WATCH: Massport Shares Vision for a Vibrant Port Economy at SeaAhead Demo Day
Imagine a Boston waterfront where bluetech innovation coexists with the seafood-processing industry, allowing sustainability and economic development to go hand in hand.
That’s the vision Richard Davey—CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)—shared at this summer’s Demo Day.
Massport's an independent public authority that manages Massachusetts' most critical transportation and maritime infrastructure, including Boston Logan International Airport, the Port of Boston, and over 450 acres of Boston waterfront real estate. Focused on economic development and sustainability, Massport recently accelerated its net-zero emissions target from 2031 to 2028.
In a fireside chat with SeaAhead CEO Alissa Peterson, Davey discussed the economic importance of ports, how Massport and bluetech startups can support one another, and why he’s eager for Massport to take the kinds of risks uncommon in government.
Check out key takeaways from their conversation, and watch the full recording below!
Massport sees ocean innovation as the next industry to vitalize the Seaport. “We were challenging ourselves and saying, what is the next ecosystem? What's the next cluster? What are the next things we need to be supporting? And we landed on bluetech.”
Collaborating with startups is a critical part of how Massport plans to innovate. “Government usually likes to be the second adopter. That is different at Massport—my drive is to continue to challenge us to take some more risks.”
The state’s ports can be major hubs of economic activity. “That is how we think at Massport: our role is to be stewards of not only the ocean and the land along the waterfront, but also the kind of economic activity we can generate.”
The best solutions boost sustainability, customer service, and financial outcomes. “The absolute gold standard is if you can improve customer satisfaction and improve the bottom line.”
“We can be a connector. We have the largest cruise ship terminal in New England. We have the largest container terminal in New England. We can [connect] startups with customers like that who might be interested in using their products or services.”
—Richard Davey, CEO of Massport
Learn more about SeaAhead Demo Day and the featured startups.
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