Jon is the Executive Director of the Boston Irish Business Association (BIBA), a non-profit business organisation dedicated to promoting the business interests of its members and member organisations located in Massachusetts and abroad. He is also the founder of the Mahoney Group, a unique Venture Catalyst firm specialising in initiating the executive selling process, creating and executing high level new business campaigns that open doors to new corporate business through appointments with decision-making senior executives.

1. Accessing Boston’s
Ecosystem
Jon Mahoney
Founder & President
The Mahoney Group

2. Jon Mahoney
• Founder & President of The Mahoney Group
• a unique Venture Catalyst firm specializing in initiating the
executive selling process, creating and executing high level new
business campaigns that open doors to new corporate business
through appointments with decision-making senior executives.
Executive Director of The Boston Irish Business Association
• (BIBA) is dedicated to promoting the business interests of its
members in Massachusetts and abroad. BIBA is committed to
fostering economic and professional growth among its network of
business and political leaders, while retaining and strengthening
their connection to Ireland and Northern Ireland

3. Jon Mahoney - Clients

4. Jon Mahoney - Charities

5. Accessing Boston’s Ecosystem

6. Why do we need an
ecosystem?
“It takes a village to raise a child.”
“It takes an ecosystem for a company to grow and
thrive”

7. What Makes a Successful Ecosystem?
Economic
Ecosystem for
Early-stage
Companies
Culture
Market
CapitalInfrastructure
People
Five Ingredients:

8. Ingredients of a Successful Ecosystem
“ Entrepreneurial Culture”- more than just
business acumen, it’s a skill and a mindset. It
is innovation, creativity, calculated risk-
taking and empowering people.
Applies to individuals, teams, organizations
and communities.
A culture doesn’t grow on it’s own. It must
be nurtured and cultivated through
structure, constant communication and
positive reinforcement.
Culture

9. Ingredients of a Successful Ecosystem
A large growing and rich market is
more motivation for entrepreneurs
and investors.
If the market is growing but not
large enough for a tech startup,
investors and entrepreneurs may
stick to real estate and traditional
industries.

10. Ingredients of a Successful Ecosystem
Availability of funding at different
stages- from angels to angel groups
to VC’s and government.
Investment also requires potential
exits in the form of M&A and IPOs.
Capital

11. Ingredients of a Successful Ecosystem
Refers to internet/mobile
infrastructure and takes into
account logistics and transportation.
A good infrastructure helps things
get done faster.
Infrastructure

12. Ingredients of a Successful Ecosystem
The individuals starting, joining and
guiding the startup companies.
Even the most amazing
entrepreneur needs a team and
guidance.
People

13. Boston: The Ideal Economic
Ecosystem
An ecosystem completely focused on
entrepreneurship.
Economic
Ecosystem for
Early-stage
Companies
Culture
Market
CapitalInfrastructure
People
Incubators
Innovation and Design Center
District Hall
Start Up Hub
MassChallenge
Cambridge Innovation Center
WeWork
Idea Space
Greentown Labs
31

14. CambridgeInnovation Center
Community
CIC builds world-class
communities of entrepreneurs by
creating and managing next-
generation flexible work
environments. We help
entrepreneurs change the world
faster by letting them focus on
what they do best.
Innovation
With over 500 startups at our
flagship location in Cambridge,
we’ve spent the last decade
rethinking the world of work.
Our dense, flexible spaces
facilitate connections and
provide dynamic workspace for
tomorrow’s changemakers.
Collaboration
CIC is much more than office
space; it is an innovation
ecosystem. We look forward to
serving as community architects
to support and amplify the great
works already happening in the
greater Boston innovation
community.

15. Boston: The Ideal Economic Ecosystem
Colleges & Universities
Economic
Ecosystem for
Early-stage
Companies
Culture
Market
Capital
Infrastructure
People Harvard University
Boston College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Boston University
Babson College
188

16. Boston: The Ideal Economic Ecosystem
Angel Groups & Venture Capital
Economic
Ecosystem for
Early-stage
Companies
Culture
Market
CapitalInfrastructure
People
Beacon Angels
Boston Harbor Angels
Common Angels
Golden Seeds
Launchpad Venture Group
150
.406 Ventures
Atlas ventures
Bain Capital Ventures
Bessemer Venture Partners
Charles River Ventures
Flybridge Capital Parteners
Greylock Partners
NextView Ventures
Sigma Partners
Summit Partners

17. Accessing the Boston Ecosystem
Instant Access, Quality Players
Law Firm
Entity Formation
Intellectual Property Issues
Hiring Employees/ consultants
Accounting Firm
Financials
Taxation support and tax returns

18. Accessing the Boston Ecosystem
Instant Access, Quality Players
Bookkeeping Firm
Set up initial financial records
Payroll service
Insurance/employee benefits
Marketing
Website Design
Digital Media/ Social Media
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Identify Location
Bank

19. Accessing the Boston Ecosystem
Talent & Experience for your Inside Team
Marketing
Sales
Developers/ Engineers
Part-time/ Interim CFO

20. Accessing the Boston Ecosystem
Advisory Boards, an Invaluable Asset
One of the greatest assets an entrepreneur can have is an
Advisory Board.
And the best part is that it costs very little.
The “right” Advisory Board Members contribute
invaluable guidance and advice, and provide access to
networks of industry, target audience and financial
resources.

21. Accessing the Boston Ecosystem
Advisory Boards, an Invaluable Asset
Who should be on an Advisory Board?
• A serial entrepreneur
• A serial CFO
• A person who knows the target audience of the
entrepreneur’s company

22. Accessing the Boston Ecosystem
Avenues to Access
• Boston Irish Business Association
• Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council
• Massachusetts Biotech Council
• Massachusetts Clean Energy Council
• Venture Café at Cambridge Innovation Center
• Informal meet-ups

23. Legal Considerations
• U.S. entity
• Is financing from the U.S. sources needed?
• If so typically a U.S. holding company is
used.
• Delaware C Corp is simple and standard.

24. Business In Boston: Tips
• Do lay out in a sharable email, the types of meetings you are seeking
so that people can forward it on to help secure meetings for you
• Be smart about clustering your schedule by local geography for
efficiency …
• Day 1 … target North of Boston Meetings;
• Day 2 … target Downtown Boston meetings;
• Day 3 … Target South of Boston Meetings.
• Do reach out ahead of time to book meetings at least 2-3 weeks in
advance …. and reconfirm again the week before you arrive. Do
leave one unscheduled day towards the end of your visit for fitting in
the new opportunities that arise during your visit.

25. Business In Boston: Tips cont.
• Do send information … one page PDFs etc. ahead of time
about your company and services, but also bring
printouts. Printing on American size paper and having an
American Spell Check versions will help you come across
as less foreign :)
• Do aggressively invite your ideal prospects to connect
with you on LinkedIn and see what LinkedIn groups they
are members of …and join relevant ones.
• Do read the online version of the Boston Business Journal
and Boston.com so you can be aware of some of the local
news
• Do ask your local contacts if they are any local events
taking place that they would recommend that you
attend.
• Do be punctual, especially for the start of all meetings !

26. Come to Boston
The Ideal Ecosystem

27. Jon Mahoney
Founder & President
The Mahoney Group
www.mahoneygroup.net
+617-480-4437
jon@mahoneygroup.net