WATERVILLE, MAINE, October 2021 – Calling all entrepreneurs and innovators! The 5th Annual Central Maine Converge and Create Weekend will be hosted virtually by The Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation at Thomas College on Friday, November 19, 2021 from 1 to 4:45 p.m., as well as on Saturday, November 20, 2021, from 1 to 5 p.m. for the Greenlight Maine Collegiate Business Pitch state-wide college competition.
The two-day event is for individuals interested in entrepreneurship and stories about how ordinary people took ordinary ideas and turned them into extraordinary businesses. This year, attendees will have the opportunity to learn through interacting online with entrepreneurs and several industry experts who provide assistance and early-stage capital to grow and scale businesses.
“I’m once again delighted to be able to bring such a talented group of experts in the field of entrepreneurship to the public,” said Executive Director of Thomas College’s Harold Alfond® Institute for Business Innovation Mike Duguay. “These entrepreneurs are developing and scaling the businesses that will help drive our economy forward in the near future. In addition, the industry experts that we will hear from on how to foster and grow entrepreneurial ventures are some of the best at this in the country.”
Friday’s lineup will include Jake Warn, Founder of SledTrx, Dylan Veilleux, Founder of Tree Free Heat; Christian Krohg, Founder of Easy Eats; Nick Rimsa, Founder of Tortoise Labs and Eariously; Joe Powers, Maine Venture Fund; Sandra Stone, Chair of Maine Angels; Sarah Joy Chaples, Small Business Development Manager for the State of Maine; Susan Ruhlin, Managing Director of Dirigo Labs; Thomas Kittredge, Investment Officer for MTI; Chandler Jones, Principal at CEI Ventures; and Chris Wolfel, Director of Entrepreneurship for the Roux Institute.
On Saturday, November 20, Central Maine Converge and Create attendees can listen to live business pitches as the Emmy-nominated television show Greenlight Maine conducts its preliminary business pitch competition with college students throughout Maine. Competitors are vying for the opportunity to appear on Greenlight Maine’s televised show later in the year and to compete for prize money.
About Thomas College: Founded in 1894, Thomas College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs ranging from business, entrepreneurship, and technology, to education, criminal justice, and psychology. Its Guaranteed Job Program, the first of its kind in the nation, is built on student’s academic, career, and leadership preparation. Thomas is also home to the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and the Center for Innovation in Education. Money Magazine recently ranked Thomas 23rd in the Country for adding the most value to their degrees, and data reported by the New York Times ranks Thomas in the top 15 percent of all college and universities in the U.S. for upward mobility of its graduates. For more information, visit www.thomas.edu or contact MacKenzie Riley at [email protected] or 207-859-1313.