MIRTA Accelerator
MIRTA is an accelerator program designed to develop UMaine research innovations into marketable new products and services, potentially leading to new job creation and economic growth in Maine.
Stay Tuned for MIRTA 9.0 Info
At its core, MIRTA is all about finding the best pathway to commercialization. This could involve forming a corporate partnership, creating a start-up company, or redirecting the focus of the research to a more commercially viable product or service.
MIRTA applies the accelerator model, used in the start-up world, to technology transfer projects in the university ecosystem. During this intensive 16-week program, teams are guided through additional customer discovery inquiries beyond what they have completed through I-Corps. The programming broadens its focus to include several aspects of what could become a viable business plan. Teams will engage in market sizing and competitor analysis, business model development, financial modeling and forecasting, and assessing intellectual property through the eyes of their potential customers.
MIRTA COHORTS
MIRTA TEAMS
START-UP VENTURES
TEAMS TO NATIONAL
I-CORPS PROGRAM
IN EXTERNAL FUNDING
FAST FACTS
Nine start-up ventures have been formed from 30 teams that have taken part in one of our seven MIRTA cohorts. They have collectively raised more than $6.75 million in external funding and prototype sales to support ongoing commercialization. Newly formed companies launched after participation in MIRTA include UNAR Labs, which was selected to join the first cohort of the Roux Institute Startup Residency Program in 2021, and Reform Composites Engineering, our most recent start-up that was awarded $50,000 in MTI Range II funding in 2025.
Questions about MIRTA?
Anthony Durante
Director of New Ventures
anthony.durante@maine.edu
MIRTA is made possible by support from University of Maine System Research Reinvestment Fund and the Maine Technology Institute.
