The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs has selected 24 companies to participate in its 2022 Top Gun business-training program.

Top Gun, which launched in 2009 as a single class of a dozen entrepreneurs in Portland, will convene cohorts this year in Portland, Bangor, Lewiston/Auburn, and Waterville.

To date, more than 200 entrepreneurs have gone through the Top Gun 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 diversity of companies that make up our Top Gun program each year is a wonderful representation of Maine,” said Laurie Johnson, Top Gun’s program manager. “The thing they all have in common is a desire to improve the world around them.”

The 2022 cohort is smaller than usual. Last year, 32 companies were accepted into the program (though only 29 completed it), while the 2020 and 2019 programs included 44 and 47 companies, respectively.

MCE’s partners in Top Gun are the University of Maine, the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation at Thomas College in Waterville.

Here are the members of Top Gun’s 2022 cohort:

Bangor

Move Free – Patrick Caron
Timberwolves BBQ – Michael Stiggle
Real Time Reality – Ty Delargy

Lewiston/Auburn

All Speed Tech Education – Elizabeth Pajak
Teach2Move – Malik Hall, Katrina Hall, Jamier Hall
Black Diamond Detailing – Abdirahman Saeed, Abdinur Mohamed
The Maine Event Brew Tours & Shuttle – Diana DeJesus
Deals Everywhere – Nicholas Danforth

Portland

F3 Defense – Michael Mercer
NKENNE – Michael Odokara
FINSULATE by Ocean Innov LLC – Bernard Hidier
Northern Spent Grains – Toby Ahrens
Frodopay – Gavin William Kerr
Rugged Seas – Nikki Strout
Maine Salt Farm – Chris Cary, Chris Rauscher
Soul Being – Colleen Kavanagh
Mallard Enterprises – Daniel Peabody-Harrington
Viable Gear – Katie Weller
Nauti Sisters Sea Farm – Alicia Gaiero

Waterville

Bijou Build – Amanda Lacy
Food Truck Fixer – Erin Baltes
Ciccarelli’s Market, Deli & Gelato – Michelangelo Ciccarelli
Platypus – Chelsea Maude Avirett
SledTRX – Jake Warn

Top Gun, which is sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank, concludes each year with a final showcase and pitch event. Additionally, 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 2022.

Last year, a startup out of Colby College that launched an online marketplace for student artists, won the showcase event and its $25,000 prize.