💫 bluShift shifts focus to Florida for rocket launch, UMaine accelerator picks 5 teams, HighByte names new board members, and more...
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Welcome to the 252nd edition of Maine Startups Insider. You are one of 2,364 subscribers from all over the country receiving this email (net loss of one from last week 🤷♂️).
In today's newsletter:
bluShift Aerospace shifts focus from Florida to Maine as the launch site for its first commercial rocket launch to space after facing community pushback in Jonesport
UMaine picks four teams for commercialization accelerator
HighByte names two new board members
Before we get to the news, I want to thank Maine Startups Insider's newest Sustaining Member: Corky Ellis, founder of Kepware Technologies, which he sold in 2015 to PTC Inc. (I covered the deal in the Portland Press Herald at the time), and current angel investor in such local startups as HighByte, VETRO FiberMap, and TruFin.
If, like Corky, you appreciate what MSI is trying to do and have the financial wherewithal to support my efforts, please consider becoming a Sustaining Member on Patreon.
Not a fan of Patreon? A few readers have asked if there's a way to support MSI without needing to set up a Patreon account. Now there is! You can now make a single annually recurring contribution of $60 or $120, which work out to $5/month and $10/month respectively, in support of MSI.
Keep creating, keep innovating, keep curious.
-Whit Richardson
/ News
bluShift Aerospace turns its focus from Maine to Florida for next launch
bluShift Aerospace has abandoned its months-long effort to secure a launch site in Jonesport after facing community resistance. It has instead shifted its focus to Florida as the site for its first commercial rocket launch to space.
Sascha Deri, founder and CEO of bluShift, told Maine Startups Insider the company’s decision to launch from Florida was driven by a strict schedule under which it needs to launch its suborbital rocket, Starless Rogue, by the end of September in order to qualify as a flight provider for NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The company has not given up on finding a permanent launch location in Maine.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
MSI is sponsored by Eaton Peabody
UMaine picks four teams for commercialization accelerator
The University of Maine’s Foster Center for Innovation has selected four faculty-led teams to participate in an accelerator program designed to help them turn their research innovations into marketable new products and services.
The selected teams are working on innovations in the fields of accessibility education, aquaculture, computer-aided breast cancer detection and marine sciences.
The Maine Innovation Research and Technology Accelerator (MIRTA) program has to date shepherded 17 teams through the accelerator. Two companies that were spun out of UMaine research and participated in the MIRTA program are Neuright, winner of the $25,000 David Shaw prize in the Maine Center for Entrepreneur’s 2019 Top Gun program, and UNAR Labs, which was selected to join the first cohort of The Roux Institute’s Startup Residency Program in 2021.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>
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If Patreon isn't your thing, consider making a single annually recurring contribution of $60 or $120.
/ Briefly Mentioned
🏭 The $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill the U.S. Senate approved on Thursday includes $35 million earmarked for the University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center to build a “factory of the future” that would be used to advance large-scale, bio-based additive manufacturing. Mainebiz has more.
/ Roster Report
👨🏻💻 HighByte, an industrial software firm in Portland, has appointed Seth Lawry (LinkedIn) and Sujeet Chand (LinkedIn) to its Board of Directors.
“We’re excited and humbled to welcome Mr. Lawry and Mr. Chand to the HighByte Board of Directors,” HighByte CEO Tony Paine said in a news release. “Their depth of experience across capital management, investment, go-to-market, technical innovation, and strategic alliances cannot be overstated.”
The company recently raised a $3.5 million seed round. Its board now comprises five directors, with Lawry and Chand joining Paine, Board Chair Elizabeth Peters, and Investor Director Corson Ellis.
MSI is sponsored by Gorham Savings Bank
/ ICYMI
Here are some recent articles from Maine Startups Insider you may have missed:
Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator opens applications for 2022 cohort
Waterville accelerator opens applications for inaugural cohort
Roux Institute accepts five companies for its 2022 Founder Residency program
Commentary: A roadmap for a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem
/ Classifieds
✅ Have an idea for an e-commerce business but don't know where to begin? Launching an innovative product but don't know how to market it? Need assistance with Amazon FBA? Brickyard Collective, a DTC product lab and growth marketing firm in Portland, is actively looking to partner with entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses. Get in touch for a free consultation.
Have a product or service and want to reach Maine's startup community? Purchase one or more classified ads for $25 each.
/ Jobs
If you apply for a job you see here, let them know you saw the opportunity in Maine Startups Insider.
+ Circa, a startup developing rent-payment software that recently graduated from the Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator, is hiring a Mobile App Developer, a System Integration Analyst Intern, and a Field Integration Engineer.
+ Pumpspotting, a femtech startup in Kittery, is hiring a product manager.
+ ElleVet Sciences, which sells CBD products for pets, is hiring for several roles.
+ EnergyCircle, a digital marketing and lead-gen agency in Portland, is seeking a Digital Marketing Account Manager.
+ CourseStorm, an Orono-based EdTech startup, is hiring a Software Engineering Manager, among other positions.
+ MedRhythms is hiring for several positions, including a VP of Engineering, a Senior Full Stack Engineer, and a VP of Product.
+ Defendify, a cybersecurity startup in Portland, is hiring a SaaS Software Engineer.
+ HighByte, an industrial software startup, is hiring a Finance Operations Manager, an Account Executive, and a Sales Development Representative.
+ Strimo, a local startup developing an ERP SaaS product for the legal cannabis industry, is hiring an API engineer.
+ Theory and Principle, a legal-tech product design and development startup in Portland, is hiring a product manager.
+ VETRO Inc., a SaaS company in Portland, is looking for a senior software engineer and a product manager.
+ Guideline, the fintech company with offices in California, Texas, and Portland, is hiring for several software engineering positions.
+ AskGMS, a Portland-based company that provides benchmarking and data analysis tools to the insurance industry, is hiring a full-stack developer.
+ Arkatechture, a Portland-based company that provides business intelligence and data analytics services, is hiring for a host of positions.
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!
/ Calendar
Big Gig Finale Event
Tues., April 12, 5:30-6:30 p.m. — Online
Watch the three finalists pitch their early-stage businesses or business ideas to a panel of judges and the virtual audience for a chance to win $5K. RSVP.
The Foster Center Innovation Awards
Thurs., April 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. — UMaine's Foster Center for Innovation in Orono
UMaine's Foster Center for Innovation hosts its inaugural Foster Center Innovation Awards to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship in the University of Maine community. RSVP.
Symposium on Risks and Opportunities of AI in Clinical Drug Development
Mon., June 6, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. — Ocean Gateway in Portland
The Roux Institute at Northeastern University is hosting a symposium that will convene scientists, regulators and other professionals to address the challenges and opportunities of AI in pharmaceutical medicine; to foster collaboration among industry, academia, regulatory agencies, and professional associations; and to propose recommendations with policy implications for proper implementation of AI in promoting public health. More info or to register.
Please send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion.