01 Event Overview
10 Companies founded by women, people of color, LGBTQ+ or other historically marginalized people
1 University
transforming the way changemakers can create real-world impact
Countless community members serving as mentors, advisors, and supporters to help these companies succeed
Only about 5% of U.S. Venture Capital funds in 2022 went to businesses with female, Black, Latino, or LGBTQ+ founders.
This stat is one of many that exemplify the inequity in the American startup ecosystem. Because of this, the Roux Institute chose to launch its flagship startup program, the Founder Residency, to support underrepresented founders. This 12-month program is completely free to founders; we do not charge a fee or take equity in the companies. Instead, we provide these startups with $25K in a non-dilutive grant, free access to office space, an intensive educational curriculum, and access to Northeastern’s network of mentors, students, startup founders, investors, and more.
Today’s Venture Showcase convenes entrepreneurs, investors, government officials, students, industry partners, and the public to hear pitches from the ten technology companies participating in the Founder Residency. This showcase happens halfway through the founders’ time at the Roux Institute, and aims to re-introduce the companies to the local community, celebrate the progress they’ve made during their time here, and re-engage with partners, businesses, and mentors that may be able to to support them along their journey.
“
The Founder Residency has been an invaluable experience as a solo, female founder. The workshops were thoughtfully curated and rich with information to level up my business. The resources, connections, and support have made me feel part of a team. ”
Lee Sowles, Founder and CEO, Kind Mind
Click here to get in touch with our startups
4:30–5:00PM
Doors Open
Networking
5:00–5:15PM
02 Schedule
Welcome Remarks
5:15–5:45PM
Keynote Speaker
5:45–6:30PM
Founder Residency Pitches
6:30–8:00PM
Networking Reception: Mingle and chat with the Founder Residency founders as well as other community members. Refreshments will be provided.
Katie Shorey President, Startup Maine
03 Speakers
Santiago Zindel Mundet Cruz Founder Residency Director
Grace St. George Founder Residency Program Manager
04
The Residency Overview
3 Months of Intensive Programming:
Week 1
Orientation and Introduction to the Maine Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Startups get to know one another as well as the Roux Institute at Northeastern University and the various resources they will have access to during their time in Maine. We also have sessions with local partners and resources to help the startups get to know the ecosystem and how to take advantage of it.
Week 2
Mentor Match
In conjunction with Northeastern University’s McCarthy’s Venture Mentor Network, founders go through a weeklong matching process to find 2-5 mentors they will work with during their time in residency.
Weeks 3–13
Learning and Building
Founders meet almost daily to learn the basics of building a business so they can apply it to the ventures they are starting. This period includes various workshops from experts, casual sessions with more experienced founders, and working with mentors and the program team. There is also a lot of emphasis on building a supportive community among the cohort.
Months 4–12
Pitching
We work on storytelling and pitching as we get ready to pitch for the Venture Showcase and re-connect with the Maine community.
Scaling and Growth
Startups continue to work in residency from the Roux Institute campus with light, monthly programming to keep the cohort together and supporting one another.
Programming
Recurring Sessions to create community and keep the cohort on track:
→ Weekly All-Hands & Family Meals
→ Weekly CEO Fourms facilitated by Santiago Zindel
→ Weekly CTO Forums facilitated by Shaun Meredith
→ Recurring Team Socials
→ Monthly Progress Reviews
→ 1:1 Executive Coaching Sessions facilitated by Lisa Frusztajer
→ Group Leadership Coaching Sessions facilitated by Cassie Crosby
12 Founder Stories and Investor AMAs to allow the founders to meet and learn from people who have done this before:
Founder Stories:
→David Engle
→ Ian Patterson
→ Joshua Summers
→ JT White
→ Melissa LaCasse
→ Patrick Breeding
→ Scott Weller
→ Torey Penrod-Cambra
→ Vlad Korshin
Investor AMAs:
→Burak Sezen
→ Conor Joseph Mack
→ Julia Brady Alumni Panel:
→ David Tse
→ Helen Cohen
→ Kippy Smith
38 Workshops facilitated by subject matter experts:
Startup Basics & Resources
Intro to Northeastern’s XNs & Co-ops
Intro to Northeastern’s Mosaic Orgs
Making the Most of the Founder Residency
Intro to the Legal Fellow Program
Mock Mentor Meetings
Measuring Progress
The Elevator Pitch
Purpose, Vision, & Values
Sales & Marketing
User Acquisition and Growth Hacking
Customer Discovery Intensive (Through MIT’s iCorps)
Identifying and Communicating Your Value Prop
Pricing & Packaging
Founder-Led Sales
The Customer Journey
Digital Marketing & Lead Generation
Assumptions, Hypotheses, and Roadmaps
Tracey Spinato & David Munger
Tyler Farley
Santiago Zindel
Cecile Tchoujan
Stephen Zamerowski
Ali Goldstein Norup
Grace St. George
Tara Jenkins
Giuseppe Stuto
Beth Kahn & Betsy Peters
Deb Mills-Scofield
Michael Warren
Dan Bodoff
Stephen Lindsay
Rebecca Emery
Santiago Zindel
Leadershi
The Meaning of Impact
Turning Adversity into Advantage
Managing Teams
Employee Equity Incentive Plans
Employment Law Panel
Fundraising
Funding Resources in Maine Panel
Intro to the Maine Seed Capital Tax Credit
Building the Investor Pitch Deck
The Basics of Fundraising (Equity/ Grants/Investment Vehicles)
Fundraising, Term Sheets, and Legal Implications
Fundraising Process
Finances
Basics of Accounting and Finance
Introduction to Financial Modeling
Legal Considerations
Intellectual Property, Trade Secrets, and Patents
Legal Entities & Corporate Governance
Patents in the AI Space
Negotiations
Commercialization
Privacy and Data Security
Tom Keleher
Laura Huang
Sam Dargan
Doug Ginnn, Steven Gerlach, & Tony Paine
Joe Powers, Chandler Jones & Lou Simms, Bill Wahrer & Daniel Strader
Christopher Roney
Stephen Zamerowski
Nina Scheepers
Jeff Spaulding, Andrew Sweeney, & Nina Scheepers
Chris Wolfel
Colleen McCracken
Ashby Green
Bruce Jacoby, Jeff Joyce & Daniel Davies
Darryl Walton & Andrea Suter
Philip Mazoki, Chris Albert, & Dan Wehner
Kyle Glover
Tony Perkins, Lauren Ramirez, and Rohan Vakil
Elek Miller, Ariel Pardee, & Daniel Davies
05 Companies
Algas has developed a patented extraction technology that allows us to identify and extract cellulose and novel compounds from invasive seaweed and agricultural waste to produce costeffective, deforestation-free pulp fiber alternatives to replace wood pulp fiber.
Our solution is low-cost, seaweed-based pulp fiber that can be blended with traditional wood pulp to produce paper and packaging while reducing deforestation. Our material is˜40% cheaper and can be processed using ˜80% less heat/energy than deforestation-derived wood pulp fiber and alternatives.
Johanan Dujon CEO
Brief is building predictive intelligent document management in real estate that automatically understands how documents relate to each other, eliminating issues with duplicate files, version control, and folder structures.
We're integrating Procore, Bluebeam, and Field technologies to deliver a single source of truthenabling multiple teams across projects to find what they need, fast. This lowers compliance and delay risk while freeing up at least 10% of labor hours spent in administration.
Diana Tan CEO
Andrew Wu CTO
Dirigo Sea Farm is a women founded materials company using kelp to produce bioplastic films to replace single-use and nonbiodegradable plastic. With in-house biorefining capabilities and existing manufacturing comparability, Dirigo Sea Farm gives brand partners a competitive edge without scarifying the performance or ethics that customers care about.
Drip Labs is building Punch Club, an exclusive membership platform for the hospitality workforce, where service industry professionals access exclusive perks at local businesses, helping small business owners retain staff, and helping service workers feel valued in the communities that they serve.
Integrated Reality Labs is building a technology platform that powers multiplayer games in physical spaces for young people everywhere who are looking for better ways to play and connect in real life. Our sensor fusion algorithms pull data from gyroscope, accelerometer, Bluetooth and GPS to gives us the most accurate representation of individuals' distances from one another using nothing but a smartphone. We’re currently leveraging this proximity tech to transform hybrid games that use smartphones to power real life play.
Dr. Marc Ilgen CTO
Frank Chen CEO
Rob O'Toole CTO
Lauren Steidel CEO
Ian Andolsek President
Sean Nissenbaum Chief Growth Officer
Alexa McGovern CEO
We help schools and childcare facilities address challenging behaviors and bullying with a program that teaches adults and children how to regulate, be kind, and feel ready to learn.
Beyond teaching lessons we provide a simple, practicebased curriculum that has been proven to lower; anxiety, conduct problems, and ADHD symptoms, while increasing children’s ability to regulate independently, and have a strong sense of belonging. With 92% customer retention , yearly expansion since 2020, and protability, we are preparing to scale globally.
MyOrbit is a private engagement platform built for organizations that support people. It helps groups like AA chapters, veteran programs, and mental health communities stay connected between meetings—with structured check-ins, AIassisted moderation, and tools that make it easier to notice when someone might need support.
Most people want better friendships, but don’t know how to get there. Pulse is rethinking how friendships form in the 21st century— using technology to guide small groups from first connection to real-life community in a way that feels natural, playful, and deeply human.
Lee Sowles Founder and CEO
Artur Sousa CEO
Eric Schlossberg Founder and CEO
Quill & Pigeon is a Mainebased startup that is revolutionizing thoughtful communication. We are creating an online marketplace for eco-friendly, artistically unique greeting cards sourced from local artists. We are a bridge between technology with tradition, making it effortless to send beautiful, handwritten notes that arrive precisely when they matter most.
Our curated subscription service delivers more than just stunning, sustainable cards—it's a complete solution featuring personalized event reminders, AI agents to help you remember, and preaddressed, pre-stamped envelopes that eliminate every barrier to meaningful connection. We want to rekindle personal connections—one beautiful, locally-crafted card at a time.
Daniel Weiss Founder and CEO
TheWellSortplatformhelpsstudents andemployeesprioritizetheirmental healthandwellbeing.Users experienceasimpleandengaging draganddropcardsortingactivitythat helpsthemarticulate,clarify,and organizetheirwellnesspriorities, guidesthemthroughastructured action-planningprocess,anddirects themtootherwellbeingresources availabletothemthroughtheirschool oremployer.
Onthebackend,theschool/employer receivesaggregateuserdatathatthey canusetotailorprogramsand optimizeresourceallocationbasedon whatservestheirstudents, employees,andbudgetsbest, replacinglesseffectiveperiodical surveys.
Anush Hansen Founder and Chief Product Officer
Tim Seavey Co-founderandCEO
Click here to get in touch with our startups
06 Special Thanks
34 lead mentors who volunteered to meet weekly with our start-ups to guide and support them along their journey
Adam Levy
Barry Wark
Barry Wolfield
Carl Blume
Chris Selland
Conor Joseph Mack
Conor Laver
David Burnham
Deb Mills-Scofield
George Matelich
Hilary Folger
Ian Patterson
Isabel Van de Keere
Jake Mastrandrea
Jan Illets
Jana Rich
Jeffrey Eyestone
John Murdock
John Thompson
Keri Lyle
Keyur Patel
Lauren Ramirez
Mary Lynn Engel
Matt Kennedy
Phil Glowatz
Rebecca Emery
Richard Corps
Roland Scott
Sam Aborne
Sam Dargan
Sarah Delmar
Scott Wilkerson
Stephen Lindsay
Vikas Periwal
Plus all of the other coffee mentors who offered to meet with the startups on an ad-hoc basis.
Thank you to these five partner firms who provide pro-bono legal counsel and leadership coaching to our startups.
Thanks
Nina Scheepers Principal, Maine Venture Fund
Shaun Meredith Founder & CEO, Omnic Data
Deborah MillsScofield Founder, Finding Blue Lobsters
Burak Sezen Co-Founder & Partner, The 6th Event
Julia Brady Partner, Valo Ventures
Ali Goldstein Norup Head of VC & Startup Ecosystem, Google
Michael Johnson SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, IDEXX
Torey Penrod Cambra CCO, HighByte
Colleen McCracken Executive in Residence, MTI
Huge thank you to our sponsors, the Willmington Trust, the US Economic Development Administration, and the Maine Technology Institute, for their generous support and partnership. Your commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship helps power meaningful programming that drives impact across Maine.
