Thought Leaders
INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2
Whurley
Founder and CEO
It’s exciting to see the application of technology to address global challenges. But as we advance as a species, so do the complexities of the challenges we face. Quantum computers promise to be useful in advancing solutions to challenges in diverse fields such as energy, finance, healthcare and aerospace, among...
INNOVATE® San Diego Vol.1
John Osborne
Director Of External Affairs - AT&T
As an economist, telecommunications professional, and business leader, I have witnessed a tremendous amount of innovation in the telecommunications space in a very short period of time. We’re on the verge of having networks so intelligent that they can guide cars through city traffic without drivers, communicate one’s heart rate...
AI Québec
MME DESMARAIS
COPRSSIDENTE DU CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION
Dans les années à venir, l’industrie de l’intelligence artificielle connaîtra une croissance exponentielle au Canada, comparable à celle du multimédia dans les années 2010. Grâce à son immense bassin de talents et à des leviers qui soutiennent le développement de son écosystème, comme Scale AI, le Canada se distingue comme...
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...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
HUBBA KHATOON
REGIONAL INNOVATION DIRECTOR (PRAIRIES), CANADIAN FOOD INNOVATION NETWORK (CFIN)
True innovation isn’t just about expertise and knowledge — it’s about having an unwavering passion to make a difference. Over the past decade, I’ve been fortunate to witness remarkable enthusiasm and drive that Alberta’s entrepreneurs bring to the table. As the Regional Innovation Director for Prairies Canada at the Canadian...
INNOVATE™ Toronto
WELCOME TO INNOVATE TORONTO
MAYOR JOHN TORY
From within these pages you will be introduced to many of the visionaries and innovators who call our city home and are changing the world through work and research being done at some of our world renowned institutions such as MaRS Discovery District, the University of Toronto, and University Health...
INNOVATE® Blockchain
Mark Blumenthal
Synapse VIP Thought Leader
It is hard to believe that it’s been two years since the launch of Synapse. Every day since then has been a validation of our mission: to connect Florida’s innovation communities in a meaningful, purposeful way. As I’ve traveled the state I’ve seen first hand the passion and creativity that...
INNOVATE® Utah
Blake Modersitzki
Managing Partner - Pelion Venture Partners
Blake Modersitzki Managing Partner – Pelion Venture Partners Nobody is born an entrepreneur. Different people take different paths to achieving their definition of success. Just know: The entrepreneurial roller coaster of emotions is vast and deep. No Matter the Generation, the Lessons Ring True I’ve had a front-row seat to entrepreneurship...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
AMIR ELION
THINK BIG LEADERS - CEO, INNOVATION AND AI ADVISOR, SPEAKER
Many years ago, when I was facilitating internal innovation workshops at Motorola, word got out, and executives would ask me to run “The Innovation Workshop” for their teams. I told them that I don’t have an innovation workshop, and that they should tell me what they aiming to achieve, and...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
KALEV KALLEMETS
CEO, FERMI ENERGIA
THE COURAGE TO BUILD THE FUTURE When we started Fermi Energia in 2019, there were a handful of nuclear experts in Estonia, but not nearly enough for a nuclear power plant. There was no law to regulate nuclear energy. No political support. No clear understanding of which technology to choose,...
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® Seattle
LAURA RUDERMAN
CEO, TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE
One of the most pressing challenges is the need for an educated workforce, particularly amid a changing understanding of what that means. Over the last 20 years, creating that workforce centered on STEM fields and getting a bachelor’s degree. It is time to move beyond the “hard hats vs. high...
INNOVATE® Orlando
David Brim
Marketing Strategist, Entrepreneur, Investor & Founder - Orlando Entrepreneurs
David Brim is a marketing strategist, entrepreneur and investor living in Orlando, Florida. He is a founding partner of Orlando Opportunity Fund (OrlandoOpportunityFund.com), and the founder of Orlando Entrepreneurs (OrlandoEntrepreneurs.org), a network, podcast, and resource center created to connect, cultivate & celebrate Central Florida entrepreneurs. His primary professional focus areas...
INNOVATE™ South Africa
ADRIAN GORE
FOUNDER, DISCOVERY
One of these cognitive errors is a failure to recognise the impact that outliers have in our increasingly interconnected world. Take for instance, the decision to create the Vitality programme. It is one outlier decision that had, and continues to have, an enormous impact on our entire business. A few...
INNOVATE® Utah
Clint Betts
Executive Director - Silicon Slopes
Growing up, I spent countless hours throwing a baseball as hard as I could against the side of our family’s cinder block garage. If a better way of spending time existed, the world did a great job of keeping it secret. I thought “cinder block ball” was the official pastime...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
RENÉ LASSERON
CEO, FIENTA
I still remember the scrappy early days of Fienta. There was no office to unlock in the morning, there weren’t even salaries to draw. There were just two of us, an idea, and all the determination we could muster. Those lean beginnings taught me a lesson I still live by:...
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® Nashville
BRIAN MOYER
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF THE INNOVATION STUDIO
Since the dawn of time, change has proven to be the only constant. In the current digital age, the speed of change has reached a level never seen in the history of the world. One of my favorite quotes is, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives,...
INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports
PHIL RANTA
CEO, WORMHOLE LABS
ESPORTS ISN’T A SPORT, IT’S THE IDEA OF SPORTSSince the birth of video games, we’ve played to win. It began with high scores and simple 1v1 games, progressed through games with an objective of story completion and now, finally, an online free-for-all where a kid in Japan and an adult...
INNOVATE™ Stockholm
ROBERT FALCK
FOUNDER, EINRIDE
The road freight industry stands at a defining moment. Once constrained by the limits of diesel and incremental change, the $4.6 trillion global market is now poised for disruption at unprecedented scale. The catalyst is clear: artificial intelligence is rapidly redrawing the boundaries of what is possible in logistics, and...
INNOVATE® St. Louis
Dr. Benjamin Akande
Assistant Vice Chancellor, International Affairs-Africa; Associate Director, Gl
Innovation is best achieved when you align it with your competitive advantage—what you do that nobody else could do better. When you focus on your competitive advantage and open yourself to think creatively about trying to best yourself. If copying others is best practice, then besting yourself is next practice—creating...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
ALE BROWN
MBA, CIPP, CIPT, CIPM, PMP PRESIDENT AND PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
ALE BROWN MBA, CIPP, CIPT, CIPM, PMP PRESIDENT AND PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT Innovation to me means a lot of different things. It means courage, it means ability to adapt, it means embracing the unknown. It means a brighter and more promising future if you can see where theopportunities lie and just...
INNOVATE™ Estonia
TAAVI KOTKA
ESTONIA’S FIRST CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
Before stepping into government, Taavi had already made his mark in the tech sector. He co-founded and led the software company Webmedia (later Nortal), growing it into one of the region’s largest IT firms. His background as a developer and entrepreneur gave him a rare mix of technical skill and...
INNOVATION Quebec
MARIE CLAUDE LAGACÉ
DIRECTRICE PRINCIPALE, INNOVATION ET TRANSFORMATION SOCIALE
Plus jeune, j’adorais tous les jeux, du hockey bottine avec mon frère jusqu’au jeu d’échecs avec mon père. J’avais une certaine aversion pour l’ennuyant Monopoly, qui prenait invariablement fin lorsqu’une personne (habituellement ma sœur) provoquait la faillite des autres. Pas de tueur à démasquer, pas d’épique bataille navale, de dessins...
Whurley
Founder and CEO
It’s exciting to see the application of technology to address global challenges. But as we advance as a species, so do the complexities of the challenges we face. Quantum computers promise to be useful in advancing solutions to challenges in diverse fields such as energy, finance, healthcare and aerospace, among...
John Osborne
Director Of External Affairs - AT&T
As an economist, telecommunications professional, and business leader, I have witnessed a tremendous amount of innovation in the telecommunications space in a very short period of time. We’re on the verge of having networks so intelligent that they can guide cars through city traffic without drivers, communicate one’s heart rate...
MME DESMARAIS
COPRSSIDENTE DU CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION
Dans les années à venir, l’industrie de l’intelligence artificielle connaîtra une croissance exponentielle au Canada, comparable à celle du multimédia dans les années 2010. Grâce à son immense bassin de talents et à des leviers qui soutiennent le développement de son écosystème, comme Scale AI, le Canada se distingue comme...
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...
HUBBA KHATOON
REGIONAL INNOVATION DIRECTOR (PRAIRIES), CANADIAN FOOD INNOVATION NETWORK (CFIN)
True innovation isn’t just about expertise and knowledge — it’s about having an unwavering passion to make a difference. Over the past decade, I’ve been fortunate to witness remarkable enthusiasm and drive that Alberta’s entrepreneurs bring to the table. As the Regional Innovation Director for Prairies Canada at the Canadian...
WELCOME TO INNOVATE TORONTO
MAYOR JOHN TORY
From within these pages you will be introduced to many of the visionaries and innovators who call our city home and are changing the world through work and research being done at some of our world renowned institutions such as MaRS Discovery District, the University of Toronto, and University Health...
Mark Blumenthal
Synapse VIP Thought Leader
It is hard to believe that it’s been two years since the launch of Synapse. Every day since then has been a validation of our mission: to connect Florida’s innovation communities in a meaningful, purposeful way. As I’ve traveled the state I’ve seen first hand the passion and creativity that...
Blake Modersitzki
Managing Partner - Pelion Venture Partners
Blake Modersitzki Managing Partner – Pelion Venture Partners Nobody is born an entrepreneur. Different people take different paths to achieving their definition of success. Just know: The entrepreneurial roller coaster of emotions is vast and deep. No Matter the Generation, the Lessons Ring True I’ve had a front-row seat to entrepreneurship...
AMIR ELION
THINK BIG LEADERS - CEO, INNOVATION AND AI ADVISOR, SPEAKER
Many years ago, when I was facilitating internal innovation workshops at Motorola, word got out, and executives would ask me to run “The Innovation Workshop” for their teams. I told them that I don’t have an innovation workshop, and that they should tell me what they aiming to achieve, and...
KALEV KALLEMETS
CEO, FERMI ENERGIA
THE COURAGE TO BUILD THE FUTURE When we started Fermi Energia in 2019, there were a handful of nuclear experts in Estonia, but not nearly enough for a nuclear power plant. There was no law to regulate nuclear energy. No political support. No clear understanding of which technology to choose,...
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....
LAURA RUDERMAN
CEO, TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE
One of the most pressing challenges is the need for an educated workforce, particularly amid a changing understanding of what that means. Over the last 20 years, creating that workforce centered on STEM fields and getting a bachelor’s degree. It is time to move beyond the “hard hats vs. high...
David Brim
Marketing Strategist, Entrepreneur, Investor & Founder - Orlando Entrepreneurs
David Brim is a marketing strategist, entrepreneur and investor living in Orlando, Florida. He is a founding partner of Orlando Opportunity Fund (OrlandoOpportunityFund.com), and the founder of Orlando Entrepreneurs (OrlandoEntrepreneurs.org), a network, podcast, and resource center created to connect, cultivate & celebrate Central Florida entrepreneurs. His primary professional focus areas...
ADRIAN GORE
FOUNDER, DISCOVERY
One of these cognitive errors is a failure to recognise the impact that outliers have in our increasingly interconnected world. Take for instance, the decision to create the Vitality programme. It is one outlier decision that had, and continues to have, an enormous impact on our entire business. A few...
Clint Betts
Executive Director - Silicon Slopes
Growing up, I spent countless hours throwing a baseball as hard as I could against the side of our family’s cinder block garage. If a better way of spending time existed, the world did a great job of keeping it secret. I thought “cinder block ball” was the official pastime...
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...
BRIAN MOYER
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF THE INNOVATION STUDIO
Since the dawn of time, change has proven to be the only constant. In the current digital age, the speed of change has reached a level never seen in the history of the world. One of my favorite quotes is, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives,...
PHIL RANTA
CEO, WORMHOLE LABS
ESPORTS ISN’T A SPORT, IT’S THE IDEA OF SPORTSSince the birth of video games, we’ve played to win. It began with high scores and simple 1v1 games, progressed through games with an objective of story completion and now, finally, an online free-for-all where a kid in Japan and an adult...
ROBERT FALCK
FOUNDER, EINRIDE
The road freight industry stands at a defining moment. Once constrained by the limits of diesel and incremental change, the $4.6 trillion global market is now poised for disruption at unprecedented scale. The catalyst is clear: artificial intelligence is rapidly redrawing the boundaries of what is possible in logistics, and...
Dr. Benjamin Akande
Assistant Vice Chancellor, International Affairs-Africa; Associate Director, Gl
Innovation is best achieved when you align it with your competitive advantage—what you do that nobody else could do better. When you focus on your competitive advantage and open yourself to think creatively about trying to best yourself. If copying others is best practice, then besting yourself is next practice—creating...
ALE BROWN
MBA, CIPP, CIPT, CIPM, PMP PRESIDENT AND PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
ALE BROWN MBA, CIPP, CIPT, CIPM, PMP PRESIDENT AND PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT Innovation to me means a lot of different things. It means courage, it means ability to adapt, it means embracing the unknown. It means a brighter and more promising future if you can see where theopportunities lie and just...
TAAVI KOTKA
ESTONIA’S FIRST CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
Before stepping into government, Taavi had already made his mark in the tech sector. He co-founded and led the software company Webmedia (later Nortal), growing it into one of the region’s largest IT firms. His background as a developer and entrepreneur gave him a rare mix of technical skill and...
MARIE CLAUDE LAGACÉ
DIRECTRICE PRINCIPALE, INNOVATION ET TRANSFORMATION SOCIALE
Plus jeune, j’adorais tous les jeux, du hockey bottine avec mon frère jusqu’au jeu d’échecs avec mon père. J’avais une certaine aversion pour l’ennuyant Monopoly, qui prenait invariablement fin lorsqu’une personne (habituellement ma sœur) provoquait la faillite des autres. Pas de tueur à démasquer, pas d’épique bataille navale, de dessins...