Greenlight Maine
Greenlight Maine Productions is a Portland, Maine-based non-profit television production company that produces televised entrepreneurship pitch competitions — Greenlight Maine, College Edition, and Elevating Voices — broadcast across Maine regional stations and YouTube, serving Maine small business owners, college students, and corporate sponsors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Greenlight Maine does
Greenlight Maine Productions is a Portland, Maine-based non-profit television production company that produces, broadcasts, and operates a portfolio of three related entrepreneurial media programs across the state of Maine. Its flagship product, Greenlight Maine, is a televised competitive pitch series in which small business owners pitch a panel of judges for cash prizes across 13 episodes featuring 26 contestants per season. The company complements this with College Edition, a parallel pitch series for Maine college students competing for a $25,000 collegiate prize (originally piloted in 2018), and Elevating Voices, a documentary sub-series launched in 2021 that spotlights diversity in Maine's business community.
The underlying 'technology' is a broadcast television production and competitive pitch-format platform. Distribution is anchored by regional broadcast deals with WGME CBS 13 (Portland), WABI TV-5 (Bangor), WWPI NBC 16 (Presque Isle), and Maine Public Television, supplemented by a YouTube channel, an email newsletter, a company website with contestant application infrastructure, an annual Golf Tournament at the Samoset Resort, and PR coverage through MaineBiz and WGME. The company also runs programming-adjacent accelerators, including a 2026 Bangor 'Boot Camp' in collaboration with UpStart Maine that prepares five businesses for the televised pitch series.
Greenlight Maine's revenue mechanics are sponsor- and member-supported rather than product-priced. Contestants do not pay to participate; the value exchange is television exposure and investor visibility in return for broadcast content and brand-building leverage. Revenue streams comprise broadcast/corporate sponsorship (advertising) and corporate partnership contributions (described as affiliate-style referrals in source data) drawn from a roster of more than 40 partners including Bangor Savings Bank as Premier Partner, Maine DECD, Maine Technology Institute, L.L.Bean, Thomas College, FAME, Delta Dental of Maine, and Maine Angels. Prize money for winners (e.g., $100,000 grand prize to Season 4 winner Ocean's Balance) is funded out of these sponsor and corporate partner flows. The customer base is effectively bifurcated: a free-side audience of contestant entrepreneurs/Maine college students who supply programming content, and a paid-side base of corporate sponsors and broadcast advertisers who fund operations.
Greenlight Maine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Greenlight Maine
- Legal name
- Greenlight Maine Productions
- Website
- https://greenlightmaine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Greenlight Maine Productions is a Portland, Maine-based non-profit television production company that produces televised entrepreneurship pitch competitions — Greenlight Maine, College Edition, and Elevating Voices — broadcast across Maine regional stations and YouTube, serving Maine small business owners, college students, and corporate sponsors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Greenlight Maine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Television Production / Pitch Competition Media
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual Awards Ceremonies & Competitions (Judging, Voting) (MPAGAOAN)
Keywords
Where Greenlight Maine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Greenlight Maine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Television Advertising/Sponsorship: The television series generates revenue through advertising and corporate sponsorships. The show airs on Maine broadcast television stations with premier partner Bangor Savings Bank prominently featured.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners and sponsors fund the show's operations and prize money. Sponsors include Bangor Savings Bank, Maine DECD, Maine Technology Institute, L.L.Bean, Thomas College, FAME, Delta Dental, and many others.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Greenlight Maine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Greenlight Maine Productions creates televised pitch-competition series that spotlight and fund Maine entrepreneurs. Its three programs—Greenlight Maine (main show), College Edition (student edition), and Elevating Voices (diversity documentary series)—air on Maine broadcast stations and YouTube, awarding cash prizes funded by corporate sponsors and providing contestants with media exposure, mentorship from judges, and investor connections.
Product overview
Greenlight Maine Productions operates a portfolio of television-based entrepreneurship programs, not a unified software platform. The core offering consists of three distinct television series: (1) Greenlight Maine, the flagship competitive reality TV show featuring 26 entrepreneurs across 13 episodes who pitch to judges for cash prizes; (2) Greenlight Maine College Edition, a parallel series for college students with business ideas competing for collegiate finale prize money; and (3) Elevating Voices, a documentary series celebrating diversity in Maine business. These programs function as economic development tools rather than software products, with the company serving as a media production entity that funds and spotlights Maine entrepreneurs through televised competitions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Greenlight Maine: Core program - a competitive reality television show featuring 13 episodes with 26 contestants where entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of judges for cash prizes.
- College Edition
- Elevating Voices
Products and services
- Greenlight Maine (Main Series) Flagship competitive reality television series in which innovative Maine small business owners and entrepreneurs pitch to a panel of judges; the season's three finalists compete for the grand prize. Aired on WGME CBS 13, WABI TV-5, and WWPI NBC 16, and streamed on YouTube. Season 11 aired April through June 2026.
- Greenlight Maine College Edition Televised pitch competition series targeting Maine college students with business ideas at any stage of development. Ten contestants compete in a televised pitch-off, with three finalists advancing to a Collegiate Finale for a $25,000 cash prize. Aired on Maine Public Television stations.
- Elevating Voices Documentary series that spotlights and celebrates diversity in Maine business, featuring inspiring stories of business owners from diverse backgrounds and their contributions to Maine's economic and cultural vitality.
- Greenlight Maine Productions The production company brand that creates all Greenlight Maine television programming, including the main series, College Edition, and Elevating Voices.
Quantifiable outcome
- Cumulatively more than $25M has been invested in former contestants' companies since they appeared on Greenlight Maine
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Greenlight Maine
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Greenlight Maine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Greenlight Maine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UpStart MainecoreCollaboration with Greenlight Maine on the Bangor 'Boot Camp' accelerator program helping small Maine businesses scale up and prepare for the pitch-competition TV series. Five participating companies receive mentorship in financial readiness, customer validation, operations, leadership, and pitch development.
- Thomas CollegecoreThomas College partners with Greenlight Maine to mentor student entrepreneurs through their Institute for Business Innovation, supporting the College Edition series.
- Maine & Co.minorCo-host of the 3rd Annual Maine & Co. / Greenlight Maine Golf Tournament raising funds for both organizations' missions of attracting and scaling Maine businesses.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Greenlight Maine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- MassChallenge: Global startup accelerator with strong New England presence that runs pitch competitions and cohorts. Comparable founder-development programming targeting early-stage companies, though at a larger institutional scale.
- 1 Million Cups (Kauffman Foundation): Free, recurring entrepreneur community-meeting program run by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation across U.S. cities including Maine. Comparable community-driven pitch format at scale, without a broadcast-TV angle.
Direct peers
- Maine Startup Challenge: Maine-based startup pitch competition connecting early-stage founders with investors and mentors. Operates in the same state and target audience as Greenlight Maine, providing a non-televised alternative pitch platform.
- UpStart Maine: Startup accelerator and resource hub for Maine entrepreneurs, and an active partner with Greenlight Maine on the Bangor Boot Camp program. Operates in the same geographic and entrepreneur-development niche.
- Maine Center for Entrepreneurs: Statewide Maine-based entrepreneur support organization running pitch events, accelerators, and startup competitions. Direct peer in geography and target audience, though operates without a televised component.
- Project Pitch It: Televised pitch competition in Wisconsin modeled on a similar format to Greenlight Maine, where entrepreneurs compete for cash and prizes. Closest analog as a regional televised business pitch show.
Broad incumbents
- CNBC's The Profit: Long-running CNBC reality show featuring Marcus Lemonis investing in and restructuring small businesses. Comparable small-business reality TV format from a major national broadcaster.
- Shark Tank (MGM Television / Mark Burnett): National televised pitch competition produced by MGM Television featuring entrepreneurs pitching celebrity investors. Conceptually identical format at national scale; the dominant incumbent in pitch-competition TV.
- Bloomberg's The Startup: Bloomberg's recurring small-business and entrepreneur video content featuring founder stories and pitch-style segments. Comparable televised/digital business storytelling format at national scale.
Emerging players
- Techstars Startup Weekend: Global weekend pitch and entrepreneurship events connecting founders, mentors and investors. Comparable early-stage founder pitch competition though not televised; reaches a similar startup demographic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Greenlight Maine social profiles
Digital presenceGreenlight Maine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Greenlight Maine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Greenlight Maine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Greenlight Maine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Greenlight Maine
What does Greenlight Maine do?
Greenlight Maine Productions creates televised pitch-competition series that spotlight and fund Maine entrepreneurs. Its three programs—Greenlight Maine (main show), College Edition (student edition), and Elevating Voices (diversity documentary series)—air on Maine broadcast stations and YouTube, awarding cash prizes funded by corporate sponsors and providing contestants with media exposure, mentorship from judges, and investor connections.
Is Greenlight Maine a public or private company?
Greenlight Maine is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Greenlight Maine founded?
Greenlight Maine was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Greenlight Maine based?
Greenlight Maine is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Greenlight Maine make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Television Advertising/Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships.
Who are Greenlight Maine's main competitors?
Regional players on record are MassChallenge and 1 Million Cups (Kauffman Foundation). Direct peers are Maine Startup Challenge, UpStart Maine, Maine Center for Entrepreneurs and Project Pitch It. Broad incumbents are CNBC's The Profit, Shark Tank (MGM Television / Mark Burnett) and Bloomberg's The Startup. Techstars Startup Weekend is listed as an emerging player.
Does Greenlight Maine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Greenlight Maine.
What industry is Greenlight Maine in?
Greenlight Maine's product category is Television Production / Pitch Competition Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAKAD, Film Festivals & Festival Organizers, with a secondary code of MPAGAOAN, Virtual Awards Ceremonies & Competitions (Judging, Voting). Its NAICS code is 512 and its SIC code is 7812.