Black Bear Consulting Corps

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be hosting our eighth cohort of Black Bear Consulting Corps during the fall of 2026! This program provides support to Maine companies that are bringing new innovations to market, and it gives students much-needed professional experience to build their résumés. BBCC pairs each company with a small team of vetted college students who can assist with key business projects for five weeks during the academic year. The Corps is designed for rapid response on short-term project opportunities. Students are assigned to project teams based on how well their skills and experience align with project needs.

The Black Bear Consulting Corps is funded through the support of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and is intended to support the long-term growth of the many Maine startups and small businesses. Services are offered at no cost or a low cost to the company.

Example Projects:

  • Market Research
  • Competitive & Data Analysis
  • Web Design & Improvements
  • Copywriting
  • Graphic Design & Marketing
  • Coding (300 hr projects)

(This is not a comprehensive list – if your company has different needs, please reach out to us!)

For Companies:

Do you have a long list of important projects that you don’t have time to complete or that are outside your team’s skillset?

Requirements for Fall 2026 (subject to change):

  • For-profit Maine company with a meaningful project

    • Companies with <50 employees qualify to work with us at no cost.

    • Companies with >50 employees qualify to work with us at half the cost ($1500)

  • 150-hour project to be completed during fall of 2026

  • Projects must be clearly defined and allow students to start working without deep industry/company knowledge (ex: market research, web projects, copywriting, data analytics)

  • Availability to meet with the student team at least once a week via Zoom during the project

How Will It Work?

  1. Complete project form

  2. Company/project vetted by program

  3. Program determines student availability and timing

  4. If you’re project is selected by one of teams, it will then be added to our queue for completion (projects begin in early September & mid/late October)

  5. Engage with student team for 5 weeks while they work on the project (unless computer science)

We will have a rolling application deadline, but if you’re interested in applying to have a project started during fall 2026, please complete the application linked below by August 7th, 2026.

APPLY

For Students: 

Are you looking for a paid position to gain real-world experience with Maine companies and build your resumé during the school year?

 General Details & Requirements 

  • Paid $19/hr by UMaine
  • Previously interned in the Innovate for Maine Fellows Program
  • Attend a two-hour Intro to BBCC session during the first week of UMaine’s semester
  • Work the first week of classes through the week before final exams
  • Able to work an average of 10 hours/week for 10 weeks at least partially during business hours (8:30AM – 5PM on weekdays)
  • Currently matriculated in a degree program
  • Willing to work in a group with 1-2 other students
  • Located in the United States (exceptions may be made for students studying abroad in certain countries)

How Will It Work?

  1. Complete program form

  2. Program determines if there are projects that fit your skillset

  3. Select companies/projects that you would prefer to work with

  4. Attend our Intro to BBCC session during the first week of UMaine’s semester

  5. Assigned a team of 1-2 other students to work on projects

  6. Engage with first company and your team for 5 weeks while you work on the project

  7. Work with second company for 5 weeks once first project is complete

If you have any questions, please reach out to Emma Wilson at emma.wilson@maine.edu.

Subsidies are available with the support of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.