David Rieveschl
David is an attorney at Baker Donelson who concentrates his practice on securities, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and banking law. He is an expert in contract negotiation and corporate law and governance. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Drew Brees
As often attributed to Spiderman (but originally stated in New Orleans by New York City Mayor-Elect Thomas Francis Gilroy in 1892), ”With great power comes great responsibility.” Drew Brees arguably has a lot of both, and luckily for Louisiana he uses his influence for good in many areas of the community. Most notably related to tech and entrepreneurship, his foundation has been a big part of the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge. He’s also shown he isn’t afraid to dabble into entrepreneurship on his own with the recent opening of a Jimmy John’s franchise in Metairie and the launch of NINE Brand. On Twitter.
Dustin Puryear
Dustin provides managed IT to businesses in the Baton Rouge and Lafayette areas through his company Puryear IT. He is the current CEO and founder of the ten year old company which provides high-quality management of their desktops, servers, network and security, going beyond other companies. On Twitter. On LinkedIn.
Gary Solomon, Jr.
As founder the Soloman Group, Gary uses his expertise on emerging trends and new technologies to fuel the entertainment and video production company. In 2009, he became the managing director of Le Petit Theater at the age of 22 and brought the much older theater back to life. Gary attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and sits on the board of the NOCCA Institute as well as Young Audiences Louisiana. On LinkedIn.
Hugh Uhalt
Hugh is a principal in Kingfish Development, the firm that purchased the former Chevron building in downtown New Orleans last year and turned the building into a tech hub. Since the purchase, the building has been renamed, “Exchange Centre” after their namesake tenant, The Receivables Exchange, who moved in last year. Uhalt is also an angel investor and a member of the New Orleans Startup Fund.
James McNamara
James McNamara is acting President and CEO at BioDistrict New Orleans, making him responsible for the 1500 acre Bio-science District. Before that, he served as the Managing Principal of Exchange Equity, the President and CEO of McNamara Associates and was the Commissioner of the Downtown Development District for over 20 years. McNamara is considered one of the movers and shakers on New Orleans in addition to his involvement in numerous other professional organizations throughout the country. On LinkedIn.
Jamie Smyth
Jamie is the CEO of the Smyth Group, a full service software company specializing in iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry app development in Baton Rouge. Known as a software development expert, he has years of experience programming with various companies before founding his own. On LinkedIn.
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. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Jason Nicosia
Jason is new on the entrepreneurial scene. After working in the corporate world for years, he moved from Baton Rouge to New Orleans to start the social fundraising platform Connect for a Cause. His company is in the 2013 IDEAxcelerator class and has a beta website launching soon. You can check out Jason’s essential reading for anyone building a startup here. On Twitter. On LinkedIn.
Jeff Lyons
Jeff founded myPhoneMD, the smartphone parts, repairs and accessories company with Conrad Green. He believes in the viability of the Louisiana market for starting a new business that focuses on new technology, and both entrepreneurs credit telecommunications as the cutting-edge business to bring a new economy to Louisiana. Since opening their first store in 2009, they’ve grown to 8 locations in 2 states. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Jeff Pellegrin
Jeff is the VP of Business Development at BitRaider, a Florida-based company which moved to Baton Rouge in the spring of last year. Prior to working there, he founded the Louisiana Gaming Initiative, a company which provided economic development, consulting and advisory services for the state’s digital media, software, and video game industry. Jeff also rode the Louisiana Startup Bus earlier this year. On LinkedIn.
- Launch Pad is the premier co-working space in New Orleans with a variety of options to meet your workspace needs. Visit them in the IP Building and check out the great environment!
- Louisiana Technology Park is a premier business incubator based in Baton Rouge that helps startups grow. Don’t forget to follow @latechpark on twitter.
- New Orleans BioInnovation Center is home to an expert team in the science, technology, law, and business fields who offer unparalleled services for commercializing today’s leading research and innovative ideas.
- Eiffel Society is an amazing special events venue and reception hall where our event will take place. Follow them on twitter @EiffelSociety.
- BioDistrict New Orleans is focused on the development of a biosciences industry in New Orleans. Learn more here.