Gorham Savings Bank has unveiled the finalists for its annual LaunchPad small business competition. These exceptional local entrepreneurs will compete for a $50,000 no-strings-attached grant designed to help level-up their innovative startups.

This year’s finalists are a dynamic mix of small businesses boldly pushing the frontiers of their industries. They’re not just thinking outside the box—they’re redefining it entirely. GSB’s LaunchPad live pitch event takes place on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at Innovation Hall, University of New England, Portland on Stevens Ave. The event is free and open to anyone to attend. A 4:30pm social gathering will precede the 5:30pm competition.

The 2024 LaunchPad $50,000 finalists include:

• Alivo– Hailey Lister, Max Meade (Portland): An AI-powered sales assistant that helps home service businesses grow by capturing leads and converting them into customers.
• Bijou Build– Amanda Lacy (Camden): A returning finalist from 2023, Bijou offers the world’s first collapsible, expandable play system, designed for both kids and adults.
• Diggables– Toby Ahrens (Yarmouth): A Maine-sourced gluten-free buckwheat snack that’s crispy, craveable, and environmentally friendly.
• Kinotek – David Holomakoff, Patricia Panaia (Portland): Returning from the 2019 competition, Kinotek enables fitness and medical professionals to assess movement health and improve client outcomes through technology.
• NKENNE– Michael Odokara-Okigbo (Portland): The top African language learning app that uses AI and cultural context for immersive education, marking NKENNE’s second consecutive year as a finalist.

After the live pitch, LaunchPad judges John Burns, former head of Maine Venture Fund and current Director of Corporate Engagement for the University of Maine, Kristine Delano, a strategic business advisor and host of the WE Talk Careers podcast, and Katie Fullam Harris, Chief Government Affairs Officer at MaineHealth, will deliberate and select a winner. During deliberations, 2023 LaunchPad winner Anna Ford, CEO, Bookclubs will deliver a keynote address.

In addition to the main competition, five additional startups will present 60-second pitch videos for the Emerging Business Award, with the winner receiving a $10,000 grant and $10,000 of in-kind business and marketing-related, business development, and public relations services from iBec Creative, Creative Imagine Group, Grove Marketing, Nu-Yar, and Philbrook Public Relations. A generous donation of $1,000 from LaunchPad supporters, Jay and Jennifer Yilmaz, Freeport-based entrepreneurs and owners of the Applewood Inn, brings the grant total for this prize to $11,000.

The 2024 Emerging Business Award finalists are:

• Graze– Kate Hall (Northport): Maine’s first wholesale certified producer of unpasteurized cold-pressed juice.
• Maine Laboratories– Katie Richards, Chris Richards (Norridgewock): The nation’s only lab solely dedicated to PFAS testing, providing faster, more reliable results.
• Survue– Josh Fox (Scarborough): AI-enabled hardware designed for personal safety across consumer and industrial markets.
• Tootie’s Tempeh– Sarah Speare (Biddeford): A sustainable, improved tempeh product aimed at satisfying health-conscious consumers.
• Viable Gear– Katie Weiler (Portland): Seaweed-based bioplastics offering an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based plastics in aquaculture and agriculture.

The winner of the Emerging Business Award will be announced during the live event, just before the $50,000 LaunchPad Grant winner is revealed.

“We’re looking forward to showcasing this year’s talented group of Maine entrepreneurs at LaunchPad,” said Steve deCastro, CEO of Gorham Savings Bank. “Their innovation and passion for their business truly inspires us, and we’re honored to help support them on their journey.”

RSVP to save your free seat and support the local small business community at LaunchPad.