Meet the Scratchpad Accelerator Team

Meet the Team

Scratchpad Accelerator is a partnership between Dr. Jason Harkins and Lisa Liberatore.

We have worked in the Bangor Region and Maine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem together since 2015 when we ran the inaugural Scratchpad Accelerator.

Jason Harkins, PhD

Co-Managing Director

EMAIL JASON: jason@scratchpadaccelerator.com

Jason Harkins is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Maine Business School. In addition to his academic research, he has worked within the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state since arriving in 2008.

He has acted as a fractional executive officer and advisory board member for several scalable, investment oriented companies in and through the seed stage of investment. He ran Scratchpad Accelerator in 2015 and 2017 with Lisa and facilitated Bangor Top Gun classes from 2013-2017. He has attended a number of conferences and meetings on accelerator best practices throughout the country.

At Scratchpad, he is the team leader, overseeing all aspects of the program with a key focus on developing the business roadmap, setting and monitoring milestones for investment, accelerating the learning cycles, and coaching entrepreneurs.

Lisa Liberatore

Co-Managing Director

EMAIL LISA: lisa@scratchpadaccelerator.com

Lisa Liberatore is a serial entrepreneur with a master’s degree in educational leadership. She started with Baxter Tea Company, a coffee and tea company, is the founder of Lisa’s Legit Burritos and most recently CoVort, Bangor’s only co-working space. She ran Scratchpad Accelerator in 2015 and 2017 with Jason and ran 2016’s Bangor Top Gun class.

She has a broad and diverse network and is a skilled connector of people. She is a member of the Startup Champions Network, an invitation only national network of professional ecosystem builders, and remains an invaluable resource for the founders as they seek out new mentors.

At Scratchpad, she facilitates mentor interactions, learning sessions and focuses on building a cohesive cohort. She interfaces with UpStart Maine and its coalition members to plan events and build the culture of entrepreneurship.