PORTLAND, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined with Steve Case, AOL co-founder, Revolution CEO, and a member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, to showcase the important role that startups play in the Maine economy while visiting several local businesses in the Portland area. Senator King joined Case for the final leg of the Rise of the Rest Road Tour, a nationwide effort to highlight and invest in entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems across the United States.

“By harnessing the power of innovative ideas and turning them into businesses, startups continue to help create jobs and grow our economy in new and creative ways,” Senator King said. “The Rise of the Rest Tour’s visit here today is both a tribute to that and a recognition that Portland and its entrepreneurs, with all their ingenuity and talent, are at the top of their class when it comes to driving tomorrow’s economy. I thank Steve Case and everyone involved for recognizing Portland and for fostering the entrepreneurial spirit and collaboration that helps build economic opportunities across Maine and the nation.”   

“Great startups can be found everywhere, not just in Silicon Valley and entrepreneurs are building great companies in ‘Rise of the Rest’ regions across the U.S.,” said Case. “Today we shined a spotlight on Portland and were thrilled to join Senator King as we explored how startup economies are built locally, create jobs, and enable America to remain the most competitive country in the world.”

As part of today’s tour, Senator King and Case visited several businesses that play important roles in Portland’s emerging startup ecosystem, including Certify and the Think Tank Coworking Space. Certify is a software company that specializes in travel and expense report management, and the Think Tank Coworking Space is Maine’s largest coworking facility that allows startups to access resources, share office space, and lower ‎overhead costs.  

The Rise of the Rest tour will culminate later today with a pitch competition and celebration at Port City Music ‎Hall where several Maine startups will compete for $100,000 in investment funding. The Rise of the Rest tour has traveled to 14 cities and invested $1.5 million in new businesses. The tour is sponsored by Revolution, Google for Entrepreneurs, and Salesforce for Startups.

Following his visits this morning, Senator King will tour Catalyst’s Rumford Mill and Madison Paper this afternoon in advance of the International Trade Administration’s expected final subsidy determination later this month.

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