Esteemed Panelists to Participate in the 2014 Showcase Pitch Event

PORTLAND, Maine - The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development (MCED) and the University of Maine’s Target Technology Incubator are pleased to announce the panelists to participate in the 2014 Top Gun Showcase pitch event.

The June 4th event marks the completion of the fifth Top Gun Class and will feature pitches from 12 of the 20 companies who participated in the 2014 Top Gun program. The panelists will listen to pitches and provide both written and verbal feedback with an online tool.

This is the third year that MCED, in collaboration with the University of Maine’s Target Technology Center, expanded the program statewide to reach even more Maine-based companies. The 20 participating companies are based throughout the state of Maine. The Top Gun program is made possible by the Blackstone Accelerates Growth initiative (BxG), the Maine Technology Institute, as well as many local business sponsors, program advisors and mentors.

The panelists provide invaluable feedback to the Top Gun companies by helping them refine their pitch and identify opportunities to highlight the most important aspects of a company.

The following panelists will be evaluating the entrepreneurs’ pitches:

Dave Anderson - Managing Director, Supply Chain Ventures
Gena Canning - Managing Partner, Pine Street Trading
Alicia DePatsy - Owner/Creative Strategist, Dragonfly Id Marketing
Taja Dockendorf - Owner and Brand Strategist, Pulp and Wire
Ian Kopp - President/COO, Kenway Corporation
Luke Livingston - Founder, Baxter Brewing
Rumena Manolova - Vice President, Blackstone Advisory Partners L.P.
Robert Martin - President, Maine Technology Institute
Chris Pasko - Senior Managing Director/Global Head of Technology Advisory, Blackstone Advisory Partners, L.P.
Jeffery W. Spaulding - Shareholder, Eaton Peabody
Chris Speh - Board Chair, Common Good Ventures
Bill Williamson – Maine State President, Bank of America Corporation


About MCED and Top Gun Maine
Top Gun is an annual five-month program for competitively selected entrepreneurs that combines mentoring with high-impact bi-weekly gatherings held simultaneously in Portland and Bangor.

MCED is a business incubator in Portland, Maine that provides high-quality information, mentorship, world-class training, and expertise to encourage sustainable, Maine-based entrepreneurship in a global economy. MCED increases the success rate of scalable, innovative companies by leveraging the collective resources of Maine’s three technology centers and eliminating geographic barriers statewide. For more information about the Top Gun program or the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, please visit the MCED Website.

About Blackstone Accelerates Growth
Launched by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Blackstone Accelerate Growth builds an intentional community and culture of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout Maine.  The collaborative partnership catalyzes growth of innovative businesses by connecting companies and entrepreneurs with the resources they need. For more information, visit www.blackstonegrowth.com.