MassChallenge Establishes MC Innovation Fund with $2 Million Founding Gift from Amy and Joshua Boger

First-of-its-kind fund will provide dedicated resources for growth and new initiatives, while the Bogers hope their gift inspires others to follow.

BOSTON, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MassChallenge, the No. 2 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 Joshua Boger has seen MassChallenge encounter 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.

"I think it's spectacular what the organization has accomplished. It's exceeded the original plans. But in having that success, you also see what it could do as well," said Boger. "It's very hard for organizations who are substantial to make another next move in growth of their mission. They can grow what they're doing bigger, but it's very hard for them to grow in mission."

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.

"There's always a call on resources that's immediate from what you're doing," Boger said. "Let's solve that chicken and egg problem for MassChallenge by putting some resources that would be... used to expand the mission. And let's not dribble them out. Let's give them all at once."

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. Boger first met Alkeus founder Leonide Saad while serving as a MassChallenge finals judge and later became executive chairman of the company. 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.

"Alkeus wouldn't have existed without MassChallenge," Boger said. "We thought it was past time that some companies who owe some or all of their success to MassChallenge think about paying back. So this was our way of paying back."

"Joshua has been part of MassChallenge almost from the beginning, so he understands both what this organization has accomplished and what becomes possible when we have the resources to pursue a new idea," said Cait Brumme, CEO of MassChallenge. "This gift gives us dedicated resources to pursue growth and new initiatives as part of MassChallenge's broader multi-year, multi-million-dollar growth plan, while ensuring we continue investing in the work already underway. And by establishing the Innovation Fund, Amy and Joshua are creating a way for others who believe in MassChallenge's mission to help us expand it."

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.

"We probably wouldn't want to announce it at all because we're not even slightly interested in credit," Boger said. "But we do think it can be an example. Our hope is that maybe we could inspire some other people to join us in this effort because the potential is limitless."

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. For questions about supporting the MC Innovation Fund, contact Steve Johnston, Head of Advancement, at [email protected].

To learn more about the MC Innovation Fund and support MassChallenge, contact Steve Johnston, Head of Advancement at [email protected].

About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is a global institution that backs startups building solutions to complex, systems-critical challenges, working where complexity is high and the path to market is hardest. 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. Learn more at masschallenge.org.

SOURCE MassChallenge