What a great quarter! Yes, it’s a lot of writing. Yes, I do all of the writing. But I’ve come to appreciate the tremendous privilege it is to hear the stories of all you talented operators, founders, ecosystem builders & companies trying to make a dent in this vibrant Boston startup ecosystem and the world beyond. I feel a deep responsibility to do you all justice and I’m working at it every day!
There’s an age old debate about what’s most important to startup success. Is it the markets you compete in, the people you do it with, or the products you develop?
I’m choosing people every time.
The biggest Q2 highlight was putting together the Endeca Effect series and getting the opportunity to speak with some of their alumni about that career experience. Special thank you to Jeff Boehm for his help in organizing that project. I was lucky enough to catch Jeff right before he started a new role and we got it done. It’s the people, I’m telling you!
Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, but I’m determined to bring this audience the best venture backed software companies I can find locally that have financial and career upside in the form of growth and opportunity for operators. You’re all busy managing your lives and your careers. I’m here to bring you great companies and insights from operators doing the work!
In the background I’ve been working to launch the MGMT Boston Operators Clubwhich has been slowly rolling out in June. This is a community for up & coming operators who want to grow outside of their day to day. The goal is to help aspiring startup leaders (Team Lead > Director / 1st time VPs) get more connected in the local ecosystem, learn about local companies & trends, and find ways to help build their careers through direct connections, insights & community. Stay tuned as we ramp up!
Here are the Q2 stats if you’re into that type of thing and we’ll close with some Q2 learnings:
Newsletter Growth: 333 > 475+ E-Mail Subscribers
Traffic Stats: 3,875 (April) > 9,000+ (June)
LinkedIn: 100k+ Impressions
People Met: 100+
Q2 Operators Highlighted: Dana Wensberg (Paperless Parts), Jasmine Pogue (Skilltype), Mark Hardy (Black Kite), Tony Iuliano (Recorded Future), Kelly Cheng (Goldcast), Ashlyn Donohue (LinkSquares), Jon Coombs (Flexcar), Michele Choi (Medley), Dan McCarthy, (Kard), Carla Price (Enablement Leader) & Kayla Dowd (Hi Marley)
Vertical & Horizontal SaaS: Black Kite, CloudZero, EKOS, Herald, Swapt & Wonderment
Marketplaces: Mirakl, Markit Social
HealthTech: Basys, Elucid, VivorCare
Growth Stage (A-C): 3
Seed Stage: 7
Late Stage (>C): 1
Special Feature: The Endeca Effect – Overview / Markets / People / Products / Conclusion / Bonus – Steve Papa & Alumni Learnings
Top Learnings:
- AI is everywhere. LLMs, GPUs, CPUs, large fundraises, and splashy acquisitions. The hype is sky high. Where’s the value being created? That’s the story of the next decade.
- There have been tectonic shifts in the startup ecosystem following the banking crisis. Personnel from SVB & First Republic have been on the move and it will reshape Boston’s ecosystem support structures in the years ahead. Worth watching.
- Events are BACK. If you wanted to go to a startup event every night of the week, you certainly could. Check out Jonathan Chang from Markit Social’s event list here if you want to see a steady stream of in person opportunities.
- Speaking of back, return to office is always a hot topic. Companies are implementing policies, changing them, etc. Everyone wants to know what every other company is doing. My take on this is that workplace policy will slowly drift toward employee choice so…we’re not going back full time. Ever.
- Random observation I’ve surfaced with some people: why doesn’t the Boston sports ecosystem overlap with the Boston startup ecosystem? There’s this amazing other asset (world class sports) we have here that, as far as I can tell, is not really a part of the startup scene? Maybe I’m wrong!
- Operators are interested in exploring an industry switch at some point in their careers but don’t really know how to pull it off. Think a B2B SaaS operator who’s interested in one day working in healthtech or climate tech. An interesting thread to pull on.
- The most interesting Boston companies & operators I’ve met have come to me by getting out there and talking to people. It’s a ground game. You can’t find everything you need on Built In Boston or BostInno (although they’re great resources) or other lists or rankings. You’ve gotta get out there!
Which Boston area startups & operators do you want to see in the months ahead??