Innovation Excellence Award 2026
Innovation excels not only by conceptualizing but also by implementing it in a way that has never been done before. Innovation excellence goes beyond the boundaries of product innovation, embracing capability development as the center of innovation. Through a targeted improvement of innovation capability based on success factors, businesses today are competing to reach a new height of success.
By improving existing innovation capabilities, various companies are improving their ability to innovate and achieve excellence in innovation. Designing and implementing an integrated innovation system is the fundamental process behind innovation excellence. The establishment of an all-encompassing innovation system helps businesses achieve substantial success in their innovation efforts.
This edition of The CEO Views is dedicated to the innovation champions who have excelled in establishing a comprehensive innovation system. While honoring the innovation excellence of these companies, we are celebrating their achievements in bringing innovative changes.
Company
Management
Brief
Dan Widmaier,
CEO & Founder
A U.S.-based material innovation company, Bolt Thread, blends biology, engineering, and design to create next-generation sustainable materials. The company uses science to develop alternatives to resource-intensive materials like leather, silk, and synthetic fabrics.
Nathan Allman,
CEO
Ondo Finance has built a suite of products designed to bring traditional financial instruments into the crypto ecosystem. Rather than replacing traditional finance, Ondo set out to integrate it with decentralized finance.
Alex Vratskides,
CEO and Co-founder
At the heart of Persado’s offering is its proprietary “Motivation AI” platform. It leverages a sophisticated knowledge graph that maps language elements such as emotions, narratives, tone, and structure to specific customer responses.
Duncan Payne Shelley,
CEO
Qredo is not just another crypto wallet or custody provider. It is a full-stack, decentralized infrastructure designed for institutions, asset managers, and traders seeking secure and seamless access to digital assets and decentralized finance.
Aaron Ardiri,
CEO
RIoT Secure AB is a cybersecurity and connectivity Platformas- a-Service (PaaS) built specifically for resource-constrained IoT and edge devices. Its patented secure communication architecture isolates communication and security onto a dedicated microcontroller.
Kinjal Patel,
Founder
A spiritual visionary, Kinjal Patel, founded Swasthya By Kinjal to help people live a healthy life by adopting a vegan diet. Her understanding of the importance of healthy habits led the digital life healing service to transform billions of lives.
Markus Gershater,
CEO & Co-Founder
Synthace is a digital experiment platform built to help life science researchers run more powerful experiments in less time. The company is enabling a new era of scientific discovery—one where biology can be engineered with the same precision and scalability as software.
Nicole Patel,
Founder, Owner, & CEO
Delysia Chocolatier has excelled in connecting the dots between chocolate, creativity, and customer connection. It blends artisanal chocolate expertise with seasonal innovation and a focus on meaningful experiences.
Lisa Lane,
Founder
Rinseroo revolutionized rinsing, cleaning, and bathing by making them easy and quick with its Rinseroo solutions. With its smart and practical solutions for homes, the company has made cleansing easier for many.
Dave Dama,
Co-Founder & President
Creators of the “viral on TikTok” NuDerma High Frequency Wand, Pure Daily Care champions esthetician-level and affordable skincare devices for at-home use. From Facial Steamers to LED Devices, they bring the power of professional treatments to their millions of customers worldwide.