Thought Leaders

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...

I wrote my first lines of AI code at 13 on a home computer—little did I know I was joining the earliest wave of AI natives. By 17 I’d launched a startup building intelligent inventory systems so small retailers always knew what was on their shelves before their accountants did—a...

As we look to the skies, we’re witnessing a revolution in mobility that will transform our communities for the better. Drones are no longer just cool gadgets or military tools – they’re becoming powerful forces for good that can make our lives safer, easier, and more eco-friendly. At Airspace Link,...

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...

I am a physician and a scientist, and I study the human immune system. When I was a senior medical student training to be a physician, I worked for several months as a pediatrician in a rural hospital in East Africa. The work was challenging to me, because of the...

In my pursuit to unravel the mysteries of what the future holds, I had the privilege of interviewing Kay Van-Petersen, an avant-garde thinker and a trailblazer in the realm of finance and technology. His insights, not just on where we are heading but on how we can shape our trajectory,...

Le Québec est un terreau fertile pour l’entrepreneuriat deeptech, qui repose sur le savoir et la recherche de pointe, et ouvre de nouvelles perspectives dans plusieurs domaines de haute technologie. Ces entreprises repoussent les limites de l’innovation et créent des solutions novatrices ayant un impact profond sur notre société. Les...

I used to live out of my car. When things got worse, I slept on gas station bathroom floors, behind buildings, constantly watching my back. I made a series of bad decisions that caused a lot of pain, and left me with a criminal record (now pardoned). But it wasn’t...

KARM SUMAL CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF DAILY HIVE Being an entrepreneur can be extremely rewarding and extremely difficult — and that’s all before lunch.You never know what the day, week, or year can bring. Innovation is an integral part of staying relevant, so if you’re thinking of taking the entrepreneurial...

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...

In the world of business, the words “disrupt, innovate, and transform” have become the new normal. For companies looking to make their mark, digital transformation is now the pathway to create revenue and new value, increase profitability, and improve employee and customer retention. It can also help remove IT complexities,...

Just over a year ago, I started my journey in the esports industry as an intern. Fast forward to today, and I am the director of an esports/media company while also leading our newest endeavor – Aquatik Studios. Interestingly, Aquatik is my first job post-college. I made sure to take...

Welcome to Alberta. I am writing this note today from Calgary, or Mohkinstsis, a place where peoples have gathered for centuries to share and to learn, and I am honored to continue this tradition. Since 1986, Innovate Calgary has been the commercialization arm of the University of Calgary. In 2024,...

Philadelphia is a city that understands beginnings. As one of the oldest in the nation and the birthplace of independence, it is a place of ideas and possibilities. Just blocks from the Pennsylvania State House, where the founders gathered to imagine a new republic, another American institution was already taking...

The Future Starts Here An entrepreneurial endeavor of consequence is provocatively described as the pursuit of an opportunity beyond the resources you currently control combined with challenges you have yet to imagine. Ten years ago when the Notman Project was conceived, it had many such hallmarks from the discouraging skeptics...

Entrepreneurship and innovation are two sides of the same coin. They are the lifeblood of the modern business ecosystem. Entrepreneurs are the risk-takers who dare to disrupt, and innovation is their weapon of choice. Together, they form a potent mix that drives economies forward, reshapes industries, and even improves lives....

In early 2016, Instructure launched its Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) Council to “make Instructure an awesome place to work for everyone.” Those were our words for the mission of the Council at the time, and building a workplace where people can thrive and develop in their careers remains a...

Logistics is facing important sustainability and capacity problems. The changing buying behaviour of the consumer, predominantly accelerated by the steep growth of e-commerce, is leading to increasingly smaller, but more frequent and ever faster deliveries. This fragmentation of deliveries is heavily boosting the need for transport capacity, while the shorter...

As the co-founder of Cescaphe, I never set out to disrupt the hospitality and events industry, I set out to create an experience I couldn’t find elsewhere. When we launched Cescaphe, the traditional wedding and event model was fragmented, making for an unpleasant client experience, when it should be a...

This recognition of Quebec’s distinctive character in various fields is the outcome of a committed effort involving university research and innovation. Universities have spearheaded innovation through their large-scale research structures. Innovation is a process, an approach and a result that provides a new and different character to our ways of...

From South Carolina’s thriving aerospace and automotive hubs to its vibrant academic institutions, I see the ingredients of South Carolina’s transformative growth. We are establishing ourselves as leaders in composites,robotics, manufacturing, batteries, electric power, and autonomous systems. To realize this potential, we must prepare our workforce for a future as...

IT’S HUMAN NATURE TO RESIST CHANGEAccelerated change is the clarion cry of entrepreneurs and the Achilles heel of large organizations and industries. Many entrepreneurs today use the mantra: “Go big or go home,” and so it is with innovation. Innovation by its very nature needs to sit, enabled by technology,...

Dr. Mike Sinel is a luminary in medicine and health innovation, and his vision of the future embraces the spirit of togetherness and scientific exploration. Our conversation looks at the realities of medicine and longevity. A seasoned physician, a dedicated professor, a keen biohacker, and a dynamic entrepreneur — these...

Gaming to this point has been a profoundly positive experience that has helped shape my life and who I am today. Providing me community, challenges, identity, entertainment and more, I can safely say I would not be the person I am today without gaming and its continued evolution. Currently, I...