Boston Globe’s Tech Innovation Summit 2025: Innovation at the Crossroads of Talent, Technology, and Purpose

At this year’s Boston Tech Innovation Summit, the central theme was clear. It was innovation at the crossroads. And this encompassed many elements, including a rapidly shifting landscape, our region’s fusion of intellectual capital with mission-driven innovation, cross-sector collaboration giving us a unique edge, and an urgent responsibility to do good. Whether the focus was on AI, clean energy, public safety, or future-of-work dynamics, speakers returned to a common refrain: real impact comes from aligning bold technology with human intention.

1. Talent Is Still Boston’s Secret Weapon

“We all want the same thing,” an Axon executive noted, opening the panel on public safety tech. “To get home safe. That’s a right, not a privilege.”  

For companies like Axon, whose mission intersects with public good, Boston offers a powerful base of engineers and innovators. The company’s new 22,000-square-foot Back Bay office is both a great workplace, but also a “core driver of innovation” designed to attract and retain top-tier talent.

Georgie Campbell Flatter, CEO of Greentown Labs, emphasized the importance of tapping local talent to fuel the climate tech ecosystem. Despite federal policy headwinds, Greentown startups are thriving: over 100 applications to the incubator have already been submitted in 2025, with current members raising more than $40 million this year alone. Our team attended the Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit and saw their success first-hand last year.  

But attracting talent is just one side of the coin. Retention (especially in the face of rising housing costs and expectations for hybrid work) has emerged as a defining challenge.  

Christina Luconi, formerly of Rapid7, challenged companies to be more intentional: “It’s not just about finding the person with the right resume. It’s about finding someone who actually wants to be on the mission with you.”

2. Hybrid Work Isn’t Dead… But It’s Being Redefined

Panelists were refreshingly candid about the ongoing push-pull between remote work and in-person collaboration. Luconi argued for balance: “We need to stop catering to every individual preference and start building cohesive, mission-driven teams.”  

MIT’s Deborah Livermore added that hybrid environments are essential for mentorship, especially for early-career talent: “You can’t Zoom a prototype. You can’t Zoom mentorship.”

3. Climate Tech Isn’t Slowing Down

With more than 600 startups supported over its 15 years, Greentown Labs is proving that climate innovation is both a moral imperative and still an economic engine. “Climate is a lens that touches all industries,” said Flatter. From energy poverty to critical minerals to hard tech manufacturing, the opportunities for innovation are vast and deeply interdisciplinary.

4. AI is Moving from Hype to Utility and Boston Is a Crucial Node

Across AI-focused panels, leaders stressed two things: trust and verification. “AI isn’t the product. It’s a tool,” said Justin Whitehead, founder of Pebble Finance. His team uses AI to decode financial market signals for both retail and institutional investors, with humans still reviewing thousands of explanations daily for accuracy.

Scott Weller of N5 emphasized the need to embed AI as a “junior team member,” one whose accuracy improves with structured oversight. “We’re in the interview phase of AI. You don’t hire someone and give them the most complex task on day one.”

At the frontier was Liquid AI founder Ramin Hasani, who introduced “liquid neural networks” as a new paradigm for on-device intelligence. “We need AI to be private, fast, and affordable,” he said. “Edge AI will make AI personal and sovereign.”

5. Boston’s Ecosystem: Small Enough to Be Personal, Big Enough to Lead

From startups to stalwarts, nearly every panelist highlighted Boston’s “stickiness,” the ability of the region to attract and keep mission-driven innovators. “Boston has a gravitational pull,” said Luconi. “It’s one of the few places where someone without a tech degree can still find a way to shape the tech ecosystem.”

Liquid AI’s Hasani put it simply: “Boston is wealthy in people, in ideas, in purpose. And that wealth must be reinvested.”

6. Policy and Purpose Must Evolve Together

When asked what Governor Healey’s administration could do next, panelists called for deeper community integration, housing affordability, and a bold rebranding of Boston’s tech identity. “If we could get people as excited about this ecosystem as they are about the Celtics,” Luconi joked, “we’d be unstoppable.”

Final takeaway?

Boston is uniquely positioned to lead. But this can only happen  if it invests in talent, dares to experiment across disciplines, and roots every innovation in purpose and good. And what an exciting time it is to be representing the innovative leaders based in this great state of Massachusetts doing this kind of work.