“I believe liberal democratic institutions, together with the norms that support them, are one of the greatest human achievements… How can we make AI not an enemy of work, but a tool for workers to expand their capabilities and build new expertise or do new things?”
— Daron Acemoglu, Nobel Laureate and MIT Institute Professor
More than 200 people gathered to celebrate the power of collaboration and shared purpose at our 2026 Annual Meeting Celebration at The Engine. Centered around this year’s theme, Innovation for Good, it was an extraordinary evening demonstrating what happens when ingenuity meets impact in the most innovative square mile in the world.
Speakers, guests, and honorees throughout the night underscored how our shared energy continues to drive the core mission of our ecosystem.
The night opened with a reception where guests connected over some of Kendall’s favorite local flavors, featuring delicious food and beverages courtesy of Amba, Fuji, Sulmona, and Cambridge Spirits.
Attendees mingled to live performances by the Kendall Square Orchestra.
Clusters of leaders, researchers, local business owners, future leaders from Innovators for Purpose, and residents mixed across academia, biotech, robotics, real estate, tech, and non-profits—all gathering under one roof to celebrate local innovation.
The program opened with welcoming remarks from Beth O’Neill Maloney, Executive Director of the KSA, who introduced this year’s theme and set the stage for the evening.
“People come to Kendall Square to make the world better. People come here to improve the human condition. People come here to solve big problems. People come here to innovate for good.”
Next, Lee McGuire, KSA Board Chair and Chief Communications Officer at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, shared a historical perspective from a 2009 report on Kendall’s foundational pillars, emphasizing how talent density, world-class education, and a unified collective voice remain our strongest assets.
“As long as there’s a good idea, this is the place that’s going to get that idea moving and scale it up to change the world.”
Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui addressed the crowd, recalling the history of Cambridge residents and biotech labs uniting in the 1970s to establish landmark policy guidelines on recombinant DNA research—a moment of local collaboration that laid the groundwork for modern Kendall Square.
“All these years later, I think that story captures what makes Kendall Square so special: It’s our willingness to work together even when we face big challenges.”
During the program, KSA members also participated in a community vote to elect new members to the 2027 KSA Board of Directors—Filo Castore of Jacobs, Pete Joy of Turner Construction, John Joyal of Moderna, Jeff Lowenberg of BXP, Bert Ng of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Dennis O’Donnell of DivcoWest, and Rhett Smith of The Engine.
The centerpiece of the evening was a powerful conversation between Daron Acemoglu, Nobel Laureate and MIT Institute Professor, and Aisha Losche, Chief Officer of Corporate and Community Engagement at Draper, exploring key themes from Professor Acemoglu’s book, What Happened to Liberal Democracy: Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity.
Their discussion explored the importance of designing technology—particularly artificial intelligence—to build a more equitable economy and strengthen democratic institutions. And, yielded some thoughtful Q&A with the audience.
In alignment with this year’s theme, KSA celebrated six organizations born in Kendall—Addgene, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Family Dinner, Liquid AI, Moderna, and Transfyr AI—that exemplify what it means to make a positive impact through innovation.
Pictured vertically on the left:
- Benjie Chen, Melina Fan, Chonnettia Jones of Addgene
- Christine Dunn of Commonwealth Fusion Systems
- Erin Baumgartner of Family Dinner
Pictured vertically on the right:
- Daniela Rus of Liquid AI
- John Joyal of Moderna
- Anna Marie Wagner of Transfyr AI
The evening culminated in the presentation of the 2026 Founders’ Award to Maggie O’Toole, CEO of LabCentral. Her commitment to driving positive change, fostering early-stage innovation, and supporting our biotech community exemplifies the very best of Kendall Square.
“I’ve been really fortunate with LabCentral that I’ve had the opportunity not only to take our founders’ vision and make them come true, but have a chance to put some of my ideas onto it as well.”
In Maggie’s honor, the KSA made a $5,000 donation to the nonprofit of her choice, Global Arts Live.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special evening. Thank you to our board members and members of the community, and to our sponsors who made this night possible.
