Stories of Innovation

Optical Academy- Has been pioneering the change in the delivery of eye care by making eye care the most convenient, affordable, and accessible it has ever been. The company came to life 14 years ago after CEO, Abby Ayoub, crossed paths with a 15-year-old girl who was desperate for an...

The U.S business marketplace is extremely competitive, which may be a strength of the national economy, but it poses critical challenges for individual companies trying to stand out. As customer preferences shift and industry trends disrupt the status quo, keeping a pulse on the wider market and your target audience...

Many people think having a “financial plan” means having a budget, a retirement savings account, and maybe a small cash reserve. But, those basic financials are only scratching the surface and exclude some key details like estate documents, saving strategies, or debt elimination plans. With that popular—and lacking—mindset, it’s perhaps...

A National Movement to Expand Educational Opportunity This year, Teach For America marks its 35th anniversary – a milestone that celebrates a movement of leaders working alongside communities to expand opportunity for all children. Since its founding in 1990, Teach For America has recruited, developed, and supported a diverse network...

Life WhispererLife Whisperer uses state-of-the-art AI and computer vision technology to help select healthy embryos for IVF. Using Life Whisperer, a clinician can drag-and-drop microscope images of embryos onto the website for an instant report on the likelihoods that the embryo is genetically healthy, or will lead to a pregnancy....

Back in 2017 the nascent practice of influencer marketing had problems. Stuck on the idea of a quick buck, agencies seemed to lack a real understanding of online content creators or their audiences, or the power available to branded content campaigns when done well.   Put simply, not enough care...

Influitive helps the world’s leading brands engage with their customers to drive business value across multiple dimensions. Customer referrals, references and reviews are now recognized as the most effective way to drive business growth and Influitive enables this at scale. Since 2010, Influitive has pioneered advocate marketing and built an...

NEXT is a trailblazer in the innovative business sector, offering advanced startup-centric legal solutions. Born from the established law firm Shulman Rogers, NEXT is redefining legal services for startups and emerging growth companies. NEXT founder Anthony Millin drew from his experience as a serial entrepreneur, venture partner in a seed-stage...

“CMC provides access to leading-edge platforms for innovators to design, prototype, and test their ideas. From early-stage researchers to emerging entrepreneurs, CMC has tools and expertise to accelerate your R&D.” – Gordon Harling, President and CEO, CMC Microsystems CMC Microsystems is a not-for-profit organization accelerating research and innovation in advanced...

In a world where investment landscapes favor men, Citrine Angels emerges as a game-changer for its support of female founders and funders. Founded in 2019 by Allyson Redpath along with DC power players Lisa Friedlander, Stephanie Bauer Marshall and Aurelia Flores, Citrine Angels is a dynamic, female-only membership group based...

When the first bell rings at Daniel Morgan Technology Center (DMTC), students step into a unique learning environment that mirrors the workplaces of the future. Some don welding helmets, while others dive into graphic design software. Meanwhile, a group in securities and investments eagerly awaits the Stock Market bell to...

The spaces where people work, learn, and heal influence how they collaborate, perform, and grow. For more than four decades, CFI Workspace has helped organizations create environments that support those experiences through thoughtful workplace design and commercial furniture solutions. Founded in 1985, CFI Workspace partners with organizations across the Philadelphia...

York University is a leading international teaching and research University, and a driving force for positive change. Located in Toronto, Canada, York University is home to one of the largest and most diverse student bodies in Canada with 59,000 students from 178 countries. International partners are collaborating with VISTA to...

Indie game developers are the heart and soul of the gaming industry, and without them, we wouldn’t have as much innovation as we currently have, and have been enjoying since Pong. With that said, indie game developers are always struggling to create their games because of various reasons, and this...

The world relies on critical infrastructure. Water, power, manufacturing – all are incredibly important to our everyday lives, affecting how we live, how we play, and how we function as a society. Some of these systems are connected to the internet, delivering efficiencies and improvements by unleashing the power of...

Headquartered in Stockholm and backed by the Government of Sweden, the UNICEF Office of Innovation (OOI) brings together communities, public and private sector partners and collaborators across 190 countries to turn frontier technology and innovative approaches into scalable solutions for global social impact. THE PROBLEM WORTH SOLVING Nearly 5 million...

BrainHi is an artificial intelligence company based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. BrainHi’s mission is to accelerate the transition of healthcare organizations to a fully digital patient experience. BrainHi’s primary objectives are to help healthcare providers: BrainHi was founded in 2017 by Emmanuel and Israel, 2 engineers from the University...

RiceMeUp is a food startup with a focus on changing the image of rice. RiceMeUp offers a wide range of rice varieties with the highest quality through an E-commerce channel and carefully selected retailers. The company is founded by Antwerpians Babak Khazaeli and Annemie Struyf. Rice was cultivated in the...

ELEVATOR PITCH Wander Media Company is the creative powerhouse behind a collection of destination marketing television channels airing in hotels and resorts throughout Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. From restaurants to shopping to local attractions, Wander helps tell the story of the places and faces that make Jacksonville such a...

From transportation networks to environmental stewardship, KCI’s multidisciplinary team is redefining what it means to engineer progress. The architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is constantly evolving at a rapid pace, driven by advancements in technology, sustainability, and design thinking. As cities grow and infrastructure needs intensify, firms are embracing...

A WINNIPEG ENTREPRENEUR IS DEPLOYING A MOBILE BARGE-BASED REMEDIATION PLATFORM TO PULL PHOSPHORUS FROM EUTROPHIC LAKES — AND TURN POLLUTION INTO A PREMIUM AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT. Excess phosphorus in freshwater lakes is one of the most persistent and costly environmental challenges facing municipalities and water managers across Canada and around the...

Crowd Capital is a game changing social impact fintech operating at the intersection of crowd financing, investment platforms, and real estate. We help defaulting borrowers secure their homes while delivering above market average financial returns to our customers in a frictionless and transparent way. By leveraging machine learning and mobile...

Inside the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business is a small office dedicated to helping big entrepreneurial ideas take shape. The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship offers academic programs and real-world experiences for undergraduate and graduate students interested in the startup process. By empowering early-stage founders to embrace a sense...

In Canada, it is common to see layers of support for life sciences companies up to and including the incubator stage, right before commercialization occurs. But support drops off drastically when companies are ready to commercialize and take their most significant risks and leaps. It takes capital and multiple fundraising...