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8 Boston influencers you need to follow

17 Sep 2018

We’ve talked about the jobs, the opportunities and the Boston ecosystem as a whole. But who are the main people you need to know?

We’re a little more than halfway through the month of September and halfway through our month of Boston coverage.

From its world-renowned educational institutions to its vibrant start-up scene, Boston is filled with sci-tech talent.

We’ve already taken a look at the ecosystem as a whole and we’ve focused on the hottest jobs in the Boston area, but what about the people? Who are the movers and shakers within the brilliant Boston scene?

Here are just a few of the top sci-tech Boston influencers you need to know about.

Sarah Hodges (@hodges)

Sarah Hodges is a partner at Pillar, an early-stage venture capital fund based in Boston investing in blockchain, crypto and machine intelligence. Prior to working at Pillar, Hodges was a member of the executive team at Pluralsight.

Hodges also founded Intelligent.ly, a leadership development company that has transformed more than 1,000 emerging leaders and continues to serve the Boston community.

Colin Angle (@iRobot)

Colin Angle is the chair and CEO of iRobot, the company best known for its smart vacuum cleaner, the Roomba.

An expert in the field of robotics, Angle is also a member of a number of scientific boards, including Robots in Service of the Environment and Science from Scientists. In addition to his work in robotics and smart homes, Angle is also passionate about STEM education.

Jennifer Lum (@lum)

Co-founder of data company Forge.AI, Jennifer Lum is an entrepreneur, angel investor and start-up adviser.

Previously, Lum helped build four successful start-ups through to acquisition by public companies, including Quattro Wireless, which was acquired by Apple, and Adelphic, which was acquired by Time Inc.

Dharmesh Shah (@dharmesh)

Dharmesh Shah is one of the most successful angel investors in Boston as well as the founder and CTO of HubSpot.

Shah is an active member of the Boston entrepreneurial community, an angel investor in more than 60 start-ups and a frequent speaker on inbound marketing.

Prior to HubSpot, Shah founded Pyramid Digital Solutions, which was acquired by SunGard Data Systems in 2005.

Jane Steinmetz (@Jane_Steinmetz)

Last year, EY appointed Jane Steinmetz as its Boston office managing principal and the New England markets leader. She became the first woman to lead one of the Big Four accounting firms in the city.

Unsurprisingly, her history-making role is in line with her own beliefs and she is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, mentorship, and women in leadership.

Scott Kirsner (@ScottKirsner)

Scott Kirsner is the editor and co-founder of Innovation Leader, an information outlet serving chief innovation officers and other innovation-oriented executives. He is also a columnist for the The Boston Globe.

Kirsner co-founded the Nantucket Conference on entrepreneurship and innovation and the Convergence Forum focusing on healthcare, both of which are based in Boston.

Christina Chase (@cchase)

Entrepreneur and start-up adviser Christina Chase is co-founder and managing director of the MIT Sports Technology Research Group, working on the future of sports tech.

Chase is a lecturer at MIT in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She was also entrepreneur in residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.

Derek Christensen (@derekdac)

Derek Christensen is the innovation lead of Accenture’s Liquid Studio in Boston. The studio provides education and workshops, design-thinking facilitation, and rapid prototyping capabilities using the latest technologies such as AI, AR, VR, IoT and blockchain.

Christensen also started a local Boston group called Think Group to explore different topics and have in-depth discussions.

Jenny Darmody
By Jenny Darmody

Jenny Darmody became the editor of Silicon Republic in 2023, having worked as the deputy editor since February 2020. When she’s not writing about the science and tech industry, she’s writing short stories and attempting novels. She continuously buys more books than she can read in a lifetime and pretty stationery is her kryptonite. She also believes seagulls to be the root of all evil and her baking is the stuff of legends.

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