Innovation exists in Maine, but does everyone know that?
It's strange to think about the perceptions I had of Maine growing up, especially when I look at the position I'm in now — at the age of 25 — and how those perceptions have radically changed.
When I was growing up in South Portland and trying to figure out what to do with my life, there seemed to be a certain feeling among many of my peers and myself that Maine was just a starting point and the rest of the world was where the real opportunities were.
Maine is a beautiful and wonderful place to live — there's no denying that.
But during my teenage and young adult years, big metropolitan areas like New York City, Boston and San Francisco held the true allure. Based on my perception — one that was largely driven by a love of technology and innovation — those were the places I wanted to be: large, sparkling cities that gushed with opportunity.
That perception began to change when I started my professional journalism career in 2012, and it changed even faster once I landed my current position this year with Mainebiz, giving me a front-row seat to business developments happening across Maine.
As a lover of technology and innovation, what has really grabbed my attention as a business journalist is Maine's growing scene of startups and entrepreneurs. Sure, things were happening way before I started seriously paying attention, but there seems to be a sense that businesses, especially startups, are helping put Maine on the map more than ever before.
There couldn't be a better example than Orono-based Double Blue Analytics, whose CEO and co-founder Dan Kerlucke was featured in Mainebiz's NEXT list this year. I was lucky enough to interview Kerlucke and see his company's suite of apps for hockey analytics, which had simple interfaces with incredibly complex systems underneath — a combination that has allowed him to attract interest from several NHL teams.
I saw more of that innovation in October when I attended TechWalk in Bangor, a showcase of nearly 90 tech companies that have received assistance from the Maine Technology Institute.
One of startups I met there was Bevy, an online beverage management tool founded by Gorham native Greg Thayer. Bevy streamlines things like ordering and inventory for bars, restaurants and other establishments. It was an idea Thayer said he got while working as an on-premise manager for Red Bull North America in New York City, where he observed the inefficient process of paper record-keeping between distributors and beverage buyers.
“I began to hypothesize,” Thayer told me in a recent phone interview. “'What if there was one spot [online] where you could place all your orders and look at invoices and products?'”
Thayer said he started planning the startup in New York, but the cost of living was too high and there were too many distractions. Knowing he always wanted to move back to Maine, Thayer returned in July 2013, citing not only the state's high quality of life and lower cost of living, but also how he considered Maine part of his identify.
“Maine is a unique place that is easy to love,” he said.
Now with $30,000 in funds from the MTI and assistance from local developers, Thayer said Bevy's prototype is essentially complete and testing will begin soon. He said he hopes to eventually hire a team and show others like him that doing a technology startup in Maine is viable, with the state's plentiful resources and quality of life. “I think there is no greater philanthropy than employing people,” he said.
There are a number of organizations, Mainebiz included, that are recognizing the risks being taken and achievements being made by these entrepreneurs. That much is clear.
But it seems that we need to find more ways to reach out to Maine's younger population, the population that is at most risk of leaving, to let them know that opportunity is here.
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