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Good morning!
Hope everyone had a chance to take a break over the holidays. We're now less than two weeks away from our big event where we'll unveil the mini-documentary, "Crunch Time," about the eight Maine startups that traveled to San Francisco for TechCrunch's Disrupt conference. The event will be held Wed., Dec. 18, at Mechanics' Hall in Portland. Besides the movie, which is only 15 minutes long, the event will also feature an open forum and panel discussion about the startup community and what else we should be doing to help our entrepreneurs. This event is free, but does require registration. I hope to see you there!
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Founder Forum: Christine Soto of Monoclonals Inc.
Founder Forum is sponsored by the Maine Technology Institute
Christine Soto had worked as a research scientist for years in the Philadelphia area, but had always had the dream to open her own lab and work for herself. When her children were old enough, she finally decided to take the plunge. But she knew she’d need to start slowly since she was bootstrapping with limited resources.
She couldn’t find affordable lab space or the entrepreneurial resources she needed where she was in southeastern Pennsylvania, so she began searching for the type of environment she would need. A Google search led her to Maine—specifically, to the Union River Center for Innovation in Ellsworth, a business incubator and co-working facility opened in 2016. And so Soto packed up her belongings and moved to Maine to launch her company, Monoclonals Inc.
Soto spoke with Maine Startups Insider about her entrepreneurial journey, including how she found her way to Maine and what she's needed to do to bootstrap her business.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
Maine Startups Insider is sponsored by Preti Flaherty.
Read MSI's sponsorship guidelines
Caryl Johnson, scientist and local startup founder, dies from cancer
Caryl Johnson, co-founder of Introspective Systems, a Portland-based startup working on cutting-edge artificial intelligence applications, lost her battle with cancer on November 29. She was 73. Besides her more recent work on AI, Johnson was a well-known scientist in the field of seismology. In the 1980s, she pioneered the use of computers for seismology, developing one of the first computerized seismic processing systems that were used to locate earthquakes in real-time. Forms of her seismic software are still used throughout the world for monitoring nearly all the world’s earthquakes and providing quick disaster response.
Read more at the Press Herald >>
MedRhythms secures first patent, which covers its digital therapeutics platform
MedRhythms Inc., a digital therapeutics and medical-device startup in Portland, announced last week that it has secured a U.S. patent for its digital therapeutics platform. The patent is for “Systems and Methods for Neurologic Rehabilitation.” The company is developing digital therapeutics that use wearable sensors, software, and music to help people suffering from neurologic injuries or diseases to regain their mobility.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
Funding Corner
+ Walch Education, which has developed a software-as-a-service platform called Curriculum Engine to help schools in curriculum development, has raised $500,000 out of a nearly $1.3 million equity offering, according to paperwork filed Dec. 5 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
+ HighByte, an industrial software startup in Portland, has raised $200,000 in convertible debt out of a $750,000 raise, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Sponsored Message from WEX
Roster Report
+ AMRO Systems, a Westbrook-based startup developing augmented and virtual reality tools and services, has hired Susan Woods as Chief Medical Officer to lead the company's efforts into virtual and augmented reality solutions for the healthcare industry. Sue is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Participatory Medicine and previously served as Director of Patient Experience at the Veteran Health Administration’s Connected Care Office. As a researcher, Sue focuses on the design and use of patient-facing technology, digital inclusion, and rural digital health services.
+ Adam Nyhan, an attorney focusing on technology companies and startups, has joined the Portland firm Perkins Thompson in its Software and Startups practice area. Adam represents tech companies in Maine and nationwide and has organized several Southern Maine business pitch competitions.
+ DAVO Technologies, a fintech startup based in Westbrook focused on automating the sales tax process for retailers and restaurateurs, has recently hired Alan Fitzgerald, formerly with CashStar, as its new VP of Engineering; Mike Salisbury, formerly with Quantrix (which, coincidentally, DAVO's CEO, Pete Murray. founded back in 2001), as COO; Don Petersen, formerly with Kurado, as Director of Marketing; and Cyrus Fenderson, formerly with Covetrus, as a Software Engineer. You can read more at Maine Startups Insider.
DAVO's new hires (from left to right): Don Petersen, Alan Fitzgerald, Cyrus Fenderson, Mike Salisbury
Briefly Mentioned
+ The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development has doled out $200,000 in grants to 16 co-working spots around the state.
--> Got a news tip or something of interest to Maine's startup ecosystem? Send me an email.
ICYMI
A few recent MSI articles you may have missed:
ORPC raises $7.5M to ramp up domestic and international business development efforts
MedRhythms reaches milestone as first medical device enters clinical trials
Defendify Pursues Estimated $300B Cybersecurity Market with SaaS Product
VETRO FiberMap Rides the Wave of Massive Investment in Fiber Networks
If you value news about Maine's startup community, and have the wherewithal to help, please consider supporting Maine Startups Insider on Patreon.
Jobs
If you apply for a job you see here, let them know you saw the opportunity in Maine Startups Insider.
+ HighByte, a new industrial B2B software startup in Portland, is hiring a software developer.
+ Amplify Additive, an additive manufacturing company in Scarborough that specializes in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of 3D metal-printed orthopedic implants, is hiring a Quality Engineer/Manager.
+ VETRO FiberMap, a software development company in Portland, is looking for a UX/UI Designer, a GIS Software Support Engineer, a Node JS Developer, an Inside Sales Associate, and a GIS Analyst.
+ MedRhythms, a Portland-based medical-device startup, is hiring a mobile/front-end developer.
+ DAVO Technologies, a Westbrook-based fintech startup developing sales tax automation software for small and medium-sized merchants, is seeking motivated, startup-oriented developers and senior developers with experience in Typescript, Node, React, and AWS for immediate openings on its team. If you would like to learn more, please send a resume and cover letter to recruiting@davotechnologies.com.
+ MyHealthMath, an insurance-technology startup based in Portland, is hiring a senior director of technology.
+ Constant Energy Capital, a Portland-based fintech company, is hiring a strategic accounts associate.
+ Defendify, a cybersecurity startup in Portland, is hiring full-stack developers and inside sales reps.
+ Wallit, a venture-backed financial technology startup based in Westbrook, is hiring a QA engineering manager, a sales development rep, and a VP of sales.
+ Arkatechture, a Portland-based company that provides business intelligence and data analytics services, is hiring a senior data scientist and financial analyst, among other positions.
+ Introspective Systems, in Portland, is looking for a lead software engineer and a software engineering intern.
+ Walch Education, a venture-backed company in Portland developing a cloud-based "curriculum-as-a-service" platform for education organizations, is hiring a VP of Engineering.
+ Guideline, a California-based fintech startup with an office in Portland, is hiring senior ruby engineers, an operations associate, and customer success associates.
+ Rapid Insight, a data analytics software firm, is hiring for several positions in account management, data analysis, web development, quality assurance, and software development.
+ Taylor Stitch, a San Francisco-based online clothing retailer, is opening a Portland office and is actively hiring a customer experience associate and a senior financial analyst.
+ Theory and Principle, a new legal-tech product design and development startup in Portland (you can read about it here), is hiring a senior front-end developer.
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!
Sponsored Message from Cloudport
Calendar
Big Gig Pitch-Off
Tues., Dec. 10, 5:30-7 p.m. — UMaine's Alfond Arena in Orono
The Bangor area's business pitch event will feature three innovators pitch their latest business ideas in front of a live audience and panel of entrepreneurs and business people. The winner will win $500 and a chance to compete for the grand prize of $5,000. RSVP for the event here. If you're interested in pitching your business idea, apply to pitch here (deadline to apply is Nov. 22).
Celebration of Entrepreneurship
Thurs., Dec. 12, 5-8 p.m. — Bangor Arts Exchange
Join Scratchpad Accelerator, its 2019 cohort, and Startup Maine for a Celebration of Entrepreneurship. The event will feature networking, good food, and stories of innovative business located across the state of Maine. More information and to register.
Screening of "Crunch Time," a mini-doc about Maine startups at Disrupt
Wed., Dec. 18, 4:30-8 p.m. — Mechanics Hall in Portland
Maine Startups Insider, in collaboration with Startup Maine, is producing a documentary about the experiences of eight startups that traveled to San Francisco in early October to attend TechCrunch's Disrupt conference. The event will also feature an open forum and panel discussion about what we could be doing to further help our local entrepreneurs. RSPV now!
Please send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion.
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