A Soundtrack to Innovation

Running a startup is hard. These feel-good songs helped :)
— Garrett Boudinot, Vycarb (Cohort 2022)

From the lab to the office, Activate Fellows and staff were on the AUX. As the year comes to a close, we asked them about their favorite music of 2022. Which songs helped them stay focused, energized, or relaxed throughout this whirlwind year?

Coming out of the pandemic, I need to feel free and like I’m living life again. All these songs do that for me.
— Rick Kempinski, Activate Fellowship Operations Director

From up-and-coming artists to established pop stars (Taylor Swift topped the Activate charts!), the Activate community listens to music across the sonic spectrum. From their selections, we’ve pulled together the soundtrack to innovation: these are the songs that Activate Fellows and staff sang along to, tapped their toes to, and changed the world to.

I feel everything when I listen to Taylor Swift. All the emotions. Still puzzled as to how one person can be so brilliant.
— Holden Lai, Osmoses (Cohort 2021)
The Bleachers feel like they’re singing exactly to the hard parts of life, but they do so with hope and energy. I always feel happier after having listened to these songs
— Cortney Newell, Activate Philanthropic Director
Lizzo is right for any mood—to pump you up when you’re low or when you’re high. It works every time.
— Sarah Morrill, Activate Program Continuum Director
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2022 by the Numbers

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Activate Updates: November 2022