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:
Freshbooks CEO Discusses Pros and Cons of Silicon Valley at Launch Fest
Entrepreneur and Launch Fest keynote Mike McDerment knows how to be successful outside of Silicon Valley. He founded Freshbooks, a simple cloud-based accounting solution for small business owners and those who get paid for time and expertise, a decade ago in Toronto and has been operating solely from the city ever since. His talk touched on the myth of Silicon Valley and the idea that a business can only find success in the area due to a mix of talent, capital and network. McDerment believes that while there are pros to starting a business in the sexy, tech-savvy hub, you can also be a high-growth success story elsewhere.
Meet the Startups Representing the New Orleans Community in National Tech Hubs
Launch Fest is the highly anticipated one-day startup conference and demo day that brings together investors, mentors, and speakers and features practical advice to inspire the next generation of New Orleans entrepreneurs. Seven showcasing startups (mSchool, Werkly, GetHealthy, Niko Niko, Maritant, FundTag and Education Everytime) will go on to New York and San Francisco to continue to showcase the local startup scene in the two tech hubs.
CGI Chooses Lafayette for New Technology Center
Leading information technology company CGI has announced its new technology center, will be located in University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s 143-acre Research Park. The center will be located in a 50,000-square-foot, $13.1 million building. According to a statement, CGI will develop complex business and IT solutions for clients seeking services from a technology partner that shares a common time zone, language and understanding of client business operations.
Globalstar Celebrates Listing and First Trade by Ringing New York Stock Exchange Bell
Globalstar is a leading provider of mobile satellite and data services company that builds and operates worldwide, low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based digital telecommunications systems. The company filed applications back in February with both the NASDAQ Stock Market and the New York Stock Exchange to list its common stock for trading after announcing that Globalstar believes it currently meets eligibility requirements. On April 21st, Globalstar celebrated its listing and first trade by ringing the bell at the NYSE.
New Orleans Startup Reinvents Process of Finding and Listing Rental Properties
Along with co-founder Ryan Atkinson, Rob Breithaupt has set out on a venture to improve the process of finding and listing rental properties.Leasily is the newest way to find the rental of your dreams or list a property with ease. The clear listings and professional photography enhance the startup that was designed to reinvent rental property listings. Leasily wants to make it not only easy to move across town without the hassle, but to also trust a property before seeing it in person and even move across country based solely on a quality listing. “You can skip the step of being able to tour the place first…it’s a game changer,” explains Atkinson.
Werkly, a Site for Micro-Entrepreneurs, Launches Tomorrow at New Orleans Startup Showcase Launch Fest
Imagine an online marketplace specifically designed to help the freelance and micro-entrepreneur community, which makes up 33% of America’s workforce, and those who hire them. “Werkly brings hiring into the 21st century and adapts it to the real world by leveraging the tools everyday people are already accustomed to using when looking for their next meal or a place to stay away from home,” said Eric Bernstein, CEO and founder of Werkly. “We are incredibly excited to announce the upcoming launch of our peer to peer system that will enable small businesses and individuals to connect with “werkers” in an environment that supports local communities and locally sourced labor.”
Gulf Coast Marine Technology Company Acquired by New York Equity Investment Firm
Metairie company Robichaux Automation and Control (RAACI) was recently acquired by USJ-IMECO Holding Company, a portfolio company of private equity investment firm J. F. Lehman and Company. RAACI provides top customer service with on-budget contracting and on-time delivery to customers. USJ-IMECO is a leading independent provider of turnkey marine joiner, distributed and electro-mechanical systems and solutions.
EMH Managing Director to Give Three Day Course at Propeller
Every entrepreneur needs to have a fundamental understanding of his or her company’s financial statements. To shed some light on this topic, EMH Managing Director Jeremy Hunnewell will be leading a three part course at Propeller to help you and other local entrepreneurs gain a thorough understanding of each of the three financial statements. Jeremy will spend one day delving deeply into each financial statement, relating all information to a case study.
Tulane Student Announces Latest Venture OptimaGrocery, a Big Data Platform for Grocery Industry
OptimaGrocery is a big data platform for aggregated total market sales and marketing information for the Latino, Asian and other ethnic grocery industries designed to capture value of the tectonic shifts in demographics and purchasing power. New Orleans entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of OptimaGrocery, Jordan Dorenfeld, who will be graduating in a few weeks from Tulane with an M.B.A. in Finance, Energy, and Global Management, says the stakeholders, from retailers to manufacturers, lack the reliable and valuable information. “Grocery stores are missing an opportunity because stakeholders cannot optimally plan and profit from these tectonic shifts,” he continued.
Tech and Startup Conference in Nashville Offering Discount to Silicon Bayou Entrepreneurs
One of the premiere technology and startup conferences in the south, Southland, has partnered with Launch Tennessee for the conference June 9th through 11th in Nashville. Launch is focused on supporting the development of high-growth companies in Tennessee, but organizers have also reached out to Louisiana entrepreneurs interested in learning through speaker sessions and networking events. The first five Silicon Bayou News readers who use the special discount code “SL-SiliconBayou” at registration will receive full conference tickets for only $500.