Maine startup support takes academic turn for bigger reach

After three decades of supporting small businesses across Maine, the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs is looking to broaden its reach and deepen its impact by joining forces with the state’s public universities. As of Oct. 1, the Portland-based organization will operate its programs through the University of Maine System’s Graduate and Professional Center, also known as the Maine Center. The integration will enable the center to support more than 200 entrepreneurs and small businesses annually through 10 programs and a statewide network of more than 300 mentors. “Our mission is not ending … it’s expanding,” Tom Rainey, MCE’s longtime executive director, said at a Tuesday press conference announcing the plan. Touting Maine Center for Entrepreneurs as a “Maine success story,” Rainey spoke on his final day as executive director after a decade at the helm, jokingly calling the event his “surprise retirement party." Rainey, who was presented by state Sen. Jill Dusan, D-Portland, with a special proclamation to recognize his contributions on behalf of startup founders, told Mainebiz he plans to start his retirement by traveling in Asia before returning to Maine, where he may do some consulting work. The decision to consolidate MCE’s programs into the Maine Center stemmed from discussions among leaders of both organizations and FocusMaine, led by President Andrea Cianchette Maker. $2M funding boost With a $2 million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation, MCE’s programs will be housed within the Maine Center under its CEO, Seth Goodall, and delivered by current program managers, who will become employees of Maine’s public university system. From its continued base in Portland, the programs aim to expand their statewide reach by tapping the resources of all seven public universities. "Maine entrepreneurs will benefit from stronger connections to the extraordinary education, research and commercialization resources available across the University of Maine System and especially through our R1 research university," says Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine and the systems vice chancellor for research and innovation. While tipping his hat to Rainey for leaving MCE’s programs more robust than when he started, Goodall predicted that the partnership will “make the states stronger” and said that he and his colleagues are proud to play a leadership role in making that happen.