Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 29 N OV E M B E R 2 7 , 2 0 2 3 B A N K I N G / F I N A N C E / I N S U R A N C E A portion of the money went to hiring a security company to perform in-depth "penetration" testing. ReachMyTeach had performed preliminary testing but had grown considerably since then. ey were going to allocate funds for further testing anyway, but were able to do it immediately — vital for gain- ing customer confidence and referrals. "I don't have exact metrics. But security testing is crucial to our end-users," Cohen says. Another portion went to user interface design for improved platform accessibility. ReachMyTeach had started the process but didn't expect to be able to finish by the fall semester. "We were able to hire someone straight out of grad school and looking for side work," Cohen says. "We also were able to work with technical consul- tants in Maine and finish some of these big projects that ensure we have everything we need for the school year to run smoothly." e money paid several high school students to cre- ate testimonial videos for marketing platforms. "e money allowed us to finish and optimize things that were already in motion but that were prob- ably not going to be completed, either in the depth that they were or at all," says Cohen. "e penetration testing was going to happen, but maybe in parts. is allowed us to have a more established timeline." Cohen emphasizes Top Gun's overall role for advancing the company. "at monetary end goal brought people together initially," she says. "But then it became so much more, by connecting us with so many other mentors and entrepreneurs, and that was the greatest impact." Booth displays, customer relations Finsulate, a cleantech firm, won Top Gun's $25,000 prize in 2022, days after the startup announced plans to establish its U.S. headquarters in Portland. Led by Bernard Hidier and Sunshine Mechtenberg, Finsulate makes a recyclable, textured adhesive wrap for vessels and floating marine equipment, to reduce and simplify removal of marine biofouling without chemical release, reduce operation and maintenance costs and extend life at sea. Founded in 2017 in the Netherlands and imple- mented on over 800 boats worldwide, Finsulate is early on the U.S. market. Negotiations are underway with several offshore boat and ferry companies. Some of the $25,000 went to designing and manu- facturing exhibition booth displays and backgrounds for trade shows such as the 2022 Newport International Boat Show in Rhode Island and the 2022 International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans. "It's important for people to see the product," say Hidier. Another portion went to build a customer relation- ship management system with the help of Marketing 360, a Colorado-based marketing platform for small business; and to revamp the website so it's integrated with the CRM system. Leveraging Maine Technology Institute MERC funding, some went to hire a legal firm to develop legal agreements for boatyards and marinas to become Finsulate certified installers. e initiatives helped raise Finsulate's profile, attracting invitations to the 2023 International C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » F O C U S P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F F I N S U L AT E Bernard Hidier, left, of cleantech firm Finsulate, said presentation displays, customer relationship management and legal consultation were the focus of its Top Gun $25,000 prize in 2022.

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