Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 F E B R UA R Y 2 0 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S T EC H N O LO GY ITS is dedicated to improving your IT system performance cost-effectively— and then keeping it running securely and safely, no matter what. Our senior management alone have over 60 years of combined IBM Business Partner experience. So they can guide application migration, performance tuning and strategic deployment to give your business the best possible solution from your existing infrastructure, new hardware and the cloud. B E T T E R I N T E G R AT I O N , P E R F O R M A N C E & S U P P O R T T H AT ' S H O W. " H O W T H E ! @ # * C A N I T S O L U T I O N S P O W E R YO U R G R O W T H ? " ITS is dedicated to improving your IT system performance cost-effectively— and then keeping it running securely and safely, no matter what. Our senior management alone have over 60 years of combined IBM Business Partner experience. So they can guide application migration, performance tuning and strategic deployment to give your business the best possible solution from your existing infrastructure, new hardware and the cloud. B E T T E R I N T E G R AT I O N , P E R F O R M A N C E & S U P P O R T T H AT ' S H O W. " H O W T H E I T S O LU T I O N S TO P O W E R YO U R G R O W T H I T S N E . C O M 8 8 8 - 2 6 4 - 7 8 5 2 T he technology industry in Maine has a wide scope. There are public compa- nies like IDEXX and WEX that have a signifi cant technology component to their work and are also signifi cant employers. There are companies like Custom Composites (see cover) that have a small staff but are making a name with components used in America's Cup yachts and the like. There's also signifi cant R&D going on at the University of Maine at Orono and other campuses. S TA R T I N G O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » T $200K earmarked for first state startup accelerator P ortland-based MaineHealth, Maine's largest health network with member hospitals in 10 communities, and dis- ability insurer Unum US, the third-largest employer in Portland, will each provide $100,000 and other support to collabo- rate with Portland startup accelerator Venture Hall on its inaugural startup accelerator program this summer. The aim of the 13-week summer pro- gram, announced Feb. 8 by Venture Hall President Jess Knox, is to attract entre- preneurs and innovators from across the country and the world to create new solu- tions for the health care industry. He told Mainebiz this is the fi rst such accelerator effort in Maine, and with the big-name companies' backing, it could get the state on the map as an innovator and attract more entrepreneurs and startups. "This is the fi rst time in my work where two of the state's largest corpo- rations have gotten together with this kind of money and human capital for high-growth, high-impact ventures," Knox, who also started Maine Startup & Create Week, told Mainebiz. He said both organizations found they had similar problems to solve to help health care workers better do their job, and with Venture Hall in the mix, decided to collaborate to fi nd startups that address common challenges in their industries. Both organizations will provide support to the eight to 10 entrepreneurial compa- nies across all industries to attend Venture Hall's 13-week summer accelerator program. They will provide the entrepreneurs with mentors, business resources and subject-matter expertise. MTI's impact on Maine Maine Technology Institute, which was established by the state Legislature in 1999 and is based at Brunswick Landing, has invested nearly $180M in 2,000 projects across Maine. With matching investments, MTI funding has leveraged an estimated $900 mil- lion in private sector investment. MTI focuses on seven tech sectors: Biotechnology Composites and advanced materials Environmental technologies Forest products and agriculture Information technology Marine technology and aquaculture Precision manufacturing C O M P I L E D B Y M A I N E B I Z S T A F F Mbps 1 Freeport 29.1 2 Topsham 27.9 3 Brunswick 27.6 4 Sanford 25.3 5 York 21.5 AV E R AG E B RO A D B A N D S P E E D S FASTEST BROADBAND IN MAINE BROADBAND COVERAGE POPULATION UNDERSERVED S O U R C E : Broadbandnow.com Maine's broadband coverage growing While many rural areas of Maine struggle with reliable broadband service, Maine ranks as the nation's 24th most connected state, according to Broadbandnow.com. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 U.S. Maine P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Venture Hall President Jess Knox has been a tireless advocate for tech entrepreneurs and startups. 86% 7% 15.6 Mbps 27.5 Mbps Percent of Maine's population with access to wired speeds of at least 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload Percent of Maine's population with access to fewer than two wired providers.

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