The Roux Institute announces its fifth Founder Residency Cohort

Northeastern University’s Roux Institute has announced the fifth cohort of their Founder Residency Program. Each of the ten startups selected for the program will receive a $25,000 grant in non-dilutive funding, extensive curated programming, mentorship from renowned experts in relevant domains, joint research opportunities, a peer community, and more. Most importantly, founders will have access to and the opportunity to collaborate with Northeastern’s vast global network of students, researchers, academics, and investors.

As part of the Roux Institute’s mission to create a diverse and equitable startup ecosystem in Maine, the Founder Residency program focuses on serving founders who come from historically marginalized backgrounds, specifically women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

This year set records for applications, with startups from 15 U.S. states and nine countries applying to join the cohort. Through a comprehensive selection process, the final 10 startups were selected based on various criteria including their team, traction, technology, and how much they could benefit from the Roux Institute’s expertise. The startups will spend the next 12 months at the Roux Institute’s Portland, Maine campus, working among peers, mentors, researchers, students, faculty, and domain experts to mature and scale their businesses. Founders will receive programming that focuses on building a highly scalable tech business, and each startup will be matched with two to five mentors who will help guide them through the process of building and scaling their business.

Founder Residency Director Santiago Zindel Mundet Cruz says that currently, less than 5% of venture capital funding in the United States goes to women, Black, Latino, & LGBTQ+ founders. He emphasized the importance of an entrepreneurship program that focuses on underrepresented populations.

“We’re creating opportunities for startup founders who are building and diversifying Maine’s economy,” Zindel said. “Through the Founder Residency, we’re able to build cohorts that support each other, and we’re thrilled to welcome these startups to the Roux community.”

Don’t miss your opportunity to meet the members of the newest cohort. RSVP now for the kickoff event on Thursday, September 19 at Rising Tide Brewing Company.

The 10 companies in the newest cohort of the Roux Institute’s Founder Residency are:

Algas Organics (Wilmington, Delaware): Algas Organics has developed a patented extraction technology that enables the company to identify and extract cellulose and novel compounds from invasive seaweed and agricultural waste to produce cost-effective, deforestation-free pulp fiber alternatives.

Brief (Seattle, Washington): Brief helps small and emerging businesses understand their every day contracts, including vendor agreements, terms of service, and non-disclosure agreements, to close deals faster and lower their attorney fees.

Dirigo Sea Farm (Kittery, Maine): Dirigo Sea Farm is a women-founded materials company using Maine kelp to produce bioplastic films to replace single-use and non-biodegradable plastic.

Drip Labs (Portland, Maine): Drip Labs elevates small business loyalty by uniting local establishments through a membership and loyalty platform. By integrating digital punch cards and customizable membership benefits, businesses generate sustainable revenue, enhance customer retention, and deepen community impact.

Integrated Reality Labs (Wayne, Pennsylvania): Integrated Reality Labs is building a patent-pending platform that facilitates low-latency device mapping in any environment using just a smartphone. They are currently leveraging this proximity tech to transform hybrid games that use smartphones to power real life play.

Kind Mind (Falmouth, Maine): Kind Mind is committed to cultivating and nurturing compassion in schools to address the growing mental health epidemic and rise in bullying. They provide simple, practice-based curriculum that has been proven to lower anxiety, conduct problems, and ADHD symptoms while increasing children’s ability to regulate independently and have a strong sense of belonging.

Myorbit (South Portland, Maine): My Orbit is dedicated to combatting loneliness in America by fostering deeper personal connections. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, their app is designed to help people reconnect with their loved ones and create more in-person interactions.

Pulse (Madrid, Spain): Pulse is a consumer mobile app designed to streamline the coordination of spontaneous plans and create a more casual, low-pressure environment for inviting friends. The platform’s mission is to not only strengthen existing friendships but to also facilitate the expansion of social circles.

Quill & Pigeon (Yarmouth, Maine): Quill & Pigeon is a Maine-based startup creating an online marketplace for eco-friendly, artistically unique greeting cards sourced from local artists. They blend technology with tradition to facilitate meaningful offline communication through curated, thoughtful cards.

Wellsort (Kennebunk, Maine): WellSort helps students prioritize their mental health and well-being. Students take part in a simple but powerful drag and drop card sorting activity that helps them organize, clarify, and articulate their wellness priorities. The platform is also a data-gathering tool for schools and colleges, with aggregate user data reported back to each school so that they can tailor programs and optimize resource allocation.

The Roux Institute is committed to economic opportunity in Maine and beyond. Explore how we’re reinventing the way universities support entrepreneurs.