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This is somewhat of a tangent, but how is the tech scene in Portland, ME? It's my hometown and I've had thoughts at various times about returning and setting u

by mjolk 13y ago

This is somewhat of a tangent, but how is the tech scene in Portland, ME? It's my hometown and I've had thoughts at various times about returning and setting up shop.

numbsafari 13y ago
It really depends on what you want to do. If you want to raise capital and build a startup here, don't. Or, at least, do so but with your "real" headquarters in Boston, NY or CA. There's a strong effort to try and get things going, but there's a definite lack of capital and the capital you can find in other places will send you a consistent message: "We don't want you in Maine, move here instead." There are some opportunities around maritime businesses (logistics, mostly) and lots of incentives for trying to build small manufacturing and renewable energy businesses... but the school closest to Portland is looking to close its physics department and the state officials responsible for managing the incentive programs have proven multiple times that they cannot be trusted to develop long-term programs. If you have or can develop a remote-work type position, it's a great place to live and work from (as long as you can get good, reliable bandwidth). But if you want to start a software-focused startup ... honestly ... it's an uphill battle.
- mjolk 13y ago
  For reference: I spent the first 20 years of my life in Maine. >If you want to raise capital and build a startup here, don't. Or, at least, do so but with your "real" headquarters in Boston, NY or CA. Ah, yeah. I'm in NYC now. I figured that if I started something in Maine, I'd be on the Noreaster on a semi-regular basis. I wouldn't be looking for an angel investor and would be bootstrapping instead. >but the school closest to Portland is looking to close its physics department Physics isn't Comp Sci, but I get your point. USM was my first school before transferring, so ouch. >If you have or can develop a remote-work type position, it's a great place to live and work from (as long as you can get good, reliable bandwidth). That's sort of what I'm thinking for at least a few years. I'd be looking to buy a place on the West End and then start my own shop when it's reasonably paid down (3-5 years). >But if you want to start a software-focused startup ... honestly ... it's an uphill battle. Thank you for the thoughtful response. It definitely helped me put some things back into perspective.
justinsteele 13y ago
The "scene" is cool. There are local meetups, some small, some mid sized. Monktoberfest just drew quite the crowd. As the other commenter said, there ain't much for investment though, and the companies are a mix of web boutiques, large companies (Unum, Idexx, etc), and a startup here or there. I work remotely, which gives me the benefits of being in Portland while making a NYC salary, but even when I was working for a Portland firm I was still making a good wage.
- noise 13y ago
  +1, I've been working remotely from Portland for 11 years now, great place to live but tech jobs are scarce vs. Boston, NYC, SF.
  - mjolk 13y ago
    Are you a remote-worker as well? My concern would be that my company in NYC would decide to let me go remote, then change its mind due later about telecommuting and it would put me in a rough spot.
- mjolk 13y ago
  >I work remotely, which gives me the benefits of being in Portland while making a NYC salary, but even when I was working for a Portland firm I was still making a good wage. I'd be looking to do something similar actually (I'm in NYC too). What kind of work is it predominantly? You mentioned web boutiques and that's sort of what I was expecting.
mosburger 13y ago
Adding onto justinsteele and numbsafari ... I've been working remotely since 2007 because there aren't a ton of jobs up here except for large-shop Java and .net work, and that really wasn't for me. It's kinda surprising how many people live in Portland and work remotely, and it seems like I keep discovering more all the time. But as far as startups go, I think numbsafari nailed it. I worked for a smallish company back in the mid-2000s, and it's likely that things have changed, but back then the tech-related investors wanted you to move to Boston, and the local investors didn't really grasp how to value software - they were more interested in how many forklifts you had as collateral. :-/ But I do get the sense that things have improved a bit since then.
- mjolk 13y ago
  >It's kinda surprising how many people live in Portland and work remotely, and it seems like I keep discovering more all the time. That's what I'd be doing at first. It's such a nice city, but business just can't seem to stick. >I worked for a smallish company back in the mid-2000s, and it's likely that things have changed, but back then the tech-related investors wanted you to move to Boston Ha! My first job was at GWI.net. I didn't realize how lowly paid Maine tech was until I moved.

by mjolk 13y ago

This is somewhat of a tangent, but how is the tech scene in Portland, ME? It's my hometown and I've had thoughts at various times about returning and setting up shop.

numbsafari 13y ago

It really depends on what you want to do. If you want to raise capital and build a startup here, don't. Or, at least, do so but with your "real" headquarters in Boston, NY or CA. There's a strong effort to try and get things going, but there's a definite lack of capital and the capital you can find in other places will send you a consistent message: "We don't want you in Maine, move here instead." There are some opportunities around maritime businesses (logistics, mostly) and lots of incentives for trying to build small manufacturing and renewable energy businesses... but the school closest to Portland is looking to close its physics department and the state officials responsible for managing the incentive programs have proven multiple times that they cannot be trusted to develop long-term programs. If you have or can develop a remote-work type position, it's a great place to live and work from (as long as you can get good, reliable bandwidth). But if you want to start a software-focused startup ... honestly ... it's an uphill battle.

mjolk 13y ago
For reference: I spent the first 20 years of my life in Maine. >If you want to raise capital and build a startup here, don't. Or, at least, do so but with your "real" headquarters in Boston, NY or CA. Ah, yeah. I'm in NYC now. I figured that if I started something in Maine, I'd be on the Noreaster on a semi-regular basis. I wouldn't be looking for an angel investor and would be bootstrapping instead. >but the school closest to Portland is looking to close its physics department Physics isn't Comp Sci, but I get your point. USM was my first school before transferring, so ouch. >If you have or can develop a remote-work type position, it's a great place to live and work from (as long as you can get good, reliable bandwidth). That's sort of what I'm thinking for at least a few years. I'd be looking to buy a place on the West End and then start my own shop when it's reasonably paid down (3-5 years). >But if you want to start a software-focused startup ... honestly ... it's an uphill battle. Thank you for the thoughtful response. It definitely helped me put some things back into perspective.

justinsteele 13y ago

The "scene" is cool. There are local meetups, some small, some mid sized. Monktoberfest just drew quite the crowd. As the other commenter said, there ain't much for investment though, and the companies are a mix of web boutiques, large companies (Unum, Idexx, etc), and a startup here or there. I work remotely, which gives me the benefits of being in Portland while making a NYC salary, but even when I was working for a Portland firm I was still making a good wage.

noise 13y ago
+1, I've been working remotely from Portland for 11 years now, great place to live but tech jobs are scarce vs. Boston, NYC, SF.
- mjolk 13y ago
  Are you a remote-worker as well? My concern would be that my company in NYC would decide to let me go remote, then change its mind due later about telecommuting and it would put me in a rough spot.
mjolk 13y ago
>I work remotely, which gives me the benefits of being in Portland while making a NYC salary, but even when I was working for a Portland firm I was still making a good wage. I'd be looking to do something similar actually (I'm in NYC too). What kind of work is it predominantly? You mentioned web boutiques and that's sort of what I was expecting.

mosburger 13y ago

Adding onto justinsteele and numbsafari ... I've been working remotely since 2007 because there aren't a ton of jobs up here except for large-shop Java and .net work, and that really wasn't for me. It's kinda surprising how many people live in Portland and work remotely, and it seems like I keep discovering more all the time. But as far as startups go, I think numbsafari nailed it. I worked for a smallish company back in the mid-2000s, and it's likely that things have changed, but back then the tech-related investors wanted you to move to Boston, and the local investors didn't really grasp how to value software - they were more interested in how many forklifts you had as collateral. :-/ But I do get the sense that things have improved a bit since then.

mjolk 13y ago
>It's kinda surprising how many people live in Portland and work remotely, and it seems like I keep discovering more all the time. That's what I'd be doing at first. It's such a nice city, but business just can't seem to stick. >I worked for a smallish company back in the mid-2000s, and it's likely that things have changed, but back then the tech-related investors wanted you to move to Boston Ha! My first job was at GWI.net. I didn't realize how lowly paid Maine tech was until I moved.