From MIT spinoffs to billion-dollar biotechs, Kendall Square has earned its reputation as the most innovative square mile on earth.
The Most Innovative Square Mile
When people call Kendall Square "the most innovative square mile on earth," they're not exaggerating. This compact neighborhood next to MIT is home to more than 150 biotech and pharmaceutical companies, the global headquarters of Google and Amazon's robotics division, and a dense network of venture capital firms, accelerators, and research labs. More Nobel laureates, patent holders, and startup founders per square foot than anywhere else in the world.
How It Happened
Kendall Square's transformation from an industrial wasteland to an innovation hub is one of the great urban reinvention stories in American history.
The MIT Foundation
MIT has been in Cambridge since 1916, but its deliberate push to commercialize research — through the MIT Technology Licensing Office and programs like the MIT $100K competition — seeded the area with entrepreneurs.
The Biotech Boom
When Genzyme established its headquarters in Kendall Square in the 1980s, it proved that biotech could thrive in an urban, transit-accessible location. Moderna, Sanofi, Novartis, and Pfizer followed.
The Venture Capital Cluster
Where companies go, investors follow. The concentration of VC firms on Cambridge's side of the Charles River means founders can raise money without leaving the neighborhood.
Urban Design
Cambridge's investment in making Kendall walkable and livable — adding parks, restaurants, and housing — turned it from a place people commuted to into a place people wanted to be.
Working in Kendall Square
If you're considering a job in Kendall Square, know that the T is your friend. The Kendall/MIT Red Line station is the center of the action, and most major employers are within a 10-minute walk. Lunch options have dramatically improved in recent years, and the area around the canal has become a genuine gathering spot.