Maine’s Forest Economy Accelerator

  • Forest canopy in University forest
  • Molded Fiber Trays Showing the UMaine Logo
  • two people are visible through the glass side of a thermoforming machine at UMaine's process development center

About the Forest Economy Accelerator

The University of Maine Forest Economy Accelerator helps companies that are introducing new products and services to accelerate their growth. Companies can work with UMaine to access technical expertise and equipment at university facilities, receive customized support and mentoring to build out their business partnerships, and gain access to student talent.

The Forest Economy Accelerator is funded thanks to a grant from Maine Technology Institute through the PRIME Ecosystem program. The funding for this initiative is part of the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan – the proposal put forth by Governor Mills and supported by the Maine Legislature to invest the state’s share of federal American Rescue Plan relief funds.

Accelerator Programs

Depending on their individual needs, companies can apply for one or multiple accelerator services:

The Forest Tech Incubator is a virtual incubator for Maine companies bringing new forest technologies or fiber-based products or services to market that include forest fiber. Forest Tech helps companies accelerate commercialization by focusing on building their value chain through connections with strategic partners, first customers and investors.  

Features:  

  • Connections to potential strategic partners, pilot customers, and investors  
  • Business support from the University of Maine entrepreneurship team  
  • Mentoring from an executive-in-residence with deep industry connections, as well as other industry experts  
  • Prototyping and process technical assistance to advance product development  
  • Technical development and market research assistance from undergraduate and graduate student talent  
  • Peer-to-peer support through a monthly CEO roundtable 
  • Financial support for participation

How the Program Works: 

  • Companies can apply anytime and must commit to at least four months of participation 
  • Once accepted into the incubator, the UMaine team and executive-in-residence will work with the company to develop a workplan, starting with a deep dive on the product’s value chain 
  • Through weekly virtual meetings and monthly in-person meetings in Orono or Portland, the team will work with the company to identify, recruit and onboard strategic partners 
  • Participation in a monthly CEO roundtable  

Ideal Incubator Candidates: 

We’d like to see start-ups that have achieved one or more of the following milestones: 

  • Beachhead market identified with supporting evidence 
  • Close-to-ready minimum viable product 

Tech Develop helps companies overcome technical and scale-up barriers to commercialization. Maine companies of any size can get support through technical assistance projects or through our technology-scaling bootcamp. 

Technical Projects 

  • Access up to 8 hours from a UMaine expert for problem solving and prototyping 
  • Half day on pilot or bench-scale equipment – see here for examples 
  • Up to $4,000 worth of materials and consumables  

Bootcamp: Scaling Your Technology
 

  • Two-day workshop to walk you through going from benchtop or pilot-scale to full-scale production 
  • Topics include: 
  • Material handling, storage, product packaging 
  • Processes (3D printing, thermoforming or molding, films/sheets, dewatering/drying) 
  • Process optimization – raw materials, water, energy, standalone or co-location 
  • Safety, industry specific certifications and testing 

The Innovate for Maine Fellows (IFM) and Black Bear Consulting Corps (BBCC) programs connect Maine college students with Maine’s most exciting growing companies. 

IFM is a paid summer fellowship that prepares student fellows to collaborate with companies on innovation projects that accelerate company growth and give students a paid, meaningful, hands-on internship experience. 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 to short-term project opportunities. Students are assigned to project teams based on how well their skills and experience align with project needs. Typical projects for IFM and BBCC include:  

  • Market Research 
  • Competitive & Data Analysis 
  • Web Design & Improvements 
  • Process Improvements 
  • Graphic Design & Marketing 
  • Coding 

Program Eligibility

While specific eligibility requirements may vary by program, all companies must meet the following requirements:

  • Company must be based in Maine or be able to demonstrate a substantial business presence in or business ties to Maine
  • Company must be working to use forest-based materials in its products or packaging or developing a service to support forest-related businesses

Ready to Get Started?

Please complete our intake form. Once you have done so, our intake coordinator will route your request or contact you to set up an initial consultation. 

Maine’s Forest Economy Accelerator Intake Form