Her initials stand for "CynthiaAnn," but the Boston tech and entrepreneurial community knows her as C.A. Webb — and remembers her, among other things, for being the president of the New England Venture Capital Association for almost four years.
Now, C.A. Webb is taking on another role as president. This time, she will be leading the Kendall Square Association, a 175-member organization that consists of companies and institutions "committed to promoting the health, vitality and vibrancy of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts." The appointment comes a little over a year after C.A. Webb left the VC firm she co-founded in 2015, _Underscore.VC (which recently backed e-commerce startup Moltin).
Here's a Q&A with C.A. Webb about her plans for the future of the association, which include focusing on transportation issues and prompting discussions about racial equity (please note that Webb's answers have been edited for length and clarity).
Why did you accept the position?
I think there's something very special about what organizations like the Kendall Square Association can do to benefit a broader ecosystem, which any one organization or company simply can't do on their own. I am really driven by the mission to create the most prosperous and inclusive, cutting-edge version of greater Boston that can exist. That's the work that I've done over the last number of years and that's what I want to do with the remainder of my career. As I sat with the senior leaders in Kendall, I came away thinking: "These are my people."
What are your concrete plans for the future of the Kendall Square Association?
Place-making, building the Kendall brand, advocacy work on issues like transforming the public transportation system in greater Boston, work on diversity and inclusion across this ecosystem and within our respective organizations are all things that we are beginning to focus on and develop concrete plans for.
What are the most pressing challenges that the Association should solve immediately?
When we surveyed our members, we asked them what their greatest pain point is. The first thing they all talked about is the difficulty of getting into and out of Kendall Square. This is folks who are trying to drive in, folks around the subway, on buses. While we've made great strides in the safety and implementation of bike lanes in the last five years in Boston, it still isn't as safe as it should be.
Another issue I'd line right up against that is the issue of creating truly diverse and inclusive organizations. There are so many issues that... have culminated around the federal government's inaction in immigration reforms over the last number of years, over the Trump administration's xenophobia and terrible policies related to immigrants, which we see firsthand are negatively impacting research labs and innovation-driven organizations here in Kendall.
You left the position of president of New England Venture Capital Association in 2015 to become a partner and co-founder at Underscore.VC. How do you think both experiences shaped your plans for the Kendall Square Association?
I think both those experiences only strengthened my resolve and my personal mission being to create a more prosperous, inclusive, creative and dynamic greater city of Boston. They also showed me the power of focus and discipline. I think the world tends to think programmatically and not as systematically and strategically as the problems that we're interested in demand. As a leader, I seek to take that very system-driven, strategic approach to creating change.
What’s the first decision you’re going to have to make as president?
At our annual meeting on Thursday, we're going to have members of The Boston Globe's Spotlight team there to speak on their seven-part series on race in Boston. We're going to invite every single person who's there that day to join a follow-up conversation in the couple of weeks after. It will be hosted by a leader of the Kendall Square community and discussion group will be about 10 people inside. I can't predict what will come out. We're asking the community to reflect, share, generate ideas; we will be able to respond to their questions and, very organically, build something that responds to what they're asking for.
Let’s fast forward one year: what will make you think that your tenure at the Kendall Square Association is a success?
I will feel effective when we have strong alliances [and] senior leaders that have activated around the issues we discussed.
