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StuffMadeinMA.com • 2 0 1 9 • S T U F F 25 TechSpring works with companies designing IT systems to improve healthcare quality and efficiency, using Bay State as a lab. Innovation Manager Jill McCormick said, when the organization started up in 2014, it could have set up offices at Bay State Hospital or in a small, cheap office. Instead, it created a large office reminiscent of a cutting-edge Silicon Valley building including coworking space for other health technology com- panies to hold meetings or set up their own small offices. Using designs with glass walls and amenities like a fancy coffee machine and a keg for after-busi- ness hang-outs, it encourages collaboration. "It's just the idea of getting people who wouldn't normally talk to each other to be in the same space where titles don't matter and it's really about imagi- nation and collaboration," she said. #startuplife Like TechSpring, Activ Surgical in Boston has a distinctive startup culture. With just 19 people in the company, CEO Todd Usen, who previously helped lead much larger companies, said he now regularly empties the office dishwasher. The company is creating a system using artificial intelligence and computer sensors to give surgeons extensive 3D visual information during a surgery. "We can identify critical structures," Usen said. "We can see the landmines and the landmarks." Activ Surgical's aim is to make each patient's specific anatomy clear to surgeons, including those who may not perform high volumes of a spe- cific surgery each year. The company is moving toward commercialization of its product, which means doubling in size over the next year. Given the com- pany's proximity to the universities, hospitals, and talent Massachusetts is known for, Usen doesn't expect that to be a problem. the state focused on supporting life sciences compa- nies, bringing them together, and helping them form connections with research institutions, partners, and funders. Qi Zhao, CEO of Enrich Therapeutics, one of Advirna's neighbors at MBI, said he was impressed with how quickly the company was able to rent lab space at the incubator. In addition to being afford- able, he said, MBI understood Enrich's specific needs as a startup. "We don't have to spend a lot for equipment we only use once a week," Zhao said. Enrich is in the business of helping researchers to capture single live cells for drug discovery and research purposes. So far, it consists of just three cofounders, but as the company grows, Zhao said he anticipates hiring lab technicians, cell biologists, and other employees. Biotech in Western Mass. Space was a key consideration for TechSpring, an innovation center that's part of the Bay State Health system in Springfield. A d v i r n a L L C Location: Worcester Founded: 2007 Employees: 4 Products: Chemically synthesized short RNA molecules Employees' median salary: $65,000 Wait for it: CEO Alexie Wolfson, is of Russian origin, and the company's Russian farewell party from its previous incubator space at LabCentral became legendary. Todd Usen, CEO, Activ Surgical S $68,580 Average annual salary of a manufacturing purchasing agent in Greater Springfield $100,010 Average annual salary of a materials engineer in Greater Worcester Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics $96,090 Average annual salary of a materials engineer in Greater Boston $83,180 Average annual salary of a materials engineer in Greater Springfield Travis McCready, at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center office in Waltham