Mainebiz

TPC: Traditional industries like manufacturing are understandably risk adverse. at's why I believe domain expertise and trust have been criti- cal to our success. Our founding team — comprised of Tony Paine, John Harrington and myself — all came from Kepware, a Portland-based brand still known for its reliability in manu- facturing. We know industrial data. We deeply understand how critical the environment is from a regulatory and safety perspective. We began by earning the trust of a few major manufacturers and, with their testimonials, continued to grow and earn new accounts. MB: What's HighByte's approach to growth, and how do you keep it manageable? TPC: Growth doesn't always mean new headcount. In fact, our top priority for growth has always been taking care of our current team. at kind of growth can look like professional develop- ment, career path planning, upskilling, compensation benchmarking and lever- aging technology (like generative AI) to improve productivity. We are not a grow-at-all-costs company. We are focused on being a sustainable company where our employees feel valued. MB: What are some fundraising challenges you've encountered? TPC: Raising money is hard. It requires a lot of mental and emotional stamina to digest feedback and face rejection. And while there are many fundrais- ing options and an incredible support network for early-stage funding in Maine, introductions to venture funds outside the state become a requirement for Series A and beyond. I'm grateful we were able to find a lead investor for our Series A round [Standard Investments] that is focused on the industrial tech- nology market and shares our values on growth. MB: What's a hard lesson you learned from your early days as an entrepreneur? TPC: ere have been many, but a few stand out. First, faster is usually better than perfect. is was a hard lesson for me coming out of a corporate leadership role and into early days of entrepre- neurship. Second, not all employees will be with you forever, and that's OK. Not everyone is going to be the right fit for every stage of the company as it evolves. And third, this is a marathon. Not taking vacation for a year isn't going to make you a better leader. You must take care of yourself and let your mind "breathe" outside of work. MB: What's next for HighByte? TPC: We're moving out of startup and into scale-up. We will continue to expand into new markets and coun- tries and grow our team as necessary to support this expansion. Seven years in, and I am more excited than ever for what's next. Renee Cordes, Mainebiz deputy editor, can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 A U G U S T 1 1 , 2 0 2 5 Learn more about Efficiency Maine's commercial incentives at efficiencymaine.com/at-work. Consider a better HVAC system. Learn how Efficiency Maine can help you save on high-efficiency upgrades. Updating your HVAC system to one with energy-efficient components can help you reduce operating costs, improve comfort, and improve system reliability. Efficiency Maine incentives can help you reduce the cost of making the switch to more energy-efficient systems, so you can save money now, and later. HighByte 163 Fore St., 4th Floor, Portland What it does: Industrial data management software Employees: 41 Funding raised to date: $17.2 million www.highbyte.com We're moving out of startup and into scale-up. We will continue to expand into new markets and countries and grow our team as necessary to support this expansion. Seven years in, and I am more excited than ever for what's next.

• Cover