With nearly 50 startup accelerators, incubators, and other support programs in its reaches, Boston is no slouch when it comes to helping entrepreneurs put their big ideas into action. Programs like MassChallenge and Techstars provide startups in areas like ad-tech, healthtech, and fintech with everything from capital and office space, to mentors, peer support, and industry connections.
So it’s no surprise that many of the most successful startups out of Boston can trace their roots to local accelerators and incubators -- including corporate venture funds and in-house accelerators that may seem like unlikely partnerships. But hey, even big businesses know a good thing when they see it, and sometimes the shiny world of tech startups is too alluring to resist. Here, we’ve rounded up 6 successful startups that have come out of some of Boston’s biggest accelerators and incubators.
Since its inception in 2013, Cambridge-based startup PillPack has helped thousands of users remember to take their medicine on time. The online pharmacy, which fills, sorts, and delivers all your medications in personalized packets based on when you need to take them, got its start through Techstars, a local accelerator with big name sponsors like Google, Honda, and McDonald’s. PillPack has raised over $62 million in funding over four rounds.
Founded by mobile and application analytics experts, Localytics claims to offer the most powerful mobile analytics platform out there, allowing mobile app publishers for iPhone, iPad, and Android to build more successful apps that customers love. Localytics does this by providing real-time service and data access to top mobile application publishers. Some of the big-name brands using its services? eBay, Salesforce.com, the New York Times, and Microsoft, to name a few. The Boston-based company, which has raised over $59 million in funding over six rounds, got its start at MassChallenge, a local nonprofit startup accelerator that fosters job-creating startups across multiple industries. MassChallenge has many local corporate sponsors like Harpoon, John Hancock, and Fidelity Investments.
You’d hardly guess it all started with an annual MIT $50K Entrepreneurship Competition back in 1997, but that’s how content delivery network giant Akamai had its humble beginnings. Today, the Cambridge-based company is almost ubiquitous in its reach, making the internet fast and secure for customers like Sony, Nintendo, Hulu, the BBC, and even the White House. With 14 acquisitions, Akamai went public in 1999 and is valued at around $10 billion.
Another Techstars alum, CoachUp has created quite a buzz by connecting athletes with private coaches, so players can reach the next level in sports. Founded in 2011, CoachUp has raised over $9.4 million in two rounds of funding and seems well on its way to transforming the lives of thousands of aspiring athletes.
Before it was uber successful, Mavrck, a marketing platform that helps premier national brands target and attract their most influential customers, worked with IDEA: Northeastern University’s Venture Accelerator to launch its business. Since its founding in 2012, the ad-tech startup has raised over $8 million in funding over four rounds and has worked with huge brands like Hershey’s, Oreo, and hometown hero Dunkin’ Donuts.
Another startup success story that can trace its beginning to MassChallenge is ViralGains, a software company that makes connections between brands and consumers with the power of online video. Founded in 2012, ViralGains’ technology helps marketers and agencies maximize online video views and shares in real time -- all while measuring and optimizing viewer sentiment. Its software is used by huge corporations like jetBlue and Lexus, as well as local big brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts and HubSpot. Headquartered in Boston’s Innovation District, ViralGains now has offices in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles as well.
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