On October 1st 2024, 250+ innovators from a range of backgrounds and industries gathered to celebrate Kendall at the Kendall Square Association’s Annual Meeting Celebration: Innovation for People + the Planet.
Guests strolled in to enjoy beautiful live music, courtesy of the Kendall Square Orchestra. Screens scattered around the room playing the inaugural Kendall Clips loop of videos from our members gave everyone a glimpse into the remarkable work of their Kendall neighbors, including sushi-making restaurants (Fuji @ Kendall), life science leaders (Broad, Ragon, and many more), and a construction company stocking our Little Libraries (Siena!). See the full video at the bottom of this page.
The reception was an opportunity for guests to mingle with their Kendall neighbors while enjoying food from local restaurants: wood-fired pizza from Area Four, sophisticated sushi from Fuji at Kendall, homemade Italian eats from Gepetto and outside-the-box Mexican food from Mex, plus, drinks from Cambridge Spirits and Vitamin Sea Brewing, tables were adorned with plants from Kendall’s Rooting For You, and guests were encouraged to take them home.
The program opened with a warm welcome and appreciation from Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons.
The focus of the evening? Honoring the innovation and collaboration that characterizes Kendall Square, and the incredible people behind it. In the words of Sally Kornbluth, MIT President and keynote speaker for the event:
“I believe that the idea of collective strength is central to the future of the ‘Most Innovative Square Mile on the Planet.’ So let’s harness our unique Kendall Square know-how, our tenacious desire to solve problems and our unrivaled propensity to collaborate — and put it all to work on behalf of the planet and its people.”
President Kornbluth also appeared in a panel discussion about innovation in Kendall Square along with Fiona Mack, VP, Head of Bayer Co.Lab and Benedetto Marelli, MIT Professor of Biology and a Mission Director of the MIT Climate Project.
The KSA launched its inaugural Founders’ Awards, honoring those among us who have demonstrated their commitment to bringing people together to do hard things that will benefit humanity and make life better for all. It was an honor to present the inaugural awards to Michal Preminger and Sangeeta Bhatia. Two phenomenal women whose purpose-driven work is benefiting humanity today, and will continue to do so long into the future.
MIT Professor Sangeeta Bhatia is a co-founder of multiple life science companies, she directs the Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine, and she leads the Bhatia Lab at MIT where she and her colleagues are making a real impact on people by engineering micro and nanotechnologies that address complex human health challenges from cancer to liver disease. Sangeeta is a prolific inventor, pathmaker, and an advocate for diversity in STEM. She is a teacher, a mentor, and a role model.
Michal Preminger leads J&J Innovation, North America East, where she takes on the world’s toughest challenges to improve the health of everyone, everywhere. Michal nurtures emerging science from the earliest stages to commercialization, and has helped deliver cutting edge solutions for patients in an array of areas—from retinal disease to cell and gene oncology therapy. Michal is a leader, a mentor, and a role model. She is a game-changer who welcomes and elevates the people and organizations in Kendall Square, and her impact extends far beyond our borders.
Both Sangeeta and Michal embody the Kendall Square spirit.
In their honor, the KSA made a $2,500 donation to the nonprofits of their choice. Science Club for Girls and Innovators for Purpose respectively.
In addition to the Founders’ Award, the KSA named two Founders’ Recognition Recipients: Alex Cheung, Director of Venture Cafe Cambridge, and Shazia Mir, Community and Social Impact Strategist at LabCentral. Both stood out as exceptional connectors and conveners, and deserving of recognition.
A huge thank you to our co-chairs, Sarah Gallop, MIT Office of Government and Community Relations Director and Lee McGuire, Broad Institute Chief Communications Officer, and to all the Kendall community members who joined us for this special evening.
Finally, thank you to our sponsors without whom the Annual Meeting Celebration could not happen.
You can watch the Kendall Clips video, featuring 24 KSA members, in a 55-minute loop below.
Read more about the Annual Meeting Celebration in Zach Winn’s MIT News coverage of the event here.