Tortoise Labs is Maine's favorite startup sidekick.
Tortoise Labs helps you start and grow your business in Maine with friendly support and easy-to-understand guidance, even if you've never done this before.
Too many people don’t have the resources they need to bring their great business ideas to life or grow their businesses to achieve their long-term sales goals.
That’s why we created Tortoise Labs, the incubator that helps driven founders go from idea to paying customers to long-term sales growth.
SERVICES FOR FOUNDERS
You’re someone with a business idea or a business you want to grow, but you don’t know what to do next …
SERVICES FOR ORGANIZATIONS
You’re someone at an organization that supports economic development or aspiring business owners …
“I felt like Tortoise Labs kept me on a forward-moving timeline. It’s been very helpful for me to be able to have someone who will give honest feedback. We are on track to achieve gross sales of $250,000 in year one, and we aim to double that in year two.”
Heather Kerner (she/her), Founder, The Good Crust
Over 50 of our founders have gotten their first paying customers:
We’ve run 35 (and growing) programs with colleges, universities, and nonprofits like these:
“Nick had the tools to make the scaling process not so scary and a lot more calculated. Now, I'm a lot more customer-focused. When I test a product, I can recognize patterns and see the next stage. The skills I have developed through working with Tortoise Labs have shaped my entrepreneurial capabilities ... And our revenue is far, far beyond what we ever did before.”
Dylan Veilleux (he/him), Founder, Tree Free Fire
Meet some of the founders who got started at Tortoise Labs
How $5K and a little grit led to an MVP that did $150K in transactions in three months
Read Michael’s success story >
How Lisa built the business of her dreams and recruited 25 clients in her first year
Read Lisa’s success story >
“If you’re passionate about what you want to do, but you need that extra push, that insight, that perspective — there’s really nowhere else to go where you will get such a comprehensive guide, network, hype, and support ... If you need someone to clarify things, but also help you find your way, work with Tortoise Labs.”
Caitlin Houser (she/her), Founder, Milk Bottle
How do you know if Tortoise Labs is the right fit for you?
If you have a business idea you’d love to bring to life
If you have a business you'd love to grow
If you’re looking for programs for entrepreneurs
If you have a business idea you’d love to bring to life, and ...
You’re excited about the prospect of making money from your ideas for the first time ever
You have a unique skill that’s difficult for other people to do — and an idea for a service that would monetize it
You have a product idea that you’ve been imagining for a while ... but you haven’t actually done anything about it yet
You have a software idea (but you’ve never built software before)
You’re committed to working independently — you need guidance to get your first customers, but you’re ready to put in the work to get there, and beyond
If you have a business you'd love to grow, and ...
You're eager to experience the thrill of taking your business to new heights and expanding your success
You already have a product or service with a clear target audience
Your business has a strong foundation, thanks to steady sales
You need help figuring out the best ways to boost sales and expand your customer base
You're interested in conducting customer research to identify growth opportunities and areas for improvement
If you’re looking for programs for entrepreneurs, and ...
You want a curriculum that’s customized to fit your audience’s needs and your institution’s goals
Accessibility is important to you, and you want to hire facilitators who explain entrepreneurship in simple terms
You care about the connections and community that participants create with each other
You want your participants to get practical, actionable advice, so they can nurture their business ideas and move forward to their next step
“Nick helps you crystallize your thought process, define your market, and make your business dreams real. I had some very bare-bones ideas about what I wanted to do. I said, ‘I'm just going to coach people.’ And then Nick asked me all the questions I didn’t even know I needed to be asking. I have a partner. Nick is my partner, and he helps me do things I can't do.”
Lisa Hallee (she/her), Founder, Lisa Hallee Coaching
We believe that small steps lead to thriving businesses.
But you need to take the right steps to build a sustainable company — starting with evaluating your idea and getting your first customers.
Unlike a lot of other incubators and business advisors, we care about helping our founders thrive at their own pace.
That’s why we go beyond checklists, how-to’s, and actionable advice, and share our philosophy for growth: Move slow. Learn things.
“I felt like Nick and the Tortoise Labs team believed in me, so I believed in myself. And that confidence just changed everything for me.”
Kia Jones (she/her), UX Designer, Omaha Steaks
If you don’t know where to start, start here
Get in touch to see how we can help you or your audience get from idea to paying customers to long-term sales growth.