March 20, 2025

The Maine Center, in partnership with the Maine Graduate School of Business and the University of Maine School of Law, hosted the first annual Maine Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Summit in March 2025. This event was the first statewide gathering of its kind, bringing together business, law, and policy professionals to collaboratively identify the critical role that they can play in making Maine a top destination for startups and business growth. The event’s momentum will drive innovation and opportunity across the state, and the Maine Center looks forward to building on this important work.

To learn more, read the event report which includes outcomes and calls-to-action: Maine Entreprenreurial Ecosystem Summit | Big Ideas & Potential Actions (PDF)

Firestarter Discussion 1: How do we better inform entrepreneurial decision making?

Firestarter Discussion 2: How can Maine’s established businesses support entrepreneurs?

Firestarter Discussion 3: How do we encourage tailored business and legal advisory functions in the community?

Firestarter Discussion 4: How do we address the disproportionate impact of barriers on entrepreneurs?

Keynote

Joan Cohen, Commissioner, Maine Department of Professional & Financial Regulation (DPFR)

Firestarter Discussion Leaders

Don Carpenter, Executive Director, Rural Futures Fund

David Engle, Serial entrepreneur & investor

Kate Lanman, Attorney, Lanman Rayne Nelson Reade

Sara Rademaker, Founder & CEO, American Unagi

Lisa Sockabasin, Co-CEO, Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness

Event Hosts

Seth Goodall, CEO, Maine Center Ventures; Executive Director, Maine Graduate & Professional Center

Jason Harkins, Executive Dean, Maine Business School; Dean, Graduate School of Business; Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship

Andrew Kaufman, Professor of Practice, Maine Law; Director, Business Transactional Law Certificate Program; Director, Compliance Program

Steering Committee

Emily Cain, Partner, Copper Sky Consulting; Founder & CEO, Cain Insights; University of Maine System Board of Trustees

Helen Sterling Coburn, Shareholder, Bernstein Shur

Michael-Corey F. Hinton, Shareholder, Drummond Woodsum

Owen McCarthy, President & Co-Founder, MedRhythms; University of Maine System Board of Trustees

Andrea Cianchette Maker, President, FocusMaine

David Plumb, Director, Latin America Practice and Senior Mediator, Consensus Building Institute (CBI)

Katie Shorey, President & Chairwoman, Startup Maine; Director of Engagement, Live & Work in Maine

Trey Stewart, State Senator, Maine Senate

Krystal Williams, Founder & Manager, Providencia Group