A Significant Moment for Boston, and Hi Marley Was in the Room

On Thursday, February 12, I stood in a room full of builders, founders, engineers, venture capitalists, and government leaders, and something clicked. This wasn’t just another tech event; this was a moment.

First-of-its-kind Partnership to Accelerate AI Innovation in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts AI Coalition hosted its Launch Night at WHOOP‘s headquarters in Boston, and the energy was unlike anything I’ve experienced in the city’s tech scene in years.

Governor Maura Healey took the stage alongside Eric Paley, a former Partner at Founder Collective, a seed-stage venture capital fund based in Cambridge, MA, who now serves as Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development. Governor Healey and Secretary Paley laid out a vision that every technologist in this city has wanted to hear: AI companies should start here, stay here, and scale here.

Governor Healey announced one of the first government partnerships with OpenAI to bring AI tools into state government operations; a bold, modern move that signals Massachusetts is leaning in.

And then, in a moment that made the room collectively hold its breath, she brought Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, onto a live video call to address the crowd directly. I looked over at our engineering and product team, and their faces said it all: This is actually happening.

Emphasis on Applied AI Aligns with Hi Marley’s Purpose and Progress

What resonated most with me was the Governor’s emphasis on applied AI — not AI for AI’s sake, but AI that solves real problems. AI for medical innovation, robotics, and for making industries work better for the people they serve. That framing hit close to home. At Hi Marley, we’ve lived in the applied AI space since day one, working to make insurance more lovable and approachable.

We’re not building AI in a vacuum; we’re applying it in a complex, deeply human vertical—P&C Insurance—where the right technology can genuinely transform someone’s worst day into a better experience.

Powering a Connected AI Ecosystem that Turns Potential into Reality

The force behind last night’s event was Ryan Durkin, Head of AI at WHOOP and the tireless driving energy behind the Massachusetts AI Coalition. What Ryan and the coalition are building is significant: a connective tissue between students, entrepreneurs, established companies, venture capital, and government. It’s the kind of ecosystem infrastructure that turns a city’s potential into a flywheel.

The group representing Hi Marley at the Massachusetts AI Coalition Launch event included our CEO Mike Greene, COO Lauren McCollem, engineers, product managers, members of our Labs team, senior leadership, and teammates who joined the company only months ago. That was intentional. We didn’t send a delegation; we brought a cross-section of who we are, because this moment belongs to everyone building the future, not just the people in the C-suite.

I’m a father of three, one a freshman in college, two more coming up behind. Massachusetts is my home. Boston is my home. When my kids approach graduation, I want the best opportunities in the world to be right here. Not in San Francisco. Not in Austin. Here. Last night showed me that’s not wishful thinking; it’s a plan with serious people behind it.

Hi Marley’s Commitment to Boston’s Next Chapter

Hi Marley is all-in on Boston. We’ve maintained an organized hybrid approach and continue to recruit and hire around Boston. We believe in this talent pool and this city; it’s foundational to our culture. We’re going to keep growing here. We’re going to keep hiring here. We’re going to keep building here.

Last night felt like coming out of a hole. For years, the professional and social energy of Boston tech had been muted. Post-COVID, heads down, screens up. But walking into that room, seeing over two thousand people who wanted to be part of this, feeling that collective ambition, it felt like a re-emergence. Boston is back, and we’ve got something to prove.

Hi Marley is proud to be part of this moment. We’re going to keep making insurance more lovable, in a city that we love.

Let’s go, Boston.