Stories of Innovation

INNOVATE® Nashville

NASHVILLE INNOVATION ALLIANCE

FUELING INNOVATION FOR A THRIVING NASHVILLE

The Nashville Innovation Alliance aims to make Nashville one of America’s leading centers of technology innovation by bringing the community together to create a shared vision, set ambitious goals and advance strategic initiatives. Established by Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Vanderbilt University in 2024, and anchored by participation from LaunchTN, the...

INNOVATE® Miami

500 Startups

500 Startups - Discovering And Backing The World's Most Talented Entrepreneurs

Discovering And Backing The World's Most Talented Entrepreneurs

500 Startups is a venture capital firm on a mission to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. It is one of the most active venture capital firms in the world. Ana Paula Gonzalez, Innovation & Partnerships...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

THE MUNICIPALITY OF OEIRAS ARTS AND CULTURE

THE MUNICIPALITY OF OEIRAS ARTS AND CULTURE-Oeiras

Oeiras, Facing Its Future

In recent decades, Oeiras has seen some very significant changes. Namely, the housing qualification cycle – Oeiras was the first municipality in the country to eliminate shanties, providing decent housing to all residents. The cycle of attracting business, science and innovation is also worth mentioning; Oeiras is home to the...

INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2

LAUNCH PAD JOB CLUB

LAUNCH PAD JOB CLUB

To Create A Career Networking Community That Provides Professional Resources, Accountability, And Growth For All

COMMUNITY.That is what Launch Pad Job Club offers to the job seeker. We offer a supportive community to bolster the job seeker who may have just been laid off and is experiencing a real “deer in the headlights” moment. Or maybe that job seeker has been off the job market...

INNOVATION Quebec

STARTUP MONTRÉAL

WE ARE STARTUP MONTRÉAL, AN NPO WHOSE MISSION IS TO MAXIMIZE THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE MONTRÉAL STARTUP ECOSYSTEM AND MAKE IT SHINE, HERE AND ELSEWHERE

Our vision: To have an attractive Montréal startup ecosystem that is internationally recognized for its performance, diversity, and impact. Our activities are based on five pillars that guide the development of our projects and programs. We are working to make the ecosystem increasingly accessible, collaborative, diverse, and impactful, and to...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

RAILRUNNER

RAILRUNNER - NECESSITY IS ONE OF THE DRIVERS OF INNOVATION

NECESSITY IS ONE OF THE DRIVERS OF INNOVATION, INITIATED BY CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES, FACTORS OF INFLUENCE, ECONOMIC REQUIREMENTS AND JUST A DESIRE TO WORK BETTER AND SMARTER

With the rapid growth of the logistics industry, it became necessary to develop systems limiting the handling of cargo to speed up the delivery process. During the 1990’s the late Harry Wicks, of Buffalo, NY, USA developed and patented early RailRunner concepts for a bimodal transportation system designed to take...

INNOVATE® Nashville

COUTURE TECHNOLOGIES

COUTURE TECHNOLOGIES-

Virtual Try On Technology is Reshaping How Customers Shop for Clothing Online

You know when you shop for clothes online, but you don’t know which size to buy or if an item will look good on your body? Couture Technologies helps apparel brands solve this massive financial and sustainability challenge by seamlessly integrating its patent-pending virtual try on technology with a brand’s...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

EMERGE BUILDING SOLUTIONS

A FULLY INTEGRATED CONSTRUCTION COMPANY THAT FOCUSES ON THE RESIDENTIAL MULTI-UNIT MARKET

With over 27 years of experience delivering high-quality construction projects. Emerge starts construction by building components of the project in a manufacturing plant for the above-ground portion of a multi-story building at the time of groundbreaking. While the underground foundation and parking structure is being constructed, concrete and steel precast...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

3PARK

GROWING ADVENTURES IN HARMONY WITH NATURE

What if playgrounds could grow with the forest instead of replacing it? At 3park, the team designs and builds adventure parks that blend safety, creativity, and sustainability. Born in Estonia, 3park believes play should bring people together and strengthen communities. Their parks are more than climbing frames: they are safe...

INNOVATION Quebec

Le CMQ

LE CMQ-Le Centre de métallurgie du Québec est un centre collégial de transfert technologique (CCTT) rattaché au Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Créé en 1985

Le Centre de métallurgie du Québec est un centre collégial de transfert technologique (CCTT) rattaché au Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Créé en 1985, le CMQ vise à « Soutenir la compétitivité de l’industrie métallurgique par la recherche et le développement technologique dans une approche collaborative de partenaires privés et publics tout en supportant l’enseignement technique au collégial et le transfert de connaissances en entreprise

L’équipe composée de 60 personnes, incluant 10 à 15 étudiants collégiaux et universitaires par année, met l’accent sur la recherche appliquée et le transfert technologique pour soutenir l’effort de croissance et de positionnement stratégique des entreprises ayant des activités reliées à la transformation métallique. En plus d’assurer des formations de...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

DELIA ASSOCIATES

MAKING THE SHIFT FROM “HOPE AND PRAY” TO “PLAN AND DO.”

Where are today’s opportunities and possibilities for business success? And with all the information available and options to consider, how can you recognize them? Prioritize them? Evaluate them? Align them with your organization’s growth objectives? And a question that we hear with great frequency when making a marketing commitment: “What’s...

INNOVATION Quebec

MAIN

EST LE MOUVEMENT DES ACCÉLÉRATEURS D’INNOVATION DU QUÉBEC

Depuis 2016, nous avons la conviction que la collaboration et la mutualisation des pratiques et des ressources (le mouvement) de tous ceux et celles qui par leur accompagnement permettent de réaliser en moins de temps qu’il n’en faudrait autrement (les accélérateurs), peuvent décupler l’impact des startups (l’innovation) de toutes les...

INNOVATE® Georgia

SOUTHERN COMPANY

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF ENERGY

Plant Vogtle, co-owned and operated by Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power, is the largest producer of carbon-free energy in the United States. Southern Company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to customers and communities, through its electric utilities in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

THE DC WHEELS

SKATEBOARD TEAM AND CHARITY ORGANIZATION USES THE POWER OF SKATEBOARDING TO CHANGE LIVES

Their mission is to overcome longstanding stereotypes that surround skateboarding by helping others, reinforcing positivity, and supporting a healthy lifestyle. Also known as the Skate Crusaders, they have handpicked talent from across the metropolitan region and dedicate themselves to meaningfully help those in need. The team is comprised of girls/women...

INNOVATION Quebec

Le CERMA

CERMA - at the heart of collaborative research

au cœur de la recherche collaborative

Le Centre de recherche sur les matériaux avancés de l’Université Laval (CERMA) à Québec se consacre à des études fondamentales et appliquées visant à développer des matériaux pouvant bénéficier à la société québécoise. Son mandat consiste à faire avancer les connaissances fondamentales et appliquées en science des matériaux, former du...

INNOVATE® Nashville

QUORE

QUORE

Is a hospitality technology company dedicated to revolutionizing how hotels operate worldwide

During your last hotel stay, if your room was clean, the in-room appliances were fully functioning and your request for extra towels was addressed quickly then that hotel was probably using Quore. Our cloud-based operations app supports hotel staff in their day-to-day for better guest experiences, which means smarter teams...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

PECHAKUCHA

This Japanese-Inspired Creator Platform Inspires Meaningful Connections – In Real Life And VIrtually – Using Time As Its Superpower

PechaKucha was born in 2003 because people talk too much. That’s what happens when passionate people gather together to share ideas and creations. PechaKucha, which means “chit-chat” in Japanese, was founded in Tokyo by architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein of Klein Dytham architecture. It originated as a “20×20’’ live...

INNOVATE® Nashville

CIRCA

BRANDING THAT DRIVES MEANINGFUL & MEASURED GROWTH

Circa helps organizations in vital growth periods uncover who they are, connect with who they serve, and build brands that last. In 2015, founders Tori Thomas and Laura Deleot set out with a clear vision: create what matters. They built Circa to not only deliver value for clients, but also...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

STARTUP GARAGE

PUTTING STUDENTS IN CHARGE TO LEAD ESTONIA’S NEXT TECH WAVE

We hear more and more talks about the scarcity of startups and the risk-averseness of young people who will be responsible for a future that seems ever more uncertain. However, there are vast opportunities everywhere, especially in Estonia. Whether it be defence, cleantech or deeptech as a whole, we possess...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

GENO.ME

A REAL-WORLD APPROACH TO BETTER CLINICAL RESEARCH OUTCOMES

Geno.Me is a biotechnology company that was born from the idea of empowering people to take greater ownership of their health data, because it is a valuable and necessary asset to advance medical research. With a focus on creating better ways to treat populations that have diseases with a genetic...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Beeline

Beeline - A story of true innovation

A story of true innovation, perseverance, and grit

Ours is a story of true innovation, perseverance, and grit, which eventually led the company to be one of the two dominant forces in workforce management. ,     Beeline is a Jacksonville-based company just exiting its teenage years. Beeline isn’t a household name; in fact, most of the Jacksonville...

INNOVATE® Nashville

VENDENGINE

DRIVING INNOVATION IN THE CORRECTIONS INDUSTRY

In 2011, VendEngine started as a simple concept — digitizing financial transactions for law enforcement, jails and prisons while providing easy, safe, and secure methods to transmit money between family members and inmates. Once the company got going however, this simple concept, something that had been done in nearly every...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

Frampton Construction

Building Value Across the Southeast

Commercial construction plays a critical role in shaping South Carolina’s economy and the communities it serves. From advanced manufacturing and industrial facilities to office, medical, and distribution centers, Frampton Construction delivers projects that support growth, innovation, and long-term resilience. Founded in 1993 as Frampton & Associates, Inc., Frampton Construction is...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

CLARICY

POWERING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH DEEPTECH

Founded in 2022 by Johanna Stina Haar (MA) at the age of 24, Claricy is an Estonian DeepTech company that helps small and mid-sized enterprises navigate digital transformation. Johanna holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in IT management, complemented by experience as both a financial specialist...

INNOVATE® Nashville

NASHVILLE INNOVATION ALLIANCE

FUELING INNOVATION FOR A THRIVING NASHVILLE

The Nashville Innovation Alliance aims to make Nashville one of America’s leading centers of technology innovation by bringing the community together to create a shared vision, set ambitious goals and advance strategic initiatives. Established by Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Vanderbilt University in 2024, and anchored by participation from LaunchTN, the...

INNOVATE® Miami

500 Startups

500 Startups - Discovering And Backing The World's Most Talented Entrepreneurs

Discovering And Backing The World's Most Talented Entrepreneurs

500 Startups is a venture capital firm on a mission to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. It is one of the most active venture capital firms in the world. Ana Paula Gonzalez, Innovation & Partnerships...

INNOVATE™ Oeiras

THE MUNICIPALITY OF OEIRAS ARTS AND CULTURE

THE MUNICIPALITY OF OEIRAS ARTS AND CULTURE-Oeiras

Oeiras, Facing Its Future

In recent decades, Oeiras has seen some very significant changes. Namely, the housing qualification cycle – Oeiras was the first municipality in the country to eliminate shanties, providing decent housing to all residents. The cycle of attracting business, science and innovation is also worth mentioning; Oeiras is home to the...

INNOVATE® Austin Volume 2

LAUNCH PAD JOB CLUB

LAUNCH PAD JOB CLUB

To Create A Career Networking Community That Provides Professional Resources, Accountability, And Growth For All

COMMUNITY.That is what Launch Pad Job Club offers to the job seeker. We offer a supportive community to bolster the job seeker who may have just been laid off and is experiencing a real “deer in the headlights” moment. Or maybe that job seeker has been off the job market...

INNOVATION Quebec

STARTUP MONTRÉAL

WE ARE STARTUP MONTRÉAL, AN NPO WHOSE MISSION IS TO MAXIMIZE THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE MONTRÉAL STARTUP ECOSYSTEM AND MAKE IT SHINE, HERE AND ELSEWHERE

Our vision: To have an attractive Montréal startup ecosystem that is internationally recognized for its performance, diversity, and impact. Our activities are based on five pillars that guide the development of our projects and programs. We are working to make the ecosystem increasingly accessible, collaborative, diverse, and impactful, and to...

INNOVATE™ South Africa

RAILRUNNER

RAILRUNNER - NECESSITY IS ONE OF THE DRIVERS OF INNOVATION

NECESSITY IS ONE OF THE DRIVERS OF INNOVATION, INITIATED BY CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES, FACTORS OF INFLUENCE, ECONOMIC REQUIREMENTS AND JUST A DESIRE TO WORK BETTER AND SMARTER

With the rapid growth of the logistics industry, it became necessary to develop systems limiting the handling of cargo to speed up the delivery process. During the 1990’s the late Harry Wicks, of Buffalo, NY, USA developed and patented early RailRunner concepts for a bimodal transportation system designed to take...

INNOVATE® Nashville

COUTURE TECHNOLOGIES

COUTURE TECHNOLOGIES-

Virtual Try On Technology is Reshaping How Customers Shop for Clothing Online

You know when you shop for clothes online, but you don’t know which size to buy or if an item will look good on your body? Couture Technologies helps apparel brands solve this massive financial and sustainability challenge by seamlessly integrating its patent-pending virtual try on technology with a brand’s...

INNOVATE™ Vancouver Vol.2

EMERGE BUILDING SOLUTIONS

A FULLY INTEGRATED CONSTRUCTION COMPANY THAT FOCUSES ON THE RESIDENTIAL MULTI-UNIT MARKET

With over 27 years of experience delivering high-quality construction projects. Emerge starts construction by building components of the project in a manufacturing plant for the above-ground portion of a multi-story building at the time of groundbreaking. While the underground foundation and parking structure is being constructed, concrete and steel precast...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

3PARK

GROWING ADVENTURES IN HARMONY WITH NATURE

What if playgrounds could grow with the forest instead of replacing it? At 3park, the team designs and builds adventure parks that blend safety, creativity, and sustainability. Born in Estonia, 3park believes play should bring people together and strengthen communities. Their parks are more than climbing frames: they are safe...

INNOVATION Quebec

Le CMQ

LE CMQ-Le Centre de métallurgie du Québec est un centre collégial de transfert technologique (CCTT) rattaché au Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Créé en 1985

Le Centre de métallurgie du Québec est un centre collégial de transfert technologique (CCTT) rattaché au Cégep de Trois-Rivières. Créé en 1985, le CMQ vise à « Soutenir la compétitivité de l’industrie métallurgique par la recherche et le développement technologique dans une approche collaborative de partenaires privés et publics tout en supportant l’enseignement technique au collégial et le transfert de connaissances en entreprise

L’équipe composée de 60 personnes, incluant 10 à 15 étudiants collégiaux et universitaires par année, met l’accent sur la recherche appliquée et le transfert technologique pour soutenir l’effort de croissance et de positionnement stratégique des entreprises ayant des activités reliées à la transformation métallique. En plus d’assurer des formations de...

INNOVATE® New Jersey Vol.2

DELIA ASSOCIATES

MAKING THE SHIFT FROM “HOPE AND PRAY” TO “PLAN AND DO.”

Where are today’s opportunities and possibilities for business success? And with all the information available and options to consider, how can you recognize them? Prioritize them? Evaluate them? Align them with your organization’s growth objectives? And a question that we hear with great frequency when making a marketing commitment: “What’s...

INNOVATION Quebec

MAIN

EST LE MOUVEMENT DES ACCÉLÉRATEURS D’INNOVATION DU QUÉBEC

Depuis 2016, nous avons la conviction que la collaboration et la mutualisation des pratiques et des ressources (le mouvement) de tous ceux et celles qui par leur accompagnement permettent de réaliser en moins de temps qu’il n’en faudrait autrement (les accélérateurs), peuvent décupler l’impact des startups (l’innovation) de toutes les...

INNOVATE® Georgia

SOUTHERN COMPANY

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF ENERGY

Plant Vogtle, co-owned and operated by Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power, is the largest producer of carbon-free energy in the United States. Southern Company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to customers and communities, through its electric utilities in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a...

INNOVATE® Washington DMV Edition

THE DC WHEELS

SKATEBOARD TEAM AND CHARITY ORGANIZATION USES THE POWER OF SKATEBOARDING TO CHANGE LIVES

Their mission is to overcome longstanding stereotypes that surround skateboarding by helping others, reinforcing positivity, and supporting a healthy lifestyle. Also known as the Skate Crusaders, they have handpicked talent from across the metropolitan region and dedicate themselves to meaningfully help those in need. The team is comprised of girls/women...

INNOVATION Quebec

Le CERMA

CERMA - at the heart of collaborative research

au cœur de la recherche collaborative

Le Centre de recherche sur les matériaux avancés de l’Université Laval (CERMA) à Québec se consacre à des études fondamentales et appliquées visant à développer des matériaux pouvant bénéficier à la société québécoise. Son mandat consiste à faire avancer les connaissances fondamentales et appliquées en science des matériaux, former du...

INNOVATE® Nashville

QUORE

QUORE

Is a hospitality technology company dedicated to revolutionizing how hotels operate worldwide

During your last hotel stay, if your room was clean, the in-room appliances were fully functioning and your request for extra towels was addressed quickly then that hotel was probably using Quore. Our cloud-based operations app supports hotel staff in their day-to-day for better guest experiences, which means smarter teams...

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

PECHAKUCHA

This Japanese-Inspired Creator Platform Inspires Meaningful Connections – In Real Life And VIrtually – Using Time As Its Superpower

PechaKucha was born in 2003 because people talk too much. That’s what happens when passionate people gather together to share ideas and creations. PechaKucha, which means “chit-chat” in Japanese, was founded in Tokyo by architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein of Klein Dytham architecture. It originated as a “20×20’’ live...

INNOVATE® Nashville

CIRCA

BRANDING THAT DRIVES MEANINGFUL & MEASURED GROWTH

Circa helps organizations in vital growth periods uncover who they are, connect with who they serve, and build brands that last. In 2015, founders Tori Thomas and Laura Deleot set out with a clear vision: create what matters. They built Circa to not only deliver value for clients, but also...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

STARTUP GARAGE

PUTTING STUDENTS IN CHARGE TO LEAD ESTONIA’S NEXT TECH WAVE

We hear more and more talks about the scarcity of startups and the risk-averseness of young people who will be responsible for a future that seems ever more uncertain. However, there are vast opportunities everywhere, especially in Estonia. Whether it be defence, cleantech or deeptech as a whole, we possess...

INNOVATE® Milwaukee

GENO.ME

A REAL-WORLD APPROACH TO BETTER CLINICAL RESEARCH OUTCOMES

Geno.Me is a biotechnology company that was born from the idea of empowering people to take greater ownership of their health data, because it is a valuable and necessary asset to advance medical research. With a focus on creating better ways to treat populations that have diseases with a genetic...

INNOVATE® Jacksonville

Beeline

Beeline - A story of true innovation

A story of true innovation, perseverance, and grit

Ours is a story of true innovation, perseverance, and grit, which eventually led the company to be one of the two dominant forces in workforce management. ,     Beeline is a Jacksonville-based company just exiting its teenage years. Beeline isn’t a household name; in fact, most of the Jacksonville...

INNOVATE® Nashville

VENDENGINE

DRIVING INNOVATION IN THE CORRECTIONS INDUSTRY

In 2011, VendEngine started as a simple concept — digitizing financial transactions for law enforcement, jails and prisons while providing easy, safe, and secure methods to transmit money between family members and inmates. Once the company got going however, this simple concept, something that had been done in nearly every...

INNOVATE® South Carolina

Frampton Construction

Building Value Across the Southeast

Commercial construction plays a critical role in shaping South Carolina’s economy and the communities it serves. From advanced manufacturing and industrial facilities to office, medical, and distribution centers, Frampton Construction delivers projects that support growth, innovation, and long-term resilience. Founded in 1993 as Frampton & Associates, Inc., Frampton Construction is...

INNOVATE™ Estonia

CLARICY

POWERING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH DEEPTECH

Founded in 2022 by Johanna Stina Haar (MA) at the age of 24, Claricy is an Estonian DeepTech company that helps small and mid-sized enterprises navigate digital transformation. Johanna holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in IT management, complemented by experience as both a financial specialist...

Ecosystems