Nexus Maine - Festivus for the rest of us
The future of this community is bright
First off, please fill out our feedback survey! We want to hear from all of you about what you like and don’t like about this community so we can make it is valuable as possible.
Last week, we had so much fun seeing so many of you at our event with Startup Maine! We know the holidays are a crazy time and we are so grateful you chose to spend some of your valuable time with us. Going into the new year, we are thinking of ways to make Nexus stronger than ever and hope to have more to share on that before long.
Lastly, as always, if you know anyone great for this group, please make sure to send them this invite link.
Baxter the moose getting ready for the festivus with the help of his woodland friends. Style of pixar
What’s in this newsletter
Year end survey. Please give us your feedback!
Event Highlights
Jobs
Member Spotlight: Courtney Berkholtz
Event highlights
December 11: Data & AI Social Meetup
December 12: Portland Ovation’s Annual Fundraising Event
December 12: BlueTech Boost Showcase at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
December 19: Propel - Emerging Leaders @ Allagash Brewing
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:
Senior Product Manager and Growth Product Manager - Hometap
Reach out to George Matelich in Slack
Producer - Black Math
Reach out to Jeremy Sahlman in Slack
Director of Finance & Operations - Wolves Neck Center
Reach out to David Gerber in Slack
Member Spotlight: Courtney Berkholtz
I have had many previous lives - as a student, a scientist, an executive consultant, and ultimately found a life in startups when I joined Snapchat in 2015. I have been involved in scaling startups across multiple industries at various stages ever since and I’ve even been a founder a few times. My current venture, Free Spirited, is a distribution company specifically working with non-alcoholic products.
Free Spirited distributes products from St. Agrestis, FruitBelt, RSRV Collective, Figlia, Spritzi, and Woodnose with a desire to continue to develop new relationships. I strive to increase access to NA products and support the development of mocktail options at restaurants and bars in Maine. You can find some of these products on the menus and retail shelves at Free Spirited’s customers: Another Round, Botanically Curious, Sissle & Daughters, Browne Trading, the Portland Zoo, Bissell Brothers, Terra Cotta, Bar Publica, Barber Brothers, Wilson County, Onggi, and Smalls. I’d love to be introduced to new customers wherever you see fit!
As for my move to Maine, I stumbled upon the great state when I wanted to find the best friendly dog hotel in New England in January of 2019. Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth captured Tiberius’s and my heart. We were able to come back twice more prior to the pandemic. When things were dying down in early 2022, we made our way back up here and haven’t left.
Tiberius and I, and now my boyfriend, find ourselves walking the East End, Back Cove, and Old Port with the weather turning, but love to get out on the trails during the warmer months. You can find us playing darts as Amigos, watching soccer at The Portland Zoo or Andy’s, and at Blyth and Burrow’s for $1 oysters on Wednesday.
Can’t wait to see many of you at our next get together! In the meantime, reach me at freespiritedportland@gmail.com and follow me on Instagram @freespiritedportland.
Thank you for making this community special, everyone! See you on Slack.
George & Jimmy
Thank you to our sponsors Eaton Peabody and Maine Technology Institute for supporting Nexus Maine.
Visit eatonpeabody.com or reach out to fellow Nexus member, Marty Grohman at mgrohman@eatonpeabody.com.
