Kinotek names new CEO
Patricia Panaia, a veteran of IDEXX and Covetrus, has taken the reins of the digital health startup
☀️ Good afternoon. Welcome to the 259th edition of Maine Startups Insider.
On Wednesday, we held our first Blockchain Maine meetup. It exceeded our expectations. With very little marketing—a calendar listing in this newsletter and a few social media posts—we had more than 30 people show up for the event. It was a good mix of crypto veterans and people from the worlds of finance, law, real estate, and CPGs, who were interested in learning more about how blockchain technology could impact their industries.
The next Blockchain Maine meetup is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 3. RSVP link isn’t ready yet, but keep an eye on this space if you’re interested in joining.
Any feedback on my move to the Substack platform for this newsletter? Any UX concerns of which I should be aware?
What's covered in this week's edition:
Kinotek names IDEXX, Covetrus veteran as new CEO
Maine Venture Fund partners with Dirigo Labs
Before we get to the news, I want to thank Maine Startups Insider's newest Sustaining Member: Paul Gurney, founder of BigNerve, an idea tournament game.
If, like Paul, you appreciate what MSI is trying to do and have the financial wherewithal to support my efforts, please consider becoming a Sustaining Member.
Keep creating, keep innovating, keep curious.
-Whit Richardson
/ News
Kinotek names IDEXX, Covetrus veteran as new CEO
Kinotek, a digital health startup in Portland, has named Patricia Panaia, a former executive at IDEXX Laboratories and Covetrus, as its new CEO.
Justin Hafner, the company’s founding CEO, said he made the decision to hand over the reins to Panaia after careful consideration and assessing the needs of the business. He will retain his founder title and step into a chief strategy officer role.
“By handing the CEO role to Pat, it assures our company will have success through phenomenal execution and allows me to focus on strategy, which has always been my greatest contribution to the organization,” Hafner told Maine Startups Insider.
Read more at Maine Startups Insider »
🙏 MSI is sponsored by Eaton Peabody, a Maine law firm with particular expertise in structuring startup investment transactions—from early seed investment, friends/family and angel investors, through later stage venture capital funding. Meet Jeff Spaulding, a member of the team:
Maine Venture Fund partners with Dirigo Labs
Maine Venture Fund, a quasi-state fund that invests in early-stage Maine companies, has announced a formal partnership with Dirigo Labs in Waterville to increase the flow of funds into Central Maine’s startup ecosystem.
Dirigo Labs, a new startup accelerator in Waterville, will provide MVF with “boots on the ground” in the region, according to an announcement. In turn, MVF will participate in Dirigo Labs accelerator programming and work directly with companies to help them understand the fundraising process and identify sources of capital in Maine and beyond, including but not limited to MVF itself.
Read more from Maine Venture Fund »
/ Briefly Mentioned
🍣 American Unagi, the aquaculture startup that operates North America’s only commercial eel farm in Waldoboro, is the topic on the most recent episode of Gastropod, a podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history. Give it a listen.
🌊 Briana Warner, CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms, was representing her company (and Maine) at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, held May 22-26 in Davos, Switzerland. She was there to discuss how Atlantic Sea Farms' business model and products are driving positive change for people and the planet in the face of climate change. Mainebiz has more.
🐶 Didn’t mention this news last week, but worth mentioning that Covetrus has agreed to be taken private in a $4 billion deal. Covetrus was originally known as Vets First Choice, which was a startup founded by Ben and David Shaw (the founder of IDEXX) in 2010.
🙏 MSI is sponsored by Gorham Savings Bank, which is hosting its ninth annual LaunchPad small business pitch competition on Tuesday! RSVP here.
/ ICYMI
Here are some recent articles from Maine Startups Insider you may have missed:
Finsulate, a cleantech startup, wins 2022 Top Gun pitch event
LaunchPad names 2022 finalists who will compete for $50K prize
Friday, the startup building software for remote teams, shuts down
REDD, a VC-backed Maine energy bar company, acquired by Connecticut firm
Maine Venture Fund to invest up to $750K in startups at the Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator
/ Jobs
If you apply for a job you see here, let them know you saw the opportunity in Maine Startups Insider.
+ Maine Angels, a Portland-based angel investment group, is hiring an Administrative and Operations Associate. For more information or to apply, contact MaineAngelsSearch@gmail.com.
+ Constant, a Portland-based fintech SaaS startup, is hiring a full-stack developer and a junior QA engineer.
+ The Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator is hiring a Design Associate and a Senior Program and Operations Associate.
+ HighByte, an industrial software startup, is hiring an Account Executive.
+ The University of Maine is hiring a Technology Business Development Administrator.
+ 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 Engineer and a Software Engineering Manager, among other positions.
+ MedRhythms is hiring for several positions, including a VP of Engineering and a Senior Full Stack Engineer.
+ Defendify, a cybersecurity startup in Portland, is hiring a SaaS Product Manager and a SaaS Software Engineer.
+ Theory and Principle, a legal-tech product design and development startup in Portland, is hiring a Client Executive.
+ VETRO Inc., a SaaS company in Portland, is looking for a Senior Software Engineer, a Director of Platform Engineering, and a Senior Accountant, among other roles.
+ 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!
If you value this source of original Maine startup news, please consider supporting Maine Startups Insider with a monthly pledge on Patreon.
If Patreon isn't your thing, consider making a single annually recurring contribution of $60 or $120.
/ Calendar
National Science Foundation SBIR/STTR Webinar
Tues., June 7, 11 a.m. — Online
Webinar for founders who want to learn how to access more than $1 million in funding from the National Science Foundation towards R&D leading to the commercialization of innovative products, processes and services. Ben Schrag, Program Director at NSF will present their SBIR/STTR program and how you can participate. In addition, the Maine Technology Institute SBIR/STTR Technical Assistance Program, which helps companies develop competitive applications will also be discussed. Register here.
GSB's LaunchPad 2022
Tues., June 7, 3:30-6 p.m. — UNE’s Innovation Hall in Portland
Gorham Savings Bank hosts its ninth annual LaunchPad pitch competition. Five finalists (announced here) will pitch before a live audience and panel of judges for the chance at a $50,000 grant. More info and to RSVP.
MIRTA 5.0 Demo Day
Tues., June 14, 5-7 p.m. — UMaine's Foster Center for Innovation in Orono
The Maine Innovation Research and Technology Accelerator (MIRTA), an accelerator designed specifically to develop UMaine research innovations into marketable new products and services, hosts its fifth Demo Day, which will feature pitches from its four teams in the 2022 cohort. Register here.
Maine Blockchain Meetup
Wed., Aug. 3, 5-7 p.m. — Cloudport CoWorking in Portland
Join us for this monthly meetup of folks interested in all things blockchain-related, whether crypto, NFTs, web3, P2E gaming, etc. MSI is co-hosting this event. No RSVP link yet, but let me know if you want to be on the list.
Please send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion.