Maine has dropped three spots on the U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index, a national report that ranks states and metropolitan areas on their support of the “cleantech” sector. Cleantech is a loose term, but is generally understood to encompass any type of technology related to renewable energy generation, increasing energy efficiency or resource management. Maine […]

During the Maine Startup and Create Week panel on Portland’s payment innovation cluster, Nicola Morris, WEX’s senior vice president for corporate development, mentioned that WEX was contemplating the creation of a business accelerator program for startups working in the payment technology, or fintech, space. That piqued the interest of the crowd … until Morris said the company was looking to […]

Looking for some free resources to help move your business idea closer to reality? If so, you’re in luck. The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development has made available for free some of its online tutorials for Top Gun Prep, the online course it offers aspiring entrepreneurs. The five tutorials, which can be found here, are new and should […]

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $700,000 to Pika Energy, a four-year-old energy startup in Westbrook, to help it improve the performance and manufacturing process for its residential-scale wind turbines. The grant brings the total outside funding the company has received to more than $2 million. “The new DOE funding is great news because […]

Venture capital investment in Maine startups topped $16 million during the second quarter of 2014, a significant increase from the same quarter last year, according to a new industry report. Venture capitalists, who typically invest in early-stage companies, invested nearly $16.1 million in two Maine startups during the second quarter, according to the MoneyTree Report, […]

Fresh off her win at the Entreverge awards, Briana Warner and her Portland bakery business are now being featured in a national report from Google about the economic impact its search engine and advertising platforms have in the country. Google’s economic impact report is a publicity stunt, but it does include some noteworthy state-by-state numbers. The Internet […]

It’s been three weeks since Maine Startup and Create Week was the center of attention in Maine’s startup scene — and, if the event accomplished one of its goals, at least in the peripheral vision of the larger statewide community. Since then, I’ve been talking with people about how they plan to maintain the momentum created […]

Idexx Laboratories held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday to introduce the public to its new $35 million Synergy Center in Westbrook, one of three office buildings that make up its “World Campus.” The new office was designed with the open-office concept embraced by high-tech companies in Silicon Valley. The Synergy Center, which contains 280 employees, including its executive […]

Elizabeth Chabe grew up in Machias and started her first company when she was nine years old. Since then she’s started several others, some of which have landed her in trouble (read on to learn more about that). Now 29 years old, her most recent startup is High Touch Courses, which aims to create online courses for […]

When I write about startups, I often wonder how many people automatically picture young, hoody-wearing computer programmers banging away on laptops with empty cans of Red Bull scattered across a table. It’s a false stereotype, of course. Entrepreneurs can be any age (a Kauffman Foundation study found the average age of U.S.-born tech entrepreneurs to be 39) and in […]