Stories of Innovation
INNOVATE™ Alberta
CDL ROCKIES
ACCELERATES THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF EARLY-STAGE VENTURES
There is an economic transformation underway in Alberta and Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies (“CDL-Rockies”) is playing an important role in that transformation. CDL-Rockies is focused on accelerating the commercial potential of the next generation of promising science- and technology-based ventures across a variety of sectors, including energy and agriculture....
Global Innovation Spotlight
The Vision Behind Soft2Bet:
How Uri Poliavich Built More Than a Platform
Not every founder is a product person. Fewer still are patient. But Uri Poliavich built Soft2Bet by being both. From the start, he wasn’t chasing headlines or hype—he was building an engine for growth. Not the flashy kind. The kind that lasts. He understood something early on that many in...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
AUGUST BROWN
TRANSFORMING INNOVATION INTO MARKET SUCCESS
INSIGHT. INNOVATE. IMPROVE. August Brown has established itself as a trailblazer in Milwaukee’s innovation ecosystem, bridging the often-daunting gap between research and market execution. Founded by Dr. Gordon Nameni and Erik Vickstrom, this boutique agency has become synonymous with strategic excellence and groundbreaking impact. “It all really started in 2018,”...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
BOCRA
PROMOTES ACCESS AND USAGE OF COMMUNICATION SERVICES FOR INNOVATION AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
BRIEF BACKGROUND Botswana’s rags to riches economic success story is often compared to that of countries such as United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore. A former British protectorate, Botswana was poor by all standards when it got its independence. By the early to mid 80s, the country’s mineral resource was...
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
David Sobey Retailing Centre
Shaping the Future of Retail
“In the past decade, retailers have been forced to innovate, and in some cases transform themselves in response to several external factors. Changing consumer behaviour and employee expectations, the advent of AI, and the need to meet sustainability targets are just some of the factors driving big changes in the...
INNOVATE® Miami
Caribu
Reading And Drawing Through Video-Call
ELEVATOR PITCH Caribu helps children age 0-7 to read and draw with their parents and grandparents through a video-call when they’re not in the same location. Caribu is a game-changer for the hundreds of millions of global families that are separated by distance and need to make memories together with...
INNOVATE® Detroit
InvestNext
Fostering Growth and Potential
InvestNext is on a mission to transform how investment firms raise and manage real estate investment capital. Founded in 2016 by Michael Gisi, Kevin Heras, and Matthew Attou, this Detroit startup was conceived to revolutionize how the industry operates. What they’ve created democratizes real estate investing and empowers investors to...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
ROOMII
ROOMII’S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO ASPIRATIONAL FURNITURE FOR EVERY ROOM IN YOUR HOME
Roomii is an online marketplace that lets you lease out your furniture to people who don’t want to own it. Our platform lets you earn a return on your furniture investment while helping people furnish their space short-term with quality pre-owned furniture. Roomii’s story began in the spring of 2020....
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
SUPERNOVA
SUPERNOVA AT DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY: EMPOWERING ATLANTIC CANADA’S YOUTH THROUGH STEM EDUCATION
SuperNOVA: Empowering Youth Through STEM Education Across Atlantic Canada SuperNOVA, a non-profit organization based at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a network member of Actua, has gained widespread recognition for providing high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programming across Atlantic Canada. Founded in 1996, SuperNOVA provides hands-on...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
DE SATELLIET OF DE MAANWANDELAARS IN BOECHOUT
WHERE DIVIDING UNITES
De Maanwandelaars are well known for offering housing solutions and meaningful daytime activities for adults with medium or severe mental disabilities. With five locations in the southern outskirts of Antwerp, they consciously opt for warm small scale and flexibility. This forms a favorable framework for offering people maximum participation in...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
CURITIBA ANGELS
PROUDLY STANDS AS THE FOREMOST ANGEL INVESTMENT GROUP IN THE STATE OF PARANÁ
CURITIBA ANGELS PROUDLY STANDS AS THE FOREMOST ANGEL INVESTMENT GROUP IN THE STATE OF PARANÁ, DISTINGUISHED BY ITS EXPANSIVE NETWORK COMPRISING OVER 90 ACTIVE ANGEL INVESTORS AND AN IMPRESSIVE PORTFOLIO OF 17 INVESTEES. Our group is composed of esteemed professionals, including renowned tech entrepreneurs and high-ranking enterprise executives. Our commitment...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
LOGICALIS
We Are Architects Of Change
At Logicalis Portugal we help our clients transform their business through IT, and their success is our success. We operate as an IT Solution Provider since the year 2000 mainly in the Portuguese market, and we’re now part of a leading global technology group, Logicalis. Logicalis is an international solutions...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
ECOMsquare
COWORKING SPACE AND COMMUNITY FOR ECOMMERCE IN VANCOUVER
A community project since day one.You might think of ECOMsquare as a place. To its founder, Steve Krueger, the distinctive blue building on West 8th Ave represents the latest evolution of a community he’s been building since June 12, 2014. Krueger hosted an Ecommerce Town Hall to connect with professionals...
INNOVATION Quebec
ÉCOFAUNE BORÉALE
CCTT EN INNOVATION ÉCORESPONSABLE DU SECTEUR CUIR, FOURRURE ET PRODUITS DÉRIVÉS
La mission du centre collégial de transfert technologique du Cégep de St-Félicien, Écofaune boréale, comprend principalement de la recherche appliquée combinant le développement technologique, l’aide technique, le transfert de connaissances, la diffusion d’information scientifique ainsi que l’acquisition de pratiques sociales novatrices permettant aux acteurs socio-économiques de la fourrure et du...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
CROWN MONEY
BEST IN CLASS IN MORTGAGE BROKING & MONEY MANAGEMENT
OUR STORYCrown Money was founded with one simple objective – to help hardworking Australian families realise their home ownership dreams and pay off their home loans in the shortest time possible. Crown Money was established in 2004 by brothers Scott and Craig Parry who grew up with a father in...
INNOVATION Quebec
DISTRIQ
ZONE D’INNOVATION QUANTIQUE
DistriQ, zone d’innovation quantique est un organisme catalyseur d’expertises et d’infrastructures favorisant l’émergence et l’accélération d’innovation dans le secteur des sciences et des technologies quantiques. Les technologies quantiques ont le potentiel de révolutionner plusieurs secteurs, entre autres les domaines de l’environnement, la mobilité, la santé et l’énergie renouvelable. C’est-à-dire que...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
COHESION
We Are Transforming Commercial Real Estate With Smart Building Technology That Enhances The Workplace Experience, Streamlines Operations And Optimizes Revenue In One Single Digital Platform
INNOVATE® Seattle
READ
BUILDING THE FUTURE OF WORKWITH CONNECTED INTELLIGENCE
BUILDING THE FUTURE OF WORKWITH CONNECTED INTELLIGENCE. Founded in 2021 by David Shim, Robert Williams, and Elliott Waldron, Read AI brings together your meetings, emails, and messages and transforms them into collaborative partners, so that they talk to each other, share information, offer updates, find answers, and organize tasks through...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
Catch Talent
We focus on understanding the career needs of individuals in the workforce.
Real Relationships Matter Catch Talent is a high-touch recruiting agency that delivers end-to-end talent acquisition solutions to growing technology, financial services, healthcare, digital & creative, professional services, and government contracting companies. Headquartered in Charleston, SC, Catch specializes in the full talent attraction life cycle by sourcing and recruiting qualified candidates...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
CIRCLE
Pioneering the Future of Finance
“Circle is focused on raising global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value by empowering businesses with digital currencies and blockchain technology.” Founded with the ambitious goal of raising global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value, Circle leverages the power of digital currencies and blockchain technology to...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
GOPURSUE
Empowering the Next Generation
GoPursue is a revolutionary organization transforming the landscape of career exploration for K-12 students. This vibrant social impact company has carved a unique niche in the educational technology space, addressing critical gaps in workforce development and career preparedness. Founded by Kathryn Adabonyan, a former math teacher and career and technical...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
DCSTW. - DC STARTUP & TECH WEEK
Igniting Innovation in the Heart of America
In the heart of the Mid-Atlantic, a powerful wave of innovation is surging through the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region. Driven by a collective mission to transform the area into a globally recognized innovation hub, this movement is brewing a different kind of revolution in the nation’s capital....
INNOVATE™ Estonia
CREATOMUS
REPROGRAMMING THE FUTURE OF CITIES
Across Europe, cities face growing pressure: build schools and kindergartens faster, adapt public spaces to changing needs, and cut the environmental cost of construction. Estonian company Creatomus believes it has a solution. By combining modular design with digital precision, Creatomus offers municipalities a way to build smarter, more transparent, and...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
FREELY PAYMENTS
HARNESSING INNOVATION TO TRANSFORM FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
“We are not just facilitating transactions; we are redefining them to create tangible benefits for our clients.” In the bustling city of Washington, D.C., a pioneering force is reshaping the financial contours of the food and beverage industry. freely Payments, a visionary B2B payments gateway, has not just entered the...
INNOVATE™ Alberta
CDL ROCKIES
ACCELERATES THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF EARLY-STAGE VENTURES
There is an economic transformation underway in Alberta and Creative Destruction Lab – Rockies (“CDL-Rockies”) is playing an important role in that transformation. CDL-Rockies is focused on accelerating the commercial potential of the next generation of promising science- and technology-based ventures across a variety of sectors, including energy and agriculture....
Global Innovation Spotlight
The Vision Behind Soft2Bet:
How Uri Poliavich Built More Than a Platform
Not every founder is a product person. Fewer still are patient. But Uri Poliavich built Soft2Bet by being both. From the start, he wasn’t chasing headlines or hype—he was building an engine for growth. Not the flashy kind. The kind that lasts. He understood something early on that many in...
INNOVATE® Milwaukee
AUGUST BROWN
TRANSFORMING INNOVATION INTO MARKET SUCCESS
INSIGHT. INNOVATE. IMPROVE. August Brown has established itself as a trailblazer in Milwaukee’s innovation ecosystem, bridging the often-daunting gap between research and market execution. Founded by Dr. Gordon Nameni and Erik Vickstrom, this boutique agency has become synonymous with strategic excellence and groundbreaking impact. “It all really started in 2018,”...
INNOVATE™ Botswana Vol.1
BOCRA
PROMOTES ACCESS AND USAGE OF COMMUNICATION SERVICES FOR INNOVATION AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
BRIEF BACKGROUND Botswana’s rags to riches economic success story is often compared to that of countries such as United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore. A former British protectorate, Botswana was poor by all standards when it got its independence. By the early to mid 80s, the country’s mineral resource was...
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
David Sobey Retailing Centre
Shaping the Future of Retail
“In the past decade, retailers have been forced to innovate, and in some cases transform themselves in response to several external factors. Changing consumer behaviour and employee expectations, the advent of AI, and the need to meet sustainability targets are just some of the factors driving big changes in the...
INNOVATE® Miami
Caribu
Reading And Drawing Through Video-Call
ELEVATOR PITCH Caribu helps children age 0-7 to read and draw with their parents and grandparents through a video-call when they’re not in the same location. Caribu is a game-changer for the hundreds of millions of global families that are separated by distance and need to make memories together with...
INNOVATE® Detroit
InvestNext
Fostering Growth and Potential
InvestNext is on a mission to transform how investment firms raise and manage real estate investment capital. Founded in 2016 by Michael Gisi, Kevin Heras, and Matthew Attou, this Detroit startup was conceived to revolutionize how the industry operates. What they’ve created democratizes real estate investing and empowers investors to...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
ROOMII
ROOMII’S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO ASPIRATIONAL FURNITURE FOR EVERY ROOM IN YOUR HOME
Roomii is an online marketplace that lets you lease out your furniture to people who don’t want to own it. Our platform lets you earn a return on your furniture investment while helping people furnish their space short-term with quality pre-owned furniture. Roomii’s story began in the spring of 2020....
INNOVATE™ Atlantic Canada
SUPERNOVA
SUPERNOVA AT DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY: EMPOWERING ATLANTIC CANADA’S YOUTH THROUGH STEM EDUCATION
SuperNOVA: Empowering Youth Through STEM Education Across Atlantic Canada SuperNOVA, a non-profit organization based at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a network member of Actua, has gained widespread recognition for providing high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programming across Atlantic Canada. Founded in 1996, SuperNOVA provides hands-on...
INNOVATE™ Antwerp Vol.2
DE SATELLIET OF DE MAANWANDELAARS IN BOECHOUT
WHERE DIVIDING UNITES
De Maanwandelaars are well known for offering housing solutions and meaningful daytime activities for adults with medium or severe mental disabilities. With five locations in the southern outskirts of Antwerp, they consciously opt for warm small scale and flexibility. This forms a favorable framework for offering people maximum participation in...
INNOVATE™ Curitiba
CURITIBA ANGELS
PROUDLY STANDS AS THE FOREMOST ANGEL INVESTMENT GROUP IN THE STATE OF PARANÁ
CURITIBA ANGELS PROUDLY STANDS AS THE FOREMOST ANGEL INVESTMENT GROUP IN THE STATE OF PARANÁ, DISTINGUISHED BY ITS EXPANSIVE NETWORK COMPRISING OVER 90 ACTIVE ANGEL INVESTORS AND AN IMPRESSIVE PORTFOLIO OF 17 INVESTEES. Our group is composed of esteemed professionals, including renowned tech entrepreneurs and high-ranking enterprise executives. Our commitment...
INNOVATE™ Oeiras
LOGICALIS
We Are Architects Of Change
At Logicalis Portugal we help our clients transform their business through IT, and their success is our success. We operate as an IT Solution Provider since the year 2000 mainly in the Portuguese market, and we’re now part of a leading global technology group, Logicalis. Logicalis is an international solutions...
INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2
ECOMsquare
COWORKING SPACE AND COMMUNITY FOR ECOMMERCE IN VANCOUVER
A community project since day one.You might think of ECOMsquare as a place. To its founder, Steve Krueger, the distinctive blue building on West 8th Ave represents the latest evolution of a community he’s been building since June 12, 2014. Krueger hosted an Ecommerce Town Hall to connect with professionals...
INNOVATION Quebec
ÉCOFAUNE BORÉALE
CCTT EN INNOVATION ÉCORESPONSABLE DU SECTEUR CUIR, FOURRURE ET PRODUITS DÉRIVÉS
La mission du centre collégial de transfert technologique du Cégep de St-Félicien, Écofaune boréale, comprend principalement de la recherche appliquée combinant le développement technologique, l’aide technique, le transfert de connaissances, la diffusion d’information scientifique ainsi que l’acquisition de pratiques sociales novatrices permettant aux acteurs socio-économiques de la fourrure et du...
INNOVATE™ Adelaide
CROWN MONEY
BEST IN CLASS IN MORTGAGE BROKING & MONEY MANAGEMENT
OUR STORYCrown Money was founded with one simple objective – to help hardworking Australian families realise their home ownership dreams and pay off their home loans in the shortest time possible. Crown Money was established in 2004 by brothers Scott and Craig Parry who grew up with a father in...
INNOVATION Quebec
DISTRIQ
ZONE D’INNOVATION QUANTIQUE
DistriQ, zone d’innovation quantique est un organisme catalyseur d’expertises et d’infrastructures favorisant l’émergence et l’accélération d’innovation dans le secteur des sciences et des technologies quantiques. Les technologies quantiques ont le potentiel de révolutionner plusieurs secteurs, entre autres les domaines de l’environnement, la mobilité, la santé et l’énergie renouvelable. C’est-à-dire que...
INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1
COHESION
We Are Transforming Commercial Real Estate With Smart Building Technology That Enhances The Workplace Experience, Streamlines Operations And Optimizes Revenue In One Single Digital Platform
INNOVATE® Seattle
READ
BUILDING THE FUTURE OF WORKWITH CONNECTED INTELLIGENCE
BUILDING THE FUTURE OF WORKWITH CONNECTED INTELLIGENCE. Founded in 2021 by David Shim, Robert Williams, and Elliott Waldron, Read AI brings together your meetings, emails, and messages and transforms them into collaborative partners, so that they talk to each other, share information, offer updates, find answers, and organize tasks through...
INNOVATE® South Carolina
Catch Talent
We focus on understanding the career needs of individuals in the workforce.
Real Relationships Matter Catch Talent is a high-touch recruiting agency that delivers end-to-end talent acquisition solutions to growing technology, financial services, healthcare, digital & creative, professional services, and government contracting companies. Headquartered in Charleston, SC, Catch specializes in the full talent attraction life cycle by sourcing and recruiting qualified candidates...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
CIRCLE
Pioneering the Future of Finance
“Circle is focused on raising global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value by empowering businesses with digital currencies and blockchain technology.” Founded with the ambitious goal of raising global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value, Circle leverages the power of digital currencies and blockchain technology to...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
GOPURSUE
Empowering the Next Generation
GoPursue is a revolutionary organization transforming the landscape of career exploration for K-12 students. This vibrant social impact company has carved a unique niche in the educational technology space, addressing critical gaps in workforce development and career preparedness. Founded by Kathryn Adabonyan, a former math teacher and career and technical...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
DCSTW. - DC STARTUP & TECH WEEK
Igniting Innovation in the Heart of America
In the heart of the Mid-Atlantic, a powerful wave of innovation is surging through the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region. Driven by a collective mission to transform the area into a globally recognized innovation hub, this movement is brewing a different kind of revolution in the nation’s capital....
INNOVATE™ Estonia
CREATOMUS
REPROGRAMMING THE FUTURE OF CITIES
Across Europe, cities face growing pressure: build schools and kindergartens faster, adapt public spaces to changing needs, and cut the environmental cost of construction. Estonian company Creatomus believes it has a solution. By combining modular design with digital precision, Creatomus offers municipalities a way to build smarter, more transparent, and...
INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition
FREELY PAYMENTS
HARNESSING INNOVATION TO TRANSFORM FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
“We are not just facilitating transactions; we are redefining them to create tangible benefits for our clients.” In the bustling city of Washington, D.C., a pioneering force is reshaping the financial contours of the food and beverage industry. freely Payments, a visionary B2B payments gateway, has not just entered the...