Workshops to prepare entrepreneurs for Top Gun program
To help companies apply for a regional entrepreneurship acceleration program, the University of Maine will host four workshops.
Applications are currently being accepted for the 2016 Top Gun Maine Bangor Region Class. The area’s entrepreneurs with aspirations to achieve high growth through innovation will compete for a limited number of seats in the five-month program that combines mentoring with bi-weekly gatherings.
UMaine’s “PreFlight” workshops will focus on preparing a successful Top Gun application that includes a written application, slide deck and Business Model Canvas.
The workshops are designed to help entrepreneurs submit their best possible application through pitch training and feedback, as well as Business Model Canvas development. One-on-one mentoring sessions also will be available.
PreFlight sessions are:
- 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Jan. 5 at the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce office, 20 South St.
- 5–6:30 p.m. Jan. 6 at WBRC, 44 Central Street, Bangor
- 7:30–9 a.m. Jan. 12 at the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce office, 20 South St.
- Noon–1:30 p.m. Jan. 13 at the Target Technology Center, 20 Godfrey Drive, Orono
To support Top Gun in the Bangor region, Lisa Liberatore is working with UMaine as the Top Gun regional program coordinator.
“Participating in Top Gun last year and working in the Scratchpad Accelerator through the University of Maine this fall has made clear how much entrepreneurial talent there is in the Greater Bangor region. I am very excited to continue to work in this space and engage the community to help out this year’s Top Gun class,” she says.
Liberatore will hold office hours Jan. 19–22 for additional questions and assistance with applications. Applications are due Jan. 22. Contact Liberatore at lisa.liberatore@maine.edu for more information on the workshops or office hours.
“The University of Maine is excited to work with the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development to offer the Top Gun program in the Bangor region again,” says Renee Kelly, director of economic development initiatives at UMaine. “The connections and mentoring provided to the companies in the three years of Bangor area classes have been invaluable to their continued growth and development.”
The Top Gun program is made possible by Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, UMaine, the Maine Technology Institute, and support from Camden National Bank, as well as many local business sponsors, program advisers and mentors.
The application and more information about Top Gun are online.
Contact: Renee Kelly, 581.1454