Power electronics company employs Innovate for Maine interns after they graduate

https://youtu.be/NESBLPjj9O0

Transcript

Ben Polito, president and co-founder of Pika Energy, first developed the core technology for his business in the basement of his home. Now his company employs 12 people, four of whom are alumni of the University of Maine’s Innovate for Maine Fellows Program. Pika Energy builds clean power systems, including solar inverters and small wind turbines for residential and light commercial use. Based in Westbrook, Maine, Pika Energy participates in the Innovate for Maine Fellows Program that connects university students with Maine companies, providing support in the form of internships. In this video, Polito talks about his company and how the former fellows came to work for him after graduating. Pika Energy was a presenter at TechWalk, a showcase of the Maine Technology Institute’s most successful technology-based companies.

The Innovate for Maine Fellows Program is managed by the University of Maine, and connects college students with Maine companies and business leaders. Internships provide support for students as they gain meaningful hands-on experience working on innovation-based company projects that accelerate growth. The program emphasizes entrepreneurship and innovation in an effort to help grow and create jobs across the state.

For more information about these and other innovation and economic development initiatives at UMaine, visit umaine.edu/econdev.