From Mind to Market: Dirigo Labs Launches Fifth Accelerator Cohort with Enhanced Programming and Funding Opportunities
Fueling the next generation of innovators with a proven framework that has catalyzed 115 product-service launches and surpassed $35 million in combined alumni sales and capital raised.
Figure 1. From left to right: Andrew FortinTrimble, Senior Vice President Chief Banking Officer of Skowhegan Savings Bank; Dan Tilton, President of Skowhegan Savings Bank; and Seascale co-founders Jon Steuber and Charles Walsh. Skowhegan Savings Bank sponsored $25,000 in total cash prizes awarded to Seascale at the 2025 Dirigo Labs Pitch Competition for their innovative aquaculture gear.
Waterville, ME – December 31, 2025 – Dirigo Labs, the innovation and entrepreneurship hub of the Central Maine Growth Council, today announced that it will launch its fifth startup accelerator cohort to continue the momentum of economic growth in central Maine. The 16-week program is designed to support new business founders navigating the transition from early traction to scalable growth with an emphasis on financial fluency, product-market fit, and capital readiness. The program enters this new cycle with a proven record of success, having helped generate $14,649,509 in total sales and more than $21,000,000 in total capital raised by its alumni companies during the past 4 years.
Rooted in central Maine with access for startups statewide, the Dirigo Labs accelerator is built to cultivate founders seeking a supportive startup environment, mentor engagement, funding, and access to Maine’s growing innovation ecosystem. To date, the accelerator has supported the creation of 150 jobs, 18 Maine-based incentives, and 17,951 customers. Furthermore, participating founders have successfully launched 115 products and services and established 48 strategic partnerships, providing a high-growth environment for entrepreneurs.
Integrating a structured curriculum with hands-on development, the program provides specialized technical assistance for navigating federal funding, including support for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR) federal grant preparation. By pairing this high-level guidance with leadership training and premium co-working spaces, Dirigo Labs builds a comprehensive foundation for startups to secure both dilutive and non-dilutive capital. Cohort members gain immediate access to an engaged network of more than 100 mentors and the opportunity to compete for cash prizes. Additionally, the Dirigo Labs Residency offers complimentary access to Bricks Coworking & Innovation Space in downtown Waterville, helping to eliminate operational overhead for cohort companies. This turnkey workspace allows startups to focus on growth rather than traditional overhead costs.
The fifth Dirigo Labs cohort features several program enhancements and upgrades designed to deepen founder capacity through a strategic sequential framework. The Dirigo Model phase of the program now provides a more robust financial foundations program, establishing a shared language for budget creation, business management, and financial projections. Following this, the expanded Dirigo Build phase utilizes accelerated learning cycles to focus on prototyping, product-market fit, and go-to-market strategies. Finally, the program culminates with Dirigo Raise, which offers enhanced support for translating strategy and projections into compelling investment narratives, concluding with a public pitch competition and cash prizes. These upgrades are paired with expanded eligibility and recruitment efforts, as Dirigo Labs welcomes applications from early-stage and growth-oriented companies across a wide range of industries ready to engage in product, financial, and market development with a focus on Maine’s seven technology sectors.
“As many startups know, early traction is hard. Scaling responsibly is harder. Dirigo Labs’ fifth cohort represents a clear evolution in how we support founders. We’re focused beyond ideas and inspiration to real infrastructure and impact,” said Dirigo Labs Program Manager Jeff Frank. “We’ve built a phased, financially rigorous program that helps entrepreneurs understand what they’re building, how it scales, why it matters, and what capital it actually requires to grow. We believe that when founders have capital clarity, strategic discipline, and supportive accountability, the results compound in ways that strengthen both their companies and Maine’s economy.”
Dirigo Labs Accelerator Program: A Phased Approach to Business Innovation
The Dirigo Labs accelerator is structured as a sequential program based on capacity building, where each phase is designed to expand on critical capabilities that develop throughout the program.
Dirigo Model
The accelerator begins in February with Dirigo Model, an online financial foundations program focused on establishing a shared language around business management, unit economics, financial strategy, and decision-making. Dirigo Model equips founders with the tools to evaluate tradeoffs, model growth scenarios, and understand how strategy, pricing, and capital interact over time. To enhance this foundational support, cohort companies will also have direct access to a dedicated Entrepreneur in Residence. This resident expert will provide tailored guidance throughout the program, helping founders apply financial strategies to their specific business models in real time. While Dirigo Model serves as the required first stage for the accelerator cohort companies, it is also open to any business seeking stronger financial fundamentals.
Dirigo Build
In March, cohort companies will complete Dirigo Build to focus on prototyping, product development, product-market-fit, customer discovery, and develop go-to-market strategies. Founders engage in rapid learning cycles that emphasize data-based iteration, as well as peer and mentor feedback to help refine both their product and strategy. During Dirigo Build, founders can plan to improve their ability to stay nimble and responsive to their customers and gain confidence in their product development strategy within a supportive and reliable network.
Dirigo Raise
The final phase of the accelerator program, Dirigo Raise, runs from April through May and focuses on translating a company’s strategy, product, and financial projections into clear narratives for customers, partners, and investors. Founders refine how they communicate the value of their solutions and participate in a public pitch competition where a panel of judges award financial prizes based on a set of categories. In addition to focusing on raising funds, this portion of the program also focuses on raising the leadership skills of the cohort founders with a curriculum that helps identify and support their specific leadership strengths.
Throughout the accelerator, founders engage with mentors from Dirigo Labs’ network of experienced business leaders, operators, and subject-matter experts. In addition to one-to-one advising, Dirigo Labs facilitates collaborative mentor engagement, enabling founders to surface real-time challenges and receive thoughtful and targeted input from experts with relevant sector and stage experience.
Dirigo Labs welcomes applications from early-stage and growth-oriented companies across a wide range of industries that are ready to engage in product, financial, and market development. Companies do not need to be based in Maine to apply.
Applications for the Dirigo Labs accelerator are open until January 23th. More information and application details are available at DirigoLabs.org
About Dirigo Labs
Dirigo Labs is a Waterville-based accelerator and innovation hub operated by the Central Maine Growth Council. Dirigo Labs supports Maine entrepreneurs through hands-on programming, mentorship, and access to capital, helping founders build scalable companies that strengthen Maine’s economy.
Last modified: December 31, 2025
