The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs has selected 47 companies to participate in its 2019 Top Gun startup-training program—its largest class ever.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Top Gun program, which launched in 2009 as a single class of a dozen entrepreneurs in Portland. This year, the program will convene five cohorts in Portland, Bangor, Rockland, Lewiston/Auburn, and Waterville. This year, the Waterville cohort is focused on companies in the food, beverage and agriculture industries.

To date, more than 200 entrepreneurs have gone through the program, which consists of hands-on training taught by subject matter experts in finance, business law, marketing, and other critical aspects of business development.

The 2019 cohort of 47 companies will be the program’s biggest yet, surpassing last year’s 38 participants. MCE also received a record 57 applications for this year’s Top Gun program, exceeding the 51 applications the program received last year.

“The fact that we had 57 applications for the 2019 program is a strong testament to the entrepreneurial spirit in Maine,” said Tom Rainey, MCE’s executive director.

Entrepreneurs were required to complete a rigorous application process that included submitting a
pitch deck, pitching their business, and one-on-one interviews with program staff and volunteer business
leaders.

Laurie Johnson, Top Gun’s program manager, said she was “energized” by the number and caliber of this year’s applicants.

“We look forward to working with this exciting group of entrepreneurs,” she said.

Top Gun concludes each year with a final showcase and pitch event. The Maine Technology Institute is providing a $25,000 cash prize to be awarded to the top startup at this year’s final event, which will be held in May 2019.

Last year, Erica Schmitz won the final Top Gun pitch contest with her startup, MyBodyModel.

Here are the members of Top Gun’s 2019 cohort:

Portland
  • Bartlett Yarns – Susan & Lindsey Rice
  • Sticky Sweet – Kelly Dow
  • Beachstone Sustainable Products – Aron Buterbaugh
  • Tiny Homes of Maine – Corinne Watson
  • Hornet Water Sports – Vince Kott
  • UpBed – Aron Semle
  • KB Thern, LLC – Kelly Burden
  • Variable Gravity Products – Michael Marks
  • Little Red Sauna – Hannah Hamalainen
  • Victorieux Champagne – Thomas Brems
Bangor
  • Aerial Sports Marketing – Dennis Mullins & Brian Potter
  • MariFarm LLC – Isaiah Mansour
  • ClearWater Data – Zachary Dalrymple
  • Neuright- Magdalena Blaszkiewicz
  • Compliant Provider- Wendell Scott
  • OutInMaine LLC – David Burke
  • Healthy Hives – Nuri Emanetoglu
  • Vigilant Software- Jeremy Boutot
  • KinoTek – Justin Hafner
  • Zephyrus Simulation – Patrick Breeding
Lewiston/Auburn
  • Boba – Zachary Pratt
  • My Waffle – Kevin Cunningham Jason Bucknam
  • Fashionuji – Sahro Hassan
  • Oprezo – Misty Edgecomb and Brett Bisesti
  • i-Tell Alert – Heather Desjardins
  • Virtual Walkaout – Michele Praught
  • Spa Voyage – Elizabeth Conley-Lepene
  • Mayo Web Design and Marketing Services – Carrie Mayo
Rockland
  • Affinity Guides – Joshua Moore
  • Gusco Consulting, Inc. – Gus Natale
  • Custom Skills Development – John DiFrancesca
  • Green with Envy Salon – Marlene Cohn
    Heal Accounting – Jodie Heal
  • Victory Chimes INC. – Cara Lauzon
    Global Packing & Shipping – Sarah Mclean
  • Willow Moon Ventures – Jenn Brown
Waterville

(Food, Beverage and Agriculture-focused program)

  • Dandelion Spring Farm – Beth Schiller
  • MugBuddyCookies, Inc. – Märgen Soliman
  • DuneBar – Dunia Khudair
  • The Maine Crisp Company – Karen & Stephen M. Getz
  • Gert & Lil’s, LLC – Alyson Mayo
  • The Maine Meal – Kelly & Mark LaCasse
  • Gryffon Ridge Spice Merchants – Christine Pistole
  • Stoic Edge – William Oakes
  • Maine-Tex LLC. – Stephanie Lay
  • SwarmAG – Douglas Cuffman & Alan Perry
  • Misty Brook Farm – Brendan & Katia Holmes