: I build solutions that help our clients and partners win, protect, and increase security. My journey as an entrepreneur has always been shaped by real-world conflicts and the urgent need to innovate faster than the threats...
RICHARD BUTLER
FOUNDER, RAGE WORKS
There is truly no one size fits all approach when it comes to podcasting and running a business, especially in New York City. However, this flexibility has allowed me to remain passionate about podcasting and do what I can to help the space grow and thrive, either by adding my...