Dirigo Labs logoDirigo Labs in Waterville this week announced the 12 startup teams it has selected to participate in its inaugural accelerator class.

Startup teams were selected based on the stage of development, founder experience, and potential to scale. Founders will attend weekly seminars on topics such as customer-acquisition strategies, IP evaluation, and capital planning, while engaging in customized curriculum to execute their project plans. Each startup tram will be matched with a temporary board of advisors formed from Dirigo Labs’ diverse local and national mentor networks.

The accelerator will launch next week and be housed in the Bricks Coworking and Innovation Space at the Hathaway Creative Center in downtown Waterville. The cohort will run through mid-June, culminating with a pitch event.

“Dirigo Labs exists because this community and region of our state want to embrace entrepreneurship,” Susan Ruhlin, Dirigo Labs’ managing director, said in a statement. “From software to biotech to aerospace and legacy manufacturing, this unique cohort of incredible companies demonstrates the breadth of what’s possible to launch in Maine.”

The Waterville region has emerged as one Maine’s newest startup ecosystems, driven in large part by investments made by Colby College and Thomas College, as well as efforts by the Central Maine Growth Council to create initiatives like Dirigo Labs. Last year, the growth council received approximately $600,000 from the Economic Development Agency’s Build-to Scale Venture Challenge to fund the project.

“Waterville’s robust entrepreneurial ecosystem can be attributed to the area’s secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, a growing tech and innovation hub, and a wealth of business development resources to support expansion and retention from ideation to inception,” Garvan Donegan, Central Maine Growth Council’s director of planning, innovation and economic development, said in a statement. “Dirigo Labs is actively supporting high-growth potential startups which maximize value creation and develop innovative solutions to advance the region’s long-term economic development potential.”

The Dirigo Labs is launching with a hybrid operating model, which means it is accommodating both remote and in-person participation.

Here are the companies joining Dirigo Labs’ inaugural cohort: 

BigNerve Inc dba MaineNerve LLC  — Alfred, ME — An online community think tank open to anyone, built upon fun idea challenge tournaments, for creative, imaginative people to help solve problems big and small, and get better at innovating. Earn prize money and funding and start new projects together. 

bluShift Aerospace — Brunswick, ME — Aerospace company reducing the environmental impacts of the space industry with their proprietary bio-fueled hybrid rockets and democratizing access to space with dedicated and frequent suborbital and orbital launches for small satellites.

GenoTyping Center of America — Waterville, ME — Proprietary genetic testing and colony planning expertise providing clear guidance for the breeding, management and selection of laboratory animals used in academic and biomedical research. 

The Good Crust — Canaan, ME — Artisan pizza dough manufacturing using 100% freshly milled grains from Maine with a commitment to providing workforce development training to Mainers with unique needs. 

Hussey Medical, LLC — Waterville, ME — Medical device company developing a product for ostomy bag patients using sensor technology to signal capacity limits.

Maine Float — Winthrop, ME — Patent-pending motorized and steerable floating picnic tables found across lakes and ponds in Maine and New England. 

Ocean Farm Supply — Brunswick, ME — Value add manufacturer of the Ocean Harvest Bag®, a bag woven from biodegradable, compostable fiber designed explicitly for the harvest and distribution of shellfish and produce. 

Phoebe’s Call — Rockland, ME — Luxury, cannabis confections for women by women, made with vegan, gluten-free, and ethically sourced ingredients from the U.S.

Prospector Portal — Waterville, ME — Software as a service (SaaS) platform using AI to synthesize public technical data into an organized and searchable interface to help users find potential mineral assets, analyze technical reports, and make informed decisions.

SlicPix — Dresden, ME — SaaS platform with patented solutions for businesses to transform static web images into unique, interactive pathways to multimedia stories, social sharing, and convenient purchasing options to increase engagement rates and revenue while personalizing experiences, ultimately building brand loyalty.

TrustedRentr — Milford, ME — SaaS platform improves tenant screening while building renter’s credit scores to help landlords and tenants work together to create closer communities.

Wingspans — Providence, RI & Waterville, ME — SaaS platform provides an immersive career platform that helps diverse youth find a career through rich, personal stories and helps companies drive racial and ethnic diversity in their talent pipelines.