Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. X X S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 4 22 S TA R T U P S / E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P T he startup ecosytem across Maine is going strong, with dozens of young companies in action. We caught up with four in various stages of development. Common themes? It's about a personal interest or mission, often sup- ported by programs like Top Gun and Dirigo Labs. A pivot from plastic Viable Gear in Portland is developing a seaweed-based bioplastic for food har- vesters to replace traditional plastic gear. Its pilot product, SeaTwine, is slated to launch in 2025 for seaweed aquacul- ture as seed string and for the farming industry as twine used in greenhouses and for baling. Katie Weiler launched Viable Gear in 2021. "I got into the global plastic crisis and how it was impact- ing human health and our food systems in 2017 and, by 2019, knew I wanted to pivot from my career in management consulting to doing this work for a living," she says. "I wasn't sure what that was going to look like F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Katie Weiler launched Viable Gear in Portland to develop a seaweed- based bioplastic for food harvesters to replace traditional plastic gear. Its pilot product, SeaTwine, is slated to launch in 2025. SeaTwine, above, can be used for farming and aquaculture uses. Next-level startups From twine made from seaweed to plantain salve, young businesses are going all-out on innovation B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F V I A B L E G E A R

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