LEADS Fellowship

Pam Hallagan is not your typical social entrepreneur even with a proven track record of designing and implementing innovative, and actionable leadership development solutions across all sectors.  Pam co-founded LEADS after decades of large-institution work experience at Harvard (running custom executive education programs at HBS) and the management consultancy CSC Index. LEADS is an economic and leadership development program that fundamentally changes the prospects of post-industrial communities by investing in their civic infrastructure.

Pam’s inspiration for LEADS derived from her experience building an executive leadership program in Israel which transformed the Israeli civil service and created a powerful network of values-driven leaders. Once it was stable, she wondered whether a similar approach could work in Massachusetts Gateway Cities amid profound demographic and economic transition.

In partnership with HBS colleagues and local leaders, she piloted LEADS in 2018-2019 to tremendous success and is currently scaling the program throughout the Commonwealth.

After multiple generations of ‘white flight’ and disinvestment, many post-industrial American cities are experiencing intractable economic challenges, resulting in a lack of resources to support public services, public education, and the civic infrastructure and opportunities that propel upwardly mobility for residents.  

And yet, these communities remain a unique beacon of hope for the disproportionately large minority population, first generation immigrants, and low-income residents who call them home. Addressing systems-level issues requires systems level-solutions that break down traditional silos and include new voices and resources.   

LEADS harnesses world class academic resources to invest in home-grown talent. LEADS increases individual leaders’ capacity for more effective business and civic leadership, their connectivity to other cross-sectoral community partners, and their access to leaders and resources beyond their communities - all of which are vital to enabling these leaders to design and deploy innovative solutions to the systemic issues their cities face.

     The 26 Massachusetts “Gateway” cities are collectively home to over 1.8 million people, or 26% of the state’s population. There are communities in states all across our nation with similar characteristics and high levels of newly-arrived immigrants. They must continue to serve as a platform for innovation and upward mobility to preserve the American Dream. 

The experiences of these post-industrial cities have generally followed a predictable pattern over the last 70 years, with dramatic manufacturing declines leading to disinvestment and white flight. This erosion triggered a domino effect of systemic challenges, resulting in higher unemployment and poverty, and poorer health and educational outcomes. Despite a resurgence of large metropolitan areas, smaller, post-industrial communities have been passed by. Recent Brookings institute research indicates that, “on three core dimensions of economic success—growth, prosperity, and inclusion—older industrial cities as a group underperform other urban areas, particularly on employment and income trends for their communities of color,“ creating structural challenges for its citizens to participate in shared prosperity. We have observed less leadership capacity in these communities, an absence of forums to address system-level issues, a lack of civic engagement role models, and smaller private sectors with limited resources.

Pivotal Federal Reserve Bank of Boston research has identified civic infrastructure-- the network of organizations, resources, and engaged citizens who not only help a community function but mobilize in times of crisis or opportunity--as a key factor in resurgence for mid-sized cities. LEADS is an economic and leadership development program that fundamentally changes the prospects of communities by investing in their civic Infrastructure by catalyzing and connecting leaders to amplify their skills and talents in service of thriving, equitable, and resilient communities. The core of the program is a cohort-based, transformative executive education experience taught by Harvard Business School (HBS) faculty and other pre-eminent thought leaders. The curriculum is designed to elevate the skills and leadership of LEADS fellows to advance personal, organizational, and community development through a heavy emphasis on applied learning. Throughout and beyond its conclusion, LEADS Fellows are engaged and supported in the development of cross-sectoral projects that address systems-level issues at the community or regional level. Beyond the cohort model, LEADS provides connectivity to other key stakeholders across the region and state to put ideas into action, extending beyond the one year fellowship to build the social capital needed to sustain and scale impact.

Pivotal Federal Reserve Bank of Boston research has identified civic infrastructure-- the network of organizations, resources, and engaged citizens who not only help a community function but mobilize in times of crisis or opportunity--as a key factor in resurgence for mid-sized cities. LEADS is an economic and leadership development program that fundamentally changes the prospects of communities by investing in their civic Infrastructure by catalyzing and connecting leaders to amplify their skills and talents in service of thriving, equitable, and resilient communities. The core of the program is a cohort-based, transformative executive education experience taught by Harvard Business School (HBS) faculty and other pre-eminent thought leaders. The curriculum is designed to elevate the skills and leadership of LEADS fellows to advance personal, organizational, and community development through a heavy emphasis on applied learning. Throughout and beyond its conclusion, LEADS Fellows are engaged and supported in the development of cross-sectoral projects that address systems-level issues at the community or regional level. Beyond the cohort model, LEADS provides connectivity to other key stakeholders across the region and state to put ideas into action, extending beyond the one year fellowship to build the social capital needed to sustain and scale impact.

Beyond the inclusivity of leadership that is represented in the LEADS fellows, the commitment to inclusivity of impact is equally embedded in the DNA of the programming.  With a bias towards action, the curriculum and program orientation sets a trajectory for the development and implementation of projects spearheaded by the fellows. Projects aim to address systems-level issues and solve them on behalf of the local community. This orientation complements traditional economic development strategies that prioritize growth over opportunity.  LEADS curriculum and project groups commit to inclusive economic development principles and practices that prioritize local community members’ benefit.

As part of my work at HBS, I helped create the MAOZ Fellowship, a year-long program to develop leaders across all sectors and tribes of Israel to shift the national narrative around collaboration for social change. The fellowship encompassed intensive academic and applied study, field-based learning, and mentoring. Though extraordinarily diverse, the participants built tremendous trust as they came to understand each other's stories and the context for their different points of view. Seven years later, the MAOZ Fellowship is a nationally known, highly regarded program that has resulted in a network of 600 alumni who collaborate to improve the lives of all citizens of Israel in ways that had previously been thought impossible.

The MAOZ methodology was powerful with proven success and I wanted to bring it to the United States. In partnership with an HBS faculty colleague, we selected Lawrence, MA to be our pilot site. Lawrence is over 80% Latinx and emblematic of the social and economic challenges of small, post-industrial cities. We enlisted Derek Mitchell of The Lawrence Partnership as a partner who had the respect of the local community and helped us execute a highly successful pilot program in 2018-2019.

Economic disparities and racial inequality have plagued our country since its founding but their impact has accelerated in recent decades. The 2020 widespread protests are characterized by the NYTimes as potentially the largest movement in U.S. history. The protests mark a tipping point, which, if not handled with strong leadership and skill, could result in political and social unrest towards disastrous ends.

As a Jewish American and a student of history, I am very aware of the damage that can result from misguided leadership during times of chaotic upheaval.  LEADS prepares leaders by tackling this issue at a scale that is both achievable and impactful, working at the community and regional level where real change can be realized. We prioritze post-industrial cities because they are host to disproportionately high numbers of low-income and minority workers, who are the victims of so many systems of racial and economic oppression.  Now is the moment to be doing this work, and the MA Gateway cities are the communities in which to be piloting, scaling and prioritizing it to get done. LEADS has been developed as the right tool, at the right time, for this monumental task.

Growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust, my Jewish values, vision, and passion compel me to want to help build equitable and robust communities which keep alive the American Dream. My educational, career, and life experiences have uniquely prepared me to meet this opportunity. I have drawn on over 20 years of experience designing powerful learning journeys to refine a process that develops trust and deep commitment within a cohort and empowers members to create lasting change in their organizations and communities. Each module of LEADS has three pillars: academic content, applied learning, and networking with leaders across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. My HBS networks allow me to engage faculty whose research and teaching interests directly align with the needs of LEADS fellows. My academic and business connections provide access for the fellows to establish meaningful networking opportunities. But what truly makes me qualified to deliver this project is the team I have assembled to help lead this work -- my co-founder and lead HBS faculty member, Jeff Bussgang, and my partner, Derek Mitchell. Jeff brings his knowledge of innovation and leadership from a decade of HBS teaching and two decades of investing as a venture capitalist. Derek brings his local knowledge and deep expertise in cross-sectoral collaboration in diverse, post-industrial cities. We have also added Bob Rivers, CEO of Eastern Bank to our advisory board, tapping his vast network and commitment to Gateway Cities. Together, we have the bases covered.

LEADS consists of a network of networks, from the 6-person study group to the 25-person community-based cohort to the 75-person Regional Impact Cluster to the LEADS alumni network.  Building trust and collaborative problem-solving through these networks is central to the value we bring to our fellows and is reinforced by every aspect of program design. However, the program was designed and piloted in a pre-pandemic world where we were able to gather in person and build relationships more easily. With the advent of Covid-19 and the restrictions around gathering in groups, we have had to rethink our model while still providing the same high quality product. Building on expertise we’ve recently developed at HBS and the input of others engaged in the delivery of online content and community-building, we have pivoted to a hybrid model utilizing all delivery modalities available to us. We are generating creative ways to break down silos and build community while delivering our powerful leadership and systems-level change content. While this year will necessarily look different than others, we are committed to delivering a powerful, transformative experience for our 75 fellows so they have the skills and networks needed to collaborate on driving systems-level community change. 

The challenge: create a process to develop senior leaders across all sectors of Israeli society who trust each other to collaborate on system-wide solutions for the benefit of all citizens – not a typical request of Harvard Business School but one I confronted in my role as Director of Custom Executive Education. At the outset, I was a bit unsure how to proceed. The problem was large and complex with no obvious “right” answer. I led us through an intense process of co-creating a solution with input from a wide representation of stakeholder groups, each of whom had differing, emotional and entrenched points of view on the problem and solution. Through empathic listening, design thinking principles and a willingness to experiment, we co-developed a solution that was embraced by all stakeholders. The result is a year-long fellowship program that combines academic learning with field-based experiences designed to build empathy and trust amongst diverse populations. We have since put close to 600 Israeli leaders through the program and have seen significant, positive actions around the country. This process and solution is the inspiration for LEADS as we adapt the methodology to US leaders facing similar structural and process challenges.

We piloted the LEADS program in Lawrence, MA and partnered with the Lawrence Partnership (LP), a local organization with substantial credibility in the community and a track record of successfully modeling cross-sectoral collaboration as a vehicle for economic development.  We have remained committed to Lawrence and the LP as we scale the program.  While the Lawrence Partnership currently plays the role of organizational incubator of LEADS in our start-up phase, we will incorporate LEADS as a nonprofit and file for 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Status. 

Systems-level community change happens through inclusive, collaborative problem solving across sectors. Yet the very relationships required to collaborate across established boundaries often aren’t activated or functional. LEADS’ innovation is in our methodology that activates and engages inclusive, cross-sectoral leaders to make systems-level change. Through a unique combination of component parts, LEADS changes the way the fellows see themselves and their ability to create lasting impact beyond their own organizations.

• Cohort-based strategy. LEADS builds a diverse, fully representative local-leader cohort committed to applying developed skills and relationships to benefit their home community. Because many systemic issues must be dealt with regionally, the cohort sits inside of a Regional Impact Cluster (RIC) of three cities in geographic proximity. We partner with local organizations that provide knowledge and credibility in these communities and access to applicants for fellowship nomination.
• Rigorous, applied academic content.  Our 5 modules are a combination of field-based and academic learning. Academic modules are hosted at HBS and taught by HBS faculty using case-based methodology. We support the fellows in their discussion preparation and apply the same rigor to the coursework as found in any HBS ExEd program.
• Structured, intentional networking within and between the RIC cohorts and with business and civic leaders across the state and region.
• Fellows’ commitment to cross-sectoral project teamwork beyond the fellowship year addressing systems-wide community challenges.  
• Active alumni network providing opportunities to learn and grow through ongoing academic programming, project incubation/mentorship and continued access to key influencers.

In its most simple terms, LEADS’ Theory of Change posits that an investment made in cross-sectoral, inclusive community leaders will produce the collaborative regional relationships necessary to bring about increased, more broadly shared economic prosperity. This conclusion is closely aligned with research conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston nearly a decade ago, which led to high-impact programming anchored by the federal reserve banks in 8 states. Our pilot in Lawrence confirmed our assumption as more than $700k of new capital has flowed into the city as a result of the LEADS programming.

LEADS’ inputs include relationships with local economic development intermediaries, pre-eminent business school faculty and cross-sectoral influencers as well as our executive education design/delivery and cross-sectoral management expertise. Each community inputs 25 diverse participants with organizational decision-making authority and influence in the community.

We engage the cohort in 150 hours of academically rigorous, culturally relevant applied learning and discussion over a 7 month period. Cross-sector project teams coalesce around systems-level challenges and apply frameworks/tools learned in the classroom to address them. LEADS networks the Fellows with over 50 Boston-area leaders providing inspiration and ongoing support.

Immediate outputs include the increased leadership capacity of Fellows, the network among them and to Boston innovation economy, and the community/regional multi-year action plans they have set in motion. The social capital of LEADS graduates is increased via newly established relationships with local and regional cohort members, LEADS alumni, and state and regional influencers. Fellows have an increased awareness of their own leadership potential, the importance of inclusive leadership, and a deeper understanding of and commitment to civic engagement and systems-level approaches to community improvement.

Over the ensuing 1-2 years, LEADS Fellows relationships deepen and, as they take action on developed strategies to advance regional economic development, their projects yield direct outcomes on the system that increase access and opportunity. Over a 3-4 year period, based on project success, new resources become available including new external business investments and philanthropic funding.

Ultimately, as LEADS-built networks pursue systems-level strategies, participating communities see sustained improvement in conditions necessary to achieve inclusive economic growth.

We piloted LEADS in 2018-2019 in Lawrence, MA with one cohort of 30 leaders, which is the number of people we are currently directly serving. Of many lessons we learned from our pilot, we understood that the impact of the fellows’ project work could be amplified by taking a regional approach. This gave rise to the idea of a Regional Impact Cluster and our current business model.  The Regional Impact Cluster comprises 3 cohorts from 3 different cities in the same geographic region. In 2020 this is Lawrence, Lowell and Haverhill, MA.  We have selected 20-25 fellows from each city for a total of 71 LEADS fellows. Our plan is to grow to a steady state of 2 Regional Impact Clusters/year. The LEADS network will continue to grow with each graduating class of fellows.  It is currently 30 people and will grow to 100 people after this fellowship year.  Ultimately we envision that the fellowship year will be the gateway to the highly sought after LEADS network which will continue to grow in numbers and impact and serve as a model for cross-sectoral collaborations for increased civic and economic prosperity.

• Currently – 100 (70 fellows, 30 network members)
• One year – up to 250 (up to 150 fellows, 100 network members)
• Five Years – up to 900 (up to 150 fellows, up to 750 network members)

The impact of the fellows’ project work will reverberate across the community and directly impact 1000's.

In one year, 75 fellows comprising our first Regional Impact Cluster (RIC) will graduate from the program with higher aspirations for themselves and their organizations and a bolder vision of change for the community. Fellows will have a heightened appreciation of the need for collaborative approaches to leadership for maximum impact and will have expanded and elevated the diversity of their networks across sector, race, gender, geography, etc. Eight to 10 high-impact systems-level change actions will be catalyzed with early indicators of new resource flows from the state and surrounding innovation economy to participants’ business and civic efforts.  The LEADS organization will be incorporated as a 501(c)3 and additional resources hired in preparation for hosting our steady state of two regional impact clusters and 150 fellows during each program cycle.

In 5 years the LEADS network will consist of 750 networked leaders who share the same aspirations around collaborative change.  The LEADS organization will be brought to scale with programming extending beyond the year and into the LEADS network.  LEADS will catalyze the most promising projects with seed funding from our own development fund that will be fully funded by corporate partners whose long-term strategies and goals are synergistic with ours.  LEADS will incubate the most promising systems-level change actions and connect teams to strategic/operational/funding resources. LEADS will be recognized broadly throughout the state as an effective means of creating the conditions for inclusive economic growth, enlarging the ecosystem and allowing others to prosper from our work.  

• Financial – LEADS is a highly professional program. All communications, materials, and interactions with the fellows are done with the same quality/attention to detail that I’ve employed with my Executive Education clients at Harvard Business School. We believe that if these leaders are treated similarly and held to the same high standard as all executives who come to Harvard, they will meet the challenge. We partner with recognized faculty experts in the fields of leadership and management.  Experts are expensive. Further, we select fellows into the program through a need-blind admission process.  We commit that every fellow we select into the program will be able to attend, regardless of their ability to pay tuition. The pandemic has impacted our budget in ways we did not foresee.
• Cultural – The LEADS fellowship is academically rigorous with high expectations around social impact. Not all the local leaders we seek to enroll have had the benefit of an education that prepares them for such rigor.  Further, there are limited role models of diverse and inclusive civic and business leadership in these cities. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine the future when you can’t see the possibility.
• Market – Each city we work with has a different set of opportunities, challenges, demographics, organization, culture, etc.  We will not be successful unless we establish credibility with leaders of the existing institutional structures so we are viewed as helping to create change from the inside out.

• Financial - Our largest expenses are faculty time and facilities. Thus far, we have received generous in-kind contributions to help defray costs.  Our deep connections at HBS have resulted in faculty donating their time and HBS donating facilities. This is not sustainable as we scale and going forward we will raise the money needed to convert these to commercial relationships.
• Cultural – We support the Fellows heavily in preparation for academic modules.  Fellows are placed into 6-person groups that meet regularly to prepare case studies for discussion.  An HBS alum teaches them how to maximize their learning in our case-based curriculum.  Each cohort is assigned an expert facilitator to accompany them throughout the journey to ensure that all voices are heard. The intentionality of relationship-building across cities, sectors and other boundaries builds trust and encourages fellows to reach beyond established comfort zones to maximize the experience and subsequent impact of the project work.
• Market – Establishing credibility in each city is paramount to our success.  We partner with a local organization already successfully facilitating cross-sectoral collaborations to help us identify applicants for the program. We leverage our own networks and those of the LEADS alumni to gain access to key influencers across sectors in these communities and bring them on as early adopters.  This is an ongoing challenge as we scale up and move away from our center. We are designing an onboarding process for new city partners to address this issue well in advance of building a cohort. 

Much of the power of our model derives from the strength of relationship with our partner organizations.  Uniquely, LEADS marries deep working relationships with global thought leadership at HBS and the Boston innovation economy with those at the ground level in the communities where we work.  Community partnerships are vital to the delivery of the programming as well as for calibration of the curriculum to ensure that it is culturally competent and aligned with the needs of participants.  In its pilot year, LEADS was co-developed and deployed with the Lawrence Partnership, a public-private partnership in Lawrence, MA that holds deep working relationships with cross-sectoral leaders in the city.  We have replicated this  model as we scale LEADS with the Lowell Plan and Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce serving as local partners for programming in those cities.  Each has its finger on the pulse of the issues in their community and trusting working relationships across diverse segments. Most importantly, each has a deep commitment to the promise and inclusive values of LEADS. 

We have partnered with other organizations to co-create modules, coordinate key leaders across networking events, or provide specific support to cohort members and project groups. These include: The Alliance for Business Leadership, Essex County Community Foundation, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the Red Sox Foundation. Additionally, we work closely with the Barr Foundation, which has invested heavily in LEADS programming and provided thought partnership from their years of deep work on inclusive leadership through the Barr Fellowship.  

The LEADS business model includes multiple funding streams, each aligned with a distinct beneficiary of the program.   A core source of revenue comes from tuition paid by participants, who derive so much personal and professional value from the fellowship.  Tuition is calibrated to represent a real commitment, while not being cost-prohibitive for non-profit and public sector participants.  The second primary revenue stream comes from individual donors, philanthropic foundations, and public sector grants, whose commitment to generating tangible, cost-effective solutions to intractable social problems aligns with the outcomes of the project groups generated by LEADS participants.  For instance, the high impact project groups from our pilot developed initiatives in areas ranging from workforce development to downtown revitalization to regional opioid programming.  These groups, and other specific programming that directly tied back to the LEADS fellowship and participants, resulted in an additional $700,000 in philanthropic and private investment flowing into the city. The final revenue center in the for LEADS business model is built on in-kind contributions from core partners, including Harvard Business School (HBS), HBS Faculty, Eastern Bank, and other corporate collaborators.  LEADS leverages its social capital to engage these key allies, but the participation is symbiotic in that LEADS represents a unique opportunity for in-kind contributors to expand their own networks among diverse, cross-sectoral leaders that are part of the LEADS fellowship.  Each of these revenue streams has been intentionally developed to be scalable just as we scale the organization and the programming.  

LEADS’ funding model is multi-faceted. Fellows are charged a tuition fee which covers a portion of programming costs.  Additional grant funds and in-kind commitments allow the programming to be heavily subsidized for program participants so that a program of this caliber can be offered at a fraction of its market rate, making it accessible to leaders coming from smaller cities, and with smaller operating budgets from which to pull. 

As LEADS expands, the programming achieves economies of scale and the cost/participant decreases generating more operating revenue per participant.  With a strong foundation of support through a multi-year commitment from a large foundation, a tuition match from the Commonwealth of MA, individual philanthropy and the reliability of participant tuition, LEADS has a clear path forward.  As the program scales, we will also invest in a robust third-party evaluation of impact, the results of which we anticipate will open up larger streams of philanthropic support to supplement the resources already committed. 

• Revenue from Tuition:            $147,000 committed
• Govt. support/grants:             $65,000 committed
• In-kind contributions:              $180,000 (Harvard Business School, HBS
                                            faculty, Gemline Manufacturing, Eastern bank)
• Philanthropic grants:               $150,000 committed over two years
                                                 (The Barr Foundation)
• Individual Donations:              $50,000 committed over two years

Communities will recognize the highest value from LEADS programming once we have graduated a critical mass of leaders working within and across our host cities, which gives rise to our model of two cohorts over two years in each community (approximately 50 leaders in total per city) and growing the number of communities with whom we partner. Scaling our initiative as planned and actively supporting the LEADS network of alumni is based on our ability to continue to fundraise and make key investments in LEADS infrastructure. 

To fund this growth, we will continue to pursue in-kind donations and charge tuition for the program. We seek to raise money from foundations and grant-making organizations as well as individual donors to offset our expenses, including scholarship aid which we anticipate will increase as the effects of the struggling economy are felt more keenly.  Our expenses will grow linearly with each cohort we add and will grow step-wise as we add additional resources to support project teams and network programming.

We seek to raise an additional $150,000 in 2020 and $300,000 in 2021.  Since we will not be able to fully fund our program through tuition, we will continue to have substantial fundraising needs on a year over year basis.  

2020 Estimated expenses for LEADS

Fixed Costs

LEADS Salaries                       $125,000

Consultants/Contracts            $130,000

Faculty Teaching Fee               $110,000

Total Fixed Costs                    $365,000

Variable Costs

Facilities (housing, classroom, catering) 

for in-residence modules           $150,000

Facilities (housing, classroom, catering) 

for other modules                      $25,000

Course Materials                        $25,000

Fiscal agent fee (% of dollars managed)     $20,000

Total Variable Costs                   $220,000

Total Costs                                 $585,000

The Elevate Prize would be pivotal for the growth and development of the LEADS programming at this unique moment as our nation deals with the overlapping crises of Covid-19, racial inequalities and economic disparity just as LEADS prepares for scale beyond its original proof of concept.  Recognizing that this model represents a unique tool in addressing the systemic issues we are grappling with, we also believe the scale of the program contributes to its efficacy.  The connectivity of leaders deepens over time, which the LEADS network facilitates beyond the fellowship year. The capacity to broker regional and statewide relationships enhances the ability to work on issues transcending municipal boundaries and grows as the network expands. Given our model, the ability to achieve organizational efficiencies is also heightened through growth. 

As LEADS expands, we will benefit from the financial investment, targeted consultation and networks that the Elevate Prize offers specifically access to thought leaders for content development, connectivity to business and civic leaders for mentoring our fellows, and other collaborative programming for networking with LEADS participants.  There are also opportunities for deep-dive evaluation of programming and creation of case studies to share our best practices. We would benefit from connectivity to other national and global models that may hold insight for our work moving forward.

Lastly, as we engage with new communities and lay foundations to expand beyond Massachusetts, the credibility the Elevate Prize offers would be a difference-maker in our ability to form important working relationships foundational to our success.

In addition to our partnership goals discussed earlier in this application, and as the LEADS programming evolves and expands, we would be interested in additional support, partnership and thought leadership around monitoring and evaluation.  We wholly understand that the greatest impact from this programming is realized 2-3 years after the fellowship year, as project groups and working relationships result in tangible, structural change at the ground level, and the ability to fully evaluate the breadth of impacts of the programming will be a key priority in future years.  

While the LEADS programming is collaborative by nature and we would invite connectivity with corporate, state and other partners as the programming expands, we are especially eager to leverage this opportunity to develop a strategic relationship with MIT as an institution, as well as to engage with its faculty, staff, students, and community at large.  While anchored at HBS, the LEADS programming would benefit from additional academic partners as it grows and evolves, and MIT is a key collaborator that we seek to engage to this end.