SMW 2026
Startup Maine Week 2026 — Connect. Start. Scale.
May 18–21, 2026 · Portland, ME

Connect. Start. Scale.

Four days of founder-led programming across Maine's startup ecosystem.

Get Your Tickets → See the Programming
Startup Maine Week 2026
The Conference

Something is happening in Maine.

Founders are building here — not as a backup plan, but as a first choice. Companies are scaling. Ideas are getting funded. And every May, the people making it happen come together.

Startup Maine Week 2026 is the conference for people who are actually doing the thing. Not a networking event disguised as a conference. Not just 101-level panels run by service providers. This is founder-led, founder-built, and designed for the people in the room who are betting their careers on Maine's startup economy.

New energy. New programming. Same magic.

800+
Attendees in 2025
100+
Speakers
40+
Events
97%
Would Recommend
The Programming

Three tracks. Every stage of the journey.

This year, the programming is organized around three tracks — designed to meet you wherever you are. This is founder-led, founder-built content.

Connect
Community · Ecosystem · Relationships
The big tent. This is where founders meet investors, collaborators find each other, and the people building Maine's startup ecosystem get in the same room. Connection isn't a soft skill here — it's infrastructure.
What to expect

Networking events, ecosystem mixers, showcases, community happy hours

Start
Early-stage · First Steps · Building
First product. First hire. First round. This track is for founders in the early chapters — the ones figuring it out in real time. No theory. Just people who've done it telling you how they actually did it.
What to expect

Founder origin stories, fundraising panels, product-market fit workshops, early hiring playbooks

Scale
Growth-stage · Operations · Ambition
201- and 301-level content for founders who've figured out the basics and are now wrestling with real growth. Series A and beyond, operational complexity, team building at scale. The programming this ecosystem has been missing.
What to expect

Growth-stage founder panels, VC deep dives, scaling operations workshops

On Stage

Keynotes that move the room.

Nationally recognized speakers. Founder-first stories. Not a LinkedIn bio in sight.

Kate Brodock

Kate Brodock

General Partner, W Fund
CEO, 9Fresh
Kate built the W Fund to back underrepresented founders — and she did it from a hops farm in upstate New York. She knows what it means to build something meaningful outside a major metro.
Opening Keynote · Monday, May 18
Clarence Bethea

Clarence Bethea

Managing Partner, What VCs Won't Say
Former Founder & Investor
Clarence faced 153 rejections before his first "yes," then he raised more than $30M, scaled, and exited. Then he joined a tier 1 VC firm, True Ventures. Now he's building resources to help founders understand how VCs actually think. Be prepared, people laugh and cry when he speaks.
Closing Keynote · Thursday, May 21
Phil Coupe

Phil Coupe

Founder, Revision Energy
Maine
Phil built Maine's largest solar company and knows what it's like to survive a permanent seat in the dreaded valley of death. He supports startups throughout the region. He's never spoken at Startup Maine Week. That changes this year.
Wednesday Kickoff · May 20
Schedule

Four days. Three tracks. One city.

Portland, Maine · May 18–21, 2026

Monday, May 18

Opening Day + Keynote

Opening keynote from Kate Brodock. Fireside chat with Forerunner Cofounder & CEO JT White. Kickoff networking events and opening party.

Tuesday, May 19

Full Programming + Ecosystem Sprint

Connect, Start, and Scale track sessions. How to scale the ecosystem sprint. Panels, workshops, and founder-led content. MTI Evening Networking Event.

Wednesday, May 20

Phil Coupe Kickoff + Sessions

Wednesday kickoff with Phil Coupe. Full day of programming across all three tracks. Maine Startup Challenge Showcase.

Thursday, May 21

Closing Day + Keynote

Final sessions, closing keynote from Clarence Bethea, and closing party...

Full agenda drops soon. Register now and we'll send it to you the moment it's live.

Get Your Tickets →
The Room

Whether you're building it, or backing it — you belong here.

Early-stage founders

You're asking: "Am I crazy for doing this?"

There are people here who get it — and who've been where you are. Startup Maine Week is the antidote to building alone.

"You don't need to have it figured out. You need to be in the room with people who are figuring it out too."

Growth-stage founders

You're asking: "Is Maine big enough?"

Scaling from Maine isn't a compromise — it's a competitive advantage. This year, the programming finally caught up.

"You've outgrown the 101 panels. This year, the programming finally caught up with you."

Investors & VCs

You're asking: "Is this worth my time?"

The caliber of founders and the quality of deal flow emerging from Maine is strong. And the speakers and programming speak for themselves.

"The founders you'll meet this week aren't pitching dreams. They're scaling companies."

Ecosystem partners & the startup-curious

You're asking: "How do I get involved?"

You don't need a pitch deck to show up. But this is a startup conference — that's the tent.

"Whether you're building, backing, or just paying attention — this is where it happens."
Registration

Lock in your spot.

Early-bird pricing is available now. Four days in Portland with 40+ sessions, nationally recognized keynotes, and the best founder community in the state.

Limited Quantity
Early Bird
$129
Full conference access. Lunch included each day.
Available until April 17 or sold out
General Admission
$199
Full conference access. Lunch included each day.
Startup 5-Pack
$549
5 tickets for your startup team at a discounted price. Lunch included each day.
Limited availability
Get Your Tickets →
Our Partners

Annual Sponsors

Startup Maine Week Sponsors

A New Chapter

New energy.
Same magic.

Startup Maine is entering a new chapter — with its first full-time executive director, a redesigned conference, and a commitment to making this the best week of the year for Maine's startup community.

Get Your Tickets →
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