Techstars in late April picked Lars Perkins, founder of Picasa and a former exec at Google, to become the inaugural director of the Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator
Maine Startups Insider didn’t have a chance to speak Perkins at the time of the announcement, but was able to connect with him afterwards and ask him a bit more about his connection to Maine and what he would consider success for the program.
MSI: Your LinkedIn profile says you’re currently based in LA. If still true, when will you be relocating to Portland?
My legal residence is actually in Camden, Maine. We’ve owned our home there for 24 years and moved there permanently 2 1/2 years ago. Prior to that, we lived in Southern California for about 15 years. Before that most of my life was spent in the Boston area; I lived there for 30 years prior to my stint out west.
I’ve been working with a Santa Monica-based startup in California for the past two years, hence my LinkedIn. I’m in the process of renting or buying in Portland and plan to spend around 50% of my time there.
“As we’ve moved around the country, the one constant has been our home in Maine.”
Maine holds a very special place in my heart. Twenty four years ago my wife and I purchased our house after a visit that reminded us of her home country of Ireland. The beauty of the land and the authenticity of its people are what keeps us here. As we’ve moved around the country, the one constant has been our home in Maine. We consider it our true home, even before making it our permanent residence.
Do you have any professional connections to Maine?
I am fortunate to have a strong and extensive network of great friends and colleagues who are or have been involved in the Maine and New England startup and venture ecosystem, folks like Bob Metcalfe, John Sculley, Todd Hixon of New Atlantic Ventures, Jonathan Bush (founder of AthenaHealth), global entrepreneurship ecosystem builder Steven Koltai, GWI President and COO Kerem Durdag, Android co-founder Rich Miner, Black Point Group’s David Shaw, founder of Ducktrap River of Maine Desmond Fitzgerald, Bill Burgess (Chair of Bigelow Laboratories) and many others. It’s amazing how many people have connections to Maine, even if they live elsewhere. And many of those connections are becoming deeper. They’re looking forward to getting involved in, and supporting, our program.
In the article published on Techstars’ website, you say “Portland is a city on the cusp of greatness”—a statement I wholeheartedly agree with. To support that statement, you reference the quality of life and the investments from Roux and Alfond. What else contributes to a burgeoning startup community that you think Portland has going for it?
Portland has the right combination of civic and academic organizations coming together to support the growth and development of the community. From MCED, MTI, to PelotonLabs and Startup Maine, USM, and other surrounding universities, the right ingredients exist to support Portland’s growth and put it on the map as a top U.S. innovation hub.
Are there any Maine startups, entrepreneurs, or industry clusters that impress you the most?
Companies like Running Tide really excite me. Reinventing a traditional oyster farming business and using the skills and assets developed there towards mitigating climate change is a perfect example of a Maine business making the leap from the past to the future.
In 5-7 years, how will you know whether The Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator has been successful?
We want to put Portland on the map as an innovation hub. Not just as a great waterfront community and funky town with great restaurants and art, but truly a startup ecosystem on the short list of burgeoning cities where entrepreneurs choose to grow their businesses. Launching The Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator will help spawn this startup ecosystem by bringing startups to Portland, who will ultimately put down roots here and successfully grow their business in our community.
