Boston’s brand as tech destination is muddled
WHEN WE CHOSE BOSTON as the US beachhead for our international software company, we knew we’d get a critical benefit: close proximity to innovators and other highly skilled professionals. Boston’s relatively easy access to Europe, where we do much of our business, also helped with our decision.But we also knew what we wouldn’t be getting, and our experience in Boston sheds light on the challenges the region faces as it looks to land the likes of Amazon and other tech firms. For it’s not only high costs and average or below average transportation that discourage companies’ relocation and expansion. There’s also a lack of less tangible yet important infrastructure — including a meaningful partnership between government, the academic community, and the tech sector. The Boston area has all the pieces, but its inability to put them together serves to squander some of the potential of the Boston tech scene.
WHEN WE CHOSE BOSTON as the US beachhead for our international software company, we knew we’d get a critical benefit: close proximity to innovators and other highly skilled professionals. Boston’s relatively easy access to Europe, where we do much of our business, also helped with our decision.But we also knew what we wouldn’t be getting, and our experience in Boston sheds light on the challenges the region faces as it looks to land the likes of Amazon and other tech firms. For it’s not only high costs and average or below average transportation that discourage companies’ relocation and expansion. There’s also a lack of less tangible yet important infrastructure — including a meaningful partnership between government, the academic community, and the tech sector. The Boston area has all the pieces, but its inability to put them together serves to squander some of the potential of the Boston tech scene.
WHEN WE CHOSE BOSTON as the US beachhead for our international software company, we knew we’d get a critical benefit: close proximity to innovators and other highly skilled professionals. Boston’s relatively easy access to Europe, where we do much of our business, also helped with our decision.But we also knew what we wouldn’t be getting, and our experience in Boston sheds light on the challenges the region faces as it looks to land the likes of Amazon and other tech firms. For it’s not only high costs and average or below average transportation that discourage companies’ relocation and expansion. There’s also a lack of less tangible yet important infrastructure — including a meaningful partnership between government, the academic community, and the tech sector. The Boston area has all the pieces, but its inability to put them together serves to squander some of the potential of the Boston tech scene.
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