Redd pulls in $2M in oversubscribed round, a Q&A w/ Kennebec River Biosciences' Bill Keleher, and more...

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Redd pulls in $2M in oversubscribed equity round

Redd, the Brunswick-based energy bar company, has raised roughly $2 million in equity capital—approximately $500,000 more than it initially expected to raise. CEO Peter Van Alstine says a number of new angel investors are well-known entrepreneurs in the food and beverage space, though declined to name names.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
 

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MTI seeks feedback on what to do with $45M 

The Maine Technology Institute is receiving $45 million as a result of the $50 million bond referendum voters passed in June and wants to gather feedback on the process it will use to distribute it. If you're a company interested in potentially applying to receive some of these funds, you may want to attend one of the listening sessions the organization is hosting around the state next Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 28 and 29. Check the calendar below or click through for more details.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>

Founder Forum

Bill Keleher of Kennebec River Biosciences

Bill Keleher co-founded what is now known as Kennebec River Biosciences in 1996 when he was in his late 20s.

He’s built the Richmond-based company, which provides laboratory services and health products to aquaculture companies, to a point where it currently has 15 employees and customers from Down East Maine to Panama to Vietnam.

But the company’s trajectory has not been without its growing pains.

In the interview, Keleher addresses early challenges that led to him buying out his partner, what happened when consolidation in the aquaculture industry led to a 40% drop in his revenue, and why he’s never sought investors to help grow his business.   Enjoy.
Read the Q&A with Bill Keleher >>

Briefly mentioned

+ Two of Maine's young and upcoming outdoor gear manufacturers—Hyperlite Mountain Gear and Flowfold—recently made major announcements. Hyperlite, traditionally known for its tents and backpacks, is branching into apparel for the first time. Its new ultralight jacket is simply called "The Shell" and at $450 targets the serious outdoor enthusiast. Flowfold has announced a partnership with L.L.Bean that will bring the global retailer its first made-in-Maine backpack in a very long time—just in time for back-to-school shopping.

+ Google Play promoted Chimani's National Park app in a feature, "5 Apps for Nature Lovers & Outdoor Adventurers."

+ Mainebiz interviewed Pika Energy CEO Ben Polito.
 

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!

+ Guideline Technologies, a venture-backed fintech startup that is headquartered in California but has a dev office in Portland (where CTO Mike Nelson is based), is hiring a senior ruby engineer, a customer success associate, and a product designer. All these positions are full-time, available in the Portland office, and come with the potential for equity in the company, which raised a $7 million Series A last summer.

+ Welnys, a tech startup that's developed a wellness marketplace and dashboard for employers, is seeking a Head of Engineering. Tech skills required are Node.js and SQL. Familiarity with React, tech ops, APIs, web services, cloud, and security are bonus. Non-technical skills: ability to advise CEO on trade-offs and timelines, familiarity with agile/scrum, self-directed. Will work with existing part-time team of front-end developer, UX designer and project manager. Welnys is a post-product, post-revenue startup (current clients include PayPal and Stanley Black & Decker) that's planning to raise funding in September. Compensation is equity-based to start with salary upon funding. Very flexible regarding hours/remote work pre-funding. Welnys, while based in Texas, is a member of Venture Hall's inaugural accelerator cohort in Portland. For more info about this job, email heather@welnys.com.

+ Forager, an early-stage tech startup in Portland with a B2B platform for sourcing local food, is hiring an account manager. 

+ Pika Energy in Westbrook is hiring a director of electrical engineering.

+ Big Room Studios, a software and web development firm in Portland, is hiring a project manager. 

+ NBT Solutions in Portland is hiring a geospatial developer to support its VETRO FiberMap product expansion.

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

+ 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

NOTE: In an effort to make this calendar of events more accessible, I've created a shareable Google calendar that I hope to keep updated. You can find the calendar here. Feel free to share it. As always, send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion. 

MTI Listening Sessions
Mon., Aug. 28 — Noon at Engine, 128 Main St. in Biddeford
Mon., Aug. 28 — 4-5 p.m. at Munka, 213 Lisbon St. in Lewiston
Tues., Aug. 29 — 8 a.m. at Thomas College, 180 West River Rd. in Waterville
Tues., Aug. 29 — 11 a.m. at Eastern Maine Development Corp., 40 Harlow St. in Bangor
Tues., Aug. 29 — 4-5 p.m. at Ellsworth City Hall, 1 City Hall Plaza in Ellsworth

VR Hack Night
Tues., Sept. 5 — 7-10 p.m. at Big Room Studios in Portland
Hack Portland hosts VR Hack Night. More details. 

Venture Hall Demo Day
Fri., Sept. 8 — 3-7 p.m. at USM's Hannaford Hall in Portland
Venture Hall's summer accelerator program culminates in Demo Day. Come watch the seven startup teams who have been working in Portland since mid June present their business models. More info and tickets.
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