When Matthew Tritico moved back to New Orleans in 2007, he soon realized that there was a disconnect between talented individuals and the projects of new startups. With so many people moving into the city and dozens of businesses brainstorming new ideas, it was hard for the talent to connect to the work. Enter localsource.it.
Matt Tritico is the organizer of BarCampNOLA, an unconference that takes place annually in July
“I started to realize that there was problem in the city—it was less of a talent problem, more of a connection problem. And so I wanted to set up [localsource.it] to connect people and showcase the talent in the New Orleans tech community,” says Tritico. “It’s a hyper-local directory of tech talent, connecting to people listed in the directory—whether they are freelancers or companies—with any sort of gig…looking for tech talent. We’re also trying to connect people with great ideas that are coming into the city. Some people want to start up a company, some people just want a website for whatever their project is. And they’re looking for talent.
Tritico, who currently works as a Software Developer at Federated Sample, strives to maintain an active role in the New Orleans tech community. He helped organize BarCamp (New Orleans’ “Premiere Tech ‘Unconference'”) in 2007. While working as a Software Developer at the LSU Health Sciences Center, Tritico began localsource.it as a side project.
“It’s very much in the beta phase right now. I put it up online to generate interest, to see if people are interested. And they are interested,” says Tritico. The site currently hosts listings of over 100 professionals and companies in the region specializing in development, design, marketing, and other tech related fields.
The website bears the Greek letter β, denoting a “perpetual beta” status. However, Tritico has recently received help from some experts in the startup community.
In April, Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans (SENO) announced a call for applicants for its Social Startup Accelerator Program. The program aims to assist newly created tech startups in refining ideas and boosting impact with the help of consultants and a network of experts.
Tritico entered localsource.it into the SENO program and was accepted.
“I entered it into SENO because there was such positive feedback when I put it online. They’re doing a great job helping me refine it and find a direction for the site. We’re in the middle of the concept phase right now,” says Tritico. “With them, we’ve been looking at ways to change the site: refine it and make it a little more practical, and then pushing it out to people and marketing it. That’s something I want to do in the future.”
Even in its beginning stages, localsource.it has seen a lot of traffic among freelancers and companies alike.
“As an admin, I see people consistently creating accounts. I see people contacting other people on a weekly basis. I see people talking. It’s being used, but again, it needs to be refined to better serve the users,” says Tritico. “Once I can get the website to where I want it to be, we can start marketing it towards the local individuals and businesses to be a great resource for the community. And that’s the plan.”
Tritico is currently looking for help moving localsource.it to the next level. If you are a developer interested in working on the project, contact him today.