MassChallenge is a start-up accelerator and mentorship program organized into an NGO. MassChallenge was established in 2009 in Boston, and the organization now has offices in Rhode Island and Texas, as well as in Mexico, Switzerland, and Israel. The Boston, MA location includes MassChallenge's main program, which focuses on early-stage US startups, as well as their HealthTech and FinTech programs. MassChallenge begins with a competitive application process, from which winners are selected and enrolled in a four-month mentorship program. This mentorship program includes opportunities for networking with investors and the ability to compete for funds. MassChallenge provides this full list of the start-ups they have graduated through their program.
The MassChallenge Israel office, located at Ki'ach 5 Jerusalem, 93542, plans to seek out agribusiness and agribusiness-adjacent startups for funding in 2022, through the "Better Plate Track." MassChallenge is carrying out this new agribusiness initiative in partnership with the Modern Agriculture Foundation. The prize for completing the program includes a business trip to Boston.
MassChallenge's leadership in 2022 included:
CEO | Cait Brumme |
COO | Lauren Dougherty |
CPO | David Herrick |
Managing Director of Early Stage, New England | Hope Hopkins |
VP of Finance | Jason Pusifer |
Board of Directors | William Cowan |
Board of Directors | Michael Fanning |
Board of Directors | John Harthorne |
Board of Directors | Diane Hessan |
Board of Directors | Travis McCready |
Board of Directors | Fiona Murray |
Board of Directors | Leonard Schlesinger |
Director, Israel | Siobhan Dullan |
Director, Israel | Tammy Mahm |
Director, Israel | William Schnoor |
Board of Advisors | Sean Belka |
Board of Advisors | Joshua Boger |
Board of Advisors | Alice Bonner |
Board of Advisors | A.G. Breitenstein |
Board of Advisors | Brian Chapman |
Board of Advisors | Damon Cox |
Board of Advisors | Michael Greeley |
Board of Advisors | Wendy Mayer |
Board of Advisors | Linda Pizzuti Henry |
Board of Advisors | Matt Puccini |
Board of Advisors | Susie Roberts |
Board of Advisors | Jody Rose |
Board of Advisors | Jerry Wohletz |
Board of Advisors | Rick Weisblatt |
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Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School Leonard Schlesinger serves on the Board of Directors of MassChallenge.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Jerry Wohletz is "vice president and general manager of the Electronic Combat Solutions business area within BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems sector," which "provides advanced electronic warfare capabilities to a broad portfolio that includes B-2, C-130, F-15, F-22, F-35, and the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile." Wohletz also serves on the Board of Advisors of MassChallenge.
Diane Hessan is a member of the Tufts University Board of Trustees, and also serves on the Board of Directors of MassChallenge.
Fiona Murray is a Professor of Entrepreneurship & is the Associate Dean of Innovation at MIT Sloan School of Management, and serves on the Board of Directors of MassChallenge.