News

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:

Advantage Capital invests in growth-ready small businesses in targeted areas of Maine through the Maine New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program. Our team provides flexible equity and debt financing to established and emerging Maine companies that are looking to expand, create quality jobs, and spur long-term economic growth in their communities. Our investment professionals include a Portland-based team with deep expertise in small business investing nationwide and more than a decade of measurable results in Maine.

Chloe MacVane was just a couple of weeks into her 2025 Innovate for Maine Fellowship at Orange Bike Brewing when she and the Orange Bike team began to discuss the prospect of a permanent position at Portland’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery. For MacVane, a 2025 UMaine business graduate who majored in marketing, it was an unexpected and welcome twist. “Post graduation, everyone’s biggest concern is ‘What am I going to do after school?’ Innovate for Maine was a great option for me to jump into something for the summer and see where it could go,” said MacVane, who grew up in South Portland. “I was open to anything.”