Jon Weaver ’06, G’16 chose Assumption for its top liberal arts education and discovered a passion for creating value in both companies and the community. In early 2019, Weaver was named CEO of the Worcester biotechnology incubator MassachusettsBiomedical Initiatives (MBI), and within a year oversaw an expansion project doubling MBI’s laboratory space, which will foster a far greater number of early-stage companies.
“My career in Worcester started at Assumption,” said Weaver, who resides in Sturbridge with his wife, Katie (DiBuono) Weaver ’08, G’15, and their three children. “My senior year, I ran for student government president, and part of my focus was better connecting [the campus] with the city of Worcester. We worked to move a bus stop to the center of campus, created a consortium of the area college student governments, and provided the student perspective on local development projects. It was in that role that I first met the team from the Worcester Business Development Corporation. I was fascinated by the work they did and the opportunity for development in Worcester and decided to stay in the city and contribute first at the South Worcester Neighborhood Improvement Center and then eventually at WBDC, MassDevelopment, and now MBI.”
The life science companies incubating at MBI – using lab space and MBI’s suite of services – include a company sterilizing blood for transfusion, several companies researching cures for cancer, and a company eliminating the need for ear and eye surgeries.
“MBI is home to some game-changing companies. They are the most exciting part of our story,” Weaver said. “MBI is creating a business strategy effort to support our companies on the business side to help craft a strategy, build out their management teams, and seek investment. The greatest victory for us is to help companies transition from the lab bench to the marketplace. In biotech, success is personal, as there are patients and family members eagerly awaiting these therapies.”
