When I asked MassLive Innovation Columnist Scott Kirsner why he wanted to compile a list of the most influential innovators from across the commonwealth this year, the answer was immediate.
“In Massachusetts, we’re really good at celebrating our sports teams when they’re doing well,” explained Kirsner, “but not so much the entrepreneurs and innovators who keep the economy growing — even in challenging times like these.”
That feels exactly right to me. We know how to rally around championships. We know how to tell the stories of comebacks, winning streaks and dynasties.
But some of the most important work happening in Massachusetts takes place in labs, classrooms, hospitals, startups, boardrooms and neighborhoods — often before most people know the names of the people behind it.
That is why we created the MassLive 25 Most Influential Innovators. The list is meant to shine a brighter light on people whose ideas, companies and institutions are helping shape the future of the state. These are people pushing what is possible in science, technology, medicine, education, business and civic life. They are creating new things, challenging old assumptions and making Massachusetts more interesting, more competitive and more prepared for what comes next.
For our first year, we asked Scott Kirsner to help put the list together. Scott has spent years covering the innovation economy in Massachusetts and across New England. He has a sharp eye for the people making what he called “the biggest dents in the status quo.”
That phrase captures the spirit of the project. This is not just a list of familiar names. It is an effort to recognize influence, momentum and impact — the people whose work is changing the conversation and, in some cases, changing the world.
The list is published alongside this column, but we also wanted to do more than publish names.
Later this month, we are bringing many of the honorees together for breakfast at the MIT Museum. That setting feels fitting.
The museum welcomes all to participate in MIT’s unique culture of problem solving and playful creativity. Later this month, it will open its OCEANS thematic season dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of our ocean planet, inviting visitors into the rich, dynamic marine enironment through the technology, research and interpretation that expands our capacity to sense and understand the oceans.
It is also producing the inaugural MIT Future Fest, a new, annual festival exploring the future of sience, technology, art and design.
That same energy is what we hope to capture with the new MassLive 25 list.
I’d also like to say a special thank you to our sponsors at Aspen Aero Group, without whom this celebration would not be possible. Aspen is a trusted advisor to executives and organizations navigating private aviation. Aspen provides independent guidance across aircraft acquisition, charter, and executive transportation, helping clients identify the right solutions for their needs and make informed decisions with confidence.
For MassLive, this is also part of a broader commitment. Our job is to cover Massachusetts communities with depth and urgency, but also to help people see the connections between those communities — the people solving problems, building companies, launching ideas and creating opportunities that ripple far beyond their own offices or campuses.
Lists are always imperfect. They start conversations, and sometimes arguments. That is part of their value. Our hope is that the MassLive 25 becomes an annual moment to recognize the people driving progress here — and to invite readers to think more deeply about the talent, ambition and imagination all around us.
