How Will Boston’s Innovation Cluster Look in 2035? Three More Predictions

Robots, big data, and biotech. That’s the innovation landscape of Boston in a nutshell. But how will things evolve over the next 20 years?

We’ve been asking top leaders in the startup and business community to think about that question, and the opportunities and challenges it presents for innovators across sectors. The answers they give are pretty telling.

It’s all part of Xconomy’s upcoming conference called Boston 2035, the latest in our Xponential Cities series. It’s happening on June 17 at Babson College, and the goal is to get a bunch of top minds together in the same room and discuss where things are headed when it comes to New England’s talent pool, technology companies, life sciences businesses, and venture capital community. The results should be entertaining, inspiring, and surprising.

You can check out the full conference agenda here, and get registration info here.

Meanwhile, here’s the next batch of 2035 prediction videos from representatives of some of Boston’s major growth sectors, and pillar companies in life sciences, big data, and robotics.

First up is Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna Therapeutics, which has already made some of the biggest biotech deals in history:

Next is Andy Palmer, CEO of Tamr, which is transforming how companies deal with their data. He is a rare breed who understands both the tech and life sciences industries, and the importance of nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs:

Lastly we have Chris Jones, iRobot’s Director of Strategic Technology Development. He’s in charge of R&D, so if you want to know what will be standard home-robot fare in 2035, he’s your man. I also kept expecting him to walk out from behind the telepresence robot in the video:

See you all on June 17! Be sure to bring your ideas and questions.

Ashley Gentile contributed to this report.

Author: Gregory T. Huang

Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003. Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.