BOSTON, MA, September, 28, 2023 – MassChallenge has joined forces with Akamai to help startups in MassChallenge’s global innovation network gain a competitive edge in today’s rapidly evolving digital marketplace. The partnership gives startups that participate in MassChallenge’s early stage program access to Akamai cloud computing experts, as well as valuable credits for Akamai cloud computing services. 

“The entrepreneurs accepted into MassChallenge are there because they push the boundaries of technology,” said Matt Berk, Vice President of Cloud Computing at Akamai. “Fostering that innovation by taking away some of the friction of starting and scaling a startup, as well as giving them access to a modern cloud designed for the needs of today’s customers, not yesterday’s, puts them in a better position to innovate faster, operate more cost efficiently, and avoid the long-term pitfalls of getting locked into a single provider.” 

The collaboration between MassChallenge and Akamai has the potential to reshape how startups build their companies for a future where the demand for a better user experience often requires computing to be deployed closer to the user. Akamai is building a new kind of cloud designed to meet the needs of these modern workloads that require higher performance, lower-latency, and true global scalability current cloud architectures were not built to provide. The company is doing this by taking a distributed-first and cloud-native approach to cloud computing. 

“We created this partnership in direct response to founders in the MassChallenge U.S. Early Stage program who indicated an interest in learning more about distributed cloud computing,” said Will Magruder, Vice President of Partnerships at MassChallenge. “The relationship between MassChallenge and Akamai will further support entrepreneurs with the future-forward tools and resources they need to solve massive challenges unencumbered by yesterday’s cloud solutions.”  

Akamai is providing $3,000 per month for 12 months to all participants and alumni of MassChallenge’s startup program, in addition to hosting office hours and webinars for founders with its cloud experts. 

About MassChallenge  

MassChallenge is the global network for innovators. Headquartered in the United States with eight locations worldwide, it is the non-profit’s mission to help bold entrepreneurs disrupt the status quo and create meaningful change. Since launching in 2009, MassChallenge has run programs in 24 countries, supported more than 4,000 startups from around the world, and awarded over $18M in equity-free cash and prizes. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.  

About Akamai  

Akamai powers and protects life online. Leading companies worldwide choose Akamai to build, deliver, and secure their digital experiences — helping billions of people live, work, and play every day. Akamai Connected Cloud, a massively distributed edge and cloud platform, puts apps and experiences closer to users and keeps threats farther away. Learn more about Akamai’s cloud computing, security, and content delivery solutions at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on Twitter and LinkedIn.