Birthplace of biotech
Phillip Sharp Photo: M. Scott Brauer First in a two-part seriesKendall Square, the tech hub abutting MIT’s campus, is known today as an innovation powerhouse, thanks to its access to intellectual capital — primarily, talent and resources at nearby universities and world-class hospitals. An influx of high-tech and biotech multinationals have expanded or plan to expand in Kendall Square, a district that’s already dense with startups and other companies. But this wasn’t always the case: For decades Kendall Square was a sprawling jungle of industrial factories, open space and parking lots. It began its rise in the 1980s and ’90s, growing slowly and reaching its position as a tech epicenter only in recent years. Rising with Kendall were companies opened there by MIT entrepreneurs during different stages of its ascension: These companies grew into large businesses — in some cases, even industry leaders — in a setting that cultivated an...