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:
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Launches Fund for Entrepreneurs in the Arts
With a mission to promote, preserve, perpetuate and encourage the music, arts, culture and heritage of communities in Louisiana through its undertakings, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is known for its dedication to the arts in the city. The Foundation has announced the launch of a new program, the Catapult Fund, designed to provide education and access to funding for the state’s creatives and entrepreneurs in the arts.
Silicon Valley to Silicon Bayou: Enquero Makes Investment in Lafayette with New Tech Center
Enquero is an enterprise solutions company delivering business capability as a service to the enterprise segment. The firm announced on July 7th that a new high-performance technology center will be opening in Lafayette. The Agile Delivery Center™ will be the company’s first bricks-and-mortar domestic outsourcing site beyond Silicon Valley. Enquero will launch operations in August and begin hiring soon after. The tech center will create 350 new direct jobs, all of which are expected to be filled by the end of 2017.
Minority Run Startups Win Cash Prizes at PowerMoves.NOLA
PowerMoves.NOLA is the new national initiative designed to provide access to capital, connections and guidance to increase the number of venture-based minority entrepreneurs. Things kicked off last weekend over the 4th of July in conjunction with Essence Festival in New Orleans. Over the course of the weekend, three pitch competitions and a demo day took place, awarding cash and even a fellowship to the winners. Information about all of the winners is available here.
New Orleans Expat Ostroske Now on to His Next E-Commerce Venture
We last heard from New Orleans native Peter Ostroske after he moved to Brazil, raised $3 million for his online fashion brand, and was heading for major success in the vertical and market he was in. Ostroske then switched gears completely and has started an e-commerce company in Colombia that is already becoming a notable force online. Ofi.com.co, which sells business supplies from computers to coffee filters, has raised $250,000 in addition to the $150,000 Ostroske won from the government to launch the company.
Startup Spotlight: It’s Red, White, and Blue Year Round for The NOLA Pie Guy
Contributor Kristine Dickson sat down with The NOLA Pie Guy to discuss the local business and plans to expand nationally through an e-commerce platform. Next up for NOLA Pie Guy is to advance to full-scale shipping of his pies nationwide and maybe a name change to Sugah. Find out more here.
The SEC’s Cybersecurity Initiative
Luke Falgoust is an associate at the Jones Walker law firm in Business & Commercial Transactions Practice Group. He contributes to the recently launched Trade Secret Insider, which chronicles legal insights on trade secrets, non-competes, computer fraud and confidential data theft. This article was originally posted on tradesecretsinsider.com.
PitchNOLA 2014: Lots of Progress Application Deadline Nears
Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation and the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) have partnered for the annual PitchNOLA 2014: Lots of Progress competition, which will take place on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 at Propeller. Applications are due next Tuesday July 15, 2014 at 4:00 PM.
Lessons Learned From the First PowerMoves Event
Damon Burns is the founder of Munivestor, a financial data platform for the municipal bond industry. He is also an investment committee member of the New Orleans Startup Fund and co-founder of inNOLAvation. Click here to read his thought following the first-ever PowerMoves.NOLA event, a national initiative designed to provide access to capital, connections and guidance to increase the number of venture-based minority entrepreneurs.
NYC E-Commerce Platform for Nutritional Supplements Relocates to New Orleans
myMix Nutrition is the first ever e-commerce platform that allows customers to fully customize ready-to-mix nutritional supplements. The New York City-based company has just relocated its headquarters to New Orleans, joining the New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC). The myMix founders are excited to take advantage of local resources such as Louisiana tax credits, lower cost of doing business, and facilities at NOBIC as well as its funding sources like the New Orleans BioFund.
Save the Date: Innovation Louisiana Scheduled for November
The New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) is hosting the second annual Innovation Louisiana, which celebrates life science technology in state over three days, during the internationally-recognized Global Entrepreneurship Week. Innovation Louisiana is a new nexus for regional researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry. Innovation Louisiana will take place November 17th – 18th, 2014 in New Orleans.