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:
Water Purification Company Expands into Mandeville
Governor Bobby Jindal and MECO Inc. President George Gsell announced the company will expand by building a new facility in Mandeville, creating 127 new direct jobs by 2018. The move will retain 81 existing jobs and result in 168 new indirect jobs. MECO, will spend $11 million developing the 80,000-square-foot facility in the Alamosa Business Park and plans to finish by the end of 2013.
Launch Pad Hosting 3 Year Anniversary Party on June 27, 2012
On Wednesday, June 27th at 5 pm, Launch Pad is hosting a party to honor their three year anniversary. Launch Pad is near and dear to all our hearts, it’s a magical co-working space where entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creative professionals make innovative ideas come to life. The party is open to all Launch Pad members, past and present, friends, family, and fans. It will be hosted on the 1st floor of Launch Pad and move over to Capdeville for more fun afterwards. RSVP to the event now!
Rural Revolution launches entrepreneurial program on Broad
Contributing writer Adriana Lopez delves into the New Orleans-based company Rural Revolution, dedicated to helping entrepreneurial women around the world by connecting local artisans in developing regions to sales ambassadors in the US. This global effort is empowering females locally and internationally. In addition, Kendra Morris and Amy Barad and launching a new, local program called Broad Street Beginnings that will target and help at-risk young women in New Orleans.
Protecting Your Ideas
Andrew Legrand writes about intellectual property rights and describes the different between copyrights and patents. He spoke with a client recently who discussed a book idea with a friend. That friend then went and told another writer who then decided to write a similar book with the idea. LeGrand’s legal advice is to sign a confidentiality agreement in this situation to protect your idea. The most practical solution is to not tell anyone in the first place.
eMerge Wins Technology Product of the Year Award
Louisiana-based technology company, eMerge, recently competed in the New Orleans area eWARDS event and received the award for “Technology Product of the Year.” The company will now compete against other technology companies around the state for the Governor’s Technology Awards next month.
Tulane Students Win $30K Dell Social Innovation Challenge
A group of Tulane University students took home second prize in the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, totaling $30,000, one of the largest international business plan contests for social entrepreneurs. The project is lead by Jain, a graduate student in global community health at Tulane. Jain and three other Tulane public health students founded the Humanure Power Project. They came in second place in the Dell Challenge, beating out more than 1,780 international entrants to take home the prize with their innovative plan for India. The project aims to provide better sanitation in rural India as well as produce electricity that will be healthier than how many currently light their homes.
A “New” New Orleans
This guest post by recent transplant Wesley Gottesman explains that New Orleans has its own special recipe for success in entrepreneurship. The city is filled with entrepreneurs of all sorts, but they rarely compete. Instead, everyone is dedicated to helping one another succeed in ecosystems like Launch Pad and the Idea Village. New Orleans has the key elements to greatness: collaboration, passion, and the belief that we can make great things happen in a different way than the rest of the world.
All About You: Andrew Preble
Andrew Preble is a Louisianian at heart. He grew up on the northshore in Abita Springs and only lived out of state for the last six years. He moved back to New Orleans last July to finish his undergraduate degree at UNO after spending tons of time traveling the world. Andrew is an avid sailor and tries to get on the water a few times a week. On a more surprising note, he is an amateur falconer (see photo below) and loves to collect fortune cookies with words inside like, “either way you are right!”
Search Influence Honored in First Ever Flyover 50
Online marketing firm and New Orleans based company, Search Influence, was named in the first ever Flyover 50, a list compiled by Five Elms Capital to highlight the 50 fastest-growing companies in the middle of the country. They were the only New Orleans company that made the list. To be honored as a member, companies based within a 20-state area in the Central US had to have an annual revenue greater than $1 million in 2011.