TechCrunch Live is making a special (virtual) trip to Boston on February 27, 2023, and you’re invited to the free event. Register here! While NYC may have the glitz, Miami the weather, and San Francisco the centrality; Boston has its own charms – and we’re going to discuss why Boston is a great place to launch and scale your startup.
I’m excited to host a conversation with a couple of veterans of Boston’s startup scene. Cait Brumme, CEO at Mass Challenge, and Ajay Agarwal, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, are set to discuss what founders can find in Boston including early stage funding, accelerators, universities full of talent and ideas, and why successful companies like iRobot, Hubspot and Wayfair call the area home.
We’ll hit on what types of startups have thrived here and why, and what types aren’t well represented. You’ll get the full picture of why you should (or maybe shouldn’t) think about Boston as a place to start your business.
Cait Brumme leads MassChallenge, a startup accelerator founded in Boston in 2009, which recently expanded beyond Boston and now has operations in Houston, Dallas, Mexico City, Lausanne, Switzerland, and Israel. Today, Brumme says her firm supports 600 startups a year, about 1000 entrepreneurs, through a portfolio of almost 20 accelerator programs. It is worth noting that MassChallenge takes zero equity in the companies it works with.
“Our commitment to work with founders for no equity certainly is a key part of how and why we’re able to work with what we call ‘our frontier founders.’ And we continue to be community powered. So as the world embraces this idea of decentralization and collective ownership, MassChallenge is community-powered with a group of about 5000 volunteer experts who support our work each and every year,” Brumme told TechCrunch
She’ll be joined by Ajay Agarwal, partner at Bain Venture Partners, the venture capital firm that has been in the city for over two decades. Agarwal has invested in dozens of startups over the years including names like Clari, Gainsight, SendGrid, Airbase and Kiva Systems.
“I’m really bullish on the assets that Boston has, certainly the universities, and I think we can continue to have big companies being built here,” he said.
The two bring a unique perspective on the city and its position as a place that startups can launch, get funded, grow and thrive.
Want to attend the event? Register here. The event takes place on Monday, February 27 at 11:00 EST, starting with a conversation with Greg Dracon of 406 Ventures and concluding with a pitch-off with local startups. I hope you can make it!