Cerahelix pitches in Paris , female-focused coworking coming to Portland, UMaine spin-off wins Bangor pitch event, and more...

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Hello from the home office.

When I wrote the first Maine Startups Insider newsletter in November 2015, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Now I find myself only a few weeks away from publishing my 100th newsletter and, in a pleasing display of symmetry, just a few dozen subscribers shy of 1,000.

I like symmetry, so I'm setting a goal: I want to reach 1,000 subscribers by the time I send out my 100th newsletter. And I could use your help. If there's that person you've been meaning to forward the newsletter, but haven't yet, now's the time. If you know a native Mainer who's itching to find an innovative job in Maine to enable their return, please ask them to subscribe. Here's the newsletter-subscription page on my website. 

Support from readers has been a large part of my ability and motivation to continue publishing Maine Startups Insider over the past two years. I'd like to thank my most recent sustaining member, Jim Brandt. Sustaining members help provide news and insight for Maine's innovation ecosystem. If you appreciate what I'm trying to do and have the wherewithal to help out, please consider becoming a sustaining member.

On to the news...

Cerahelix a finalist in global competition, pitches in Paris

Susan MacKay, founder and CEO of Cerahelix, the high-tech nanofiltration company based in Orono, is in Paris this week pitching at the Hello Tomorrow Global Summit. The company was named one of 75 finalists in the global competition, which will award a 100,000 Euro grand prize (about $116,005). No word yet on the results, but will update the story on the website when word comes.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
 

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Female-focused coworking space to open in Portland

A new Portland coworking space will cater specifically to female professionals. CoworkHERS opens in December and will be located in the Portland Masonic building in downtown Portland.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
 

Medical simulation startup wins Bangor pitch event

A medical simulation startup founded by University of Maine students won the Bangor region’s BigGig pitch event last week. Zephyrus Simulation was spun out of a product developed by a group of bioengineering students that helps train medical professionals by mimicing natural and obstructed breathing patterns.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
 

Josh Broder shares lessons from entrepreneurship

Josh Broder, CEO of Portland-based Tilson Technology, shared his backstory and lessons from building his company with the Huffington Post. The Q&A reveals how Broder, an Army vet, considers himself an "accidental technologist" and how he built his company, which constructs IT and data networks, to a place where it posted revenue of $36.9 million in 2016. He also shares five things he wish he'd known before becoming a CEO. Read the Q&A at HuffPo for Josh's commentary, but here's the abridged version of those lessons:

1. Think bigger

2. Never underestimate the value of cash

3. Self-care isn’t selfish

4. Never act on assumptions

5. Align with investors who share your values

Athenahealth layoffs impact Belfast office

Athenahealth, the healthcare technology company that employs roughly 900 people at an office Belfast (according to the BDN), laid off several hundred people last week in a bid to cut expenses and increase efficiency in the face of an activist investor. Layoffs did occur in Belfast, but how many is not being disclosed, according to Victoria Gavaza, a company spokesperson who responded to an inquiry from Maine Startups Insider.

"This is a fundamental refocusing of the entire company," she wrote. "All geographies are impacted to varying extents, with most significant changes happening across sales, marketing, general and administrative functions, and some client-facing teams. We are not breaking out numbers by location."

Briefly mentioned

+ Brunswick Landing joined Scarborough last week in submitting a bid for Amazon's second headquarters. Mainebiz has a nice rundown of the other New England communities vying to attract the retail giant.

+ VitaminSea, a Buxton-based company that harvests and sells Maine seaweed, has received a $100,000 SBIR grant from the federal government for R&D related to ramping up commercialization of its products. Mainebiz has more. 
 

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!

+ NBT Solutions in Portland is hiring, a geospatial developer, a GIS analyst, a marketing programs coordinator, and a technical SaaS sales lead, all to support the company's VETRO FiberMap product expansion.

+ Pika Energy in Westbrook is hiring a VP of sales and marketing, a director of electrical engineering and a senior software engineer.

+ Certify, the expense-management software company recently acquired for $100 million, is hiring an inside sales rep.

+ Forager, an early-stage tech startup that's developed an online platform to facilitate business between farmers and grocers and restaurants, is hiring an account manager.

+ Garmin, which acquired DeLorme a few years ago, is hiring for a number of tech positions in Yarmouth. Specifically, it's hiring a senior hardware engineer, a web developer, and a full-stack .NET developer.

+ Launch Security, a cybersecutiy firm in Portland, is hiring a front-end web developer and a UX designer.

+ 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.

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

+ 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

Please send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion. 

Women Angels Investing With Confidence
Nov. 1 — 1-7 p.m. at 100 Club in Portsmouth, N.H.
This is a training event for women who qualify as accredited investors and are exploring whether early-stage investing is for them, and for seasoned female angel investors seeking to hone their skills and network with peers. Sandra Stone, chair emeritus of Maine Angels and co-founder of the Northern New England Women’s Investor Network, is one of the organizers. More information and to register.

TEDxDirigo: Rise
Sat., Nov. 4 — noon-6 p.m. at the State Theater in Portland
TEDxDirigo celebrates innovation and creativity in Maine by highlighting the state's brightest innovators and changemakers through storytelling. More details and to purchase tickets.

Design Portland
Thurs., Nov. 9 — 6-8 p.m. in Portland, location TBD
Design Portland is a series of monthly meetups in Portland centered on design thinking. This is a chance to learn about and practice design thinking in a casual setting with other people who are stoked to learn, imagine, and create. Free and open to the public. More details.

Central Maine Converge & Create Weekend
Nov. 17-18 at Thomas College in Waterville
The Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation at Thomas College hosts this two-day event for innovators, creators, technologists and entrepreneurs interested in learning how to turn an idea into a business or venture. For more information and to register.
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