My name is Maeley Nakamura and I am in the class of 2026 majoring in Economics and minoring in Ethics, Society, and the Institution of Business and pursuing a business fundamentals certificate alongside entrepreneurship. I had the opportunity to go on a Site Visit to Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI), as it is a step to earning a Certificate in Entrepreneurship. Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, located in Worcester, is an incubator that encourages scientists to take transforming innovative ideas and make them into tangible realities, empowering entrepreneurship.
During the visit, Jon, the CEO of MBI, provided us with a thorough tour of the facility, offering insights into entrepreneurship in biomedicine. One of the hallways we walked through showcased various inventions originating from Worcester, such as pieces of the space suit, birth control, and the duckbill pipe wrench. It was fascinating to see how MBI continues to foster innovation through its incubator. While technically an incubator, I found it unique that MBI exhibits qualities of an accelerator by actively supporting and guiding entrepreneurs through the entrepreneurial process. The environment and architecture of the building was particularly notable with each floor, wing, and section representing a different stage of progression. For example, the journey for entrepreneurship at MBI starts in a small lab room for initial experimentation and research then goes into larger labs with an office dedicated for manufacturing. When the tour concluded, we all sat down to converse and ask questions. Jon shared some valuable insights. Something that stuck out to me was his ideas of the entrepreneurial mindset. He says some great advice he was given was to meet one new person every day to expand your network, adhere to the “touch a paper only once” principle to promote efficiency and productivity, and be a problem solver, addressing challenges proactively. Jon also emphasized the importance of a liberal arts education, highlighting that liberal arts students know how to learn. In conclusion, I personally had the best time during the site visit. I was able to get a glimpse of the complex and powerful ecosystem of biomedicine entrepreneurship at MBI.
Written by Maeley Nakamura ’26
