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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 S E P T E M B E R 3 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S S TA R T- U P S / E N T R E P R E N E U R S Cybersecurity for small businesses Defendify is a fast-growing provider of an all-in-one cybersecurity platform for small businesses launched more than a year ago by Rob Simopoulos, 41, and Andrew Rinaldi, 40, in Portland. Both are seasoned entrepreneurs. "A lot of what we see in the marketplace is cybersecurity focused on enterprises like banks and hospitals, but for small businesses there was really no simple solution," says Simopoulos. "We saw a gap that needed to be filled." Rinaldi adds that they're providing a service "so that business owners and man- agers can sleep at night," and says he sees many entrepreneurs focusing too heavily on what they're selling rather than on what they're doing and why. "It's the latter that truly resonates and drives the most impact — our product is just how we're doing it," he says. Defendify is looking to add to its 13-member team by filling several positions in business development, customer support and service, and administration. ADVICE: "Be agile, look for the pivot, and execute it." (Simopoulos) Better care of the elderly Aron Semle, 33, aims to use technology to improve care of the elderly through an innovation that com- bines wearable sensors and smartphones. A year ago, Semle and two partners co-founded upByte, whose first product is known as upBed. It uses sensors worn on a patient's ankle to detect when the leg position changes and signals a bed exit, then silently alerts the caregiver by smart- phone of a possible fall. e upBed, which uses components available on the market, "is more accurate than alternatives and requires less manpower," Semle says. e company's biggest customer is Avita, a pro- vider of assisted-living memory of care facilities where upBed is testing an algorithm to predict falls. Semle says that if it works, it will be hard for any competitor to copy, adding, "We're building our special sauce." e ultimate goal is to prevent falls, a big expense and risk. ADVICE: "Get in front of customers as fast as possible." A safer way to test electrical circuits Testing electrical circuits can be dan- gerous and tricky, with workers often using electrical tape to close one switch while working on another. Enter Lockout Labs LLC, a Sidney- based firm founded by engineers Zachary Atherton, 31, and Brendan Paradis, 29, both University of Maine alums. ey've created a compact device called FT Lock to keep equipment and personnel safer during power testing by providing an electrical and physical bar- rier that can be installed in seconds. ey're testing the market as they await a U.S. patent and are initially target- ing utilities and engineering testing firms. "We're hitting the industries we know first, and then plan to expand to off- shore oil and gas and distribution plants," says Paradis. ADVICE: "ere's no reason you can't make anything you want" (Atherton) and "I would definitely recommend SCORE." (Paradis) Renee Cordes, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz Discover products and services designed to help Maine businesses thrive. (207) 221-5527 | GorhamSavings.Bank/Business ...Could Be T he Star t Of Something special. It's not how big your bank is, it's how much your bank believes in you. Lockout Labs has pioneered a device for safer, more reliable testing of electrical circuits. S C R E E N S H O T / C O U R T E S Y U P B Y T E R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y L O C K O U T L A B S L L C

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