Launch Fest is the highly anticipated one-day startup conference and demo day that brings together investors, mentors, and speakers and features practical advice to inspire the next generation of New Orleans entrepreneurs.
The morning half of the conference included five world-class speaker sessions followed by Fail Fest, in which four seasoned and successful entrepreneurs shared what they had learned over the years, and seven startup pitches.
Launch Fest is part of the entrepreneur “postseason,” which follows New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) and a season worth of events and mentorship. The companies that demoed at Launch Fest were chosen as the top companies from NOEW.
After today (May 1), the class of 2014 Launch Fest companies will go on to New York and San Francisco to continue to showcase the local startup scene in the two tech hubs.
“It’s critical for New Orleans startups to build a national network. The New Orleans Startup Showcase is a platform for entrepreneurs to plug into the networks we’ve built in New York and San Francisco of investors who care about New Orleans and can partner with local angels to help companies get to the next level.” said Chris Schultz, cofounder of Launch Pad. “All of the companies have an unfair advantage because they are here in New Orleans.”
“This tour of New Orleans top startups provides exposure in key markets to the entrepreneurial renaissance that is happening in New Orleans. By taking the show on the road, we’re reinforcing the image of the “new” New Orleans – a place that is highly innovative and uncommonly supportive of business. ” said Michael Hecht, CEO of GNO, Inc.
Meet the seven startups below:
mSchool – Pandora-style middleware for educational software that learns how students learn best.
mSchool is the first content agnostic, macro-adaptive platform solving the sharing data problem in schools
Werkly – Airbnb for skilled and unskilled local labor.
Werkly is a labor marketplace with results that can be sorted by skills, ratings, price, social connection and location.
GetHealthy – Incentive platform for direct payer healthcare for employees.
GetHealthy is an evidence-based health and wellness platform that develops customized solutions and services for companies and insurance providers seeking to engage and improve the health of their employees and policyholders.
Niko Niko – Real-time employee mood tracking and analytics.
Niko Niko makes it easy for managers and team leaders to get a quick overview of their teams’ emotions, morale, and productivity via customizable and user-friendly email and phone prompts.
Maritant – Amazon for the shipbuilding industry.
Maritant provides instant access to the equipment data that marine engineers, naval architects and shipbuilders need by bringing the process from traditional paper to a modern digital platform.
FundTag – Fundraising for local nonprofits by shopping locally.
FundTag is a free mobile app that allows users to raise money for college and obtain donations for their favorite schools, churches and nonprofits by simply shopping at participating stores and restaurants.
Education Everytime – Classroom behavior management through music.
Education Everytime is the education technology company that uses the power of songs to maximize student-learning time.