Bill introduced to expand MTI's scope, Chimani goes after revenue, SBA honors Flowfold co-founders, and more...

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

By Whit Richardson ➣ Apr. 5, 2017

Good morning. First off, huge thanks to Maine Startups Insider's newest sustaining members, Will Mitchell, co-founder of NBT Solutions in Portland, and Tony Ronzio, director of digital strategy in Colby College's communications office. Sustaining members help me deliver this newsletter to your inboxes every Friday. Interested in becoming a sustaining member?
 

New bill seeks to expand MTI's scope

A new bipartisan bill has been introduced in Augusta that would expand the Maine Technology Institute's scope within the state's innovation ecosystem.

The bill, LD 1324, grants the organization the power to administer and support business incubators and accelerators, assist the University of Maine System and nonprofit research labs with technology transfer and commercialization, and create a program to replace the now-defunct Maine Patent Program.

But MTI's enabling legislation is already rather broad, so whether the legislation is necessary in a topic of debate.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
 

Sponsor Message

Gorham Savings Bank is this week's sponsor of Maine Startups Insider. It's currently accepting applications for its Launchpad startup-pitch competition. Click the ad for more details. And thanks for supporting MSI's sponsors!

In search of revenue, Chimani rolls out paid features

After building a business developing mobile app-based travel guides for the country's national parks, Chimani is introducing some paid features in hopes of generating more revenue.

Co-founder and CEO Kerry Gallivan (pictured) revealed the new features in a profile published in the April issue of Maine magazine. He said Chimani is at a “classic pivot point" as it tries to stay afloat and find ways to generate revenue that allows it to move ahead. 

Among the paid features Gallivan revealed to the magazine are a "Park Perks" program, which will allow app users to buy a virtual discount cards that could be used to receive deals in park gift stores and at cooperating hotels and restaurants, and an AI-enabled and human-assisted chatbot concierge service that will answer questions from users planning a trip to a national park.
 

The Startup Grind with Rodrigo Meirelles

"We need to be builders, and to be builders we need to be self-learners."
-Rodrigo Meirelles

The inaugural Startup Grind event took place Tuesday evening at Cloudport. Vinko Buble (right), Portland chapter director, interviewed Rodrigo Meirelles, who just moved to Maine to become VP of new business ventures & innovation at WEX. Meirelles shared his experiences building companies and innovation communities.

Briefly mentioned...

+ The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Devin McNeill and Charles Friedman, co-founders of Flowfold, as Maine's Young Entrepreneurs of the Year for 2017. Here's the list of other winners, including James Banfield of Terra Speakers (Maine Small Business Exporter of the Year), Pamela Laskey of Maine Foodie Tours (Maine Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year), and Leigh Kellis of The Holy Donut (Maine Small Business Person of the Year).

+ FastCo magazine has named Boston-based AdmitHub one of the most innovative companies of 2017. The company uses AI-enabled chatbots to help colleges guide newly admitted students through the admission process. But why is this in Maine Startups Insider? Because Kirk Daulerio, AdmitHub's co-founder (@bluebirdays), lives in Brunswick and was formerly associate dean of admissions at Bowdoin College.
 

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!

+ Certify in Portland is hiring a senior database administrator, a systems administrator, and a cross sales rep.

+ The Maine Technology Institute is looking for a director of finance and administration. 

+ NBT Solutions in Portland is hiring a geospatial developer, a GIS analyst and a marketing programs manager to support its VETRO FiberMap product expansion.

+ CourseStorm in Orono is hiring a sales executive.

(Positions have been filled) + 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.

+ Academic Merit, an educational software startup in Portland, is hiring a software engineer.

+ 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.

+ 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.
 

Calendar

Send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion. 

Tues., April 11 — Hack Portland hosts Civic Hack Night. Civic Hacking is the idea of applying rapid prototyping and modern, open technology to solve common civic problems revolving around voting, budgeting, parking, transit, community engagement, etc. 7-10 p.m. at Mechanics Hall, 519 Congress St. in Portland. More details.

Wed., April 12 — Innovate for Maine hosts a talk with Luke Holden, founder and CEO of Luke's Lobster. 6-7:30 p.m. at the University of Maine's Foster Center for Student Innovation in Orono. For more details and to register. 

Thurs., April 13 — E2TEch hosts a spring networking reception and kick-off event for the 2017 Cleantech Open Northeast Accelerator & Competition. 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Cloudport in Portland. For more details and to register.

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

Tues., April 18 — Big Gig's season finale at the University of Maine's Foster Center for Student Innovation in Orono. 5:30-7 p.m. More details.