Top Gun program seeks Maine startup mavericks

People holding an oversized $25,000 check

File photo / Kevin Fahrman From left, Laurie Johnson and Tom Rainey of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs present last year's $25,000 Top Gun Showcase prize to Bernard Hidier of Finsulate.

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By Renee Cordes

Maine's Top Gun accelerator program is seeking applications from startup mavericks for the 2023 edition, and the chance to compete for a $25,000 cash prize in a statewide showcase event.

Applications are open through Nov. 30 for the next edition of the program, which is organized by the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs in partnership with the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and the Lewiston Auburn Maine Metro Chamber.

The highly selective program will choose up to 36 companies in total, with eight to 12 companies in each of the 2023 locations: Portland, Lewiston-Auburn and Waterville. All three locations are accepting applications.

"We usually receive between 35 and 45 applications per year," Laurie Johnson, program manager for the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs in Portland, told Mainebiz. "We can accept only up to 12 entrepreneurs per cohort, so depending on what region an entrepreneur applied for, there may be a competitive aspect to their application."

She added that "when possible, if the entrepreneur is appropriate for the program, we make every effort to find them a spot within one of the regional cohorts."

Top Gun aims to to fast-track the progress of Maine's most promising early-stage, high-growth startups through a combination of in-person and virtual learning, mentoring and networking.

The program concludes with regional pitch-off events, with the top two finalists in each region moving on to compete in the statewide showcase for a $25,000 cash prize sponsored by the Maine Technology Institute.

The program has helped more than 350 startups since 2009. Last year, Bernard Hidier of Finsulate took home the $25,000 grand prize, just days after the Dutch cleantech startup announced plans to make Portland its U.S. headquarters.

Besides submitting a short online application, prospective companies will be required to submit a pitch deck and present to an interview committee in their preferred location.

"The online application is pretty simple, so my advice is to be honest with your responses," Johnson said. "We are not judging the stage of your business or how far an entrepreneur has come in their business, though we do prefer businesses that are beyond the idea stage."

She also said the program accepts pre-revenue businesses as well as long-established companies looking to change their focus or introduce a new product.

"Many entrepreneurs get nervous about the pitch deck submission requirement with the application," Johnson said. Offering reassurances, she underscored that "this is not to judge an entrepreneur's skills on creating a pitch deck ... but to see how they think about their company and where they are going."

Her other advice to applicants: "To be prepare, entrepreneurs should be ready to be coachable and have companies that are viable, scalable and have some sort of innovation component. Our best participants are open and willing to work with others, and that is a quality we look for in each applicant."