Founders, Leaders, and Community Stories

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 27th August 2026

Startup Boston Week Speaker Sneak Peek: BLKHLTH’s Matthew McCurdy on Building Community and Customer Relationships

Matthew McCurdy, "When you work in the health space, you're also fulfilling a need. You can identify problems through being in relationships with people who have the problems that you're seeking to solve, and that relationship has to be continuous. It can't be a one-time customer discovery interview. We want to solve problems that we understand, and I think a personal experience with the problem that you're trying to solve is also tremendously invaluable."

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 25th August 2026

Startup Boston Week Speaker Sneak Peek: Ovease’s Deanna DeFelice on Having a Vision and Betting on Herself

Deanna DeFelice, "My long-term goal was always to build a mission-driven brand of my own. I trusted that when the right idea came along, I'd know it.”

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 18th August 2026

Startup Boston Week Speaker Sneak Peek: Valka.AI’s Jason Wu on Designing Unbiased Interviews, Hiring, and Job Searching

Jason Wu: "I think there are levels of bias versus unbiased. I think a lot of the discourse around unbiased interviews over the years has been about giving everyone a fair shot. Are you asking everybody the same questions? "

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 4th August 2026

Startup Boston Week Speaker Sneak Peek: Cara Hogan on Positioning, Messaging and Marketing That Converts

Cara Wood: " ... I wanted to go back to working with mission-driven organizations. At that point, I had built some amazing relationships with board members and VCs. I reached out to my network and said, ‘If I wanted to do fractional work with earlier-stage climate startups, do you have some companies that you could maybe refer to me?’ That's how I got my first couple of clients."

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 20th August 2026

How Florrent’s Jose LaSalle (and Co-Founders) are Building Resiliency into the Energy Grid

Jose LaSalle: "I've heard this from multiple investors, but this is something that they look for when they vet founders: Are you in it for money or status? That is probably not a strong enough motivation to keep you going when the times are hard. Find what drives you at your core."

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 12th June 2026

How RedPoint Oncology’s Dr. Mengdie Wang is Reaching New Peaks in the Startup Community

Dr. Mengdie Wang: "As founders, we constantly live with uncertainty. Something I discovered about myself is that I'm very good at dealing with uncertainty. We don't know if the funding is going to come through, or how the data is going to turn out. It’s part of life. As long as I’m being present, I can deal with it. I really enjoy building RedPoint because I'm building something that I truly believe in, and I've had so much support along the way. All of these make me genuinely grateful and happy."

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 28th July 2025

Queenmakers & Trailblazers: Meet Some of the Awe-Inspiring Women Speaking at Startup Boston Week 2025

Intelligent. Fearless. Savvy. Interesting. Creative.

These are just a few of the words that describe the women shaping the future of the New England startup ecosystem. At Startup Boston Week 2025, we’re honored to welcome some of the region’s most fearless founders, sharpest investors and powerhouse operators to the stage.

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 15th May 2025

25 Years of Connection: ALPFA Boston’s Impact on Founders, Professionals, and the Startup Ecosystem

Jorge Andrade: "ALPFA Boston is one of the most innovative chapters. We created this entrepreneurship pillar back in 2020. Our community was evolving and we continued to see more growth with small businesses. We came at it from an inclusivity perspective, and it’s now part of the national program. I give credit to ALPFA Boston for going ahead and taking that leap. They support us and they have our back."

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 5th November 2024

Hot Off the Press: Announcing Startup Boston’s Investor Directory

After you’ve had your “eureka” moment, built your product and have found product-market-fit, where can you find the financing you need to scale your company?
You're in luck.

Here at Startup Boston, we’ve put together a one-stop-shop to support your search for funding as you build your company.

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 14th August 2024

Startup Boston Week Speaker Sneak Peek: C10 Labs' Patricia Geli

Patricia Geli: "Most of the focus has been around core AI — chips, clouds, and foundation models. But these commentaries are missing how AI fits into an even larger story of global transformation."

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 27th September 2024

2024 Hispanic and Latinx Leaders Shaping the Greater Boston and New England Startup Scene

At the core of the Boston and New England startup scene, you’ll find incredibly driven, passionate and accomplished folks from the Hispanic and Latinx communities.

They’re investors, founders and community leaders. We’re excited to acknowledge the visionary men and women who are making their mark and taking the region’s startup scene to new heights.

Startup Boston * Blog Post • 8th July 2025

Staying the Course: How Mass Innovation Network Mentors Startups to Success

Sophia Kambanis: "Ask yourself about those that could benefit with your invention, with your innovation technology, or whatever your solution is. And you need to believe in yourself more than anybody else. You stick with it."