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Drizly, Zapata, and Motif: Meet Boston’s biggest tech losers in 2024 – The Boston Globe

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Drizly, Zapata, and Motif: Meet Boston’s biggest tech losers in 2024 – The Boston Globe


As the Boston tech scene closes the book on 2024, let’s take a moment to mourn the local startups, apps, and products that we lost last year.

The year started with rounds of layoffs at local tech employers including Wayfair, iRobot, and Toast. But the biggest blow hit when Uber decided it didn’t need to maintain Drizly, the Boston-based alcohol delivery startup it acquired in 2021 for $1.1 billion.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the boom in online orders put Drizly on course perhaps to join Wayfair and DraftKings as Boston’s next Internet consumer brand success story. But Uber had other plans and shifted customers to its Uber Eats app.

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Drizly wasn’t the only tech company that bit the dust. Ginkgo Bioworks spinoff Motif FoodWorks, developing plant-based meat substitutes, closed in September. Quantum software firm Zapata AI shut down in October, only six months after merging with a blank check company to go public. And government data startup Civin, founded by Boston’s former chief data officer, Andrew Therriault, four years ago, shut down in December.

Thrasio, which raised billions of dollars to buy hundreds of small Amazon sellers, filed for bankruptcy in February but stayed out of the 2024 dustbin by completing a restructuring and emerging with new leadership and less debt in June.

There were some startup highlights last year, including Liquid AI debuting its groundbreaking software in October, the creation of an “AI hub” backed by $100 million of state money in December, and the continued growth of local battery developers Ascend Elements and Form Energy. And local venture capital investors said they are looking forward to a better year in 2025.

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Bostonians also lost a few apps last year. Foursquare pivoted away from running city-oriented apps cataloging local restaurants, leading to the demise of its Boston specific app. And grocery delivery service Getir, which opened some of its mini-warehouse locations around Boston over the past few years, pulled out of the market in April.

A more serious loss hit low income families in Massachusetts and around the country in June. The Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program ended after Republicans in Congress refused to support new funding. That left about 368,000 in Massachusetts without the free Internet service subsidy.

At DraftKings, a venture into cryptocurrency related collectibles ran out of steam. Back in 2021, at the height of the crypto bubble, the online betting company opened a store called Reignmakers to sell digital game pieces related to fantasy sports bets. But the effort to sell the pieces, known as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the store violated securities laws and DraftKings shuttered it in July.

But hope springs eternal for new lines of business at DraftKings’ Back Bay headquarters. In November, chief executive Jason Robins said the company was looking at adding betting on election results.

Hopefully, the effort will avoid 2025′s tech dust bin.

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Aaron Pressman can be reached at aaron.pressman@globe.com. Follow him @ampressman.





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Boston, MA

Boston has one of the best public markets in the country, says USA TODAY

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Boston has one of the best public markets in the country, says USA TODAY


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Looking for a new marketplace to shop at this spring? You’re in luck – Boston is home to one of the best public markets in the country, according to USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.

The annual 10BEST awards highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. In the 2026 food awards, highlighting the top food tours, food cruises, farmers markets and more from across the country, Boston Public Market ranked third in the best public market category.

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Here’s what to know before you go to Boston’s top-ranked public market.

Why Boston Public Market ranked third

A year-round indoor marketplace in Downtown Boston, Boston Public Market celebrates the bounty New England has to offer with fresh groceries, prepared meals, crafts and specialty items from over 30 local artisans and food producers, with a focus on seasonal items.

Along with browsing through groceries and goods, guests are invited to join the public market for a variety of special events, including trivia, live music, magic shows and face painting.

Boston Public Market is located at 100 Hanover St. on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, directly above the Haymarket MBTA station. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

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What other markets made the list?

Here is USA TODAY’s full ranking of the top 10 public markets in the country:

  1. Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA
  2. Milwaukee Public Market – Milwaukee, WI
  3. Boston Public Market – Boston, MA
  4. Eastern Market – Detroit, MI
  5. West Side Market – Cleveland, OH
  6. Essex Market – New York City, NY
  7. Lancaster Central Market – Lancaster, PA
  8. Midtown Global Market – Minneapolis, MN
  9. Grand Central Market – Los Angeles, CA
  10. North Market Downtown – Columbus, OH



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MBTA Green Line trains out from Kenmore to Boston College on B branch through April 30

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MBTA Green Line trains out from Kenmore to Boston College on B branch through April 30


The Green Line B branch trains will not run between Kenmore and Boston College through April 30, according to the MBTA.

The nine-day outage will allow T officials to work on several infrastructure improvements and maintenance, the installation of Green Line Train Protection System (GLTPS) infrastructure, replacement of 130-year-old wooden overhead catenary wire “trough” near the Green Line portals and more.

The MBTA announced free, accessible shuttle buses between the two stops, Kenmore and Boston College during the outage. The buses will not stop at Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner due to “accessibility issues,” T officials said.

During the weekend of April 25 and 26, the outage will extend through Copley, and shuttle buses will skip Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner during the same weekend.

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Throughout the shutdown all Green Line frequency will be reduced between Copley and Government center.

The MBTA urged riders to use the Orange Line at Back Bay during the outage. The agency also noted riders can transfer to Copley from Back Bay, an approximately five-minute walk.

The route 57 bus will also be free from April 22 through 24 and April 27 through 30 for alternate service between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner, the MBTA stated. During the April 25 and 26 weekend, the T noted the bus will not be a good alternate with not Green Line service at Kenmore.



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Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2

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Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2


Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers looked like a completely different team against the Boston Celtics in Game 2.

And unlike Game 1, the Sixers’ defense also showed up, holding Boston to 43 second-half points and 39 percent shooting for the game in a 111-97 road win to tie this Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1.

Edgecombe scored a team-high 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting, and Maxey added 29 points and nine assists. The Sixers’ backcourt duo combined to shoot 11-for-22 from 3-point range. The Sixers were 19-for-39 from 3 after going 4 of 23 from that distance in Game 1.

Boston was led by Jaylen Brown’s game-high 36 points, but Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtics player who scored in double figures with 19. Boston shot 13-for-50 from 3-point range.

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Here are some takeaways with Game 3 set for Friday in Philadelphia.

Celtics offense falls flat

The Celtics knew to expect a different effort from the 76ers.

One adjustment from Philadelphia likely didn’t take Boston by surprise. After taking just 23 3-pointers in Game 1, the 76ers sought out more long balls in Game 2.

Maxey called his own number more often. Edgecombe was aggressive from the start. As a team, the 76ers played with more freedom, firing plenty of shots that they might have turned down in the series opener. Philadelphia made plenty of those looks while shooting 48.7 percent from behind the arc.

Still, the Celtics would have been all right if they had played their usual offensive game. Instead, their offense was their biggest issue. They shot just 39.3 percent on field goal attempts. They missed 37 of 50 3-point attempts. They committed an atypical 13 turnovers.

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Trying to come back in the fourth quarter, they had too many empty offensive possessions. Jaylen Brown got blocked while trying to beat the shot clock buzzer and picked up an offensive foul while hitting Maxey in the face. Jayson Tatum missed a contested pull-up 3-pointer early in the shot clock on one possession and threw away a pass on another. Derrick White was left wide open in the left corner but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. The 76ers left the door open early in the fourth quarter by missing several shots, including a couple of layups, but the Celtics couldn’t fully capitalize. Eventually, Maxey sank a series of baskets to create more separation for Philadelphia, and the Celtics largely went away down the stretch. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer

Sixers bounce back in Boston

This is the way the 76ers have to play if they want to extend this series as far as possible.

Maxey and Edgecombe have to dominate their guard matchups, which is exactly what they did in Tuesday night’s Game 2. Paul George needs to be a deterrent to Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He doesn’t have to eclipse them, because that would be difficult. But he does have to give them a bit of pause. Most of all, the 76ers have to play the focused brand of basketball they exhibited in Game 2 rather than the sloppy and slapstick kind of hoops they played in Game 1.

The Celtics are such a good team that the above equates to near-perfect basketball. But that’s the task the Sixers are facing, particularly without star center Joel Embiid. On Tuesday night, this was a team up to the task. They were focused. They executed on both ends of the floor. They got much better play from their role players. Maxey and Edgecombe were absolutely dominant.

Overall, on both ends of the floor, this is the best game the 76ers have played in months. And they got it at just the right time. Now we have a 1-1 series heading back to Philadelphia. — Tony Jones, Sixers beat writer 

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