Inside 'Project Aquarius' | State of Healthcare | Are you 'Fast 50?'

Welcome back to the BBJ's LinkedIn Weekly Edition! I'm Digital Editor?Jess Aloe, bringing you the top business stories from this week, plus what's going on in Boston's tech economy.?This week...

A look inside 'Project Aquarius'

Call it the dawning of the age of Aquarius. State economic development officials did.

State officials referred to The Lego Group's search for a new Americas headquarters by the code name "Project Aquarius," according to emails among state officials and Lego team members obtained this week through a public records request. Last month, the toy maker chose Boston as its new home beginning in 2025— one of the most significant corporate relocations into Massachusetts since Covid-19 scrambled how white-collar employees work.?

The Business Journal's Greg Ryan requested emails related to Lego’s search and “Project Aquarius” from the state.? Read more to find out what the documents reveal.

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The Boston Business Journal is calling for nominations for the fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts! ?The list of the fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts will include privately held, Massachusetts-based businesses that recorded the highest revenue growth from 2019 through 2022.?

To be considered, companies need to have had a baseline of $1 million in revenue for 2021 and at least $500,000 in revenue for 2019.?

Nominate your company by Feb. 26!

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Back to school — again

Many retirees are opting to spend their golden years at retirement communities affiliated with college, like Lasell Village on the Lasell College campus. As more and more baby boomers retire, college retirement communities are seeing large influxes of interest, said the newly appointed president of Lasell Village. Find out more.?

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The State of Healthcare

On Tuesday, the Boston Business Journal held its State of Healthcare luncheon, bringing together industry leaders to talk about the top issues facing healthcare. Get the recap and see photos from the event here.

Throughout all of 2022, Massachusetts hospitals repeatedly reported tight margins and losses in their quarterly financials, and the effects of that are continuing into 2023. See the operating losses (plus a couple of gains) at the largest health systems in the state in 2022.

Prior to the event, we asked some of the top healthcare leaders across the state to weigh in on the biggest challenges facing the industry and how they are helping address them. Read their answers here.

Boston-area companies and hospitals are testing out how augmented and virtual reality technology can enable at-home physical therapy, help patients de-stress in the hospital, train doctors and more. While the healthcare industry is notoriously slow to change, founders and doctors say they are hoping to prove that this virtual technology can have a real-world impact. Get the details.

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BPDA pushes back at Wu

Members of the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s board questioned Mayor Michelle Wu’s plans to overhaul the agency on Thursday, opting not to adopt an executive order to immediately begin some of her desired changes, at least for now.

While neighbors often square off over real estate projects at the board’s monthly meetings, public disagreement between BPDA leadership and its board is rare. Find out more.

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Motherboards and molecules — this week in Boston's tech economy:

Tripadvisor CEO Matt Goldberg told investors that generative AI —like chatGPT—is a double-edged sword for the travel search company’s business model. Find out why here.

Aera Therapeutics , a new startup out of the lab of one of the inventors of gene editing, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard 's Feng Zhang, is making its debut. Heading up the venture is Akin Akinc , who spent the prior two decades at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , and Alnylam founder John Maraganore is serving as the chairman of the startup’s board. Get more details about the launch.

The newly public Disc Medicine , which recently closed its reverse merger with the embattled Gemini Therapeutics, is accepting some fresh capital, in the form of a direct stock offering. Get the numbers.

This week on Form D Friday: Fundraises from? Alleviate Inc , ColdSnap? , Andovia and Rejoni, Inc . Find out how much they raised here.

This week on the Petri Dish: Blueprint Medicines gets hit with a clinical hold, Eumentis Therapeutics Inc. raises money, and Moderna is changing its tune on vaccine pricing, again. Get the details.

Want all the latest news from Boston's busy tech and biotech sectors??Subscribe to our TechFlash and BioFlash newsletters.

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Finally...

We hope you can join us for our 10th annual BizWomen Mentoring Monday. This year’s event takes place on Monday, Feb. 27 from 2:30pm – 5:30pm at the Westin Copley Hotel, 10 Huntington Ave, Boston MA.

We’ve created an afternoon all about bringing women in the business community together. The afternoon will include networking, speed mentoring sessions, round table discussions, giveaways, photobooths + interactive displays, all aimed at helping connections be made. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet 50+ female C-level executives from across industries that serve as our mentors in the speed mentoring rounds. There will also be a “Women’s Village” – featuring local women-owned businesses, as well as and a cocktail and networking reception to cap off the afternoon.

?We are also excited to share that Tiffany Chu, Chief of Staff for the City of Boston’s Mayor Wu, will kick off the program by speaking about women empowerment and women-focused initiatives in Boston.

?Click here to see full event details, our complete list of 2023 mentors, and to register.

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This Weekly Edition was compiled by Jess Aloe. This is a new feature from the Boston Business Journal, and she wants to hear your thoughts. Questions? Comments? Concerns??Send them her way.