Waterville startup accelerator Dirigo Labs gets $278K to extend program

Courtesy / Dirigo Labs Dirigo Labs' second-cohort members pose with Executive Director Susan Ruhlin and the Central Maine Growth Council's Garvan Donegan after this May's business-pitch competition at the Maine Film Center in Waterville.

Write a Comment

By Renee Cordes

Dirigo Labs, a Waterville-based business accelerator, will use $278,000 in new federal funding to make some programming changes — and to host its next group of startups for an extra month.

The award, announced Thursday, is included in federal appropriations legislation to provide discretionary funding for state, locality or nonprofit organization projects with a demonstrated community merit.

Dirigo Labs, which operates under Central Maine Growth Council and is led by Executive Director Susan Ruhlin, has big plans for the additional funding and its next cohort in 2024.

“Dirigo Labs' 3.0 cohort will continue to focus on 10 to 12 companies for this upcoming cycle, with expanded accessibility for out-of-cohort, early-stage and local community startups and entrepreneurs,” Garvan Donegan, the Central Maine Growth Counci’s director of planning, innovation and economic development, told Mainebiz.

Additions to the upcoming cohort include the extra month, extending the program to approximately 16 weeks, exclusively dedicated to financial aspects and modeling for startups, he noted.

Donegan, who was honored on the Mainebiz Next List in 2021, said the additional funding will also go towards “heightened” programming and technical support, specifically aiding startups and entrepreneurs seeking federal funding through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

Additionally, Dirigo Labs will implement a cohort-within-a-cohort initiative for clean technology firms, strategically aligned with an updated curriculum, mentorship and funding framework in line with Maine's economic and industry priorities.

“Dirigo Labs has been instrumental in helping Maine start-ups get on their feet while also driving innovation to power the rural economy,” said U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.

“This congressionally directed spending for Dirigo Labs will ensure Maine innovators have access to the resources and tools needed to find success in Maine and beyond. I’m proud to support these efforts and look forward to seeing the great work and ingenuity of Maine’s small businesses.”