11. Audiosocket: Brent McCrossen & John Barnette
Brent is a native New Orleanian who left like many others during the brain drain. He started Audiosocket in 2005, and once the tax credits in Louisiana made the state startup-friendly, he opened a dual-headquarters office in New Orleans. When he came back, he brought CTO John Barnette with him. Together they’ve mentored entrepreneurs through Launch Pad Ignition and worked connections to bring Ruby Conf to town two years in a row and pulled all the pieces together for #ampblock. Audiosocket on Twitter. Brent On LinkedIn. John On LinkedIn. John On Twitter.
12. Clayton White
Clayton is most well known as being the leader of South Coast Angel Fund, a group of investors pooling funds and spreading risk while investing in Louisiana businesses. Outside of South Coast, Clayton consults with businesses on growth and profitability through Simmons & White, LLC. On LinkedIn.
13. Jared Loftus
Jared describes himself as a “serial starter” and we certainly agree. He kicked off his entrepreneurial days with Tiger District, and has since put his good name into companies like Ninja Snowballs, College District, Socially Awkward, and Taco de Paco. He also recently invested directly into the Baton Rouge entrepreneurial scene as a co-founder of Entrepreneur Headquarters. We don’t think you’ll catch this one sitting still. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
14. Neel Sus
Neel Sus is an engineer by education but a true business man by trade. He’s currently the CEO of Susco Solutions, a productivity software development firm, and Touch Studios, a mobile development firm, both based in New Orleans. Outside of his own businesses, he is a founding member of Net2NO, a mentor to young entrepreneurs, and is involved as a board or committee member in many local organizations including the American Marketing Association, Louisiana Technology Council, and GNO, Inc. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
15. Peter Bodenheimer
We’ve referred to Peter previously as a behind-the-scenes guy who gets things done. His resume shows a man who quickly rose through the ranks of interactive marketing. Today he is a partner at FlatStack, a software development firm, an, “untitled collaborator” for Voodoo Ventures, and a partner and co-founder of Launch Pad Ignition. Peter’s passion and drive are sure to bring many more successes to him and those around him in the future. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
16. Barre Tanguis
Along with Chris Schultz and Will Donaldson, Barre is a co-founder and partner of Launch Pad, the primary co-working space in New Orleans. He’s the one you’ll see making the most new friends on any given “free beer Friday” and is frequently lugging kegs all over town for events like Launch Fest, TribeCon, and the Launch Pad holiday shindig. Barre is also a partner in Launch Pad Ignition and the owner of Simdustrial, a 3D training model and simulations firm. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
17. Robert Leblanc
Robert began his entrepreneurial days as the self-employed owner of The Renaissance Initiative, a branding company focused on the fashion industry. Later he became the managing partner of Lifestyle Revolution Group (LRG). LRG gained popularity as the owner of Republic, a nightclub in the New Orleans’ Warehouse District and then Le Phare, a smaller but swanky establishment attached to the International House Hotel. Later they seemed to be sprouting restaurants like tentacles. LRG now proudly owns Sylvain, Ste. Marie, and Capdeville – an entrepreneurial haven in the IP Building. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
18. Jameson Quave
Jameson saw success early in his career as a developer and quickly began profiting on his apps and software companies. After previously working as a developer for Susco Solutions, he partnered up with Neel Sus on Touch Studios, where he currently holds the position of COO & co-founder. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
19. Naked Pizza: Jeff Leach & Randy Crochet
With Jeff behind the science and Randy behind the business end, Naked Pizza started rolling out “World’s Healthiest Pizza” on Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans in 2006. Since then, a name change and a lot of national attention have helped Naked Pizza open more than 24 stores (including 3 in Dubai) and the team has over 500 additional stores in development.
20. Jarett Rodriguez
Jarett is a businessman turned educator and mentor who is a driving force behind the entrepreneurship scene in Baton Rouge. As the co-director of the LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute and an “Instructor of Innovation and Creativity” he has molded the minds of many students now creating their own businesses in Baton Rouge. Jarett has traveled to DC representing Baton Rouge’s entrepreneurial movement – showing the whole world that South Louisiana has more to offer than seafood and oil. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
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