Nexus Maine- April Showers Bring...
More coffee dates! And getting ready for Startup Maine Week.
Spring is doing its rainy thing, but damp weather hasn’t dampened this group’s unstoppable drive for connection or insatiable thirst for coffee meetups. (Seriously, I think Nexus might be the most caffeinated collection of people I’ve ever met.)
Speaking of coffee… our friends at Startup Maine have invited Nexus to host two coffee meetups as part of Startup Maine Week (details below). We’d love to see you there!
More broadly, Startup Maine has organized an incredible week of programming, with many Nexus members participating in panels and speaking sessions. We encourage you to grab a ticket and to participate.
Lastly, if you know anyone great for this group, please send them here to apply.
Here’s Baxter celebrating his millionth coffee meeting—cheers to endless networking vibes! ☕🎉
What’s in this newsletter
Reminder: Nexus Member Directory
Event Highlights
Jobs & Talent
Member Spotlight: Kylie Hardies
Reminder: Nexus Member Directory
If you haven’t already, please fill out our new Nexus Member Directory! Our goal is for Nexus members to more easily connect with each other by highlighting similar industries, jobs, and interests in a simple interface.
Event Highlights
May 15: Innovation, Workforce, and Research Conference (IWRC)
May 16: Maine Entrepreneur Summit
May 19: The Founder Residency Venture Showcase
May 19-22: Startup Maine Week!
Register Here and check out the programming for the entire week
May 20: Nexus Maine Coffee Meetup
Kickstart your day at Startup Maine Week by joining us for coffee at 8:00am on May 20th. No registration needed. Maine Center, 300 Fore St. (Living Room)
May 21: Women Connect- A Nexus Maine Community (coffee networking meetup)
Small group convos on topics you care about: leadership, burnout, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and more. No prep needed—just show up, grab coffee, and dive in. Maine Center, 300 Fore St. (Living Room) at 7:30 am.
May 28: Dirigo Labs Pitch Competition
Check out our Events Calendar Link in Notion for more. Are you an event owner? Submit your event here to be added to the calendar!
Nexus Jobs & Talent
Hiring:
MedRhythms is hiring an operations associate
Nexus Contact: Brian Bousquet-Smith
Maine Initiatives is hiring a Director of Finance
Nexus Contact: Rumbi
Loop is hiring a VP of engineering
Nexus Contact: Chelsea Allen
UDisk is hiring a growth marketer
Nexus Contact: Josh Lichti
Retego is looking for a Chief of Staff.
Nexus Contact: Jason Cianchette
FYI - There are more postings in the #Nexus-Jobs channel in slack. If you are looking for great talent or considering your next move please reach out to Jimmy and George and we’ll help connect you!
Member Spotlight: Kylie Hardies
Career/Bio overview
I’m a self-taught product designer (aka UX designer) with specialties in design thinking, user testing, and human computer interaction. In January, I left my job at a NY-based cybersecurity startup to begin a more locally focused era of my career. Now, I’m freelancing with startups (that I’ve been connected to through Nexus mostly!) to help both their in-app experience and digital marketing presence.
Maybe more notable are my Maine-based entrepreneurial projects:
1) My husband, John, and I are starting a mobile sauna business. Village Sauna (arriving this summer!) is born out of a desire to help Mainers meet others through a restorative activity that helps us enjoy our beautiful environment here on cold days.
2) I’m building technology to help restaurants accommodate folks with dietary restrictions. Needing to eat gluten-free and having an eye for well-designed allergen information on menus has led me to productize easy-to-build allergen menus. Iteration 1 of this effort, on pallergen.com, is a handy collection of the top GF offerings in the Portland area.
Why Maine?
I can’t go more than a few days without hearing Mainers talk about the love for living here. There’s a shared value in Maine that hits home for me: to embrace our surroundings, no matter the season. I’m a fairly new SoPo resident — fulfilling my childhood dream of living near a beach — and I’m happily overwhelmed by the endless list of adventures and outings in my home state.
Away from the keyboard
I’m captain of year-round co-ed basketball and volleyball teams (my primary method of making friends after moving to a new place), I’ve spent a year learning how to make funky and sometimes elegant mugs at Handful Studios, and I bring my people together often at Orange Bike Brewing for the highest quality gluten-free beer that all my non-GF friends enjoy.
Let’s talk
Reach out on Slack or via email (kyliekearns1@gmail.com) — I’m always looking to meet more folks over a Second Rodeo coffee!
Thank you for making this community special, everyone! See you on Slack.
George & Jimmy
Thank you to our sponsor Maine Technology Institute for supporting Nexus Maine.
