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Abby Fichtner helps people build amazing technology and push the edge on what's possible.

She's been named an Innovation Amplifier by the Boston Globe and one of the Top 25 Women in Boston Tech.

Abby is Hacker in Residence for Harvard Innovation Lab, creator of Hack Boston, advisor for the SXSW Accelerator and launcher of Boston's Big Data Hacker Space.

She's worked with hundreds of tech startups and taught workshops for MIT, Harvard, Microsoft, TechStars...

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What are you afraid to admit you’re afraid of?

I’m afraid that I will never find my zone of genius because this one thing leaves me terrified…

How To (Not) Get VC Funding for Your Startup

… with a bit of How To thrown in for good measure. So! This just happened…

Evolution is the ultimate hacker

If you’re interested in pushing the edge on what’s possible then you should look to evolution as a role model, because evolution is the ultimate hacker.

What motivates you to create?

I’ve been asking developers what it is that motivates and excites them to write code in their spare time. The best answer I’ve gotten so far is from Brendan Kohler. To which, I exhibit zero surprise.

How can I help you to push the edge on what’s possible?

In packing to move to my new home (3 weeks!!!) I stumbled over a pile of thank you notes I’ve gotten from student hackers & entrepreneurs that I’ve worked with (seriously, students are the best. Hand-written thank you notes! Who does that?!). And all these memories came flooding back… I’ve been so crazy, over-the-top, fortunate […]

What Makes Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial?

Ever wondered what makes some people natural entrepreneurs while others can… well, hold down a real job?

What do you want to add to your life?

The next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not, how are you going to use them to improve your life?

Embracing imperfection

So if you’ve been following along, you know I’m in the middle of this 30 posts in 30 days challenge. Which, as a die-hard perfectionist who tends to blog more like 30 posts in 30 months…. well, is a challenge. My biggest challenge is allowing myself to put together a quick post to share my […]

The Shame of Creativity

It’s clear, yet weirdly unspoken, that I confused a lot of people when I decided to go from being Hacker in Residence for Harvard Innovation Lab to creating websites.

Which do you want to be: perfect or innovative?

Do as I say, not as I do This is a quote I tweeted out last week with the comment A good reminder for us damn perfectionists: “It is easy to begin once you have accepted that what you produce may not be very good, and that’s normal.” — Megan Mcardle But, clearly. As I sit here at 5am […]