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Good afternoon and welcome to the 223rd edition of Maine Startups Insider. You are one of 2,218 subscribers receiving this email.

I couldn’t continue to send out this newsletter without the support of members of the community who support me, both financially on Patreon and with their encouragement and collaboration. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Brian Whitney and the Maine Technology Institute, which recently recommitted to support MSI and will allow me to expand what I can offer the community.

Keep creating, keep innovating, keep curious.

-Whit Richardson

/ News

Maine Angels increase membership, invest $3.3M in 2020

Despite the pandemic and the myriad challenges it presented, Maine Angels is reporting a positive year in terms of deals, membership, and overall health of the organization.

The group, which consists of high-net-worth individuals who pool their resources to invest in and mentor early-stage companies, invested $3.3 million in 19 companies in 2020, and grew its membership by more than 40%.

Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>

MSI is sponsored by PretiFlaherty



LaunchPad pitch contest returns after year-long break

Disclaimer: Gorham Savings Bank is also a sponsor of Maine Startups Insider
Gorham Savings Bank has announced the return of the LaunchPad business pitch competition—albeit with some changes—after being forced to cancel the 2020 competition due to COVID-19.

The bank, which launched the competition in 2013, opened the application period March 1 and will accept applications through April 1. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to apply online.

Due to ongoing concerns over COVID, the final pitch event will be live-streamed for people to watch from home.

Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>

KinoTek raises $600K in pre-seed round

KinoTek, a digital-health technology company using AI and computer vision to improve movement analysis, recently raised $600,000 in its first round of funding.

The funds will be used to help the company launch its first product, Move.ly, to the public later this year.

Read more at Maine Startups Insider >>

MSI is sponsored by Gorham Savings Bank 



/ Briefly Mentioned

💰North Atlantic Capital, one of Portland’s few venture capital firms, has been acquired by an out-of-state financial firm. While North Atlantic Capital is headquartered in Portland, it does not have any Maine companies currently in its portfolio (though historical investments include Idexx, WEX, and Elmet Technologies in Lewiston). Mainebiz has more on the acquisition.

🎥 If you’ve missed any of Startup Maine’s Entrepreneurs & Ecosystem Builders Speaker Series, you can visit YouTube to watch all the past conversations between Startup Maine President Katie Shorey and an impressive lineup of local entrepreneurs.

🎙Bill Hetzel, former COO of Pika Energy and a member of Maine Angels, was a featured guest on the Angel Invest Boston podcast. Hetzel spoke about Pika’s journey through its acquisition in 2019 by Generac. Listen to the interview or read the transcript.

/ Talent Hub

Talent Hub is an occasional section I set aside for talented individuals who are looking for their next opportunity at a Maine startup. 

👩‍💻 Brooke Hamilton is looking to join a Maine startup as a Design Director or Product (UX/UI) Designer. She has been in design management for the past four years and has just finished a role as the Head of Design at a Maine-based startup. Prior to that, she led Product Design at Certify. She has a proven track record of creating enriched user experiences within complex software using data-driven design and is skilled at using design to elevate growing companies. You can view her work and contact her through her website or view her LinkedIn profile.

/ ICYMI

Here are some recent articles from Maine Startups Insider you may have missed:

/ Jobs

If you apply for a job you see here, let them know you saw the opportunity in Maine Startups Insider. 

+ Theory and Principle, a legal-tech product design and development startup in Portland, is hiring an agile project manager.

+ HighByte, an industrial software startup, is hiring a Software Quality Assurance Engineer and an Application Engineer.

+ CourseStorm, an education-related software firm in Orono, is hiring a customer success support representative and an onboarding specialist.

+ VETRO Inc., a SaaS company in Portland, is looking for an account executive, business development representative, and a sales and marketing coordinator.

+ Forerunner, developer of floodplain management software platform, is hiring a full-stack engineer and a sales development rep. This position is fully remote, but the company founder lives in Maine.

+ Guideline, the fintech company with offices in California, Texas, and Portland, is hiring for several software engineering positions.

+ Friday, a Portland-based company building a communication tool for remote teams, is hiring a Senior Front-end Engineer.

+ OurShelves, a Maine-based diverse children’s book box subscription service with members in all 50 states, is hiring a part-time Operations Lead.

+ Running Tide, a technology startup in the aquaculture space, is hiring software engineers and data scientists. If interested, email jobs@runningtide.com.

+ KinoTek, a Portland-based startup at the intersection of health and augmented reality, is looking for a software developer with experience with C++ unity integration. Those interested, email the company at contact@kinoteksoftware.com.

+ Farming robotics startup Farmhand Automation is hiring a software engineer.

+ AskGMS, a Portland-based company that provides benchmarking and data analysis tools to the insurance industry, is hiring a Full-Stack Developer.

+ Defendify, a cybersecurity startup in Portland, is hiring a senior full-stack developer and operations coordinator.

+ Arkatechture, a Portland-based company that provides business intelligence and data analytics services, is hiring a senior software engineer, AWS cloud engineer, among other positions.

+ Introspective Systems, in Portland, is looking for a lead software engineer and a software engineering intern.

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

Demystifying Angel Investing: A Conversation with Maine Angels
Tues., March 9, 8:30 a.m. — Online
Startup Maine hosts the next installment in its Entrepreneurs and Ecosystem Builders Speaker Series, this time with Susan Morris and Matt Ware of Maine Angels. Register here.

Cleantech Open 2021 VIRTUAL Reception
Wed., March 10, 4 p.m. — Online
E2Tech is hosting a free, virtual event for startups about the Cleantech Open. Attendees will learn how to apply, how to have expenses covered by a scholarship from MTI, and may make a 60-second pitch to regional and national mentors and investors. Learn more and RSVP.

Application deadline for Innovate for Maine Fellows Program
March 12
Application deadline for both companies and students who want to participate in the internship program, Innovate for Maine Fellows Program. Learn more.

Women Who Empower ME
Fri., March 12, noon – 1 p.m. — Online
The Roux Institute and Northeastern University’s Women Who Empower host a panel discussion with a group of women about how their unique paths and roles are impacting Maine today. Panelists include Emily Dwinnels, director of the NASA- Maine Space Grant Consortium; Adria Horn, executive vice president of workforce at Tilson; Amara Ifeji, an undergraduate student at Northeastern and grassroots development coordinator at the Maine Environmental Education Association; and Katie Shorey of Live + Work in Maine and Startup Maine. Register here.

Please send me your event or calendar item for possible inclusion.