Week in Review: October 15, 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:

 

Web Weekend to Bring National Talent to New Orleans, Supporting Oldest Media Arts Nonprofit in the South

The New Orleans Video Access Center(NOVAC) is the oldest media arts nonprofit in the South and has a mission to cultivate a sustainable film community by providing access to resources, education and locally generated content. The organization just completed a Kickstarter campaign, raising $200 over the $5,000 goal. The funds will help produce Web Weekend, a micro-conference taking place October 18th – 20th, 2013. Web Weekend will bring national talent to New Orleans for events that will develop community, networking and learning opportunities for filmmakers in the area.

Health 2.0 New Orleans Co-Founder Wins $100K at Developer Challenge

Local healthcare technology company Rebar Interactive recently won $100,000 during the mobile app developer challenge at the annual Health 2.0 Global conference in San Francisco. The app, named Traxion, was designed by local Health 2.0 Co-Founder and Owner at Rebar, Rahlyn Gossen, based on established ADHD management techniques, which have been re-imagined for the modern and mobile.

New Orleans-Only Crowdfunding Company Secures over $2,900 for Local Ventures

FundDat held their launch party, A LIVE Crowdfunding Affair, a featured NOLA Tech Week event, this past Tuesday evening (October 8) at the Rusty Nail. Over 150 guests were in attendance; the first 100 were given FundDat Dollars to help fund local 10 local projects on display at the event. In total, the community participants helped the projects raise $2,965. First place and $1,000 went to Maxwell Worthington’s Expanding Communications. Second went to Nomad Schools and third to Bloom Box Farms.

ChenMed’s Expansion Generates Economic Development

ChenMed CEO Christopher Chen, M.D., along with Gov. Bobby Jindal announced that there will be an expansion for ChenMed’s subsidiary; there will also be the establishment of a software development center in the Central Business District of New Orleans. ChenMed will generate 50 new direct jobs at the development center, with an average salary of $83,000. LED (Louisiana Economic Development) estimates that this opening will also result in an additional 51 indirect jobs, for a total of more than 100 new jobs.

Zlien Welcomes Chip Heath to Board of Advisors

Local technology company, Zlien, provides an easy lien management services including electronic filing of mechanic liens, preliminary notices, bond claims, Miller act claims and more. Zlien Founder and CEO Scott Wolfe wrote the software to make filing a lien faster and simpler for both client and company. The company recently announced that Chip Heath, Stanford Business School professor and bestselling author, is now a member on their board of advisors.

Coverage of the 25th Annual Great Minds in STEM Conference

The 25th annual HENAAC Conference led by Great Minds in STEM welcomed Fidel Hernandez and Sandra Gonzales, winners of the Student Leadership Awards, to New Orleans. The two demonstrated they are visionary in their research, resilient in the face of adversity, and most importantly, leaders that can inspire a generation of students into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Next year, the HEENAC conference will come back to New Orleans. Many scholarships will again be available and I highly recommend college students apply for them here!