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The Maine Startup Challenge (MSC) Showcase capped off another record-breaking year for the statewide business plan competition. MSC is run by the Maine Venture Fund to encourage entrepreneurial creativity across all ages and seed the next generation of great Maine companies.

Maine has always understood something fundamental about building great things: it starts with people. From generations of skilled tradespeople and entrepreneurs who built an economy rooted in resourcefulness, to the modern innovators launching high-growth companies, this state’s most enduring competitive advantage has always been its human capital.

The Maine Startup Challenge (MSC) has always been about more than prize money. It's about sparking ideas, building skills, and launching entrepreneurs of all ages into whatever comes next. As we ramp up for MSC 2026, we caught up with a handful of our past finalists to see where their journeys have taken them.

Collectively, the MVF Team has the distinct honor and unique perspective of sitting on over two dozen startup boards from within our 65+ company portfolio. We’ve been reflecting on these closed-door discussions and want to offer a few bits of unsolicited advice below for equity-backed startups in Maine as we look forward to what is in store in 2026: