UpStart Maine has signed on to assist Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC) with a new program to provide technical and financial assistance to small businesses formed after January 1, 2020 that experienced setbacks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
EMDC serves as the Economic Recovery Program hub for Penobscot County and a surrounding five-county region (Waldo, Hancock, Washington, Piscataquis and Aroostook).  The program, funded through the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, aims to help these small businesses recover from negative impacts as a result of the pandemic. 
 
Assistance is in the form of technical assistance, entrepreneurial training, and small business grants.  UpStart Maine (www.upstartmaine.org) will provide entrepreneurial training through its Bangor Area coalition partners and make referrals to EMDC for potential grant funding.  UpStart Maine and coalition member programs include:

• Maine Innovation Night
• Blitz Conference
• Virtual Mentor Nights
• Scaling Webinars
• Big Gig pitch series
• University of Maine Foster Center for Innovation, offering a variety of entrepreneurial training programs, including the Bangor Region Top Gun Accelerator
• Scratchpad Accelerator
• MaineStream Finance, offering a variety of business training opportunities

 UpStart Maine can also direct startup businesses to other established resources in the region best suited to meet their needs. 
 
Other organizations working directly with EMDC in Penobscot County and Eastern Maine on the economic recovery hub program include Four Directions Development Corporation, the Maine Multicultural Center, the Community Development Institute, and Northern Maine Development Commission.
 
“During the pandemic I saw my family’s businesses struggle to keep going, even with resources to get established.  I can only imagine the difficulties facing new businesses who have had to persevere without the same resources,” says Tanner Hanes, Program Manager for EMDC.  “I’m proud to be part of a program that works with new businesses pursuing stability and success in the wake of COVID.”
 
Businesses with under 250 employees that started after January 1, 2020, who believe they were affected by the pandemic can learn more at https://www.emdc.org/services/economic-recovery-hub/.  For more information about how UpStart Maine’s entrepreneurial training programs can help, or if you’d like to discuss, contact us at innovation@upstartmaine.org.