@jsaif.bsky.social

America is in a housing crisis. Today, the U.S. Senate is doing something about it. youtube.com/live/GTa672bSc…

I moved back to Boston 3 months ago because I saw what every good VC sees in a startup: untapped potential. Since I've moved back, I've spent every day talking to local VCs, founders, and other stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem here. My takeaways so far: Boston shows up for Boston, but not yet for the world. Startup Boston Week, Boston Fintech Week and AI events pull thousands of New England operators and investors, but very little gravity from NYC, SF, or international hubs. By contrast, NY Tech Week and SF founder weeks attract a significant portion of investors flying in from across the country, especially the West Coast. Boston needs that same inbound circulation of founders and capital, not just a tighter New England loop. Our best alumni are literally getting on planes. Operators from @klaviyo, @HubSpot, @toastpos, @Wayfair and others know how to build durable software and consumer companies, but when they spin out, their default is to raise in NYC/SF because the map of early stage capital here is fragmented and opaque. We should have visible Klaviyo, HubSpot, and Toast mafias. Instead, we have dozens of unconnected alumni quietly building or leaving, plus lore from @jrkelly about the early days of Ginkgo Bioworks grinding through early fundraising and founders like @nikitabier getting screwed over from predatory VCs in the city. Local pattern recognition is stuck in the last cycle. Too many investors are still hunting for 2013 style SaaS profiles in a 2026 world: slow, linear growth, tidy funnels. The next billion dollar companies look like messy, AI native, consumer driven products that break those patterns. Founders either contort their story to fit legacy SaaS templates or fly to markets where volatility, fast iteration, and community driven distribution are recognized as features, not bugs. The lifestyle equation quietly pushes young builders out. Boston trains elite engineers, PMs, and designers at @MIT , @Harvard, @Northeastern, @BostonCollege and others, and then watches a huge percentage head to SF/NYC, where they earn similar comp but get a denser 20 something social and tech scene. Cost of living is high, nightlife is thin, and most of what we market as fun is family centric. For many young builders it feels like the peak Friday night options are work, gym, and (maybe) pickleball. Here is what I think policymakers and investors could do to unlock the upside: Targeted tax credits for small, high growth teams. Create meaningful state and city tax credits for startups below a certain headcount or revenue threshold, tied to job creation and local hiring, so early teams feel the benefit of planting their HQ in Boston. Modern, founder friendly capital programs. Launch a Massachusetts or Boston version of the NJ Innovation Evergreen Fund. Pool taxpayer capital via tax credit auctions, become an LP in venture funds, and co invest directly into Boston based startups with clear guardrails. Mandate that participating funds deploy a fixed percentage of capital into Boston HQ businesses, so public dollars translate directly into local cap tables and local jobs. Fix the fun and the friction. Do transportation reform that makes it easier and safer to live car light, go out late, and commute between innovation hubs (Kendall, Seaport, Allston, Fenway, Downtown) without wasting hours. Bring back happy hour via a modern, safety conscious update to the 1984 ban and let cities run controlled pilots that tie nightlife to downtown recovery and young professional retention. Boston does not have a talent problem or a company quality problem. It has a routing and ambition problem. For policymakers, local VCs, and national investors who move early, the next decade here is massively underpriced upside. Boston is the most undervalued tech asset in America.

Governor Healey has come out in opposition to the rent control ballot initiative. bostonglobe.com/2025/12/23/met…

I did not realize that the strict rent caps in the pending MA ballot measure would apply even when a unit turns over, not just when tenants ask to renew their lease. This is nuts. Have any big-name Dems come out against it? @nealemahoney @BharatRamamurti 1/5