MTLC Launches The Founder Lab, a 10-Week Cohort for Massachusetts Technology Founders

Launchpad.io from Pega joins as anchor sponsor, with PwC and Foley Hoag supporting the inaugural cohort at Akamai's Kendall Square headquarters

BOSTON, Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MTLC), the state's leading technology business organization, today announced the launch of The Founder Lab, a 10-week curated cohort where Massachusetts technology founders work through real company-building decisions alongside a selected peer group. The first cohort begins September 14 and will meet at Akamai's Kendall Square space, which is serving as the program's home base.

The Founder Lab is built around the simple idea that founders rarely need more generic startup programming. The Founder Lab offers weekly closed-door founder working sessions, supplemented by practical resources, experienced operators, and relevant connections from MTLC's network. The core mission of The Founder Lab is to provide resources to startup founders that often cease to exist as they gain traction while also helping to ensure that Massachusetts continues to establish itself as a tech leader.

Selection for the inaugural cohort was competitive. MTLC evaluated companies based on active company-building momentum, the quality of the decisions in front of them, and their ability to both benefit from and contribute to a serious peer group, rather than simply selecting the most visible companies in the market.

The first cohort includes: 9point8 Collective, Accelidea, Inc., Alar AI, ARIA by LuminOne, EvoNatura, FlipThrough, Jiffy Labs, Prioriwise, Tubender, and Veteran Hiring Solutions.

Launchpad.io is serving as the anchor sponsor of The Founder Lab, with Constant Contact, Foley Hoag, PTC, and PwC as supporting sponsors.

“MTLC’s mission is to support tech leaders, their teams, and their companies so that they thrive here in Massachusetts. The Founder Lab is an extension of this mission. We have created this program to break down the silos and ensure that founders have access to the resources they need as they grow and scale,” said Sara Fraim, CEO of MTLC. “Too often these companies fall off of a cliff as soon as they gain momentum. We have the network to connect them to those who have achieved success and can help them to the next phase of growth.”

"As the anchor sponsor of The Founder Lab, we’re helping to bring together some of the most ambitious tech founders building in Massachusetts," said John Huehn, Chief of Launchpad at Pega. "What makes this MTLC program so compelling is its focus on helping founders navigate the real challenges of building and scaling a company, from product and go-to-market strategy to the operational decisions that determine long-term success. This supports the next generation of software companies to build and grow on a foundation designed for the AI era.”

The Founder Lab reflects MTLC's broader mission to support executives, their teams, and their companies across the Massachusetts ecosystem. The organization has spent more than 40 years connecting founders, investors, and executives across the state's technology community.

The inaugural cohort runs September 14 through November 10. Additional information about The Founder Lab, including sponsorship and future cohort details, is available by contacting MTLC.

About MTLC
The Mass Technology Leadership Council (MTLC) is the leading destination for tech and AI-driven companies in New England. We foster connections among executives, support innovation, and empower the next generation of tech talent. With hundreds of members and partners, MTLC creates a vibrant, inclusive community where ideas spark transformative change.

About Launchpad.io
Launchpad.io is the platform from Pega that leading software companies use to build and scale enterprise-grade, AI-powered software. It combines AI-assisted development and low-code tools with industry-leading workflow automation and secure, scalable, production-ready cloud architecture to deliver agentic and human-in-the-loop solutions that enterprises and regulated industries can trust, deploy, and adopt. Launchpad helps software companies bring differentiated products to market faster, scale with confidence, and focus their time and investment on innovation, customer value, and growth.

Media contact: Sara Fraim, sara@mtlc.co