10 Social Ventures Selected for Propeller’s PitchNOLA: Living Well

Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation has selected 10 viable solutions that promote health for underserved New Orleanians. PitchNOLA: Living Well will award $10,000 in total start-up funding for entrepreneurial solutions that will get New Orleanians healthier, more active and better nourished.

PitchNOLA Living Well 2015“As we deepen our impact in the sectors of food security and healthcare, we’re excited for this year’s PitchNOLA Living Well semi-finalists who show exceptional potential to solve our city’s health disparities,” said Propeller Executive Director Andrea Chen.

In their initial call for applications, the nonprofit said the ventures should focus on financially sustainable ideas that tackle inefficiencies, opportunities, and bottlenecks in six main areas: nutritious, affordable and easy-to-access food, health conditions, physical activity, service delivery coordination, maternal & child health, and access to health insurance.

Semi-finalists will pitch in front of a live audience and a panel of judges from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, April 21 at Propeller.

Judges will include John Elstrott, Chairman of Whole Foods Market and Joe Kanter, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the New Orleans Health Department.

Meet the PitchNOLA 2015: Living Well semi-finalists:

WeRunNOLA Maps

(Youth Run NOLA)

Youth Run NOLA empowers youth through running. WeRunNOLA Maps support healthy habits through safe and engaging running routes from community and school sites and an online community.

Community Plates

(Lauren Rudzis)

Community Plates is dedicated to ending food insecurity in New Orleans by using technology and a volunteer platform to rescue and directly transfer nutritious fresh food.

Lower 9th Ward Market

(Burnell Cotlon)

A veteran that is putting forth every effort to rebuild his community, which includes a full service grocery store among several other businesses.

How’s Your 5? Coping Cube

(Doug Walker)

How’s Your 5? Coping Cubes are Rubik’s cube-like public mental health tools that promote mental wellness by sparking conversations that assess mental well-being among family, friends, and healthcare providers

Clear Health Analytics

(Kathryn Wollan)

Empowering consumers to make smarter health insurance decisions by providing clear and unbiased cost comparison information.

The Urban Farmstead

(Jordan Bantuelle)

The Urban Farmstead is an educational center dedicated to teaching homesteading skills and permaculture design, while also providing vegetables and starter plants through its sister organization, Southbound Gardens.

NOLA Milk Bank

(Birthmark Doulas)

Our mission is to improve premature infant health outcomes by providing high-quality, affordable donor human milk across Louisiana.

School Health Assessment & Initiative

(Leah Jensen)

From an approach of public health, we will develop a campus-wide health assessment and initiative to improve and support healthy students to increase individual academic performance and school-wide academic outcomes.

GRoW on the Go

(Mathew Schwarzman)

A fleet of recreation and nutrition education trucks that engage low-income children and families in activities and classes to help them eat healthier, move more and connect with other youth services.

New Orleans Food Literacy Initiative

(Adam Aronovitz & Alissa Bilfield)

The Cookbook Project (CBP) is a non-profit organization that empowers youth to be a catalyst for healthy and sustainable communities through food literacy and cooking education.