Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 2 5 B A N K I N G / F I N A N C E / I N S U R A N C E e former science educator devel- oped an interest in investing from her mother, who would translate the finan- cial pages into Yiddish for Lamont's Polish-born uncle who had a menial job at a brokerage firm in New York City and didn't speak English. "He probably wrote down what he saw his bosses doing, and all through my childhood my mother was always poring through the New York Times," recalls Lamont. Today, she likens angel invest- ing to "buying local" in Maine and sees her role as a bridge between two worlds. "Now I'm privy to some high wealth circles, but I am always super-connected to low wealth circles," she says. "It's all very interrelated for me." 'Critical' support for HighByte Home-grown startups in Maine Angels' portfolio include HighByte, a Portland-based developer of industrial operations software. e company, founded in 2018, has raised $17.2 mil- lion in equity to date. Torey Penrod-Cambra, part of the three-person founder and leadership team, says that support from Maine Angels was critical to HighByte's early fundraising and growth. "It was refreshing to see so many women investors at the table from such diverse background," she says. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Looking for a bank you can trust to be here now and in the future? Bank with a neighbor. During our 170+ years in Maine, we've seen our share of banks come and go, merge, change names, or close their doors. In all that time, Bath Savings has been here. We're your neighbors. We live and work in your communities. We know and care about the people who walk through the door, and we strive to provide exceptional service in everything we do. Call or visit us today. Jessica McConnell Westbrook Branch Manager President, Discover Downtown Westbrook MEMBER FDIC EQUAL HOUSING LENDER 1-800- 447- 4559 | bathsavings.bank F I L E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY If we're not filling the top of the funnel with more women startup founders, we will continue to lack women investors. This is an obstacle, and it takes time to fix. — Torey Penrod-Cambra HighByte F O C U S HighByte's Torey Penrod-Cambra says that backing from Maine Angels was critical to the Portland-based software startup's early fundraising and growth.

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