The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu is often credited with the proverb, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” Well, if Lao were alive in 2025, we like to think he’d be a friend to Lever — because, with our Massachusetts Founders Network, that’s exactly what we aim to do.
Ten years ago, Lever began as a nonprofit startup accelerator in a rural corner of western Massachusetts, with the goal of growing the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. In particular, we focused on building businesses outside metro Boston, with a core conviction that innovation anywhere fosters good everywhere.
In the ensuing decade, the Lever organization has become an umbrella that encompasses a variety of ventures: non-dilutive equity grants, internship and job placements, challenge programs, and whatever else local startups need to scale and succeed. Ever-inspired by the entrepreneurs we serve, our team constantly sought new ways to grow, expand, and live out Lever’s guiding goals.
And then came a global pandemic.
Suddenly and strangely, COVID-19 democratized the geography of early-stage startups. It didn’t matter if startups were based in Boston or Berkshire County, because the whole state was rowing the same socially-distant boat. As we retrofitted resources for a new, digital-centric age of pandemic, we made two surprising discoveries: (1) Lever lost very little in suspending our live, in-person programming, and (2) the shift to remote programs actually reinforced Lever’s governing values by enabling entrepreneurs to access resources from anywhere in the state.
This convergence of necessity and adaptation ultimately gave rise to the Massachusetts Founders Network (MFN) — a dynamic community of innovators that channels cross-region collaboration as a means to supercharge startup activity statewide. In the year since our formal launch in 2023, MFN has become Lever’s flagship project, elevating our capacity for impact to soaring new heights.
To be quite clear, “MFN” and “Lever” are not separate entities. Lever Inc. is the parent organization that oversees all things MFN. Think of MFN as a service, and Lever as the company responsible for developing and delivering that service. If you’re a longtime friend to Lever, congratulations! Consider yourself already friends with MFN, as well.
However, where Lever’s earlier services (in the words of our friend Lao Tzu) offer individual founders proverbial fish in the form of grants and guidance, this latest enterprise focuses on teaching founders how to “fish” for themselves. MFN’s diverse toolbox prepares founders for the complex challenges ahead, increasing the overall aptitude for a startup to sustain itself over time.
In cultivating a community of founders, investors, NGOs, and other stakeholders, MFN kindles key relationships across the state. These connections ensure that founders can leverage not only Lever’s expertise but the collective and ever-expanding knowledge of the network.
“MFN takes advantage of the new reality that location doesn’t matter,” noted Jeffrey Thomas, Lever’s Executive Director, in Lever’s original announcement of MFN. “MFN builds on our experience at Lever with a digital platform to support remote interaction, access to a mix of curated founder resources, and an inclusive peer community.”
In short, MFN represents the next level for Lever – a powerful step towards symbiosis throughout the state’s startup ecosystem, and the logical conclusion of core values that have propelled Lever’s engine since day one.
If you’re ready to join the network, apply here today.
