Worcester Business Journal

26 Worcester Business Journal | June 8, 2026 | wbjournal.com P OW E R 1 0 0 T E C H N O L O G Y Linh Austin President & CEO Ascend Elements, in Westborough Total employees: 300 Central Mass. employees: 95 Financing raised: More than $1.1 billion Austin has been tasked with fixing the finances of one of Central Massachusetts' most promising young companies. Ascend Elements takes old lithium-ion batteries, extracts valuable metals, and turns them into new battery materials for electric vehicles and other energy storage. e firm has come a long way from a research idea originating at a Worcester Poly- technic Institute laboratory, but Ascend's rapid growth hit a wall in 2024. e combination of a canceled fed- eral grant, volatility in the market for battery materi- als, and problems with the buildout of a massive plant in Kentucky threw the company's finances in turmoil, leading to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in April. at's where Linh Austin comes in. With more than 30 years of energy industry executive experi- ence, Austin joined the company's board in 2024, gradually taking a more hands-on role before being named president and CEO in March 2025. Well aware of the looming financial cliff from the get-go, Austin has brought in new executives and mapped a path forward through bankruptcy. Once the company is through that process, it has $2 billion in future customer commitments and hundreds of millions in remaining government grants. - E.C. Partha Chakrabarti Executive vice chancellor UMass Chan Medical School, in Worcester Age: 52 Employees: 6,406 Central Mass. employees: 3,986 Annual revenue: $1.242 billion Chakrabarti oversees commercialization and innovation efforts at Central Massachusetts' premier research institution. Since being named to his role in 2020, UMass Chan has generated nearly $120 million in licensing and royalty revenue and launched 14 startup companies built on technologies developed in Worcester. Since the start of last year, the medical school secured nearly $20 million in new licensing revenue, attracted $11 million in research funding, and formed four new therapeutics startups. - B.K. What unique skill sets you apart from oth- ers? Strategic and well-articulated vision, deep pattern-recognition capability across innovative technologies, while upholding ethics and resisting vested interests in dealmaking. What is one habit powerful leaders should prac- tice every day? Reading and intentional listening. Why do you do business in Central Mass.? Strong community support and a well-trained workforce. How do you unwind? Music and cooking a new recipe every time. John Hart Co-founder VulcanForms, in Devens Additional location: Newburyport Employees: 305 Company has raised: $575 million ere's no shortage of innovation coming out of Devens, but one of the most promising firms based in the state's enterprise zone is VulcanForms. VulcanForms produces complex parts directly from digital designs utilizing 3D printing and metal powders to make parts for a wide variety of indus- tries. e goal is to cut the expense, waste, and time in the manufacturing industry's traditional supply chain, which requires parts to be sourced from around the world. Hart co-founded VulcanForms in 2015 with Martin Feldmann. A mechanical engineering pro- fessor at MIT, the duo decided to build and operate production facilities themselves rather than sell their 3D printing machines to others, a move that has seemingly paid off for the rapidly-growing firm. VulcanForms' sixth and latest round of funding saw it bring in $220 million, including an invest- ment from Donald Trump Jr. 's 1789 Capital. Fueled by billions of dollars in demand, VulcanForms is working on a second location in Devens, joining an additional location in Newburyport. A fourth location is in the works. - E.C. PHOTO | COURTESY MASS TECH COLLABORATIVE Sabrina Mansur Director of Massachusetts AI Hub Mass Tech Collaborative, in Westborough Age: 43 Employees: ~100 Mansur is leading Massachusetts' effort to be- come a national leader in artificial intelligence. As the inaugural director of the $100-million MA AI Hub, she has transformed a legislative vision into an operating statewide initiative connecting indus- try, academia, entrepreneurs, and government. Since she stepped into her role last year, the hub has overseen a $31-million expansion of AI computing resources, awarded $2.9 million to organizations commercializing AI applications, and launched programs designed to strengthen the state's AI workforce and startup ecosystem. - B.K. What is one habit powerful leaders should practice every day? Listening for the thing that would change your mind. It's easy to hear agree- ment; you have to create the space and trust to hear the argument you hadn't considered. What is your favorite book on leadership? "Leading Change" by John Kotter. How do you unwind? Play soccer, garden, and spend time with my three boys. "e nature of power offers individuals a powerful choice between building and corrupting. Power allows one to bring lasting and impactful change by putting mission beyond self." - Partha Chakrabarti, UMass Chan Medical School

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