AI may be the loudest conversation in tech right now — but building a lasting AI company requires more than adopting the latest model. At Startup Boston Week, Doug Williams (MIT Orbit Software for Entrepreneurship), Kara Peterson (Descrybe), Scott Weller (EnFI, Inc) and Joseph Adu (SpectrumAi) shared how they cut through the noise. The discussion moved beyond hype and into the realities of trust, customer understanding, pricing, and building products that solve real probl

Venture capital is often viewed from the outside. Founders pitch. Investors decide. Deals close. But behind every fund is a process that is far less visible and far more complex than most people realize. At Startup Boston Week, Alex Benik (Encoded Ventures), Rumika Sharma (BankTech Ventures), William Lehman (Step Function) and Lily Lyman (Underscore VC) pulled back the curtain on what it actually takes to launch and operate a venture capital fund. The conversation moved b

Breaking into the startup world isn’t always straightforward. Should you start your own company? Join an early-stage team as a startup operator? Or build experience inside a larger company before jumping into startups? At a recent Startup Boston event, we brought together founders and startup operators to talk through the real differences between these paths and help attendees understand how to decide which direction might be right for them. Joining the conversation were: Mar

Boston doesn't shout about its startup studio success. While Silicon Valley celebrates every new accelerator with splashy launch events, Boston's startup studios have been quietly building companies from scratch, launching venture after venture that draw on the city's deepest strengths. Boston startups raised nearly $4 billion in 2024 , cementing the city's position as the #5 startup ecosystem globally . But what's particularly interesting is how startup studios have found th

On a snowy Boston morning, founders, legal experts, and ecosystem leaders gathered for a conversation that tackled a reality many entrepreneurs face but few openly discuss: building a startup while navigating immigration status. Hosted by Startup Boston in partnership with the City of Boston, the session we learned from Deepanshi Bansal (Founder, ShineQuo), Jashin Lin (Founder, Growbie), Allison Ahern Fillo (Immigrant Counsel, Davis Malm) and Anushka Singh (Founder, Katha

If you spend enough time in Boston’s startup ecosystem, you start to notice something: the magic doesn’t just happen inside startups. It happens in the rooms where founders meet mentors for the first time, it happens when an investor makes an introduction that changes a company’s trajectory and it happens in coworking spaces, university labs, accelerator cohorts, and community gatherings where people decide to build something bigger than themselves. And more often than not, t

March brings a calendar full of opportunities to bring founders, operators, investors, students, and ecosystem builders together in Boston’s startup ecosystem. From intimate founder dinners and mentorship moments to high-energy networking mixers, resource expos, and campus-wide innovation meetups, this month is all about connection, learning, and momentum. Startup Boston is helping anchor the month with a series of community-powered experiences. Here are four to have on your

Building a startup isn’t just about product, funding, or growth metrics: it’s about people. As companies move from scrappy early teams to scaling organizations, the real challenges shift. Foundership becomes leadership. Culture must be intentional, not accidental. Hiring, performance, and team health become strategic priorities rather than operational afterthoughts. This evolution is where many startups struggle and where the strongest companies differentiate themselves. The

Boston doesn’t have a startup “season,” it has an ecosystem calendar. From student-led venture summits in the spring to climate, robotics, AI, fintech, and deep-tech gatherings throughout the year, New England hosts a steady rhythm of events that bring builders, investors, researchers, operators, and ecosystem leaders into the same rooms and onto the same ideas. These moments matter. They spark partnerships, unlock funding pathways, surface new talent, and help founders find

Startup funding conversations tend to follow a familiar script: raise a seed round, close Series A and scale toward Series B. Equity dominates the narrative. But as companies mature and markets evolve founders face a more complex question: what comes next? At Startup Boston Week, Janice Bourque (Hercules Capital), Matthew Ahern (Knightsbridge Advisers), Will Kidston (Kenston Capital Partners), Yeng Felipe Butler (Chestnut Run Capital Partners) and Will Bernat (Nutter) un

When people hear “tech,” they often think of AI, software, or robotics. Food rarely makes the list. But at Startup Boston Week, a panel of founders, scientists, and sustainability experts made it clear: the future of food may be one of the most important technological frontiers of our time. From cultivated meat and regenerative agriculture to pest monitoring and sustainable supply chains, the conversation with Oliver Sanchez (Extrasense), Nicky Roberts (Sustainability Consu

Performance management rarely makes the “top reasons I started a company” list. Yet at Startup Boston Week, a packed room of founders, operators, and people leaders stayed late for a candid conversation about one of the most overlooked levers of startup success: how teams give feedback, set expectations, and help people grow. Moderated by former Chief People Officer Christina Luconi (People Innovations), the panel featured talent and HR leaders Tania Philipp (Vor Bio), Laur

Last week, Startup Boston teamed up with the City of Boston to host Meet Boston’s Startup Networking Groups , bringing together founders, operators, students and ecosystem builders for one simple purpose: helping people find their place in the startup community. The room filled quickly with over 200 attendees connecting directly with communities that make Boston’s startup ecosystem feel accessible, welcoming and collaborative. Because here’s the truth: Boston’s startup scene

Midway through Startup Boston Week, a room full of founders, operators, and go-to-market leaders gathered at Suffolk University for a timely reality check: AI may be changing how startups sell, but it isn’t changing why sales works. The session “AI in Sales: The New Playbook for Startups” was moderated by Vanessa Ferranto , CEO and co-founder of Dalbero. She was joined by Jason Ingargiola , Partner at And1 Advisors, and Joss Poulton , CEO and co-founder of ClearSync. Rather

In a packed room at Startup Boston Week, founders, students, operators, and ecosystem leaders gathered for a conversation that went far beyond loyalty points and receipts. Moderated by Suffolk’s Center for Entrepreneurship Director Chaim Letwin , the fireside chat featured Wes Schroll , the founder and CEO of Fetch Rewards. What unfolded was a candid, tactical look at what it actually takes to identify a durable pain point, survive years without product-market fit, scale a co

Every few months, the same take pops up: “The Boston tech scene is slipping.” Respectfully…we disagree. What is changing is how the ecosystem shows up. Boston and New England aren’t powered by hype cycles alone; they’re powered by people doing the real, often unglamorous work of building companies, investing early, creating platforms, supporting founders and knitting the community together across industries, identities and generations. This Black History Month, we’re excited

February is kicking off strong in Boston’s startup ecosystem, with a packed calendar of events designed to bring founders, operators, investors, students, and ecosystem builders together. From intimate founder dinners and mentorship sessions to high-energy networking mixers, demo showcases, and campus-wide innovation meetups, this month is all about connection, learning, and momentum. Startup Boston is anchoring the month with eight community-powered experiences, here are fou

Product-market fit is one of the most talked-about milestones in startup life and one of the least agreed-upon. Is it a feeling? A metric? A moment when growth suddenly feels easier? At Startup Boston Week, a candid panel of founders, operators, and investors pulled back the curtain on what it actually looks like to move from early traction to first real customers and why the journey is messier than most pitch decks suggest. Moderated by Shawn Harris , CEO and co-founder of

Churn rarely announces itself. It doesn’t show up with a dramatic exit or a clear warning sign, it creeps in quietly, hidden behind “healthy” dashboards, polite check-in calls, and customers who seem fine right up until they’re gone. At Startup Boston Week, that uncomfortable reality set the tone for The Crystal Ball: Mastering Health Scores to Predict (and Prevent) Churn , a session that challenged founders and operators to rethink how well they actually understand their cus

Equity decisions made in a startup’s earliest days can echo for years, often in ways founders don’t fully see until it’s too late. That reality was front and center at The Founder’s Guide to Equity Clarity: SAFEs, Term Sheets, and the Road to a Clean Cap Table , a packed session at Startup Boston Week presented by the team at Peak Corporate Counsel, including Bob Baker and Matt Shrimpton . The full event video is embedded below if you’d like to watch the conversation start-to

At the 9th Annual Startup Boston Week, a packed room of founders and operators gathered for a candid conversation about one of the most underestimated growth levers in early-stage companies: customer success. The session, Building Your CS Dream Team: Hiring and Growing for Early-Stage Success , featured a deeply experienced panel moderated by Erica Ayotte Favorito (Founder, Slice Advisory), alongside Mary Migiano (Head of CX, Compt), Nehal Patel (Fractional Chief Customer