Debra Woog McGinty
Director of People Strategy, Cambridge Incubator

The Menu
We provide incubator services such as recruiting, people strategy, marketing, public relations, Web development, network operations, finance and infrastructure. It's more than "come into a room and have a desk." A lot of relationships are pre-established for our member companies. We now have four early-stage Net companies, and 65 people work here.

People Power
My mission is to attract and retain the best and brightest, passionate, collaborative professionals ... for Cambridge Incubator and our member companies. Human resources is often looked upon as a side function. ... What's different at Cambridge Incubator is that it acknowledges people are the most valuable and differentiating resource.

The Energy
I'm in charge of people functions for five startups -- four companies plus Cambridge Incubator itself. It's your standard Internet startup pace times five. There's a joke here: "Why build an e-business when you can build 20?"

The Gang
I get about 75 e-mails a day. What gets lost sometimes with e-mail are the subtleties. ... We need an extra layer of human interaction and connection ... as we move toward more electronic interaction. We have Wednesday wakeups with bagels and coffee and Friday soirees with food, beer, and other drinks.