Launching and leading a new venture in Western Massachusetts is not the same as operating in the tech hub of Greater Boston. Founders who have spoken with BostInno say networking opportunities, venture capital groups and employees are harder to come by, and commuting to Boston isn’t always easy.
Gov. Maura Healey and state Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao say they have a plan to support entrepreneurs in all parts of the state and spur economic growth across Massachusetts, from Pittsfield to Provincetown. In an exclusive interview, the state leaders said there are “a lot of good seeds” in Central and Western Massachusetts, but there’s still some growing to do to reach that “tipping point.”
“We now just need to get to that critical mass and scale,” Hao said.
Hao highlighted several success stories of Western Massachusetts' innovation ecosystem, including the Institute for Applied Life Sciences at UMass Amherst, the Berkshire Innovation Center and North Adams-based Lever, which offers mentorship, workspace and investments to local entrepreneurs.
CHIPS, Tech Hubs opportunities for Mass.
Most immediately, Hao said the state is thinking about how Western and Central Massachusetts could benefit from funding from the CHIPS and Science Act passed last August.
Next month, the application window will open for the Tech Hubs program, Hao said. This program will financially support at least 20 tech hubs that demonstrate a region’s potential for rapid economic growth.
“We think we have an awesome opportunity here with the rest of our state,” Hao said. “There are many other pockets of our state in Western and Central Mass, especially up in Lowell and some of our Gateway Cities and the North Shore, there’s a lot of areas that could become tech clusters.”
Putting together the big-picture vision for economic growth across the state will come through the governor's economic development plan, which each new administration must complete and publish during their first year in office. This plan must include the state's priorities and an implementation plan.
Hao said they’re kicking off the plan's development council, which will be made up of administration officials, political appointees and business representatives, next week and will then hold sessions across the state.
Spreading the wealth
While the state certainly needs cities such as Boston and Cambridge to be successful, Hao said, her office isn't only focusing on those hotspots. Hao said their economic development plan would cover all regions and tailor plans based on the needs of different areas of the state.
“It’s very intentional that we need to make investments and really focus on how we can have all regions rise with the rising tide,” Hao said. The secretary herself has connections to Western Massachusetts: She is a Williams College graduate and owns a home in Williamstown.
There will also soon be a new member of Hao’s team focused on the rural economy. Hao said they will be bringing on a director of rural affairs for the first time. This person will report to Ashley Stolba, the undersecretary of economic foundations. Last week, the economic development secretary announced that her office would be restructured under three pillars of economic development: economic foundations, economic strategies and consumer affairs and business regulation.
Healey added that other factors inhibiting economic growth in Western Massachusetts are still top of mind for her, including transportation. She reiterated her commitment to building out the East-West commuter rail and plans on hiring a director to lead the project.
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