Dan Mingle on growing a startup in rural Maine, more nat'l exposure for Redd Bar, Moody's launching incubator space, Idexx makes S&P 500, and more...

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Jan. 6, 2017
By Whit Richardson (@whit_richardson)

Happy New Year! And welcome back.

With the new year comes a new feature I'm introducing this week in Maine Startups Insider. Founder Forum is a weekly Q&A feature I'll be publishing on the website and promoting in the newsletter. The Maine Technology Institute has kindly agreed to sponsor the inaugural run of this Q&A feature, and as a result the first 12 interviews will be with startup founders who have received MTI funding in one form or another—since nearly every technology company in Maine has received MTI support, that didn't pose a problem. (If you're interested, here's a broader explanation of MSI's sponsored-content guidelines).

Founder Forum: Dan Mingle of Mingle Analytics
Dan Mingle has proved the naysayers wrong, growing a company in rural Maine that provides technology solutions to healthcare organizations around the country. Mingle Analytics, founded in South Paris in 2012, now employs 63 people, three-quarters of which are based in Maine. In our conversation, Mingle and I discuss how he overcame the challenges of growing a business in rural Maine, why he's deliberately remaining unprofitable, why he thinks the most innovative thing the company is doing might have nothing to do with healthcare, and his lessons for other aspiring entrepreneurs in Maine. 
Check out the interview with Dan Mingle >>
 

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In other news... 

+ Don Gooding, former executive director of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, is taking lessons learned in Maine and applying them to Sub-Saharan Africa. In collaboration with Stephen Koltai, a Lincolnville-based consultant on global entrepreneurship programs, Gooding plans to take elements of the Top Gun accelerator program he helped develop while at MCED and apply them to a program to help entrepreneurs in countries like South Africa, Ghana, and Senegal.
Mainebiz caught up with Gooding to learn more >>

+ Idexx Laboratories Inc. in Westbrook, one of Maine's most successful startup stories, this week was added to the S&P 500 stock index. It is only the second Maine company to make the index, the first being Unum Group in 1994.
The Portland Press Herald has more >>

+ Shawn Moody, who founded what's now known as Moody's Collision Centers in Gorham in 1977, plans to create what he calls an "incubator space for startup businesses" on a parcel of land in Gorham that Moody's recently purchased from Hannaford for $1.2 million. The project is still in its infancy, but Moody told Maine Startups Insider the plan is to help startup manufacturing and commercial businesses, including with creative financing options like venture capital and build-to-suit options, gain a foothold and have a supportive campus where they're able to grow and tap into the expertise of other entrepreneurs on the campus. The campus could also possibly include office and retail tenants.

+ Redd Bar got some love in the most recent issue of VegNews magazine, which has a print distribution of 250,000 copies. Out of 50 brands of vegan energy bars chosen for review, Redd was picked as the "Staff Fave." 

+ Almost exactly a year ago, in one of the first articles I published on Maine Startups Insider's website, I wrote about "smart" socks, called upBed, developed by three brothers in Maine in partnership with a company called Sensoria, and unveiled at last year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Well, one of the brothers, Aron Semle, is at CES again this year to promote the impending official launch of upBed, which are designed to assist caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The plan is to start selling the "smart" socks in April, with the goal to sell 100 units in the first three months in Maine. Here's a pic of Aron at CES this week.

Aron Semle, in the middle, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas with the co-founders of Sensoria, Davide Vigano (right) and Maurizio Macagno (left).

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Jobs

Seeking a full-stack engineer? A technical co-founder? A sales or biz dev superstar? Send me your job postings to make this a great resource!

+ Coria, a Maine-based data science and marketing consulting firm, is currently seeking an experienced UX developer with Axure experience to join its team. To apply, or for more information, send CEO John Hobart an email at jhobart@coria.com.

+ Flyte New Media, a digital marketing agency in Portland, is hiring a WordPress developer.

+ BlueTarp Financial in Portland is hiring a senior software engineer.

+ Academic Merit, an educational software startup in Portland, is hiring a front-end developer and a software engineer.

+ Environetix Technology Corp., a wireless sensor manufacturer in Orono, is hiring a RF engineer/RF technician.

+ Shines & Jecker Laboratories, a Portland-based web development shop, is hiring a part-time developer.

+ Dream Local Digital in Rockland is hiring for a host of positions.

+ Big Room Studios is hiring a front-end developer specializing in React, Angular, and Polymer. They're also looking for back-end developers with experience in Node.

+ Likeable Local is hiring a "customer success manager" and content strategy associate in its Portland office.

+ Double Blue Sports Analytics, with offices in Orono and Brunswick, is looking to hire software engineers. If interested, shoot them an email.

+ Vets First Choice continues to hire like mad. It still has job listings for several positions at its Portland office, from software and systems engineers to data analysts and a sales director.

+ CashStar is hiring a slew of design, engineering and biz dev positions.

+ Kepware Technologies is hiring software and web developers.
 

Calendar

Send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion.

Wed., Jan. 11 — The New England Venture Capital Association hosts Unpitch, an event that purposefully avoids the business-pitch-contest style and instead tries to facilitate connections between entrepreneurs ​and investors in a casual, no-pressure environment. More details.

Thurs., Jan. 12 — Pitch York County hosts its third pitch competition. 6-8 p.m. at Think Tank Biddeford. More details and to register.
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