2013 Launch Ceremony Liveblog

We're looking forward to a big year ahead of us! Join us as we ring in a new season of innovation and high-impact startups! 

The one thing that can ensure success in this Commonwealth is the growth of the innovation economy 
- Robert Kraft speaking at the MassChallenge 2013 Launch Ceremony

What a great Launch! The energy in the crowd was palpable as we made exciting announcements and kicked off the 2013 Accelerator Season! 

In case you missed it, here are some key highlights!

With the help of Collective Next, Entrepreneurs split into four "Action Groups": Trendspotters, Geniuses, Amplifiers, and Connectors. These action groups worked together and came up with myriad commitments to help entrepreneurs in 2013:

Tom Leighton, CEO of Akamai, told the crowd of startup enthusiasts his founding story and spoke on the challenges of maintaining a state of the art web presence:

At the end of the event, we welcomed Robert Kraft, CEO of the Kraft Group and owner of the New England Patriots into the space as we announced two exciting new initiatives:

1) MassChallenge is partnering with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to send top startup research from MC to the International Space Station! 

2) With the help of The Kraft Group and EMC Corporation, we're launching MassChallenge Israel - connecting the innovative regions of Boston and Israel to further the Startup Renaissance! 

Make sure to check out the live blog below and experience the excitement! If you have a high-impact startup, then definitely apply!