105: Boston Speaks Up with Yvonne Hao, Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development for Massachusetts (Live at Startup Boston Week)
Yvonne Hao has embraced a range of influential roles throughout her career, from founder and investor to CFO and advisor, all leading her to her latest role as the Secretary of Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In her new role, Secretary Hao is leading initiatives to stimulate economic growth and innovation across the state. Her work involves crafting strategies that not only enhance Massachusetts’ economic landscape but also address broader challenges such as sustainability and equal opportunity development.
Before her appointment as Secretary of Economic Development, Hao had a distinguished career in the technology and investment sectors. She has more than 25 years of executive business experience building, running and financing companies with titles such as co-founder, advisor, COO, and CFO. One of her most distinguished accomplishments came from her time as PillPack where she served as the COO and CFO. Hao was able to help successfully lead and scale the company to a successful $1B acquisition by Amazon. This experience, and many others, equipped her with a comprehensive, firsthand understanding of the challenges that businesses face, the economic landscape and the strategic insights needed to support statewide development goals.
Hao’s tenure in economic development has been marked by significant efforts to enhance Massachusetts’ competitiveness and support its diverse industries. Her strategic initiatives focus on fostering collaboration between public and private sectors, encouraging entrepreneurship, and addressing regional economic disparities. Under her leadership, the state has seen progress in creating a robust economic environment that supports both established businesses and emerging enterprises.
Throughout her career, Hao has remained dedicated to principles of innovation and equitable growth. At the recent CSAIL+Imagination in Action AI Summit, she explained to attendees, “Your job is to focus on your business… My job is to serve you, partner and support you… let us know what you need. Stay in our state, be part of team Massachusetts!”
Here at Value Creation Labs, we are thrilled to have someone like this in our corner in the public sector, and you should be too. In this episode, we sat down live with Secretary Hao at Startup Boston Week. You can listen to our discussion embedded below or on any podcast platform you prefer: (YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google Play):
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Boston Speaks Up is a podcast owned and operated by Value Creation Labs. Visit the Value Creation Labs blog for more inspiring stories; subscribe to VCL’s ‘The Curve’ newsletter; and recommend Boston Speaks Up guests by contacting team@valuecreationlabs.co.
