A showy opening for MIT’s Engine at 750 Main, space where ‘tough tech’ gets down to business
Guests of MIT gather Thursday for the opening of The Engine at 750 Main. (Photo: Marc Levy)
The opening night was as glittering as could be for a headquarters for The Engine, MIT’s incubator for “tough tech” such as wastewater testing and cell engineering platforms. A red carpet was laid into 750 Main St., a black Cadillac Escalade waited outside and 300 invited guests – including city councillors Burhan Azeem and Paul Toner – noshed on hors d’oeuvres awaiting a speech from institute president L. Rafael Reif and tours of the facilities.
Tough tech is about solving problems with a mix of science and engineering, an intersection where Reif has pushed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to dominate.
The Engine at 750 Main is a headquarters with 155,000 square feet of bio and chem labs, industrial workshops, offices and event space meant to hold from 80 to 100 companies with up to 1,000 workers.
But there’s more to The Engine, including the building known as (and at) 501 Mass. Ave., Central Square, for midsize tough-tech companies, and a full-up space known as The Engine Room with access to the most specialized and expensive equipment, said Jacqui Miller, vice president of communications and marketing. Last year it was announced that Somerville’s 40,000-square-foot Artisan’s Asylum makerspace, at the Somernova facility on Tyler Street, would become a sprawling space for projects at The Engine that need the most room to operate. “A lot of universities have venture capital arms,” Miller said. The Engine is unique not only in its scale, but as a “separate entity with its own goals.”
The Engine at 750 Main has lab space available. (Photo:Tony Luong/The Engine)
Since its founding in 2016, The Engine, with more than $670 million in assets under management, has invested in 44 companies addressing issues such as climate change and human health. One widely known Engine company is Biobot Analytics, which began as an examiner of wastewater to assess the opioid epidemic and is now known for its work looking for coronavirus.
The new headquarters is between Central and Kendall squares in somewhat iconically, a former Polaroid building owned by MIT. But it’s an independently operated facility open to anyone in the tough tech community, Engine executives said.
Office space is also offered at The Engine at 750 Main. (Photo:Tony Luong/The Engine)
“The Engine at 750 Main is a physical manifestation of what we’ve learned over five years of cultivating and investing,” said Katie Rae, chief executive and managing partner of The Engine, in information released ahead of the Thursday event.
Located between Kendall and Central Squares, The Engine at 750 Main has biology labs, shared labs to rent by the bench, medium lab suites of 25 benches and large lab suites of 45 benches, fabrication and engineering spaces such as a 3D printing lab, optics lab, laser cutter, electronics room, open shop space for prototyping and fabrication and a large machine shop with multiple tools and welding capabilities, MIT said.
It also has chemistry labs, on special order of Reif, according to Miller. The MIT president “was hearing from folks that they were struggling to get space” for their work.
“Chemistry lab space was missing,” Miller said, “so we built it.”
Engine’s portfolio includes companies such as Kytopen, Cellino, Atlantic Quantum, Axoft, Osmoses, Mantel, Resonant Link, ISEE, Copernic Catalysts, C2Sense and Foundation Alloy, but also a few startups that are as small as a single person, Miller said.
There are a couple Engine companies with personal meaning to her – one because she comes from a health background: Vaxxess, in the Central Square building, is preparing a patch-style delivery system for vaccines and other medication; and Syzygy Plasmonics is working on chemical manufacturing that relies on light for its processes rather than heat, which makes chemical manufacturing more efficient and, Miller said, means a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Engine at 750 Main is exciting, glitzy and a showcase for innovation. With 670 million dollars in assets, why not celebrate. Councilors Toner and Azeem munched on hors d’oeuvres and rubbed elbows with the Captains of science and engineering.
The Engine is across the street from Washington Elms and Newtown Court. The question for City Councilors is how do we develop policies that make it possible and likely that the residents of the Elms and the Court will be part of the Engine, collaborators and partners in the technology and profits that will be forthcoming.
I await those policy proposals from the Council and i expect that voters will judge the City Council not by the success of the Engine but by how the Engine impacts the lives and futures of our residents in the Port and across the city.
Great point, area4! But the Engine’s jobs are for grads from MIT, Harvard, and the like. It’s too late for the vast majority of grown-ups, just as it would be tough to begin a baseball career at age 25 or 30. We need to help local kids so that they can excel in math, science, etc…and then make it into MIT…and THEN get jobs at the Engine. It’s a long game, and it needs to start with extra support for kids who might not have enough today.
Actually, I went to learn about the Engine. I was not aware of it and learned a lot about the work no and synergy tgat is occurring there. I agree with Area 4. But the first thing we need to do is have all of our Cambridfe students, especially the kids at Washington Elms and Newtown Court be introduced to the very existence of the jobs and careers available in this innovation economy, provide them with high quality science and Matthew programming in our schools, encourage their interest in the field and support their interests. Far too many of our students turn away from math and science at an early age and we need to change tgat dynamic. Having student tours at the Engine and the newly opened MIT Museum along with opportunities for our kids to “rub elbows with the Captains of science and engineering” is exactly what we need to be encouraging to light that fire in them.
Gerald,
Instead of always throwing at rocks at people online why not just show up to the meeting and find out what’s going on? Toner and Azeem are at least getting out there. They were also at the Fleischmann square dedication and MIT museum opening “rubbing elbows” with over 1000 residents. MIT has done a fantastic job engaging the community as of late. The children’s activities in kendal and the museum opening are just highlights. The engine however may develop the game changing innovations this world needs. If there is any lack of engagement it really rests with you. Posting “anonymously” on Cambridge Day isn’t civic action or engagement.
^^^^ THIS is what y’all elleccted too citty konsule?
“Here kids…. tour here…..but forget about being able to actually visit the campus”
Sorry that Patrick does not approve of advocating for public policies that impact those who are left out of the current science and engineering advancements highlighted by Cambridge corporations and MIT. I have expectations of Cambridge City Councilors that go beyond attending meetings, most of which are unavailable to the average Cambridge resident. I also understand that Patrick is not happy with my public critique of his boutique hotel development in the Port. So be it!