August 9, 2023 – Holyoke’s innovation ecosystem took the spotlight this past Wednesday! Cofab Design, Clean Crop Technologies, the City of Holyoke, and FORGE hosted Hardtech Holyoke. The event celebrated the startups, technologists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, and ecosystem service providers building new physical products in and around the city. More than 85 people from across…
Are you a start-up with a cool new concept attempting to build your first proof-of-concept prototype? Or a VC funded company translating your technology to production? Or perhaps a design group in a blue-chip corporation with a new set of specifications for a device? When designing a new device (or redesigning an old one), the…
Apr. 13, 2023 – Springtime! The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and bold new ideas are growing in startup leaders’ heads. What better time to showcase physical products from our local innovation ecosystem? On a warm and sunny Thursday afternoon, more than 170 people filled the Dassault Systemes 3DExperience Lab in Waltham, MA…
Without approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), you can’t market your medical product in the U.S. Getting FDA approval is a challenging obstacle on the path to market for a medical startup, but it’s well worth the effort. FORGE invited Iris Sherman, biosecurity and population research group lead at MITRE, to share her…
The innovative idea behind your product is what makes it exciting and valuable to consumers and investors. As a startup leader, your business success depends on keeping your innovation yours. FORGE recently hosted a panel discussion for our startup network describing how to legally protect your intellectual property, from patents to non-disclosure agreements. Our guests…
January 18, 2023 – On a cool Wednesday night in Springfield, more than 100 people filled the White Lion Brewing Company for the State of Manufacturing in Western Massachusetts 2023. Manufacturers, local representatives and other state and local support agencies gathered to discuss coming challenges and opportunities for Western MA’s economy. The evening began with…
Last year, with your help, we served over 300 innovative companies with manufacturing strategies and connections, launched our new Manufacturing Readiness Workshop Series, and distributed non-dilutive product development funding to our startups, and more. In 2022 alone, the FORGE team made 489 curated connections between innovators and local suppliers. Within the network, we saw supply chain companies and manufacturers redouble…
