Schedule a confidential consultation with our investment team. We’ll help you evaluate locations, workforce, incentives, partnerships, and next steps.
Maine is a uniquely strategic location to establish or expand a business.
- same-day access to 80 million consumers in the USA and Canada
- the closest US state to Europe with weekly cargo service via Iceland to Europe and beyond
- globally competitive supply chains in forest and ocean economies
Maine’s logistics infrastructure – road, rail, air, and 3 deepwater ports – provides competitive advantages for supply chain centralization and access to global markets without the congestion or higher costs of other US East Coast ports.
“Salmonics owes its successful establishment to the nurturing business environment in Maine. The expertise and ready resources that are available to Maine small businesses is impressive, and it has been very encouraging to see the level of support available for innovation and technology. The business support, natural environment, and strong local community made it very easy to choose Maine as a home for both work and family.”
Cem Giray, PhD, CEO and President, Salmonics LLC
Maine offers a dynamic, collaborative, and innovative business environment.
- warm welcome and personal introductions to key contacts and resources
- effective public-private partnerships and world-class university R&D
- entrepreneur and innovation ecosystem support
Adjacent to the Boston innovation ecosystem, Maine is home to multiple world-class private and public research institutions, including a prestigious R1 university, providing competitive advantages for effective collaborations to drive business innovation.
“After we launched Prescriby Health and were deciding where to base our US operations, Maine was a natural choice. Maine is very unique in how close-knit the business community is and how accessible people are. There’s a culture here that really values and supports new ideas and fresh thinking. Since we began operations in Maine, we can really feel the support from the community, which is essential.”
Kjartan Þórsson, MD, Co-Founder, Prescriby Health
Maine delivers exceptional quality of life.
- pristine natural environment with clean air and water
- one of the safest states in the USA
- attracts professionals seeking purpose, community, and work-life balance
While perhaps best known for its pristine natural environment, from majestic mountain peaks to stunning rocky coastline, Maine routinely ranks among the top 5 states in the US for low crime rates and in the top 10 states for quality healthcare and as an environmentally friendly state. Maine’s outstanding quality of life provides a competitive advantage for your employees and your business.
“As we explored where to put down our roots in the United States, we were looking for a place that embodied our values – a love of nature, organic and sustainable farming, and deep appreciation of an entrepreneurial spirit. In Maine, we found all of this and more…In Maine, we found a vibrant support network of people who saw the potential in our big dreams.”
Julia Franchi Scarselli, Co-Founder, Libellula
Business Incentives and Funding
Maine offers a wide range of financial incentives for business growth including tax credits and exemptions. For example, Dirigo Business Incentives provides Maine state tax credits for capital investments and working training investments in certain business sectors, and the Maine Seed Capital Tax Credit Program allows an income tax credit for investment in a Maine business as an individual or venture capital fund.
Funding sources for Maine businesses include Maine Funding Network, Maine Angels, and Business Innovation Funding, which supports groundbreaking ideas with grants, loans, and equity investments through Maine Technology Institute.
Entrepreneur and Innovation Ecosystem Support
Maine is home to a robust network of start-up business incubators and related accelerator resources to help early-stage companies grow by offering flexible space, coaching, mentoring, networking, access to funding resources, and connections to university, industry, and community partners.
Located across the state from Portland to Bangor to Machias, these early-stage resources, like TechPlace and UpStart Center for Entrepreneurship, are especially useful for founders who are moving beyond a home office workspace, need business guidance, and seek peer connections and access to Maine’s broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Workforce Development and Customized Training
Maine has 29 accredited, degree-granting institutions of higher learning. This includes 7 universities in the University of Maine System, 7 schools in the Maine Community College System, and the Maine Maritime Academy. The University of Maine, the state’s sole public research flagship university, and has held the prestigious R1 Carnegie Classification since 2022.
In addition to state workforce development programs such as the Maine Workforce Development Compact and Maine Apprenticeship Program, there are numerous successful examples of customized training programs developed by Maine academic institutions in partnership with an industry sector or an individual company.
Schedule a confidential consultation with our investment team. We’ll help you evaluate locations, workforce, incentives, partnerships, and next steps.
