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          Explore opportunities to connect and grow.

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          ...
          Special Event
          Confronting the Housing Crisis: Supercharging Housing Production in Massachusetts

          Join a timely conversation on Massachusetts’ housing affordability crisis and the policy tools needed to boost production. Featuring leaders from business, government, and research, this event explores what it will take to move housing forward across the Commonwealth.

          07/15/2026

          11:30am - 1:00pm

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          This blog outlines five essential tips to help you get the most out of your Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce membership.

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          Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.

          Read More
          Massachusetts Apprentice Network

          The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.

          Read More
          Boston’s Future Leaders

          Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.

          Read More
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City Awake: Building Community with Soofa

December 3, 2020 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Virtual

Event Details

  • This discussion will feature a female founded company launched out of MIT and Harvard that connects neighborhoods and strengthens communities – something we could all use a bit more of!

Tickets

  • Members & Non-Members: $15
  • City Awake programs are open to young professionals between the ages of 21 – 39.
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This discussion will feature a female founded company launched out of MIT and Harvard that connects neighborhoods and strengthens communities – something we could all use a bit more of!

Through Soofa, community members have a platform to utilize their voice and connect with their neighbors. In a time where we’ve all been forced to social distance and isolate, building community is more important than ever. Join this discussion with the founders of Soofa, who will dive into how they are introducing technology into cities to make them smart, social, and sustainable while improving the neighborhood experience. 

What is City Awake?  
Our City Awake programming is designed to build community, engage civically-minded next-gen leaders in dialogue about the most pressing issues facing our region, and celebrate the incredible young talent in Greater Boston. 

Sponsored By

Hannah Zinn

Senior Program Manager

[email protected]
617-557-7317

FEATURING

​Sandra Y. Richter

CEO and Co-Founder, Soofa Featured Speaker

Sandra Y. Richter is Soofa’s CEO and Co-Founder. While at MIT, she worked with municipalities in South Africa, Japan, China, and Europe on smart transportation systems…Read more
Sandra Y. Richter is Soofa’s CEO and Co-Founder. While at MIT, she worked with municipalities in South Africa, Japan, China, and Europe on smart transportation systems in collaboration with companies like Volkswagen, Lockheed Martin, and Verizon to define smart city strategies and evaluate business models. She co-founded Soofa in 2014 to deploy smart, social, and sustainable city technology in neighborhoods all around the world. She is a city dweller in Cambridge, MA.

​Jutta Friedrichs

Co-Founder and VP of Operations, Soofa Featured Speaker

Jutta Friedrichs is Soofa’s Co-Founder and VP of Operations. With over ten years of experience in design and development of innovative products and services in…Read more
Jutta Friedrichs is Soofa’s Co-Founder and VP of Operations. With over ten years of experience in design and development of innovative products and services in the UK, China and the U.S., Jutta compulsively generates ideas, simplifies complex issues, optimizes processes, and builds disruptive businesses through creative thought leadership and management. Jutta co-founded Xindao’s product design studio and her furniture design studio, MÜ, in Shanghai before earning her Masters at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She now serves as a mentor at the Harvard Innovation Lab and has earned multiple international design awards, including two Red Dot Awards.

Rutba Shivani

Operation Lead, Accenture Innovation Hub Moderator

Rutba Shivani is the Operations Lead for Accenture’s Boston Innovation Hub. Prior to this, Rutba spent five years in Human Resources focusing on recruiting, employee…Read more
Rutba Shivani is the Operations Lead for Accenture’s Boston Innovation Hub. Prior to this, Rutba spent five years in Human Resources focusing on recruiting, employee engagement and program development and implementation. Her special powers that thread through all of her roles are creative problem solving, strong people focus and project management. Rutba also sits on the City Awake Advisory Board. She has a degree in Communication Studies from The University of Georgia – GO DAWGS! She is passionate about inclusion and belonging, loves trying out new hobbies, and is always on the hunt for good Southern food in New England.

SPONSORED BY

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