Challenges

The University of Maine needed a more systematic way to manage industry outreach. Previous efforts relied on spreadsheets and manual research, making it difficult to identify aligned companies, reach decision-makers, and organize outreach by technology or research focus.

Solutions

With FirstIgnite, the university identifies relevant companies and contacts more efficiently. Using Company Search, People Search, and Autopilot, the team runs structured outreach campaigns by technology or portfolio area while reducing manual research time.

Outcomes

Through FirstIgnite, the University of Maine continues to streamline commercialization outreach across multiple active campaigns. For individual technologies and research focus areas, outreach efforts typically generate approximately 5–10 industry meetings and NDAs per campaign, helping build a consistent pipeline of engaged industry partners. Licensing and sponsored research agreements are actively progressing as conversations advance.

Scaled Commercialization Outreach

By streamlining company discovery and contact identification, the university expands outreach across multiple technologies and areas of expertise while saving significant time. The platform also provides a centralized, project-based workflow that makes it easier to organize campaigns, track engagement, and manage ongoing industry relationships.

‍