UMaine Business Challenge finalists named, Startup Grind comes to Portland, Surge Hydro wins again, and more...

Like Maine Startups Insider? Forward to your friends, who can subscribe here.

March 17, 2017
By Whit Richardson (@whit_richardson)

Good afternoon, loyal readers. Here's what went on this week in Maine's startup community.
 

Finalists named for UMaine Business Challenge

Five teams of Maine college entrepreneurs have been selected to compete for $20,000 in cash and in-kind support in the sixth annual UMaine Business Challenge. The students come from the University of Maine, the College of the Atlantic, and Southern Maine Community College. The business ideas range from a videogame company to an innovative home-heating appliance.
Find out more at Maine Startups Insider >>  

And now a word from our sponsor...
This week's sponsor is Gorham Savings Bank, which is accepting applications for its fifth Launchpad startup-pitch competition.
Click through for more details. And thanks for supporting MSI's sponsors!

Surge Hydro wins Pitch York County finals

Surge Hydro notched another win on Thursday night as it took top spot (and $1,200) at the final Pitch York County event in Biddeford. The Belfast-based startup has been making headlines with its plan to use technology to leverage the country’s underutilized hydroelectric infrastructure.
Read the story at Maine Startups Insider >>  
 

Startup Grind comes to Portland

A local entrepreneur is spearheading the launch of a Startup Grind chapter in Portland. Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire and connect entrepreneurs. Vinko Buble, an entrepreneur and software engineer, is helping launch the local chapter of Startup Grind, which consists of 1 million entrepreneurs in 200 cities and 98 countries.

"I've found that many new and aspiring founders in Maine don't always have the framework for what to do when thinking about working on a new startup idea," Buble says. "That's not their fault; it's just because we have relatively few seasoned and successful founders in our small community, so it's not really common knowledge. We all learn best through stories. And, all over the world, a common feature of thriving startup communities revolves around seasoned founders sharing their stories. That's what Startup Grind Portland will help to do, by showcasing individuals who have a lot to teach all of us, because they've been there."

The launch of the Portland chapter will take place at Cloudport on April 4 for a discussion with Rodrigo Meirelles who will answer: How do you successfully pioneer an innovative company?

Support Maine Startups Insider on 

Founder Forum

Claudia Raessler of Maine Dye & Textile

Claudia Raessler considers herself to have stumbled into running her own business. Yet she and her husband Ken haven't appeared to suffer from the accidental case of entrepreneurialism.

The husband-and-wife team own and operate Maine Dye & Textiles (formerly known as Saco River Dyehouse). The business, which got its start dyeing yarn for the hand-knitting market, last year had gross sales just shy of $1 million, but it's just launched a plan Claudia believes will triple revenue in two years.

In an interview with Maine Startups Insider, Claudia speaks candidly about the challenges of entrepreneurship, living with bad decisions, and her advice who want to start their own businesses.

Read the Q&A with Claudia Raessler >>

 

Briefly mentioned...

+ Nicole Bradick, who lives in the Portland area and is chief strategy officer for CuroLegal, a company that designs computer software for lawyers, is involved in a project to develop a mobile app to help people easily report hate crimes. The Boston Globe profiled the effort last weekend. Bradick, along with lawyers, app and web developers, victims advocates, and anyone else intereted in being involved, will be in Boston on Monday working on the solution.

  

Calendar

Send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion.

Tues., March 21 — Applications close for Venture Hall's inaugural summer accelerator program focused on healthcare-focused startups. Here are the details.

Thurs., March 23 — Maine Startup & Create Week hosts it's now-annual event in Boston. 6-9 p.m. at Steelcase's showroom in Boston. Tell your Boston friends. For more details and to register.

Fri., March 24 — Deadline for companies to apply to participate in the Innovate for Maine Fellows program. More details.

Sat., April 1 — Early-bird deadline to apply for the Cleantech Open accelerator program and competition. More details.

Tues., April 4 — Startup Grind is kicking off the launch of its Portland chapter with a discussion with Rodrigo Meirelles, a serial tech entrepreneur who has built new business ventures with Telefonica, Nokia, and Visa. 6-9 p.m. at Cloudport, 63 Federal St., in Portland. For more details and to register.  

April 15 — Deadline to apply for Gorham Savings Bank's Launchpad business pitch competition. For more details and to apply.
   

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!

+ CourseStorm in Orono is hiring a sales executive.

+ WEX is hiring a summer intern for its innovation and strategy team. More details.

+ MedRhythms is hiring a data engineer and music algorithm engineer in Portland. Both positions pay $50k-$80k and come with the potential for equity. More details on AngelList.

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

+ Wellomics, a science-based natural product developer operating out of the University of New England's School of Pharmacy, is seeking a CEO to help finish the launch of the company. The CEO will be responsible for the conceptualization, development and implementation of Wellomics’ corporate vision, programs, and services. Contact Suzanne@wellomics.com for more information.

+ Academic Merit, an educational software startup in Portland, is hiring a software engineer and a head of product design.

+ 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.

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

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

+ Likeable Local is hiring a "customer success associate" in its Portland office.

+ Vets First Choice still has job listings for several positions at its Portland office, from a UX/UI design to a director of e-commerce.

+ CashStar is hiring a full-stack software engineer, among other positions.
  |=0=|