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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 A P R I L 2 0 , 2 0 2 6 We're attorneys. But we're people first. Meet Abby. A corporate attorney, Abby advises financial institutions and high net worth individuals on a wide range of financing matters. From traditional lending and real estate transactions to the art and luxury sector, she delivers clear, sophisticated counsel that moves deals forward. bernsteinshur.com Abigail Barkwell Shareholder From the Editor O ur cover story looks at Maine's startup network and how it goes about getting financing Not surprisingly, as Deputy Editor Renee Cordes reports, the road is not always easy. "Maine has great potential, but will take much more density of world-class talent and world-class R&D to become a mini-Silicon Valley," one observer told Renee. "Bold ventures" starts on Page 12. On the plus side, there are investors stepping into finance startups. Renee outlines three funding routes that are sometimes overlooked. Looking at brick-and-mortar finance routes, Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber looks at Maine banks that are retooling their network of branches and back-office space. Kennebec Savings is combining new and traditional approaches. It's building a five-story office building, while taking measures to preserve historic buildings in downtown Augusta. Camden National Bank has sold commercial space that it no longer needs. "e good news is, we have plenty of real estate," a bank official tells Laurie. "e question is, how do we put that to the highest and best use for our customers?" Laurie's story starts on Page 16. Be sure to check out Renee Cordes' latest install- ment of the "Street Sense" column, where she visits Ogunquit merchants as they gear up for the tourism season. See Page 24 is issue features two banking-related lists: a mar- ket share list, on Page 23, and the largest Maine-based banks, on Page 30. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Mainebiz offers the latest business news in the Daily Report and the Real Estate Insider newsletters. Here is the top content from April 1–10. 1. Prospective Bangor Mall buyer wants to develop condos and marketplace 2. Freeport's movie theater — vacant since 2020 — to reopen this spring 3. Historic Sagamore Village housing community in Portland gets full makeover 4. Portland invites community input on future of Midtown properties 5. A roundup of Maine commercial real estate leases for April 2026 6. Sanford wins $5M in federal funding for two new fire stations 7. Realtors assist with Habitat for Humanity project in Standish 8. The ultimate summer job? Check out this rare lighthouse gig 9. Hancock Lumber to expand manufacturing of prefab components 10. Hill Arts theater project still $7M short of fundraising goal R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y B A N G O R M A R K E T P L A C E A N D R E S I D E N C E S L L C 1 The good news is that there are investors stepping into finance startups. 'Maine has great potential' CORRECTION: In the "Newsworthy people and performances" in the print edition of April 6, a photo of Joanna Brown Tourangeau, of Drummond Woodsum, was assigned to Katie Brown, chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. Mainebiz regrets the error.

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