Academic Merit raises $600K, a Q&A with CourseStorm CEO Brian Rahill, MSCW reveals new keynotes, and more...

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Academic Merit raises $600K to boost product dev

Academic Merit, a Portland-based software company tackling the education technology space, has raised $600,000 from a group of investors to help it ramp up product development and expand its capabilities. 
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
 

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MSCW names final keynote speakers

The volunteer team behind Maine Startup and Create Week has revealed the final daily keynote speakers, who I'll be interviewing on stage along with Jess Knox during the week-long event. 

As previously mentioned in this newsletter, two of the week's keynotes are Marvin Ammori from Hyperloop One and Felicia Hatcher from Code Fever. The other three just announced are Gaia Dempsey, co-founder of DAQRI, a 300-person technology firm working in the field of augmented reality; John Lee Dumas, host of the popular podcast Entrepreneur on Fire; and Tom Davidson, a Bowdoin grad, former member of the Maine House, and co-founder and CEO of EverFi, a D.C.-based startup in the edtech field.

As they were last year, the keynotes will take place at lunch and, instead of a podium and prepared speech, will be in the form of a fireside chat in which Jess Knox and I will interview the entrepreneur. 
 

$160K to be awarded next week at three major events

What is it about next week? Three separate startup pitch competitions are happening in Maine over the course of two days next week.

• Launchpad, with five startups pitching for a chance to win $50,000, takes place on Tuesday evening in Portland. More details and to register.

• Greenlight Maine's finale episode, in which $100,000 will be awarded to the winner, is being taped live at Thomas College's auditorium in Waterville. More details and to register.

• The Top Gun Showcase event, in which eight finalists from the Top Gun startup accelerator will compete for a $10,000, takes place on Wednesday evening in Portland. More details and to register.

Founder Forum

Brian Rahill of CourseStorm

A lifetime of entrepreneurship has taught Brian Rahill one thing: It’s not brains, or money, or business degrees, or even mastery of a subject that sets successful entrepreneurs apart from the rest. It’s hustle.

Rahill is co-founder and CEO of CourseStorm, a startup in Orono that provides course-registration software to education organizations. The company, which started as a side project within Brian’s web development company, hit several milestones last year: it surpassed 100,000 students who have used its platform to book classes, it was accepted into the LearnLaunch accelerator in Boston, and the company last fall raised $760,000 in its first round of equity financing.

I spoke with Brian about his entrepreneurial background, the importance of hustle in building a company, why it’s important to find a co-founder you wouldn’t mind being deserted with on an island, and why entrepreneurship isn’t a sprint.
Enjoy.

Read the Q&A with Brian Rahill >>

Briefly Mentioned

+ Martin Grohman, who represents Biddeford in the Maine House, interviews Jess Knox of Maine Startup and Create Week for his podcast, The Grow Maine Show. Listen to the interview.

+ Flowfold, the Portland-based outdoor gear manufacturer, has partnered with Women United Around the World, a local group with a global focus that was founded in 2009, to sell a limited number of one-of-a-kind handbags to raise awareness and money for skills training and leadership development for Maine-based immigrant women. 

Max Harmon of Flowfold (far left) and Adele Ngoy (with the scissors), a fashion designer and founder of Women United Around the World, walk students through the hands-on experience of designing and producing a Flowfold bag. 

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 is looking for a software engineer. Bangor-based is preferable, but the company is open to a remote worker if the right candidate was to come along.

+ Rapport is looking to hire a Ruby/SQL developer in Portland.

+ 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.

+ Think Tank is hiring a full-time operations manager for its Portland co-working location. 

+ Certify in Portland is hiring a full-stack developer and several sales and marketing positions.

+ 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., 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. 

Tues., June 6 — Greenlight Maine tapes its final episode, in which an entrepreneur will win $100,000, at Thomas College in Waterville. 6:15-8 p.m. Event is free, but registration is required. 

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.

Wed., June 7 — Deadline to apply for MIT's Inclusive Innovation Challenge, which will award more than $1 million to tech-driven organizations that are reinventing the future of work. More details and to apply.

Fri., June 9 — Freeport Metrics, a software development firm in Portland, hosts Freebie Fridays, a monthly meetup where entrepreneurs can talk with software and tech expertes about the needs, ideas or road blocks their startups are facing. More details.

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.

Tues., June 13 — Thomas College hosts the second event in its Entrepreneur Speaker Series. Chris Voynik, founder of Wag Rags and a 2014 Thomas College grad, will speak about his path to becoming an entrepreneur. 6-7:30 p.m. in Waterville. More information.

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. 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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