MassChallenge Announces $2M Innovation Fund Gift

BOSTON, Oct. 8, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- MassChallenge, the second-largest accelerator in the United States according to TIME and Statista's 2026 rankings, today announced a $2 million gift from Amy Boger, M.D., and Joshua Boger, Ph.D., to establish and capitalize the MC Innovation Fund, the organization's first fund dedicated specifically to growth and innovation initiatives. The MC Innovation Fund is designed to solve a challenge MassChallenge has encountered as it has grown: how an established organization finds the resources to pursue new opportunities when its existing resources are already committed to the work underway.

The Bogers' gift is part of a broader multi-year, multi-million-dollar growth plan for MassChallenge. The $2 million founding gift creates a dedicated source of capital for that next move, designed to inspire others to join. The funds will be used exclusively for growth and innovation initiatives and cannot be used to sustain existing funded programs or subsidize MassChallenge's general operating needs. The gift is intended to be deployed over approximately six years, giving MassChallenge the ability to begin new initiatives knowing resources will be available beyond a single budget year.

Boger has been part of MassChallenge almost from the beginning. He advised its founders in its earliest years, helped establish the organization's first governing board, served as its inaugural chair, and has continued to serve as a finals judge for most of MassChallenge's history. His experience with Alkeus Pharmaceuticals helped bring that history full circle. Alkeus was acquired by Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in September 2026, a milestone Boger said was "absolutely coincident" with the decision he and Amy made to give back.

The Bogers' gift is the founding contribution to a Fund designed to grow. MassChallenge intends for the MC Innovation Fund to continue beyond the initial gift period as it attracts additional contributions, including from startup alumni and others who believe in its mission.

To learn more about the MC Innovation Fund, hear Joshua Boger share the story behind the gift, or make a contribution, visit the MassChallenge website.

MassChallenge is a global institution that backs startups building solutions to complex, systems-critical challenges. Founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices in Texas, Israel, Switzerland, and the UK, MassChallenge connects startups with the partners, programs, and capital needed to accelerate commercialization and real-world impact. Since 2009, MassChallenge has supported more than 5,000 startups that have raised over $27 billion in funding and is ranked No. 2 in the United States on TIME's list of America's Best Incubators & Accelerators 2026.