MassTLC calls for Mass Tech Sector to create 100K New Jobs

Mass Technology Leadership Council Issues

“The MassTLC 2020 Challenge”:

Launching the Next Wave of Innovation

in New England’s Tech Sector

MassTLC calls on tech leaders in Massachusetts

to “Think Big & Play Big,”

and create 100,000 new digital economy jobs by 2020

BURLINGTON, Mass.—April 1, 2010—At its annual meeting, The Mass Technology Leadership Council, Inc. (New England’s leading tech business association) yesterday put forth a dynamic vision for the future of Massachusetts technology: calling for private and public sector influencers to creatively and effectively leverage Massachusetts’ unique assets, to adopt positive new beliefs and behaviors, and to commit themselves towards meeting the challenge of creating 100,000 new technology jobs in-state by the end of the decade.

Jointly addressing a public audience of 400 tech executives attending today’s Annual Meeting, Steve O’Leary and Bill Warner (MassTLC Chairman and Trustee respectively) sounded a dynamic and passionate clarion call to “think big and play big.” O’Leary emphatically listed the state’s unique resources and laid out the challenge:

“Massachusetts has potential for technology growth that is second to none. No other place on the globe can match our state’s unique assets: our history of innovation, our higher education leadership, our concentration of venture capital, and our per capita gross domestic product. Much as Massachusetts revolutionized the worlds of politics, industry, transportation and technology entrepreneurship in past generations, the current generation of technologies, infrastructures, ideas, and other innovations can drive a new decade of unprecedented growth and job creation.”

The MassTLC 2020 Challenge calls for concerted collective and individual efforts to make Massachusetts a great place to do business: for tech startups, successful mid-level and large Massachusetts-based companies, and for regional divisions and headquarters operations of world-class, multinational corporations. The challenge also calls on Massachusetts to take advantage of its established leadership in these key technologies:

• Ubiquitous Computing

- Mobile Applications

- Broadband and Web Infrastructure

- Software-as-Service and Cloud Computing

• New Media and Publishing:

- Online Video

- Marketing and Social Media Software

- Digital Games

• IT-Driven and Web-Driven Productivity

- Business Analytics / Workflow

- Healthcare IT

- Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals

- Cleantech, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Green services/tech

• Robotics

• Other innovations to come.

"The technology sector is a crucial driver of innovation, entrepreneurship, and job growth for the Massachusetts economy – today and tomorrow,” said Gregory Bialecki, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. “The Patrick Administration looks forward to continued collaboration with the sector to create jobs and opportunity here in the Commonwealth"

Get Involved in The MassTLC 2020 Challenge

“Massachusetts is already home to high-impact entrepreneurial startups, fast growing mid-sized companies, and to the headquarters or innovation centers of multinational technology leaders inculding Akamai, AT&T, Cisco, Comcast, EMC, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Raytheon and Verizon),” said Tom Hopcroft President & CEO, MassTLC. “By 2020, more and more of the world’s most innovative digital economy companies will want to locate their operations and base their teams in Massachusetts. Realizing that vision will require intelligent and diligent effort, imagination, flexibility, risk-taking and more than anything --- earnest participation, close involvement and regular input from all participants in the Mass tech ecosystem.”

To help meet this challenge, the MassTLC Board is developing an ambitious agenda of

focused initiatives including:

• Expanding programs designed specifically for job creation and growth

• Strengthening the organization’s commitment to fostering startups, while launching

new efforts to help mid-sized companies become billion dollar companies

• Pursuing collaborative efforts with universities, state government, and other industry organizations to train and retain the workforce talent necessary to drive growth

• Helping to make the Massachusetts a national leader in high-bandwidth,

broadband deployment

The MassTLC wants to hear what’s important to YOU

Tell us what’s on your mind: What’s working? What isn’t? What’s missing? What’s essential to succeed? Are you on board? How do you plan to meet the Challenge and how can we can we work together to grow the Mass tech sector this decade? E-mail your ideas for initiatives, programs, and policies to challenge@masstlc.org. We welcome your input and look forward to the dialogue.

About The Mass Technology Leadership Council, Inc.

The Mass Technology Leadership Council, Inc. is the only business association that addresses the critical leadership issues of innovative technology and technology-enabled companies. Drawing on the rich legacies of Massachusetts Network Communications Council, the Massachusetts Software Council, and the New England Business and Technology Association, Inc., the organization is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and promoting the success of companies that develop and deploy technology across industry sectors. The Mass Technology Leadership Council conducts educational programs, hosts industry events, facilitates networking, sponsors research, advocates in favor of technology policies that promote innovation, entrepreneurship and competition, and recognizes industry-leading companies and people.

For more information, visit http://www.masstlc.org or http://blog.masstlc.org .

Press Contact:

Patrick Rafter, Ambassador, Mass Technology Leadership Council

patrick@masstlc.org , 617-901-2697

Twitter: @masstlc, #MA, #jobs, #tech, #innovation