Mainebiz

ainebiz: What leadership lessons from your time as a Navy SEAL stay with you today? Mike Wisecup: "Earn your trident every day." e trident is our warfare pin, the flashy gold pin we wear on our uniform. e moral is that you must earn your place on the team every day, regardless of what you've already accomplished, and strive to never be the weakest link. I take this approach in every role, both profes- sionally and personally. MB: What brought you to Maine, and what was the transition like to civilian life? MB: Family and purpose. Transitioning out of a high inten- sity career that kept me deployed much of the time helped me priori- tize being near my parents, who live in Windham, and getting deeply involved in a community. One of the hardest parts for veterans is finding a new purpose. Fortunately, I have found that in Maine through my work with Camp Sunshine, while at Colby College as the director of athletics, in my church, at the Roux Institute's National Security Innovation Hub and in my executive coaching and leadership development practice. MB: What is the mission of the new hub at the Roux and what gap is it trying to fill? MW: e hub is designed to acceler- ate the development, commercializa- tion and deployment of technolo- gies that address both civilian and government challenges, connecting entrepreneurs, researchers, industry partners and public-sector stakehold- ers to advance innovation in national security sectors. MB: How many companies are in the hub, and what technologies are they developing? MW: We officially launched in May and have seven companies in the hub, with a goal of supporting 100 dual- use startups by 2030. eir capabilities range from autonomous cargo aircraft designed to deliver critical supplies to remote and disaster-affected areas, to an advanced geospatial intelligence and remote sensing platform support- ing the U.S. Navy through environ- mental monitoring, maritime domain awareness and global situational intelligence, to a data and intelligence system that structures fragmented public records across thousands of municipalities. MB: How is 'dual use' defined? MW: "Dual use is a term to describe how a technology can be viably used for both civilian and government B Y R E N E E C O R D E S B Y R E N E E C O R D E S O N T H E R E C O R D P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Mike Wisecup, a retired Navy SEAL officer whose parents were career public servants, is a mentor in residence at Northeastern University's Roux Institute, where he is advising leaders of the new National Security Innovation Hub. VO L . X X X I I N O. X I V J U N E 2 9 , 2 0 2 6 22 Mike Wisecup, a retired Navy SEAL officer, is a mentor in residence at Northeastern University's Roux Institute in Portland. "National security is much more than just defense." M needs. is enables companies to broaden their customer base and, in some cases, benefit from non-dilutive capital and advanced research access. Some common examples of this include the microwave, GPS and duct tape. MB: How has the war in Ukraine accelerated interest in this sector? MW: e pace of tactical changes and advances in technology on the battlefield there is unprecedented. For example, within a year, drone tech- nology will iterate four to five times just to remain relevant and functional because of the speed in creating countermeasures. Long duration and expensive programs cannot operate in this environment. erefore, the defense industrial base, as we have known it, must change and include a wider field of more nimble, uncon- ventional and inexpensive startup solutions. MB: Why is Maine positioned to become a center for national security and dual-use companies? MW: National security is much more than just defense. It also includes energy, environmental and infrastruc- ture resilience, supply chain security, cybersecurity, advanced manufactur- ing, AI, space and maritime systems — all areas where Maine companies, universities and startups are well- positioned to compete. We already have a strategically important mari- time environment, arctic proximity, a statewide culture of mission-driven innovation and an accessible and engaged congressional delegation. MB: What's the long-term vision for the hub? MW: To make Maine a nationally recognized place where mission- driven companies can build, test, scale and commercialize technologies that serve both civilian and national secu- rity markets. e National Security Innovation Hub is a connector, an accelerator, a translator and a talent engine that helps organize Maine's scattered assets into a coherent dual- use economy.

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