Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 8 PORTLAND 207. 482.7920 | AUBURN 207. 791.2110 | NorwaySavings.bank these are my people I N V E S T M E N T M A N A G E M E N T T R U S T S E R V I C E S F I N A N C I A L A D V I C E E S TAT E P L A N N I N G • Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value N O R WAY S AV I N G S A S S E T M A N AG E M E N T G R O U P As fiduciaries, we act with only your best interest in mind. It must be pitch-contest season B y m a i n e b i z s t a f f M aine's start-up community seems to thrive on the annual pitch contests. The contests involve a cash prize. But the longer- term gain for many participants may be the chance to hone their pitch, sharpening the ability to tell a company's story. There's also exposure to an audi- ence of potential investors. The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs is now accept- ing applications for its 2019 Top Gun competition for Maine's most promising early stage, high-growth potential companies between now and Nov. 9. The highly selective program will accept between eight and 10 companies in Portland, Bangor, Lewiston- Auburn, Rockland and Waterville. It comes with a $25,000 cash prize. The Waterville loca- tion will offer a new Top Gun Program specifically for companies in the food and beverage sec- tor, including farmers, producers, processors and businesses that pro- vide support services. After completing a shor t online applica- tion, prospective com- panies are required to submit a pitch deck and present a live pitch to the interview committee in their location of choice. Optional "pre-flight workshops" will be offered before the November deadline to help applications prepare pitch decks and polish live pitches. The contest culminates with two regional pitch- off events, and the top two semi-finalists in each region will move on to the statewide showcase to compete for a cash prize sponsored by the Maine Technology Institute. The most recent Top Gun winner, selected in May, was Erica Schmitz, founder of Portland startup MyBodyModel, a web app that creates fashion- sketching templates unique to the user's body measurements. Other pitch competitions coming up Gorham Savings Bank's LaunchPad, with a $50,000 prize, usually has its application period from mid-March to mid-April. The most recent winner was North Spore Mushrooms, a Westbrook company that sells specialty mushroom kits on Amazon and directly to restaurants. "Greenlight Maine," which airs statewide on WCSH6 and WLBZ2, typically takes applications in May. The $100,000 prize is coveted. The most recent winner was, like LaunchPad, North Spore Mushrooms. Other resources include Maine Technology Institute (mainetechnology.org), New Ventures Maine (newven- turesmaine.org) and the Finance Authority of Maine (famemaine.com). B I Z M O N E Y The longer-term gain for many pitch contest participants may be the chance to hone their pitch, sharpening the ability to tell a company's story. P H O T O / C L A U D I A D R I C O T Earlier this year,Tom Rainey, executive director of Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, left, and Brian Whitney, president of Maine Technology Institute, presented a $25,000 cash prize for the 2018 Top Gun Showcase to Erica Schmitz, founder of the Portland startup MyBodyModel.

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