Startups

When the first recreational cannabis dispensaries in Massachusetts opened in November 2018, their parking lots assumed a festive air as people lined up, sometimes for hours, to get the newly legal product. Nearly five years later, legal cannabis has become an unremarkable part of the state economy.

Smaller cannabis companies are white labeling and collaborating as they try to survive a fierce pricing competition against large corporations in an increasingly saturated market.

Artificial intelligence offers ways to improve the burdensome electronic health records process, but a leading Westborough company urges caution amid innovation.

Gov. Maura Healey plans to continue a high-dollar commitment to the life sciences sector that began under former Gov. Deval Patrick, and her administration is also launching a new platform to recruit diverse hires to the sector and provide training opportunities.

A Worcester-based group of angel investors has banded together to form Wire Group, which invests up to $150,000 a year in high-growth startups and has already made three commitments to Massachusetts companies.

The Devens Eco-Efficiency Center is a nonprofit providing programs to help companies make more efficient choices, such as by creating The Great Exchange, a marketplace for the reuse of materials destined for the trash.

Electric Hydrogen is opening a manufacturing facility in Devens to begin building its advanced electrolyzers, which can run off of renewable energy thanks to technological advances the company has made.

Fitchburg State's game design program positions students and the school near the forefront of a $57 billion industry.

Scarlet Spa and Wellness Center was approved for a $32,000 loan from the North Central Massachusetts Development Corp.

Worcester Business Journal has been honored by the New England Newspaper & Press Association for coverage of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, along with Polar Park, opinion commentary, editorial cartoons, and special sections on Worcester’s 300th anniversary and the 40 Under Forty awards.