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On January 27, Governor Deval Patrick challenged the region's IT/digital sector to create a collaborative approach to improve its global competitiveness. Read more about the project -- and join the conversation!

Archive for July, 2009

An Innovation Strategy? YES!

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Should Massachusetts have an innovation strategy as part of its economic development plan? If you talk to private sector leaders, the answer is a resounding “yes”. 

And what is the role of state government? I see government primarily as a collaborator and as a facilitator; as a partner in a conversation.

However, some might ask why would we help those who are already perceived to be doing well –high tech companies, highly educated individuals, affluent universities, and venture capitalists, among others? Do they really need help?

Let me suggest that it is neither about help nor about corporate welfare. It is about the viability and prosperity of the state economy as a whole. Research, innovation, and entrepreneurship act as engines of the entire economy. They are magnets for the capital, the people, and the companies that give us a competitive edge – and that’s why we need to pay attention.

We need to do a better job at speaking amongst ourselves and beyond the state about the relevance of research, innovation, and entrepreneurship for our economy. The work goes well beyond communicating relevance; it is about creating opportunities. It is about what innovation can do for Lawrence, Holyoke, and other gateway cities in the state, not just for Cambridge.

What can we do to ensure that the vibrancy of our innovation economy reaches less-favored regions of the state and traditional industries?

How can we do a better job creating opportunity for men and women of diverse backgrounds, educational attainments, and skills? Let me know your thoughts. 

Secretary Greg Bialecki, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development


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TedxBoston - a revolution in innovation?

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Did you miss the action at this week’s TedxBoston?

Despite the reported lack of wifi at the venue, there are several comprehensive blog posts that can help you catch up.

From the enthusiasm evident on the tweet stream, it appears Ben Zander and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas’ rendition of Beethoven’s 5th was a particular highlight.

In addition to music, the day-long event covered a wide range of topics, including:

- connecting individualized and mass transit systems

- the origin of ideas and idea translation labs

- spreading hope about Alzheimer’s disease

- crowdsourced neighbourhood ‘museum tours’

- using microbial fuel cells to light up Africa

- smart medication packaging

- paper-based medical diagnostic systems for the developing world

- using technology to assist the mobility of the elderly

You can find out more about TedxBoston from these great posts:

- Benjamin’s Zander’s synopsis on the TED site

- Maria Thurrell’s wrap-up on Vook Blog includes some of the TED videos screened at the event

- TedxBoston attendee C.C. Chapman’s recap

Did you attend? Let us know what you learned, thought and discussed – leave a comment on the blog.

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Innovation – We have it! Boston ranked #1

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

A study of the most innovative cities in the world was released today ranking Boston as the number one most innovative city in the world

The study, conducted by Melbourne (Aus) based global innovation organization 2thinknow, investigated 162 performance indicators for an Innovation City.

These innovation indicators represent a broad view of innovation in the economy, socially, sustainably and culturally and address these within trends over the next 2-15 years. They include:

  • Food & Wine Industries
  • Property Prices & wealth
  • Mobility - through mass transit & individual options
  • Cultural Exchange through students, business & tourism
  • Media, Journalism & Censorship
  • Arts & Cultural Museums & Galleries
  • Music, Dance & Cultural Theatre
  • Design & Media
  • Scientists & Engineers
  • Financial Services
  • Start-up Facilities
  • Shipping, Rail & Ports
  • Internet & digital technologies
  • Local Manufacturing
  • Economic Health, Size & Trade Opportunities
  • Domestic & Neighboring Markets
  • Global Connectivity
  • Risk factors such as conflicts & public safety
  • Strategic Influence

Christopher Hire, Executive Director of Innovation at 2thinknow says that “Cities such as Boston, Paris, Hamburg, Tokyo, New York, London, Berlin, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Zurich, Singapore, Hong Kong, Stockholm, Minneapolis, Toronto, Abu Dhabi… all place in the top 50 in this ranking of future innovation. Innovation Cities are where we will find the political, economic, regulatory, engineering & cultural responses to environmental & economic challenges cities face now.”

Hire concluded, “Innovation now, will create the economic & social powerhouse cities of the future. All cities have the chance, but each city must address the challenges of innovation differently based on their relative strengths,”

Help us continue to learn about the strengths of our innovation industry by joining in the conversation and tell us why you think Boston is number one!

Add to the moderator session here.

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Posted in Blog, Innovate, Innovation | No Comments » add yours

What’s on this week in MA innovation, technology and entrepreneurship

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Here’s a quick run-down on some of the events happening this week in MA that might be of interest to you. Please let us know by commenting on the page, emailing or tweeting about other events the Innovate MA Tech community should know about. We will post a summary each week.

Tuesday 28 July

Wainhouse Research Collaboration Summit 2009, Boston

The two-day program will include discussions on the future of audio, video and web applications and the social and environmental factors forcing changes at work, as well as the networking and computer technologies fundamental to enterprise unified communications.

http://www.wainhouse.com/boston09/

Wednesday 29 July

Cloud Camp Boston

CloudCamp is an unconference where early adopters of Cloud Computing technologies exchange ideas. With the rapid change occurring in the industry, we need a place where we can meet to share our experiences, challenges and solutions. At CloudCamp, you are encouraged you to share your thoughts in several open discussions.

http://www.cloudcamp.com/?page_id=964

 

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Check out these blogs – join the conversation

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Several members of our organizing committee have personal blogs that discuss innovation, entrepreneurship and technology issues in MA. You can access these blogs through the links in our sidebar, and we will post updates so you can keep track of new postings. In the meantime, check out these links:

Brian Shin’s blog ; Hungry Yet Humble – A blog about entrepreneurship from the front lines of a growing startup.

www.brianshin.com

Cambridge Innovation Center’s Blog

www.cictr.com/blog/

Emily Green’s blog

http://blogs.yankeegroup.com/author/egreen/

Michael Greeley’s blog: On the Flying Bridge

http://ontheflyingbridge.wordpress.com/

Secretary Bialecki’s blog

http://innovation.blog.state.ma.us/

What’s new on the blogs 

Brian Shin has recently posted on the “Top 5 Things an Entrepreneur can Learn from Michael Scott, Dunder Mifflin.” Michael Scott may seem an unlikely mentor, but Brian has managed to distil some pearls of wisdom from Michael’s exploits. Check it out.

Emily Green has posted her thoughts on One Laptop Per Child’s connectivity model and how the connectivity industry can help support OLPC.

Michael Greeley has posted about his recent experiences with state and federal officials’ support for the venture industry.

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What we Communicate to Students is Critical

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Talent is our region’s greatest strength. The data on the migration of talent show that not only are our universities a huge magnet bringing students into the region, but they also give our economy access to a large flow of recent graduates. What we communicate to students while they are in Massachusetts is critically important. I hope you will join us in thinking about the ways we institutionalize a culture of mentorship and networking that makes students feel welcome and connected in Massachusetts. The connections we are building though industry associations, individual firms, and universities are important. As an industry and a region we are growing to appreciate that what we give back to the younger generation will propel the region’s innovation economy in the future.

Also, we need to do a better job of getting our younger students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. Nationally, 26% of students taking the SATs check off an interest in a STEM career. In Massachusetts, that number is 20%. We have a lot of work to do!

One of the things we have going for us now is the leadership of Lt Governor Tim Murray who will be heading a statewide STEM Council. I believe his leadership signals a shift in the way Massachusetts has viewed the importance of IT careers and STEM careers in general.

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Lets Get The Conversation Started

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Leading local tech and innovation blogger Scott Kirsner raised some great questions this morning in his post over on boston.com.

Here at Innovate.Masstech.org we have posted a couple of videos in the last two weeks (with more to come) with the aim of seeding conversation around key areas including Entrepreneurship and Talent.

Today Scott asks who are these videos for?

Well… these videos are for You, and everyone invested in the future of the New England Innovation and Technology sectors. We hope they will be used to start people thinking and talking about what defines this sector now, and what we want it to become.  To highlight our strengths, to get the great minds of Massachusetts and beyond to start thinking and talking about ways to consolidate and grow these creative and innovative industries.

These videos, and the posts associated with them, are here to seed conversation with You. And like Scott, we want you to be vocal and share your thoughts with us.

He asks: “Are we trying to convince ourselves that we still matter, that we’re still cool? Are we trying to convince people outside the state that they should relocate here? People in Europe that they should set up their U.S. outposts here?”

It’s up to you to answer these questions. And to ask more.

Nobody knows this space better than You: The people that build it, that work in it every day, that are defining its future. Share your knowledge with us and let’s get the conversation started!

We have set up a moderator session here for you to add your thoughts and questions.

Why don’t you start by telling us who You are? Why did You choose this region to work in? What is it about the New England technology and innovation sector that excites You? We’re looking forward to hearing from You!

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Posted in Blog, Communication, Innovate, Video, What's on | No Comments » add yours

Search For a New Metaphor

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

The Talent video for Innovate.Masstech.org can be watched here.

Listening to Joyce Plotkin, Rodney Brooks, Paul Sagan, Jamie Tedford, and Brian Shin in the video posted on this site, reminds us that talent is the heart of Boston’s competitive economic advantage in the innovation economy.  It matters.  It matters a whole lot and we all got a little scared about the “brain drain” when net-migration became increasingly negative after the tech bubble popped. New England has the largest population of young professionals of any of region relative to population and young adult population (See Brome) .  This is one of the region’s key competitive advantages and it is diminishing steadily over time as other regions improve faster. Importantly though, people have been asking hard questions and hatching new initiatives to mentor and connect with emerging professionals that flow through the region.

It seems there are a number of different dimensions to the talent retention issue:

Being a hub of talent is an excellent position. The literature on the innovation economy is unequivocal on the point that dynamism and churn are good. Massachusetts isn’t just watching its population slip silently down the “drain.”  The 2008 Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy ranks Massachusetts second among the Leading Technology States for its ability to attract college-educated adults from other states and abroad (see p.48).  This inflow of talent is an opportunity. We may have gone net negative for several years, but in the context of enviable volumes of flow in both directions.

Maybe we need a new metaphor. The phrase, “brain drain” conjures up an image of people flowing out of the region, but in reality most of those beloved Massachusetts twenty-somethings just put on weight and got a few grey hairs.  In the most extensive recent analysis of the subject, Alicia Sasser of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston concludes that the majority of the sharp drop and slower growth in the number of recent college graduates is due to having fewer native young adults to educate, not due to changes in migration patterns of young college educated adults.  “Changes in the migration decisions of individuals after graduation have not been very large and have had limited impact on the region’s stock of recent college graduates.” New England is again experiencing slow growth in the population age 22-27 with a bachelor’s degree – roughly half the national increase. If a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe the graph below is worth 500 to illustrate how cohort size can change the young adult population by aging.

While the “brain drain” might draw the wrong picture in our minds, connections matter. There are multiple pathways to boosting the growth of young professionals in Massachusetts including education policies (to increase attainment) and programs aimed at retaining talent such as connecting students with employers and mentors. First-hand experiences by students with regional employers through internships and other interaction can increase the capture and retention of students after graduation (Sasser 2009).  Mentors and contextualized learning also increase student persistence and motivation. Connecting beyond campus is an strength of many of the region’s universities which has yielded a disproportionately large economic impact on the region.

If we sweep away the notion that something endemically bad about Boston is causing brains to drain, we will be better able to share our enthusiasm for the region with the many young adults who come to study and work in the region.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and 2007 estimates from the Mass Department of Workforce Development.  Some 2007 calculations by the John Adams Innovation Institute.

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What’s on this week in MA innovation, technology and entrepreneurship

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Here’s a quick run-down on some of the events happening this week in MA that might be of interest to you. Please let us know by commenting on the page, emailing or tweeting about other events the Innovate MA Tech community should know about. We will post a summary each week.

SIGIR (Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval) 32nd Annual ACM Conference - 19-23 July

The 2009 SIGIR conference is underway in Boston, MA at the Sheraton Hotel and Northeastern University. The conference is chock full of exciting events and registrations are strong and still growing. We are enjoying an exciting week.

http://sigir2009.org/

Boston iPhone Developers Drinks and Demos 2.0 – 21 July

“Want to meet other Boston area iPhone developers? Please join us on Tuesday evening, July 21st, in a private room at the Asgard, a pub restaurant in Cambridge from 6:00-10:00 PM for our second drinks and demo night. This will be an informal meetup for local iPhone developers. Come have a beer, demo your projects and meet other locals doing the same.”

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/07/06/boston-iphone-developers-drinks-and-demos-20/

The current digital market – 22 July

Join MITX, in its first-ever Digital Trends event, in which a panel of analysts, practitioners and investors will share their insights and research into the reality of 2009 and how marketers can adapt now to leverage the key opportunities for success.

http://www.microsoftcambridge.com/Events/CurrentDigitalMarket/tabid/155/Default.aspx

Emerging opportunities in healthcare IT – 22 July

Come learn about the key business drivers and IT needs of this “recession proof” industry as we engage in an exciting discussion with a panel of experts who are leveraging the power of information and communication technologies to improve quality of life.

http://www.microsoftcambridge.com/Events/EmergingOpportunities/tabid/156/Default.aspx

Freedom to compete? A symposium on Bills affecting employee non-compete agreements – 22 July

The Boston Bar Associaton’s Intellectual Property Section, Labor & Employment Law Section, and Litigation Section sponsors a free symposium, open to the public, on the pros and cons of non-compete agreements in employment contracts in Massachusetts.

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/07/10/freedom-to-compete-a-symposium-on-bills-affecting-employee-non-compete-agreements/

Finding your inner geek: social media and twitter basics – 23 July

From the website of Media Awaken, a social media consulting company founded by Maria Thurrell: ‘Where do I get started?’ Alexa Scordato and I invite you to participate in a two-hour beginner workshop that will give you a clearer sense of how to use social media for both personal and professional uses.”

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/07/06/finding-your-inner-geek-social-media-and-twitter-basics/

Sales end for Boston Cloud Camp – 29 July

CloudCamp is an unconference where early adapters of Cloud Computing technologies exchange ideas. With the rapid change occurring in the industry, we need a place we can meet to share our experiences, challenges and solutions. At CloudCamp, you are encouraged you to share your thoughts in several open discussions, as we strive for the advancement of Cloud Computing. End users, IT professionals and vendors are all encouraged to participate.

http://www.cloudcamp.com/

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Posted in Blog, Communication, Innovate, What's on | No Comments » add yours

Let’s Celebrate the Unknown

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Massachusetts is a great place for entrepreneurs. Just take a look at this impressive list of “top things you might not know about the MA technology and innovation sector” assembled by Brian Shin (Founder and CEO, Visible Measures).

Michael Greeley (Founder and General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners) and Andy Ory (Co-founder, President and CEO, Acme Packet), co-chairs of the Entrepreneurship Working Group of the IT Collaborative, seem to agree. Watch what they and others had to say on June 10th. Massachusetts is a great place to do business.

But that does not mean we have it made. Perhaps we need to do a better job at embracing our entrepreneurs.

Look at the list below and comment. What are other success stories do we need to tell the world? What can we do to make these and upcoming stories well known and celebrated? Do YOU have a story to tell?

Top Things You Might Not Know About the MA Technology & Innovation Sector

  • Much of the internet is powered in MA with key foundational technologies developed at BBN, and companies like EMC, Akamai, and Sycamore Networks headquartered here.
  • MA is home to over 200 mobile startups, one of the largest mobile technology acquisitions (mQube by Verisign), the leading open mobile platform (Android, now Google), and the largest mobile social network (Mocospace).
  • Many leading online travel companies including Tripadvisor, ITA Software, and Kayak (started in Cambridge, MA and acquired by Side Step) are based in MA.
  • MA has a developing video nexus with Boston-based Sea Change, Brightcove, Permission TV, Gotuit, Visible Measures, Scanscout, Everyzing, Extend Media, Extreme Reach, and others.
  • Industry-defining, thriving, and publicly traded companies Monster.com, Avid, Pegasystems, Netscout, and Nuance are all based in MA.
  • MIT graduates have contributed $2 trillion in economic value by starting companies like Sohu.com and Analog Devices, with a current market capitalization over $7 bn.
  • In the past few years, the MA tech sector has spawned such IPO’s as Acme Packet, Constant Contact, and Vistaprint.
  • MA-based Meditech and Mathworks are two industry leaders who are among the world’s largest privately held independent software technology companies.
  • Some of the largest media technology acquisitions to occur in the past years, including Navic Networks (by Microsoft), Maven Networks (by Yahoo), and Broadbus (now Motorola) have been in MA.
  • Equalogic was acquired by Dell for almost the same amount ($1.4 bn) as YouTube by Google ($1.65 bn) but with 100 times less buzz (as measured by deal web page search results).

What else do we need to know? Add your stories here.

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