Nearly every physical point of the Massachusetts start up community has been touched by the Boston marathon bombing and on-going manhunt. Back Bay, where the marathon concludes, hosts Flybridge, HLMVP, Partners Innovation Fund, Excel Medical, Siemens Medical, Encandle, and many others. Events after Monday, have spread fear further.
Yesterday’s shootings and death of an MIT police officer are tragic. The ecosystem of MIT’s start-up community – at a most basic level – is predicated on safety and the proximity of like-minded individuals. Today, justified fear bolsters the police advisory that Cambridge residents – and those in nearby Watertown, Newton, Waltham (Home of the 128 Technology Belt), Belmont, Allston and Brighton remain in-doors. All public transit is shut down. Businesses have been asked not to open.
On Monday, I was visiting colleges with my high school senior. I learned of the initial events on Twitter and Facebook minutes after they happened. These timely communications give me hope that, despite this terrorist attack, our technological advantage, innovative knowhow and community will continue to come together. I’m on-line at 6 am EST after a scared night – but am connecting nonetheless. Meet-ups have been re-scheduled, not cancelled. While businesses may not be physically open, start-up business will continue.