Recently, our friends at Mainebiz did a great piece that outlined many of the resources here in Maine for innovators.
We of course are proudly involved in many of these programs and entities. In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to call out two resources – one mentioned in the Mainebiz piece, CEI’s Women’s Business Center, and one which is just emerging in Maine, EforAll.
CEI’s Women’s Business Center is a resource for “women who want to start or grow their own business in Maine.” CEI aligns with the definition of women and female that explicitly includes not only cis women, but also trans women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer and non-binary individuals. The CEI Women’s Business Center team works “to understand the challenges that disproportionately effect female entrepreneurs and provide resources to help address those challenges.” It’s a truly unique and valuable resource for female entrepreneurs, and we want to extend our gratitude to the work done by the business counselors at CEI’s Women Business Center!
We are also extremely excited to extend a big congratulations to the winners of the first Maine EforAll Pitch Competition!
MTI is a proud sponsor of the Maine chapter of EforAll, a national non-profit organization “that partners with communities nationwide to help under-represented individuals successfully start and grow a 
business through intensive business training, mentorship and an extended professional support network.” We are particularly excited to see this first cohort of pitch contest winners! We know this first cohort is the first of many businesses EforAll will support in the coming years.
Join us in congratulating (and supporting)
- Divinely Favored (Westbrook), a food service and catering company providing African cuisine and event celebration setup and decorations.
- United Dynamic (Lewiston), dedicated to supporting newcomers in Maine by providing internships and workforce readiness programs to help New Mainers overcome language barriers and family challenges to pursue their professional aspirations.
- Lil Zoomies (Waldo County), a dog day care enrichment center and day boarding facility that caters to dogs weighing 30 pounds or under.
- Cary Ouelette (Topsham), a “transformational mentor” for women via energy healing and aromatherapy.
- Care of Travel (Portland), a travel consultancy specializing in sustainable tourism for busy professionals.