Top 15 Most Famous Tech Companies in Boston

Top 15 Most Famous Tech Companies in Boston

Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, is a vibrant city where history collides with innovation. This has led to the foundation of cutting-edge startups and industry behemoths have brought their business to the city.

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Of the many companies in the city, tech companies more so, have grown becoming some of the biggest. From cybersecurity firms to software developers and online stores, Boston has it all!

This essay will undertake the difficult task of uncovering the 15 most famous tech companies in the Boston Area. The list will include those headquartered in the region as well as some from other cities with a significant presence in the city. Enjoy!

1. Microsoft

Photo by Turag Photography on Unsplash

Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft Corporation is a technology company known for its software products and services. Some of Microsoft’s best-known products include the widely used Windows operating system, Office suite, Xbox, and cloud computing platform Azure among others.

Despite having its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft has a notable presence in Boston. There are over 23 stores in the city with several other offices and facilities catering to research and development.

2. Akamai Technologies

Tim Pierce, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Akamai Technologies, founded in 1998 by Dr. Tom Leighton and Dr. Daniel Lewin, is a prominent content delivery network (CDN) and cloud service provider. The company has its headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts which is part of the greater Boston region.

Akamai is a diverse establishment providing a platform enabling the delivery of media content and providing cybersecurity solutions among other services. Some of Akamai’s famous products include the Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform, Akamai Security and Personalization Services, and Akamai Media Delivery Solutions.

3. Wayfair

Whoisjohngalt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wayfair is a Boston-based American mega-store that sells furniture and home goods online. The company was founded in 2002 by two entrepreneurs, Niraj Shah, and Steve Conine.

With its roots in Boston, Wayfair has grown exponentially into international markets with warehouses in Germany and North America and stores in numerous countries. It was known s CSN Stores until 2011 which is when the company was rebranded.

The name Wayfair was picked by a branding firm and has no deep or sentimental meaning.

4. HubSpot

HubSpot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

HubSpot is a renowned tech company that provides a software platform catering to inbound marketing and sales for businesses. It is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts which is just outside of Boston.

The company’s software solutions are designed to help businesses attract, engage, and delight customers. This is done through customer relationship management (CRM) software, marketing automation tools, and inbound marketing methodologies.

Founded as recently as 2006 by Brian Halligan, HubSpot has grown incredibly fast generating billions of dollars in revenue.

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5. Rapid7

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Founded in 2007 by Alan Matthews, Tas Giakouminakis, and Chad Loder, Rapid7 is a technology company providing cybersecurity solutions for companies. The company provides advanced security analytics and risk management solutions to organizations globally.

It offers a wide array of services in its portfolio including vulnerability management, incident detection and response, and cloud security solutions. The company has over 21 office locations globally with its headquarters located in Boston, Massachusetts.

6. DraftKings

With headquarters in Boston, DraftKings is a sports betting company that also offers daily fantasy sports. The company was founded in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matthew Kalish, and Paul Liberman.

One of the company’s famous services offered is a daily and weekly fantasy sports draw. Here individuals can contest and win money on the performances of five selected players from a wide range of sports.

Until 2020, DraftKings was privately traded and considered a startup. It became a publicly traded company following its acquisition of SBTech.

On the topic of betting, learn about the founder of one of the largest betting companies in the world here!

7. Toast

Toast, Inc., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

No, not the browned slice of bread! Toast Inc. is a cloud-based tech company that provides restaurant management software. I guess the name does have something to do with toast.

It was founded in 2012 by Steve Fredette, Aman Narang, and Jonathan Grimm. Originally, Toast was supposed to be a consumer app for mobile payments and promotions.

Today, the company offers many services including point-of-sale (POS) systems, online ordering, inventory management, and employee scheduling.

8. PTC

™/®PTC Inc., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

PTC, formally known as Parametric Technology Corporation is a tech company headquartered in Boston. It was founded in 1985 by Samuel Geisberg and Mike Payne. The company specializes in providing software solutions and services that help companies streamline their product development and industrial operations.

PTC achieves this by leveraging augmented reality (AR) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The company has six flagship products which are Creo, Windchill, Mathcad, Integrity, Servigistics, and ThingWorx.

9. GoTo

English: Abasaa日本語: あばさー, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

GoTo is a technology company that provides cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) solutions for businesses to use in IT management. It was founded in 2003 all the way in Budapest Hungary as 3 am Labs.

It then changed its name to LogMeIn in 2006 before being rebranded to GoTo on February 2nd, 2022. Some of its most famous products include GoTo Connect, GoTo Resolve, Rescue, Central, and more, which are built for small and mid-sized businesses.

10. DataRobot

DataRobot is a Boston-based tech company that leverages automated machine learning (AutoML) that helps users build and deploy accurate predictive models. It was founded in 2012 by Jeremy Achin and Thomas DeGodoy.

The company’s platform empowers organizations to build and deploy machine learning models quickly and efficiently. DataRobot’s famous products include its AI-driven automated machine learning platform.

11. Sonos

Sonos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sonos is a renowned and revered tech company specializing in audio products and solutions that enhance the listening experience in homes. Founded in 2002 by John MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen, and Trung Mai, Sonos has its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California.

Sonos is best known for its wireless speaker systems and other audio products such as the Sonos Play:5, Sonos Beam, and Sonos One. While based in California, it has a significant presence in Boston via an engineering office that has been operational since 2017.

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12. Cybereason

Cybereason company logo, Wikimedia Commons

As inferred by the name, Cybereason is a technology company that offers cybersecurity services. It was founded in 2012 by Lior Div in Delaware before establishing its headquarters in Boston.

Cybereason provides advanced cybersecurity solutions and specializes in endpoint detection and response. It is mostly recognized for the Cybereason Defense Platform, which provides real-time monitoring and analysis of potential threats.

13. Kronos Incorporated

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No, this has nothing to do with Kronos the Titan. Kronos Inc is a workforce management company that provides human capital management software. It was founded in 1977 by Mark S. Ain and Robert J. Thomas and has headquarters in Lowell, Massachusetts which is part of the greater Boston Area.

The company looks to help companies manage their workforce, optimize employee scheduling, track time and attendance, and streamline HR processes. In 2020, it merges with Ultimate Software and from then on has been known as Ultimate Kronos Group.

14. BitSight Technologies

Based in Back Bay, Boston, BitSight is a tech company that offers rating services for the cybersecurity systems of businesses and organizations. Their platform enables businesses to evaluate the security posture of their own networks as well as their vendors’ networks.

This allows them to take proactive mitigation measures and improve their systems. The company was founded in 2011 by Nagarjuna Venna and Stephen Boyer. BitSight’s flagship product is the BitSight Security Ratings platform.

15. Acquia

Acquia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acquia, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, offers enterprise products and technical support for Drupal and other open-source web content management systems.

It was founded in 2007 by Dries Buytaert and Jay Batson and is yet to become a publicly traded company. Acquia’s famous products include Acquia Cloud, Acquia Drupal, and Acquia Lift.

After acquiring Widen Enterprises in 2021, the business considerably expanded. Widen Enterprises is a private company that designs and develops digital asset management software.

In conclusion, there are hundreds of tech companies in the Boston area and this list therefore barely scratches the surface. However, the companies highlighted to show the level of innovation and potential the city has.