Innovate for Maine Fellows Program

What Innovate for Maine Fellows Program does

The University of Maine, anchored at 168 College Avenue in Orono, is a public R1-classified research university and flagship of the seven-member University of Maine System, holding the state's only land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant designations. Founded in 1865, it serves approximately 11,000 students from all 50 U.S. states and over 75 countries through 200+ academic programs, with a regional campus in Machias. The institution reports 94% graduate placement into employment, further education, or service (2023–24 First Destination Survey).

Its research engine centers on the Climate Change Institute and partner units such as the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, generating outputs ranging from paleoclimate expeditions in Greenland, Antarctica, and Peru to operational tools such as the Climate Reanalyzer (a public climate data visualization platform used by The New York Times), the 26-station Maine Mesonet, and high-resolution coastal flood risk models for the state. Revenue draws primarily from federal and state research grants (notably a $69M Inflation Reduction Act award for coastal resilience), tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate programs (including an M.S. in Quaternary and Climate Studies), Cooperative Extension service delivery, and supplemental sources such as Events and Hospitality and alumni giving. The institution monetizes its research and outreach assets through government funding streams, student enrollment, technical assistance to Maine farmers, coastal municipalities, and tribal nations, and statewide commercialization pathways such as the Innovate for Maine Fellows Program.

Name

Innovate for Maine Fellows Program

Legal name

University of Maine

Website

https://umaine.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The University of Maine is a public R1 land-, sea-, and space-grant research university in Orono serving ~11,000 students across 200+ programs, with a flagship Climate Change Institute delivering climate and coastal resilience research, the Maine Mesonet weather network, and statewide Cooperative Extension services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Fellowship Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Internship-to-Apprenticeship & Early Talent Pipeline Programs (EDAMAKAL), Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK), Employer-Led Workforce Partnerships & Sector Strategies (EDAAAOAB)

Keywords

• Fellowship programs
• Student placement services
• Talent matching programs
• Workforce development
• Internship placement

Headquarters

HQ city

Orono

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal and State Funding: As Maine's land grant, sea grant, and space grant institution, UMaine receives significant federal and state funding for research, including climate research initiatives through the National Science Foundation, NOAA, and federal programs like the Inflation Reduction Act
2. Research Grants and Awards: The university receives congressionally directed spending and competitive research grants, such as the $69 million federal grant through the Inflation Reduction Act for coastal resilience work
3. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate education programs, including the M.S. in Quaternary and Climate Studies and Certificate in Interdisciplinary Climate Studies

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

The Innovate for Maine Fellows Program is a fellowship-matching initiative that places the best and brightest Maine college students with paid fellowship opportunities at Maine's most exciting growing companies. Operating as a workforce-talent bridge under the University of Maine, it connects student talent from Maine institutions with in-state employers seeking skilled early-career contributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Innovate for Maine Fellows Program A fellowship-matching service for top Maine college students and growing Maine companies, providing paid, project-based placements that bridge academic learning with real-world employer experience. Hosted within the University of Maine System and supported by state funding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of recent graduates are employed, continuing their education, or in service (2023-24 First Destination Survey)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Governor Janet Mills Administration / Maine Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the FutureflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with the Governor's Office to implement the 'Maine Won't Wait' Climate Action Plan, working with communities, state agencies, and engineering faculty to provide scientific and technical expertise for coastal resilience and climate adaptation. UMaine received $3 million of the $69 million federal grant.
• New York State Mesonet (University at Albany)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Collaboration with New York State Mesonet to manage the large amount of data generated by 26 stations, ensuring quality and accuracy of data before sending it back to Maine. This partnership demonstrates the growing trend of mesonet networks working together to share knowledge and standardize practices.
• Maine State Climatologist Sean BirkelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Sean Birkel, Maine State Climatologist and co-principal investigator, oversees the Maine Climate Office and leads the Mesonet project with co-leader Lily Calderwood
• Maine Drought Task ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoil-moisture data from the Mesonet network will be used by the Maine Drought Task Force for statewide drought monitoring and planning
• U.S. Drought MonitorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaine Mesonet data will be distributed to the U.S. Drought Monitor for national drought monitoring
• Maine Climate CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Maine Climate Council to implement recommendations of the 'Maine Won't Wait' Climate Action Plan
• Maine Sea GrantflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaine Sea Grant serves as UMaine's boots-on-the-ground on the coast, working with coastal communities, state agencies, and engineering faculty for coastal resilience. Will hire two extension specialists for working waterfront and coastal hazards projects.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with National Park Service for climate change research and protection of Wabanaki archaeological sites in Acadia
• Wabanaki TribesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Wabanaki tribes (Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot) to protect and preserve at-risk Indigenous archaeological sites threatened by sea level rise
• Maine Coastal ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Maine Coastal Program to support strengthening Maine's Working Waterfront Coalition and developing a statewide working waterfront strategy
• Maine Geological SurveycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Maine Geological Survey on coastal flood risk models and geological assessment
• UMaine School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UMaine School of Law to support development of the 'Maine Won't Wait' climate action plan
• University of Maine School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with University of Maine School of Law experts to support development of the state's climate action plan
• Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station (MAFES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrian McGill's lab is part of MAFES; Mesonet stations planned for MAFES farms across Maine
• Mitchell Center for Sustainability SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrian McGill holds joint appointment at the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions
• Iowa State University SIPERG LabcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with Stable Isotope Paleo Environments Research Group (SIPERG) at Iowa State University for mollusk shell isotope analysis using mass spectrometry
• Climate CentralminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate Central correspondent Ben Tracy followed Mauri Pelto's glacier research expedition in the North Cascades for climate coverage
• Wilson MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Wilson Museum in Castine, Maine on Wabanaki archaeology research
• Dynamic Ecology Blog Co-AuthorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrian McGill co-authors the 'Dynamic Ecology' blog with two others, reaching up to 700,000 visits per year and shaping research culture globally
• Federal AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with various federal agencies as part of the coastal resilience initiative funded by the Inflation Reduction Act
• MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUMaine researchers will collaborate with municipalities to identify coastal hazards, understand risks, and explore nature-based engineering alternatives
• Regional Planning OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with regional planning organizations for coastal resilience and climate adaptation planning
• Maine Working Waterfront CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to build statewide inventory of at-risk or abandoned public and private waterfront properties and provide technical assistance
• Welch FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot farm in Roque Bluffs using Jonesboro Mesonet station for wild blueberry management decisions

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Handshake: The dominant career services and internship/job-matching platform purpose-built for university students and employers; directly comparable in connecting college talent with growing companies, though at national scale across 1,400+ institutions rather than regionally concentrated.
• Riipen: Matches college students with companies for project-based work and internships through university partnerships; comparable in operating as an institution-mediated platform connecting student talent with employer projects.
• Venture For America: Nonprofit fellowship program placing top college graduates at emerging companies in emerging U.S. cities to drive economic development — directly comparable in model (university talent → growing companies) and regional economic development mission.
• Parker Dewey: Operates a micro-internship platform that matches college students with short-term, paid projects at companies — closely analogous in matching university talent with work-based learning opportunities, though typically serving national employer demand.
• WayUp: Internship and entry-level job marketplace focused on college students and recent graduates, with employer matching functionality similar to the Innovate for Maine program's core mission of connecting emerging talent with growing companies.

Emerging players

• ApprentiScope: Workforce development platform focused on apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship matching in skilled trades — adjacent in the work-based learning / talent matching category, though focused on trades rather than college talent.

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn (Talent Solutions): The incumbent professional networking and recruiting platform with broad employer matching, internship listings, and university recruiting tools; overlaps with the program's matching function as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Chegg Internships (defunct): Formerly operated a dedicated internship matching service for college students before shutting down the product; illustrates the competitive dynamics and challenges of scaling dedicated internship matching against broader incumbents.

Others

• University Career Services (peer institutions): Career services offices at peer regional research universities (e.g., University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire, University of Connecticut) perform analogous internship and employer matching functions for their students and serve as institutional peers operating comparable programs.

Regional players

• Maine Quality Centers (Maine Community College System): State of Maine workforce development program funding customized training partnerships between employers and Maine Community Colleges; comparable as a Maine-specific workforce matching program with similar institutional and employer partnership model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtiktok.com/@university.of.maine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheUniversityofMaine
• Facebookfacebook.com/foster.innovation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-maine
• Instagraminstagram.com/university.of.maine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Innovate for Maine Fellows Program