Connect. Start. Scale.

What does it take to build a thriving startup ecosystem outside a tier-one city? Kate Brodock—General Partner at W Fund and CEO of 9Fresh—has spent years doing exactly that, combining deep local roots with a global network to move ecosystems forward from the inside out. In this opening keynote, Kate shares a practical playbook for non-coastal founders and builders: how to stop waiting for your scene to become "the next Boulder" and start activating the assets you already have. You'll walk out with actionable insights you can use immediately to grow the Maine startup community and your company.

JT White shares the story of Forerunner, from idea to an industry leader with teams all across the country, supporting customers in over 15 states, and recently raising a series B from Wellington Climate, USV, and Gutter. We will cover the highs, lows, and truth about winning in today’s startup environment.

This workshop walks you through a “standard” early-stage equity term sheet, with focus on practical considerations for negotiations. Discuss what matters, what doesn’t, and how you reflect your values and priorities in a term sheet. This dynamic session will be structured to be relevant for anyone in, or contemplating, an early-stage round of financing - regardless of whether you are a founder or an investor.

Meet the people innovating in your sector. Attendees will split into dedicated breakout rooms for Life Sciences and Health, Climate and Sustainability, and National Security. Each session features a brief overview of the sector, a perspective from an investor or mentor active in the space, and a founder sharing their experience. The session closes with open networking at topic tables - each anchored by a member from the Roux network - so you can dig into what matters most to you and connect with the right people in the room.

The Roux Pitch Fest is a pitch event celebrating some of Maine's most exciting tech companies. Hear directly from founders who are building and growing their ventures at the Roux Institute as they take the stage to share what they're working on, why it matters, and where they're headed. It's your chance to learn about the innovative companies being supported through the Roux Institute's entrepreneurship programs — and meet the people building Maine's startup future. Come ready to be inspired.

Grab your coffee and start the morning by meeting the organizations that make Maine's startup ecosystem run. Before programming kicks off, ecosystem partner organizations will be tabling and eager to connect with Startup Maine Week attendees by sharing resources, answering questions, and making the kinds of introductions that matter.

This is the right room whether you are startup-curious, actively building, or investing in what comes next. Come with questions, come with your pitch, or just come for the coffee. This event leads directly into the morning sessions of Where We Stand: Maine’s Startup Ecosystem in 2026 and the Strengthening Maine's Startup Ecosystem Workshop, giving you the chance to meet the people and organizations you'll be hearing about and working alongside for the rest of the morning.

A look at where Maine’s startup ecosystem stands today - what’s working, where the gaps are, and how the landscape of capital, talent, support, and opportunity is evolving. This session maps the ecosystem’s strengths and challenges, drawing on research, stakeholder perspectives, and the experience of the people building inside it. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or ecosystem supporter, you’ll leave with a clearer picture of the ground beneath your feet - and the context for the hands-on Startup Ecosystem Workshop that follows.

An interactive workshop co-hosted by Startup Maine and the Maine Center at the University of Maine System (Maine Center), built on the momentum of last year's Maine Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Summit, hosted at the Maine Center by the University of Maine Business School and University of Maine School of Law. This session brings together founders, builders, investors, and supporters to do three things: take stock of what already exists in Maine's startup ecosystem, name what's missing, and hear directly from founders about what their journey has looked like.

Working in small groups, participants will build a shared picture of the ecosystem — identifying what exists, naming gaps, and drawing on ideas from other places. Founders in the room will tell their stories — what drew them to Maine, where things came together, and where the ecosystem fell short. Together, the participants will determine what the headlines look like for our ecosystem in 2036 and beyond.

The ideas surfaced here feed directly into a statewide convening planned for fall 2026, where ecosystem leaders will take up the work of acting on what this room names. If you are building in Maine, supporting those who do, or curious about what it would take to make this a place where more startups can launch and grow, this session is for you.

Build a business in minutes and the network that will help it out for a lifetime.

Learn how to utilize AI to prompt-build a business in real time utilizing Whop, an AI-backed digital marketplace. One of the fastest growing companies globally, Whop has 22.5 million users and has supported 200,000 businesses in revenue generation amount to $3.2 billion. The future of business building is now and you'll learn how to navigate it. Although a digital world, the old rules of relationships still apply - learn how to navigate relationships based on LinkedIn research to meet the basis needs (funding, customer acquisition, talent) of any business. A talk you won't want to miss. Audience involvement is encouraged.

Startup ecosystems don't grow in isolation. They grow faster when they're genuinely connected. Maine is building something real, and so are the communities across New England working to support founders, attract capital, and create the conditions for startups to thrive.

This session is co-organized by Startup Maine and FORGE, a nonprofit on a mission to help innovators with physical products navigate the journey from prototype to commercialization and impact at scale. Together, they're bringing ecosystem leaders from across the region who are doing the work on the ground from building networks to closing gaps to making connections that cross state lines. The conversation will explore what deeper collaboration across New England actually looks like in practice: where it's already happening, what's made it work, and what it would take to go further.

Whether you are building a startup, supporting the people who do, or working to strengthen your own regional ecosystem, this is a conversation about the bigger picture — and Maine's place in it.

Connect, celebrate, and engage with Maine's innovation community. Meet members of MTI's portfolio and partner network, build new relationships, and celebrate the people and ideas driving growth across the state. Light food and beverages provided. No SMW ticket required — RSVP here.

Informal networking and coffee with your fellow Maine entrepreneurs and builders. Free to attend, conference ticket required starting at 9am.

Until you attempt to start a business, it's hard to imagine the myriad obstacles you will face, and the unforeseen twists and turns of the founder's journey-including the stretch called the Valley of Death. Through his experience co-founding two thriving businesses, Phil Coupe learned that foundational concepts like purpose, direction and core values can empower a startup and its employees to surmount obstacles and navigate serpentine curves. Join this session to learn how foundational resilience can be a superpower in an increasingly chaotic marketplace.

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s BlueTech Boost startup showcase brings together early-stage startups working at the cutting edge of ocean innovation. Meet founders tackling ocean data collection, coastal infrastructure monitoring, and regenerative aquaculture. Each company represents a different facet of what’s possible in the blue economy and the range of opportunities in this quickly expanding sector.

Student entrepreneurship is having a moment. Higher education institutions ― from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities ― are investing in entrepreneurship like never before to help students gain hands-on, real-world experience and develop entrepreneurial skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability. This session will feature higher education leaders from across Maine and explore why student entrepreneurship matters, what colleges & universities are doing to support student entrepreneurs, and how schools can cultivate the next generation of innovators.

Maine's only business plan competition for all ages, now in its fourth year — with $17,000 in cash prizes across four tiers: K–8, High School, College, and Open. Business plans are judged by a panel of Maine investors and entrepreneurs. Doors open at 4:30 PM. Free to attend — register here.

Coffee, networking, and a roundtable with female founders of Maine.

Join The Maine Matriarchy for a morning meetup bringing together women building real things in Maine. Grab a coffee, introduce yourself, and join a casual roundtable on what it actually looks like to build here.

Whether you're shipping a product, scaling a team, or navigating your next chapter, this is a room of operators who've been there. Come ready to riff on ideas and leave with actionable takeaways! Open to all — conference ticket required starting at 9 AM.

Full session description coming soon.

Fundraising is broken. Not inefficient. Not evolving. Broken.

And AI is not coming to save you.

This talk is about the stuff venture capitalists will never say out loud. Like how most investment decisions are not driven by your deck, your traction, or even your market, but by signaling, proximity, and who is already in. How conviction magically appears after someone else writes the first check. How we love it, but it is "too early" usually means there are other things they don't like but don't want to say.

We will get into the real game being played behind closed doors. Because the truth is, fundraising is not a meritocracy. It is a network driven market built on pattern recognition, bias, and risk minimization. And artificial intelligence does not change that. If anything, it makes it worse. Now everyone has a polished deck. Everyone has a list of investors. Everyone can say the jargon.

So what actually moves a deal forward.

Clarence will break down how capital really flows. Who controls it, how decisions actually get made, and why most founders are playing the wrong game entirely. We will talk about why your cold email is not getting answered, why soft skills still win the day, and why the best founders do not just pitch. They create a story that envokes connection.

This is not a how to raise money talk. It is a how the system actually works talk. Because once you see it clearly, you stop waiting for permission and start moving like someone who understands leverage.

The official closing celebration of Startup Maine Week 2026. Send off the week right.