Week in Review: December 30, 2013

The Silicon Bayou has been buzzing with tech and entrepreneurial news. Here are the most popular stories published on Silicon Bayou News in the past seven days:

 

TechCrunch to Host Meetup and Pitch-Off in New Orleans

Starting in late February, TechCrunch will be visiting New Orleans, among other locations Atlanta, Washington D.C., New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, to host a first-of-its-kind event in the city. The New Orleans event will be both a meetup for the community and a pitch competition for the best local startups. On February 20th, 2014, TechCrunch hopes to attract investors, entrepreneurs, dreamers and tech enthusiasts to network and pitch to impress the judges.

The 2013 Silicon Bayou 100: Group 1

The Silicon Bayou 100 is a list of 100 people who have done the coolest stuff in Louisiana entrepreneurship and tech and have most influenced Louisiana’s startup, entrepreneurial, tech, and digital communities this year. Group 1 highlights the first 11 names on the alphabetical list. Thanks again to our sponsors: 365 ConnectNew Orleans Startup FundLaunch PadRon Bienvenu,Eiffel Society and The Idea Village!

Good Eggs Grows and Now Offers Gifting

Good Eggs, the Etsy meets farmers market that connects consumers to farmers and food vendors through a virtual marketplace, has made a big impact in the last year alone. Good Eggs recently launched an entire gifting category on the site in addition to expanded delivery sites on Wednesday, including Algiers, Gretna, Metairie, Jefferson and River Ridge. Gift cards, gift baskets and gift orders are now available. “We’re thrilled at the response we’ve been getting from our customers and the community over the past couple of months, and we’re excited to keep our expansion going in 2014!” Tess Monaghan said last week.

From Failed TransGenRx, Niche Biotech Company Develops

Baton Rouge-based biopharmaceutical manufacturing company TransGenRx was founded in 2002 to reduce the cost of producing protein-based drugs. In 2012, TransGenRx announced it had secured $1.3 million to develop antiviral agents. Fast forward a year later and it became clear, through the emergence of court records, that the company owed $7.9 million to investors and lenders after failing to secure additional funding. A major shareholder in TransGenRx, ProteoVec, bought out the company’s assets, including the intellectual property and equipment, after saying they still believe in the technology. The deal was done for $400,000.

IBM Services Center in Baton Rouge Ahead of Hiring Goals

Back in March, IBM Senior Vice President Colleen Arnold and Governor Bobby Jindalannounced the plan for the IBM Services Center: Baton Rouge, a software development project that is estimated to create 800 tech jobs. According to Dima Ghawi, Manager of Talent Development at IBM, the company is ahead of hiring goals and has hired more than 100 new employees. The Center is expected to open in the spring of 2015.

Financial Fridays: New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business

Hibernia Bank writes that you shouldn’t just create a personal resolution, but one for your business as well.”When trying to figure out your professional resolution, you have to be able to think objectively about yourself. If your boss is always staring disdainfully at a pile of papers on your desk, and one or two assignments has slipped past you by accident during December – then perhaps an organizational course might be just the ticket to making 2014 better than 2013. But if your job requires creativity, a messy workplace can be the most productive workplace.”