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V O L . X X V I N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 7 , 2 0 2 0 24 S TA R T U P S / E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P F O C U S Still, Veilleux knows that success is not a sure thing. "I'm often scared," he says as he sits behind his mother's house in Waterville. "It's a good thing to be scared, it shows I'm not ignorant [of the challenges]." When creating a business, "You should be afraid," he says. Sowing the seeds Veilleux decided he wanted to be an entrepreneur when he was 15. His mother was diagnosed with cancer and, watching his parents struggle with bills, he knew he'd rather depend on himself for his income and ulti- mately support his parents, too. He started his first businesses as a student at Somersworth High School, in New Hampshire. e first was a briefcase-like prod- uct intended to replace binders. It didn't take off. His next product was Closet Deposit, a monthly clothes rental subscription service, which was more successful. It didn't last long, though. "I found I didn't love it," he says. By then a freshman at Husson University, he'd hit a crossroad. "I needed to take this seriously," he says. While researching a paper, he came across an article about Henry Ford and his decision to use gasoline to power cars rather than hemp ethanol. Veilleux felt there had to be some- thing worthwhile about hemp ethanol for Ford to consider it. It sowed the seeds for TreeFreeHeat. Trying not to 'look stupid' As Veilleux became more interested in the environment and renewable energy, his fascination with hemp grew. Hemp burns more efficiently than wood and fossil fuels, grows faster and is more sustainable. Its fibrous stalks can be used for paper, construction materi- als, clothing, biofuels and more. In the U.S., the stalks are generally discarded after the flower, seeds and leaves are used for CBD and other products. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 6 » P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N P H O T O / C O L L E E N M A G U I R E Dylan Veilleux has been working on finding a way to turn unused hemp stalks into energy. Now his hemp pellet fuel product is on the verge of becoming a reality. We see [Veilleux] listening, he's absorbing everything. He's someone who can make this work. — Colleen Maguire Hemp grower More than an ag startup Farmers Colleen Maguire and Susan Hunter partner on 10 acres of hemp pro- duction in Unity, but also have a bigger picture in mind. This year they launched Maine TradeHers Market, an agricultural commodities brokerage focused on supporting women in agriculture. Another project, BrightHer Way Foundation, supports women emerging from domestic abuse situations by getting them started in agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic stalled the launch, but they expect it to be underway by next spring. Dylan Veilleux and hemp farmers Colleen Maguire, and Susan Hunter, who grow hemp in Unity (pictured) are in talks about a partnership on his plan to produce hemp stalk pellets for use as fire fuel. D ylan Veilleux has been work- ing for years on how to turn discarded hemp stalks into an efficient energy product. It's been a journey through discarded ideas, mentorship, key partners, surprises and course changes. Success could be right around the corner — or well down the road. It's a path many entrepreneurs know well. For every successful startup, there's an unheralded journey, like Veilleux's, to get there. Veilleux, 22, founder of TreeFreeHeat, is on the verge of seeing a product after years of work to find a use for discarded hemp stalks. He recently partnered with a pellet producer who's agreed to do a test run on hemp stalk heated pellets. He's in talks with a pair of central Maine hemp growers. In the meantime, hemp stalk-based fire starters he created to generate a revenue have taken off, winning major customers over the past year. Harvesting an idea One entrepreneur's journey with a Maine startup M a u r e e n M i L L i k e n

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