Thomas College launches innovation center with $5.3M Alfond grant, co-working bill passes House, Don Gooding launches a blog, and more...
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By Whit Richardson ➣ May 12, 2017
Good afternoon. Big thanks to Maine Startups Insider's newest sustaining member, Jennifer Monti, a cardiologist at Maine Medical Center and co-founder of the medical device startup Shock Analytics. Interested in becoming a sustaining member?
$5.3M gift helps Thomas College launch innovation center
Thanks to a $5.3 million gift from the Alfond Foundation, Thomas College in Waterville is launching an innovation center that will train students on Lean Startup methodology and spur entrepreneurial activity in central Maine.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
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Co-working bill passes House, may die in Senate
A bill designed to support businesses that provide co-working space to Maine entrepreneurs and remote workers has passed the Maine House in a party-line vote, with Democrats in support, but is currently lacking the votes needed to pass in the Senate.
Read more at Maine Startus Insider >>
Gooding launching effort to provide entrepreneurs with 'financial cross training'
Don Gooding, former executive director of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, is preparing to launch his own publishing effort to provide entrepreneurs with what he calls "financial cross training."
It's called Four Colors of Money for Entrepreneurs. Gooding is beginning with a blog, a beta version of which is already up, but says he plans to also create videos, a podcast, an online community and live events. He's planning to officially launch the blog on June 1 and roll out the broader plan next year.
"The goal is to help English speaking entrepreneurs all over the world navigate the full spectrum of financial options," Gooding told Maine Startups Insider. "I call it 'financial cross training' not only because all options and their trade-offs will be discussed—something I haven't seen anywhere else—but also because the plan is to have multiple communications modes to reach people in their best mode for learning."
Call for Volunteers
+ Venture Hall is looking for volunteers to host startup teams in their homes during its summer accelerator program.
"Similar to folks who host minor-league baseball players, our hosts will help provide the visiting teams a deeper connection to the city they are spending the summer in."
If interested, or just want to learn more, send an email to Jess and Mike.
Briefly mentioned
+ Maine Public Radio profiled Biddeford-based Fiber Materials Inc., which as previously mentioned in this newsletter is up for a New England Innovation Award.
Learn to navigate VC deals
Want to join me in learning about VC deals? Well-known venture capitalist Brad Feld, co-founder of Foundry Group, is leading a free online course that "demystifies venture capital deals and startup financing to give both first-time and experienced entrepreneurs a definitive guide to secure funding."
The seven-week course begins May 14. I'm registered and there are team projects. Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a large contingent of Maine entrepreneurs in the course that caught Brad's attention? More details and to register.
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!
+ BetterLesson, a Cambridge-based edtech startup, is hiring for a few sales and marketing positions. The right person does not need to be based in Boston, according to BetterLesson's Chief Revenue Officer, Betsy Peters, who lives in Freeport. The company is hiring a Director of Sales, Director of Marketing, and an Inside Sales Account Executive.
This job posting helped Carforo.com find its part-time programmer--> + Local startup Carforo.com is looking for a part-time programmer fluent in angularjs 1.0 and Python. If you fit the bill, or know someone who does, contact John at john@carforo.com.
+ Certify in Portland is hiring a full-stack developer and a cross sales rep.
+ NBT Solutions in Portland is hiring a geospatial developer, a technical SaaS sales lead, a GIS analyst and a marketing programs coordinator to support its VETRO FiberMap product expansion.
+ BlueTarp Financial in Portland is hiring an engineering manager.
+ 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 UX designer and full-stack software engineer, among other positions.
Calendar
Send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion.
Tues., May 16 — Hack Portland hosts Game Hack Night. 7-10 p.m. at Big Room Studios's office on Thompson's Point in Portland. More details.
Tues., May 16 — Startup Grind Portland's second event is a talk with Bryanne Leeming, founder of JumpSmart, which has developed an interactive product for kids that keeps them active while also teaching them to code. Leeming, a former Vermont State Champion gymnast, will talk about how non-technical founders can create technical companies. For more details and to register.
Tues., May 23 — The Maine Technology Institute holds an informational meeting for people interested in applying for a grant through the Marine Economy Capital Grants Program. 1-2 p.m. at MTI's office in Brunswick. For more information and to RSVP.
Wed., May 24 — Maine Venture Fund hosts a free webinar, "Preparing for and Raising Early Stage Capital in Maine," from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Speakers include John Burns, managing director of MVF; Dan St. Pierre, CFO and co-founder of Hyperlite Mountain Gear; and Sandra Stone, former board chair of Maine Angels. More details and to register.
Thurs., May 25 — The Maine Technology Institute holds two informational meetings this day for people interested in applying for a grant through the Marine Economy Capital Grants Program. The first will be at the Upstart Center for Entrepreneurship (formerly Target Technology Center) in Orono from 1-2 p.m., followed by a workshop from 4-5 p.m. at the Union River Center for Innovation in Ellsworth. For more information and to RSVP.
Tues., June 6 — The LaunchPad startup pitch competition, sponsored by Gorham Savings Bank, takes place at the University of Southern Maine's Abromson Center. Watch five entrepreneurs compete for $50,000. More details and to RSVP.
Wed., June 7 — The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development's Top Gun Showcase event takes place at the University of Southern Maine's Abromson Center. 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. To register, email Susan Ruhlin.
Sat., June 10 — Code School offers an introductory Code 101 course for those interested in software development. The full-day class costs $93.83 and takes place at Thomas College in Waterville. More details and to register.
Sun., June 11 — Code School offers an introductory Code 101 course for those interested in software development. The full-day class costs $93.83 and takes place at Cloudport in Portland. More details and to register.
June 19-23 — Maine Startup and Create Week is back. A week full of panels, speakers, networking and other special events celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation in Maine. Buy your tickets before May 14 and get a 18% discount. More details.
June 27-30 — Field Guide is back. The four-day immersive program, held at Gould Academy in Bethel, teaches the fundamentals of design thinking. Want more details?
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