Tilson raises $3.5M, MCED expands Top Gun, Scratchpad Accelerator cohort named, and more...
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On to the news...
Tilson Technology raises $3.5M in a Series D round
Tilson Technology, which deploys IT software and builds broadband networks, has raised $3.5 million of a $5 million offering. This is its fourth round of investment and brings the total the company has raised to $9.4 million. The company will use the capital to finance a $100 million backlog of recently closed customer contracts, according to CEO Josh Broder.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
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MCED wins $50K grant, expanding Top Gun
The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development has received a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration that will help it expand its Top Gun entrepreneurial-training program to Brunswick in 2018 and Waterville in 2019. However, there will not be a Rockland cohort next year.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
Scratchpad Accelerator names its cohort companies
Scratchpad Accelerator in Bangor has named the four companies that will participate in its first female-focused accelerator program. It appears three of the companies are from Maine—True North Beauty, Herbal Revolution, and Sofia Fima—while the fourth, a mobile app company called Parkupine, is from Virginia.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
Briefly mentioned
+ Cerahelix pitched in Paris last week, but did not win the Hello Tomorrow Global competition. CEO Susan MacKay reports that it was a good experience nonetheless and only one of three reasons her team was in Europe. This week, the team was in Amsterdam meeting with a potential partner and then presenting at iTAG, a program in the U.K. that considers promising new technologies related to the industrial use of water and, if selected, helps deploy the technology to a network of global clients. "[iTAG] is the biggest opportunity of the three for Cerahelix as the result can be one or more pilot studies leading to one or more sales in our space," MacKay tells MSI.
+ Magurobotics, a company in Phippsburg, has developed a product for deep-sea fishermen that reanimates bait fish in order to make them more appealing to big fish like tuna. The product is aptly named Zombait. The Press Herald has more.
+ Bigelow Laboratory in East Boothbay has named a new president and CEO. Deborah Bronk will begin next March. In a statement, she said she was attracted to Bigelow because its "collaborative philosophy and scientific programs are more akin to a Silicon Valley start-up than an ocean science institute. This is the way science needs to be done in the future, and the scientists, staff, and trustees of Bigelow Laboratory had the vision and tenacity to make it a reality today."
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!
+ The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development is seeking a subject matter expert in the food/beverage/agtech space to lead its new Food Accelerator initiative. If interested in learning more and/or applying, send an email to MCED Executive Director Tom Rainey.
+ NBT Solutions in Portland is hiring a geospatial developer 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.
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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