New Orleans’ oldest law firm, Chaffe McCall, in partnership with the Idea Village, held the Chaffe Entrepreneur Challenge last month where five local entrepreneurs competed for generous prize packages. Bissap Breeze, Digital Forensics Solutions, EnrichED, Dyverse City and Connect for a Cause pitched for the chance to win a package valued at $35,000, which includes office space for a year and 50 hours of free legal advice.
The Idea Village nominated each of the companies for the challenge based on the entrepreneurs’ need for legal advice, mentoring, and office space. On February 20th, after pitching for five minutes each in front of a panel of Chaffe McCall partners, Chaffe McCall and the Idea Village named hibiscus-based beverage company Bissap Breeze and the inner-city revitalization and development organization Dyverse City as the winners of the inaugural Chaffe Entrepreneur Challenge. Both companies will be moving into the office space this month.
“Each of the five presenting entrepreneurs had the ideas, drive and passion to create winning companies,” said William Langenstein, partner at Chaffe McCall. “Bissap Breeze and Dyverse City in particular stood out, as both had workable business plans and both involved local social benefit. We also felt we could provide the necessary counsel to bring them to the next level. When it came down to making our final decision, it really was a tie.”
“Since 2000, The Idea Village has been focused on building a strong network of support for New Orleans entrepreneurs,” said Tim Williamson, Co-founder and CEO of The Idea Village. “The Chaffe Entrepreneur Challenge is an innovative approach to meaningful network engagement that others can adopt to help grow the entrepreneurial community.”