Scott Kirsner

Could this Massachusetts startup change how baseball teams spend millions? Infinite Sky, a Boston-based company, uses AI to analyze video and assess baseball pitchers' command, helping teams make smarter recruitment and salary decisions.

As Major League Baseball barrels toward the World Series later this month, one Massachusetts startup has been rooting for the teams using its technology.

Founded in 2021, Infinite Sky uses AI to analyze video from baseball games...

www.masslive.com/news/2025/10... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Say goodbye to the Mass. clean energy boom. But a comeback may be in the offing Massachusetts' clean energy sector faces a turbulent week as feds pull $466M in grants. Emily Reichert, chief executive of the Mass. Clean Energy Center explains what happens next.

The Sec. of Energy came to MA to visit to a fusion reactor startup with @massgovernor.bsky.social. And then his Department cut $466 million of grants in the state. What gives? I spoke with Emily Reichert of the Mass. Clean Energy Center:

www.masslive.com/news/2025/10... — via @masslive.bsky.social

AI isn’t killing jobs yet, but it’s making the job hunt weird Unemployment is trending up in Massachusetts. Is AI the cause? Here are what job candidates and tech experts say is happening.

You probably can’t say you’ve experienced the strangeness of the job market in 2025 until you have submitted to an interview with an AI human resources “agent."

www.masslive.com/news/2025/10... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Trump slashed funding for universities that helped create these vital drugs Medications that prevent HIV, shrink tumors and treat seizures were invented with government funding. At research universities, that money is now canceled or in jeopardy.

Great piece on @washingtonpost.com:

The Post "examined the history of six important drugs invented over the past few decades. In each case, crucial steps in the development of the medication came from taxpayer-funded research at universities now at risk of losing federal support."

wapo.st/4q1M3ly

Are there reasons to be optimistic about the Mass. economy? Yes and no While recent surveys find that business leaders in the Bay State are pessimistic, and are having trouble getting access to capital, some see reasons for optimism.

On a rainy morning in Roxbury this week, the annual economic outlook breakfast organized by Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) did not serve up an especially sunny forecast for the future.

5 insights from the event:

www.masslive.com/news/2025/09... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Why these tech founders are building ghost ships that could transform naval warfare Startups in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are developing a new class of uncrewed ships — and raising millions from investors. Could one of them become the Waymo of the waves?

What’s behind a surge in funding recently for startups in Massachusetts and Rhode Island that want to design and build ships?

Two words: uncrewed vessels.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/09... — via @masslive.bsky.social

The race to quantum computing supremacy runs through Boston Local startup QuEra attracts major investment from NVIDIA, highlighting the city's growing influence in the global competition to build computers that could crack current encryption systems.

NVIDIA just placed a bet on this Boston startup building quantum computers.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/09... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Why Boston's most hated neighborhood is actually its most misunderstood success story With Hasbro's arrival marking another milestone, Boston's most criticized neighborhood continues to prove its critics wrong by building a diverse, dynamic community.

With Hasbro moving in soon, I thought it was time to ask: maybe we should stop dissing the Seaport?

www.masslive.com/boston/2025/... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Opinion | We Are Watching a Scientific Superpower Destroy Itself

From Sputnik to 2025: this country became a scientific superpower over seven decades. How quickly will we destroy that?

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/o... — via @nytimes.com

Is this major Mass. tech company quietly shifting to San Francisco? With its annual conference held in San Francisco and a CEO based in that city, what does it mean to be headquartered in Mass. these days?

A lot of things started to change at HubSpot in 2023.

In January, the company opened up an SF office. Then, it announced that an SF-based executive would be taking over as CEO. This week, the annual Inbound conference happens... in SF.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/09... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Georgia Tech Is Teaching Other Universities a Fundraising Lesson — via @wsj.com + @nidhisubs.bsky.social

www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Biotech slump: US risks losing its industry crown to China, Mass. leaders say MassBio report shows venture capital investment declining to 2017 levels as industry leaders compare the situation to America's loss of semiconductor manufacturing.

A new report from MassBio finds shrinking employment in both manufacturing and research and development jobs — and that data doesn’t yet include 2025 layoffs in the biotech biz. Here's what industry veterans say about what's happening...

www.masslive.com/news/2025/08... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Live, from Boston Harbor, it’s ‘Survivor: Life Sciences Edition’ As China rises and other global cities aggressively court biotech talent, Massachusetts faces a "contracting moment" that has executives concerned about the future of innovation.

More than 500 young life sciences entrepreneurs arrived on one of the Boston Harbor islands this week. While they were there for the annual Nucleate Alumni Summit, the vibe was a cross between a summer camp for geniuses and an episode of the reality show “Survivor.”

www.masslive.com/news/2025/08...

Looking forward to moderating this conversation tonight (Aug 12th) at the Harvard Book Store, with the author of "Boston and the Making of a Global City."

www.harvard.com/event/james-...

Meet the Massachusetts-made boat that never needs gassing up James Worden, who built solar-powered race cars at MIT, now aims to revolutionize maritime transportation with his innovative TruSolar boat, while continuing his late wife's legacy.

Checking out a new solar-powered boat that can cruise along at 6 mph on only the sun's rays. The creator is an MIT alum who helped start the solar car racing team at the university.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/08... — via @masslive.bsky.social

A Boston tech company says its wristbands can estimate blood pressure. The FDA’s not so sure Scott Kirsner, a columnist from our editorial partner MassLive, joins WBUR's Morning Edition to discuss the feud.

And here's the @wbur.org segment about this story, which aired today (8/8): www.wbur.org/news/2025/08...

Groundbreaking Harvard study — funded by the NIH — finds that lithium reverses brain aging.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/06/m...

Key paragraph at the end of this @bostonglobe.com piece by Kay Lazar:

Can Boston startup Whoop win its face-off with the FDA? Whoop is betting on political connections and wellness claims to keep its blood pressure monitoring feature, despite FDA warnings of potential fines and product seizures.

The Boston wearables startup Whoop got a warning letter from the FDA about its latest device. Its CEO was in DC earlier this year meeting with Trump cabinet member Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who oversees the FDA.

How will this play out?

www.masslive.com/news/2025/08... — on @masslive.bsky.social

This is a good effort by Mass. Gov. Maura Healey... *IF* it gets funding. Trying to use $400 million of state money to preserve R&D jobs and early science, and counter severe federal cuts in the billions.

www.mass.gov/news/governo...

Cambridge startup’s sleep apnea pill shows promising results Apnimed's experimental drug reduced breathing interruptions by nearly 46.8% in clinical trials, offering a potential alternative to CPAP machines for millions of people.

Does a Cambridge startup have a pill that can treat sleep apnea?

Last week, Apnimed, a little-known pharma startup founded in 2017, announced encouraging results from its clinical trial of a new drug. Six things you should know about it, via @masslive.bsky.social:

www.masslive.com/news/2025/07...

MIT Innovation HQ shuts down after 12 years due to budget cuts Federal research funding reductions led to the closure of the engineering school program, which had fostered cross-disciplinary collaboration since 2013.

Innovation will likely not stop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, one program designed to foster it was shut down last week after 12 years in existence.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/07... — scoop on @masslive.bsky.social

A well-placed biotech investor says US policies are straining life sciences startups - The Boston Globe Johannes Fruehauf left Germany for the United States more than 20 years ago to propel his scientific career. But amid the Trump administration’s blows to science, he’s sensing more opportunity in his ...

Johannes Fruehauf on @statnews.com: "Unfortunately, it seems that we in the U.S. are questioning our desire to lead a sector that we have traditionally led since the ’70s and ’80s, and Boston took a big role in that..." #biotech #lifesciences

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/15/b...

Here’s one way that Massachusetts is better than Hawaii Massachusetts edges out Hawaii in a key way, but it may be a somewhat dubious honor.

The new @cnbc.com rankings of the best states for business are out, and...

www.masslive.com/news/2025/07... — via @masslive.bsky.social

My latest column for @masslive.bsky.social — and a few bonus pics.

The robots have taken over this store at a Cambridge mall

www.masslive.com/news/2025/07... #retail #robotics #cambma

Can A.I. help whip you into shape? These are three new fitness startups worth knowing about, founded by veterans of Android, Whoop, and Runkeeper.

Summer is the season of training camps and outdoor workouts — and also a new cohort of fitness and sports startups in MA.

I’ve been tracking three startups worth knowing about: HYBRD, Ray, and one so new it doesn't yet have a name.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/07... — via @masslive.bsky.social

‘Regardless of what’s happening in Washington’: New Mass. economic development chief seeks to grow economy The newly appointed economic development chief faces rising unemployment, manufacturing challenges, and AI disruption as he prepares to implement the Mass. Leads Act of 2024

My interview with Eric Paley of @foundercollective.bsky.social ... just named the new Secretary of Economic Development for Massachusetts.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/06... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Dear Gov. Healey: Here’s how to make Mass. a manufacturing powerhouse — again From Junior Mints to robotics, the state already produces more than you think - but the next economic development chief needs to tackle four key challenges to unlock the state's greater potential.

Dear Gov. Healey:

There are not a lot of Trump administration objectives that you may feel like our state can get on board with over these next three-and-a-half years, but here’s one: making more stuff in the U.S.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/06... — on @masslive.bsky.social

#massachusetts #mapoli

Boston faces its biggest economic threat since the industrial collapse A BU professor warns that federal funding cuts, immigration restrictions and housing costs could reshape the region's status as a global innovation hub.

My Q&A with author and BU prof James O'Connell: How Trump administration policies are impacting Boston and the rest of our state.

www.masslive.com/news/2025/06... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Opinion | Our Bridges Are Old, Our Grid Is on the Fritz and Soon America Will Be Obsolete

"The U.S. is sleepwalking into an infrastructure crisis — one that will quietly degrade our quality of life and kneecap our ability to compete in the global economy. It’s not just the older infrastructure... it’s also support for the new systems, such as #AI."

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/o...

Ozempic, the internet, GPS: Here are 5 things New England researchers helped develop with federal funding - The Boston Globe Life as we know it now wouldn’t be possible without scientific breakthroughs funded by the federal government.

The internet. Barcodes. The COVID vaccine... have one thing in common — they were developed thanks to a partnership between the federal government and universities, which boomed after World War II.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/10/m... — via @bostonglobe.com