Boston is one of the best cities for startups, according to a report from the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The city has a rich history in technology and innovation ever since the founding days of the country. The two academic institutions that flood the market with top-tier talent are Harvard University and MIT.
Using accelerators, incubators, and venture capital, these tech startups have been able to reach levels of success that make them one of the best upcoming businesses in the city. Learn about the top Boston startups, including details on what innovations the companies have created and the VC funding amount they have received.
Best Startups in Boston to Follow
Every year, new startups pull to the forefront of their industry through exciting innovation, tech, and industry-disrupting business models. We’ve rounded up the best Boston startups of 2024 that startup-lovers, investors, and aspiring entrepreneurs should follow.
Disclaimer: With so many exciting Boston companies launching and growing, we aren’t able to cover them all. Furthermore, the startups that are listed below are not officially ranked and are listed in no particular order.
1. LinkSquares
- Industry: Legal
- Founders: Chris Combs, Vishal Sunak
- Founded In: 2015
- Funding: Series C, $161.5 Million
- Investors Include: Catalyst Investors, Sorenson Capital
Linksquares helps in-house legal teams manage contracts effectively using a variety of online tools. Using AI, LinkSquares allows professionals to craft, review, and approve agreements as well as set up documents for signatures and manage them all from one place. The tools also track metrics and allow critical reports to help legal teams process information more quickly.
2. HourWork
- Industry: Human Resources
- Founders: Rahkeem Morris, Robert Snyder
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Series A, $16.3 Million
- Investors Include: Relish Works, Positive Sum
HourWork is a marketplace for employees and employers to connect and find flexible work arrangements. The platform focuses on hourly workers and the businesses that employ them. Past employees and applicants are re-engaged by HourWork and vetted for helpful feedback. Fast food restaurants or retail stores will benefit most from the networking service that HourWork brings.
3. Algorand
- Industry: Blockchain
- Founders: Silvio Micali
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series A, $132 Million
- Investors Include: Borderless Capital, Tor Kenz Capital
Algorand introduces a new sustainable blockchain that has the infrastructure to be decentralized, scalable, and secure at the same time. As energy conservation becomes more prevalent, companies like Algorand will already be positioned to lead with their cutting-edge technology. Individuals will be able to make any transaction that involves the blockchain using the platform.
4. Perch
- Industry: Consumer Products
- Founders: Chris Bell
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series A, $908.8 Million
- Investors Include: Spark Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund
Perch is more of an investment company than it is a product or service. They scour the Amazon marketplace looking for businesses with potential and acquire them in hopes of turning them into an ecommerce powerhouse. Using its years of experience, they are able to help small businesses within 60 days of acquisition.
5. Activ Surgical
- Industry: Medical
- Founders: Peter Kim, Seth Teicher
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series B, $100.4 Million
- Investors Include: Alumni Ventures, Hikma Ventures
Active Surgical looks to improve the entire surgery process including efficiency, accuracy, patient outcomes, and accessibility. The company is building hardware-agnostic surgical software that minimizes various surgical systems. Arthroscopes, robots, and laparoscopes can all become autonomous and collaborate with surgeons. Preventable medical errors total to be the third leading cause of death and Active Surgical hope to reduce these numbers.
6. TrustCloud (Formerly Kintent)
- Industry: Software
- Founders: Sravish Sridhar
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series A, $22 Million
- Investors Include: OpenView, Tola Capital
Compliance in business infiltrates every department and every process. TrustCloud helps automate compliance so that businesses can focus on what they do best. The software offers a risk-based assessment of company data to help identify potential areas of non-compliance. Various workflows and templates are available for different types of compliance needs.
7. Upshot
- Industry: Blockchain
- Founders: Nick Emmons
- Founded In: 2019
- Funding: Series A, $30.5 Million
- Investors Include: CoinFund, Slow Ventures
Upshot has a range of online tools that help users integrate into the Web3 universe. People are able to use analytics to read into NFT markets for better decision-making. There’s also a grading index available for NFT wallets, and the Upshot API can be included in various apps and projects. Using Upshot, users will be able to explore the metaverse more efficiently and effectively.
8. Backlight
- Industry: Media
- Founders: Ben Kaplan, Cristian Livadiotti, Ed Laczynski, Fredrik Limsater, Mark Kennedy, Parham Azimi
- Founded In: 2021
- Funding: Private Equity, $200 Million
- Investors Include: PSG
Involved with media creation, Backlight offers a host of tools that allow content creators to produce, create, and distribute their projects. Using the tools, creators are able to not only make their creative vision but also scale it to reach the audience they need. Users will be able to allow content creation, post-production, production, distribution, and analysis.
9. Mabl
- Industry: Engineering
- Founders: Dan Belcher, Izzy Azeri
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series C, $76.1 Million
- Investors Include: Vista Equity Partners, Amplify Partners
The world of engineering requires precision so using an intelligent test automation platform can help teams move more efficiently. Mabl is constantly learning so that it can provide software testers with the most up-to-date testing possible. The goal is to make regression testing painless and smooth so that engineering teams can focus on other areas.
10. Flipside Crypto
- Industry: Cryptocurrency
- Founders: Dave Balter, Eric Stone, Jim Myers
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series A, $61.5 Million
- Investors Include: Dapper labs, Blockchain Coinvestors
New cryptocurrencies and businesses are being created every day and information is constantly flowing into the market. To make sense of it all, Flipside Crypto has created online learning tools that allow anyone to learn the blockchain. There’s a hub of on-chain data that users can access at any time and from anywhere all for free.
11. Sonde Health
- Industry: Healthcare
- Founders: Jim Harper, Jon Z Lin, Michael C. Chen
- Founded In: 2015
- Funding: Series B, $41.3 Million
- Investors Include: Evidity Health Capital, MP Healthcare Venture Management
Sonde Health takes medical diagnostics using any mobile device that gives people vital information on mental and respiratory health conditions. The most surprising part is it is all done using your voice. The hope of the company is to change the medical healthcare system from reactive to proactive by using preventative medicine.
12. Lightmatter
- Industry: Machine Learning
- Founders: Darius Bunandar, Nicholas Harris, Thomas Graham
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series C, $267 Million
- Investors Include: Matrix Partners, Vikin Global Investors
The large increase in data that is transferred online is causing environmental impacts, and Lightmatter is helping to change that. They’ve created the first photonic chips that use less energy than electronic ones currently do. This will help data centers use less power and produce fewer carbon emissions. In addition to this, their technology is able to process data faster which will lead to new discoveries in AI.
13. Southie Autonomy
- Industry: Robotics
- Founders: Jay M. Wong, Jay Wong, Rahul Chipalkatty
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Debt Financing, $7.6 Million
- Investors Include: Bootstrap Labs, Kineo Finance
The future of industrialization is robotics, and Southie Autonomy is developing flexible automation robots for contract packaging. The technology will ensure companies have labor shortage insurance as well as improve the quality and consistency of their products. The robots are also easy to use and can be incorporated into existing packaging lines with little disruption.
14. 1upHealth
- Industry: Healthcare
- Founders: Gajen Sunthara, Ricky Sahu
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: Series C, $75.5 Million
- Investors Include: F-Prime Capital, Eniac Ventures
1upHealth is healthcare’s most complete FHIR data platform. The company improves the efficiency of access to clinical and claim data in real time. The platform is built into the cloud so users can connect, control, and compute the data from any location.
15. Origin
- Industry: Fintech
- Founders: João de Paula, Matt Watson
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Series B, $72 Million
- Investors Include: Founders Fund, General Catalyst
Origin is an employee services startup. The company offers employees services to manage compensation, benefits, and personal finances. On a mission to empower the modern workforce to better manage their finances at any stage of life, Origin provides expert support and innovative technology to support workers.
16. Stavvy
- Industry: Real Estate
- Founders: Josh Feinblum, Konstantinos Ligris
- Founded In: 2018
- Funding: Debt Financing, $53 Million
- Investors Include: Morningside Venture Investments, Alumni Ventures
Stavvy is a real estate technology startup in Boston allowing users to collaborate on the platform to conduct lending, notarial, and loan servicing. Notable features of the Stavvy platform include eClosing, loss mitigation solutions, and foreclosure services for servicers and attorneys.
17. Cogito
- Industry: Artificial intelligence
- Founders: Alex Pentland, Joshua Feast
- Founded In: 2007
- Funding: $155.7 Million
- Investors Include: Goldman Sachs, Salesforce Ventures
Cogito is an enterprise software solution that provides teams with emotional intelligence training through artificial intelligence and data-driven training. When using the Cogito platform, employees benefit from real-time training to improve their skill set while managers receive visibility into performance and improvement.
18. Tomorrow.io
- Industry: Big Data
- Founders: Itai Zlotnik, Rei Goffer, Shimon Elkabetz
- Founded In: 2016
- Funding: Series E, $270.9 Million
- Investors Include: Canaan Partners, Activate Capital Partners
Tomorrow.io is a weather intelligence platform leveraging data mining to provide real-time weather forecasts. Used by the NFL, Uber, Delta, and Ford, Tomorrow.io is a leader in weather technology to improve operational efficiency and keep businesses informed.
19. ZOE
- Industry: Wellness
- Founders: George Hadjigeorgiou, Jonathan Wolf
- Founded In: 2017
- Funding: $88.7 Million
- Investors Include: Flight Fund, Accomplice
ZOE is a personalized nutrition program rooted in data from the world’s largest nutrition-science study. Created by scientists from leading institutions such as Stanford Medicine and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, ZOE is an innovative step forward in human health.
20. Tive
- Industry: Enterprise Software
- Founders: Krenar Komoni
- Founded In: 2015
- Funding: Non-equity assistance, $81.8 Million
- Investors Include: Plug and Play, NextView Ventures
Tive is an enterprise solutions startup helping companies gain control over their supply chain. With Tive software, companies gain true visibility into their supply chain to monitor, troubleshoot, and improve their systems in real time, saving them time, money, and labor.
Final Thoughts
From enterprise software to machine learning to artificial intelligence, Boston startups are shaking up the startup ecosystem. Whether you’re trying to find startup jobs or invest in a startup in Boston, there are a myriad of innovative, fast-scaling companies working to disrupt their industries to choose from.
These are the top Boston startups to watch this year, check back regularly to review our updated list of new startups and founders making waves in Boston and beyond.
FAQs
Is Boston good for startups?
Boston is a great city for startups. There are a number of resources available, including funding and mentorship, and the community is supportive. Boston also has excellent labor fluidity and risk capital infrastructure in place.
How many startups are there in Boston?
There are currently more than 4,000 startups located in the city of Boston. These companies range in industries but include blockchain, technology, and medical.
Is Boston a big tech hub?
Boston is a major technology hub and is the home of companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Google. The city has a thriving startup scene and offers plenty of resources for entrepreneurs. Boston also has a strong community spirit and is supportive of new businesses.
What are popular startup industries in Boston?
The health industry is very popular for Boston startups as well as the technology industry. Blockchain and other Web3 products and services are being created in the city as well.
What are some successful Boston companies?
Some of the most successful Boston companies are HubSpot, which is a marketing and sales software company, Akamai Technologies, a content delivery network, and Kayak Software Corporation, a travel search engine. All three of these companies have received significant venture capital funding.
How do I start a startup in Boston?
In order to start a startup in Boston, you’ll need to have an innovative idea, be able to execute that idea, and have a strong team in place. You’ll also need to find the right investors and make sure your company is compliant with local regulations.