Morocco, VW vans, AI: Startup accelerator’s latest cohort is full of variety

File Photo / Tim Greenway Khadija El Barkaoui, an indigenous Moroccan of the Amazigh peoples, founded Coelle Travel, one of the startups selected for the inaugural Dirigo Launch Incubator Program.

Write a Comment

By Laurie Schreiber

A travel company started as a social enterprise by an indigenous Moroccan.

Two “superfoods,” moringa and baobab, from Tanzania.

A company that salvages old VW vans and fixes them up as rental vehicles.

There’s plenty of variety in the latest cohort of 13 companies selected by Dirigo Labs, a business accelerator in Waterville, for its inaugural Dirigo Launch Incubator Program.

The eight-week program is designed to support the growth of promising startups in Maine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and will provide participants with hands-on mentorship, resources, and access to a robust network of investors, industry experts and peer founders.

The support includes helping startups explore their markets, identifying target customers and planning early-stage fundraising, along with grant support from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

The city of Waterville provided a trove of cohort members, including VWrent; the digital platforms Dollhouse, ParaAI, CUEE and Ark Consulting; and a data energy company called Anavo Energy.

From Portland, members include Coelle Travel and Kili Organics.

Coelle Travel was started in 2023 by Khadija El Barkaoui, an indigenous Moroccan of the Amazigh peoples, to provide authentic travel and cultural experiences for travelers while creating opportunities for women in tourism and women cooperatives in her north African homeland.

Kili Organics offers products made from moringa and baobab sourced from Tanzania. were a part of daily life, woven into the fabric of tradition and nourishment.

“The incubator program has already been a game-changer for our vision, providing the mentorship, resources, and network we need to begin development on our bottled matcha latte brand and bring a healthier caffeine alternative to more people,” said Andrew Schundler, founder of CHUH, a Georgetown maker of bottled matcha latte.

“With the support of Dirigo Launch, we can refine our product and set-up ourselves up well for launching our matcha latte in the spring of 2025.

After a competitive application process, the following companies were selected for the 2024 cohort:

CHUH, Georgetown: A bottled matcha latte designed for health-conscious individuals seeking a cleaner, more natural caffeine source, offering the benefits of antioxidants and sustained energy.
VWrent, Waterville: Rescues old VW vans destined for the landfill and gives them new life as rental vehicles for those looking to explore any of the United States' 431 national parks.
Your Beauty, Portland: Developing seaweed-based, environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic hair products.
Creativity Co., South Portland: A platform for creatives to understand and expand their creative capabilities through self-reflection, learning, and connecting with a global community committed to using their creativity for good.
Trulehly Sweet (Backriver Blends), Topsham: A health-focused twist to Jamaican jerk with plant-based, allergen-free recipes, featuring Maine blueberry and original marinades for a vibrant, accessible flavor experience.
Dollhouse, Waterville: A platform to enable users to create real-time, interactive 3D models of their personal spaces using their smartphones, allowing them to visualize and manipulate furniture and decor within their home environment.
Kili Organics, Portland: Provides nutrient-rich, certified organic moringa and baobab superfood powders, sourced from Tanzania and distributed from Maine.
Coelle Travel, Portland: Provides intentional experiences that allow travelers to connect deeply with the places they visit, rooted in sustainable, community-based tourism that honors and respects indigenous cultures.
ParaAI, Waterville: Platform to help writers get to their final drafts faster — offering multiple solutions to cater to the many aspects of writing.
CUEE, Waterville: Platform to provide students with tools to enhance their academic, financial, and personal well-being, including a major scheduler, campus event list, book exchange, and AI for institution-specific information.
Ark Consulting, Waterville: Platform to evolutionize social media marketing by enabling micro-influencers (500 to 3,000 followers) to monetize their following, offering smaller businesses an affordable, high-trust alternative to traditional advertising.
Anavo Energy, Waterville: Data energy company streamlining the solar installation process by offering an online marketplace that connects installers with quality leads and site design tools, helping them expand their customer base and reduce installation times.
Upliftcare USA, Bangor: A web application startup dedicated to improving access to holistic rehabilitative care by connecting users with specialists like occupational therapists, PT, and SLPs, offering telehealth integration, health webinars, and reducing waitlist times.

The companies represent a diverse range of industries, from clean technology and digital innovation to food and manufacturing. Each demonstrated the potential for high growth and significant contributions to Maine’s economy, according to a news release.

An aerial view shows downtown Waterville.

Photo / Courtesy, Central Maine Growth Council

Dirigo Labs, a business accelerator in Waterville, selected 13 startups from diverse industries for its inaugural Dirigo Launch Incubator Program.

"These companies exemplify the innovation, resilience, and creativity that Maine is known for, and we look forward to seeing them thrive in the incubator program,” said Emalee Hall, Dirigo Labs’ assistant director of innovation programming and partnerships.

The launch incubator will offer a structured curriculum focusing on customer discovery, go-to-market strategy, early-stage fundraising and intellectual property. Participants will refine their value proposition, develop actionable strategies for reaching their target customers, determine a plan for fundraising, and build a solid foundation for their growing business.