🔒More startup incubators start up: Public and private organizations join forces to stoke entrepreneurs

Partnerships, collaborations and facilities are popping up to support startups and entrepreneurs in fields ranging from life sciences to food production to marine biotechnology.

Public-private partnership

Marine biotechnology, aquaculture and consumer goods are the focal points of an initiative between the University of Southern Maine and the New England Ocean Cluster.

The two Portland entities launched a public-private partnership focused on commercialization and applied research.

“Commercialization is not just about startups or patents — it’s about translating ideas into impact,” says Patrick Arnold, New England Ocean Cluster’s founder and USM’s director of commercialization.

The two entities are co-branding the programs as “Transforming the Blue Economy.” The formal relationship builds on a decade of collaboration.

“This is part of our vision for USM to be a critical asset to the regional economy, to connect our faculty and students to meaningful work and to ensure innovation thrives across every discipline,” says Jacqueline Edmondson, USM’s president.

New England Ocean Cluster is a member-based, marine-focused consultancy, business incubator and accelerator.

Applied research

Amid uncertain federal research funding, the partnership is designed to support applied research, giving local businesses a competitive edge, creating commercialization pathways for faculty and student ventures and generating value-added products and services based on Maine’s natural resources

The partnership is expected to equip entrepreneurs, students and faculty with resources, networks and guidance to bring ideas to market.

Under the partnership, Arnold and Chris Cary, both with New England Ocean Cluster, joined USM to build out the university’s office of commercialization. They will retain their leadership roles at the former, where Arnold is CEO and Cary is chief operating and marketing officer.

New England Ocean Cluster has been piloting the Blue Economy program for four years. During that time, over 60 entrepreneurs have taken part.

“So we know it works and the projects under it work,” says Arnold.

Bridging a gap

The program offers four core projects. The goal is to advance and modernize New England’s ocean-minded industries through education and community engagement, bridge the gap between capacity and need and assist in the creation and deployment of sustainable and innovative enterprises.

• Inclusion in the Blue Economy: For entrepreneurs from demographics traditionally underrepresented in the marine space
• The Hatchery: For pre-revenue founders, entrepreneurs and early-stage startups; provides resources, mentorship and guidance
• Soft Landing: Support and resources for international startups looking to establish a presence in the North American market via Maine as a gateway
• Entrepreneurship in the Blue Economy: Event series with networking, workshops and panel discussion

How it works

Hatchery staff supported the launch of GrantX — a tech startup using AI tools to help organizations discover and manage grant funding — and helped shape GrantX’s messaging, logistics and early marketing.

Most recently emerging from the Inclusion in the Blue Economy program was Seafood Mama which, in just a few months, developed a brand, launched three seafood-based products and built an initial vendor network and website.

Soft Landing supported the establishment of a joint U.S. sales headquarters in Maine, at the Hús in Portland, by two Australian firms: Oceanfarmr makes aquaculture farm management software and SEAPA makes shellfish farming infrastructure. The expansion to Maine is expected to amplify their collective commercial capacity and to support digital and physical infrastructure for scalable, innovative aquaculture solutions capable of serving producers across North America.

Expansion

Now the partnership with USM is allowing the model to expand to include all industries.

“We expect to expand capacity,” says Arnold. “Part of the partnership is to leverage the resources the University of Southern Maine already has — labs, faculty, business support activities. With the office of commercialization, we’ll be increasing the level of support those entities provide to businesses and increase the level of awareness businesses have of those assets.”

To prepare for the launch of the partnership with the start of the school’s semester this fall, Arnold has been working with USM departments to understand what’s already in place and to custom-fit commercialization practices and procedures accordingly.

Several companies already engaged in Blue Economy programs will carry over to the fall semester as the partnership gets underway.

The partnership is expected to deepen USM’s existing career and employment resources and to reach potential entrepreneurs in any industry.

“Our goal is to power entrepreneurs, whether they’re students, faculty, staff or the broader community,” says Edmondson.

Arnold notes the partnership builds on USM’s standing in workforce development: 86% of USM graduates stay in Maine.

“So while Maine is an excellent place for startups and ranks highly as a place to start businesses in the U.S., USM graduates represent one of the largest workforce development generators for graduates who actually stay in Maine,” he says. “This fact has us very excited to be focusing our commercialization work at the university, giving students more and more opportunities to engage with the private sector startup community as well as the innovation efforts of mid-size to larger companies.”

Next-gen startups

An initiative is underway through Maine Technology Institute to develop a Maine Life Sciences Incubator Program — a $2.7 million grant program, state-of-the-art laboratory and business incubator to support emerging companies in the burgeoning life sciences industry.

Maine’s life sciences sector is growing steadily. Fueled by nearly 600 organizations, supporting almost 10,000 jobs and generating $2.3 billion in economic value, the sector spans biotech, diagnostics and medical devices, marine and aquaculture science, health care innovation, and fields such as artificial intelligence, data science and bioinformatics.

The facility would launch and scale the next generation of life science startups by bringing together science mentors, workforce development programs and investors.

The program is a partnership between MTI and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

Many life sciences companies reach a point of development where they need access to specially designed laboratory facilities that don’t yet exist in Maine. The incubator program intends to close that gap.

MTI is finalizing its review of five proposals to develop the program.

Given a paucity of shared wet lab space and a burgeoning life sciences sector, the incubator is needed, says Brian Whitney, MTI’s president.

“Maine life sciences startups currently have few options to access shared lab equipment and services,” Whitney says.

MTI also launched a competitive Innovation Ecosystem Development Program to disburse matching awards up to $500,000 for the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in targeted technology sectors. The first round received 33 proposals.

Food economy

Main Street Skowhegan launched its Food Entrepreneur Pathways Program to support emerging food businesses across central Maine.

It also took a major step forward in the region’s growing food and farm economy by purchasing 185 Water St., the future site of the Kitchen at 185, a shared-use commercial kitchen and business incubator.

“Rural business owners deserve meaningful opportunities and access to the resources they need to succeed,” says Patric Moore, the nonprofit’s director of entrepreneurship. “By investing in the people and ideas within our own region, we’re strengthening our community, fueling innovation and building the long-term prosperity of our local food economy.”

Main Street Skowhegan focuses on the Somerset County town’s revitalization. According to a 2024 economic analysis, its programs support more than 80 jobs annually, generate over $2.2 million in earnings and drive $6.1 million in local sales.

The project comes amid the town’s growing food and agriculture sector, with businesses that include gristmill Maine Grains and its pub, the Biergarten, which opened this summer; the Bankery & Skowhegan Fleuriste, a bakery, cake shop and florist; and cheesemaker Crooked Face Creamery.

Pierogis and mealworms

The Pathways Program offers training, mentorship and business support to farmers, food founders and makers launching or growing value-added food businesses.

The program includes:

• Weekly cohort sessions on marketing, operations, product development and finance
• One-on-one coaching and business planning support
• Opportunities to sell at markets and pop-ups
• A multi-year model to guide entrepreneurs from idea to launch and growth.

The Pathways Program launched in mid-August and has five businesses. One founder is looking to develop a line of frozen pierogis. Other startups are developing freeze-dried snacks and a Thai-inspired sauce. Another farms mealworms and is looking to turn that into human-grade products.

“It’s super exciting to see entrepreneurs like this, especially in rural Maine,” says Moore.

Shared-use kitchen

The future Kitchen at 185 will provide licensed kitchen space, hands-on training and technical support for entrepreneurs to produce and scale products. Main Street Skowhegan is working with a design firm to finalize project plans and raise remaining funds needed for construction, which will match a $500,000 grant recently awarded by the Northern Border Regional Commission. Additional financing came from CoBank, a national cooperative bank headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo., which selected Main Street Skowhegan for its inaugural Rural Prosperity Grant Program; the Conservation Fund; and past grants from T-Mobile, Maine Technology Institute and Somerset County.

The total project cost for the Kitchen at 185 is estimated at around $3 million. The 6,000-square-foot single-floor building is basically an empty shell that’s ready to be fitted out as a shared kitchen, a co-packing room and a flexible event space. One goal is to have several spaces out front for food trucks.

With Woodhull providing the design, construction could begin in 2026 and completed in 2027.

The idea for the intertwined programs began to percolate several years ago through conversations in the community. Through his work with Main Street Skowhegan, Moore says, “I quickly came to learn how strong Skowhegan’s local food economy truly is, with niche local food producers and farmers in the area that are creating unique quality products.”

But there was more work to be done, especially to support aspiring food industry entrepreneurs.

“We believe that providing access to a shared-use commercial kitchen along with ongoing business development and support services will aid in significantly reducing the upfront startup costs and risk associated with starting a food business and look forward to strengthening both the local, regional and state food economies,” he says.