Week in Review: July 8, 2013

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:

 

CheckAction Launches Cloud-Based Project Management Platform for IT Professionals

In an increasingly complicated, technology-driven world, there is a greater possibility of Information Technology projects failing. 68% of IT projects alone fail, meaning $63 billion is spent on failed projects each year. The solution? A cloud-based platform specifically designed for project management in IT departments that provides complete visibility into employees’ activities and accomplishments. CheckAction is a New Orleans-based startup which has designed the “fuel to drive projects to success,” also known as G.A.S. Gamification, automation and simplification are the key to empowering IT teams and their many projects.

New Mobile Messaging App Snapp Seeks Funding Through Indiegogo

Snapp is a mobile messaging app that allows users to create emoticons from any picture in a photo gallery, known as Snapcons. The app provides a personalized library from emoticons because, “no one expresses you better than you,” said Douglas Martin, Co-founder of Snapp. The company is currently seeking funding through an Indiegogo campaign. As of last week, Snapp has raised $341 of its $25,000 goal. Funding for the app will go towards marketing, building the app development team, and sustaining the app for another year.

Technology Industry Leaders Part 1: Textron Marine & Land Systems

Newest contributor George Constance wrote his first post in a series of interviews with veteran leading technology firms in the New Orleans region, firms with experience developing technology-based businesses. Any new venture, concerned citizen, or elected official would do well to heed their advice. The interview is with Richard Valenti, Vice President, Integrates Supply Chain, at Textron Marine & Land Systems.

Co-located Tech Events in New Orleans Add New Keynote Speakers

The nonprofit dedicated to accelerating Linux, The Linux Foundation, has co-located two upcoming events in New Orleans this fall, September 16 through 18th at the Hyatt: LinuxCon and CloudOpen. The Linux Foundation has announced three new keynotes for the events, including: TED Senior Fellow and Artist Candy Chang, Google’s Director of Open Source Chris DiBona, and Linux creator Linus Torvalds. They will be joining Open Stack’s Jonathan Bryce and Raspberry Pi’s Eben Upton, among others.

Free Classes for Louisiana Startup Engineers and Entrepreneurs Now Available Online

Coursera is an education company that partners with the top universities and organizations across the globe to offer free online courses. Why teach hundreds when you can teach millions?  Coursera teaches many class categories that would benefit entrepreneurs in Louisiana, including but not limited to: Business  & Management, CS: Software Engineering, CS: Systems & Security, Economics & Finance, Energy & Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Information, Tech & Design. Additionally, Startup Engineering, a class offered at Stanford, will cover technical material in the first half and entrepreneurial considerations in the second.