In essence (no pun intended), PowerMoves.NOLA is an initiative created to increase the number of venture-backed minority businesses across the country by leveraging the entrepreneurial ecosystem, resources and culture of New Orleans. It launches this July 4th weekend in promotional partnership with ESSENCE Festival™.
The weekend will feature pitch competitions, networking events, a Risingstars Boot Camp held in partnership with Techstars, and fellowship opportunities Mentors for the Boot Camp were just announced.
PowerMoves.NOLA strives to highlight and support minority entrepreneurs and connect them to a national network of capital, advisors and support. The weekend long event will host three pitch competitions for 20 high-growth minority founded startups, including three local companies based here in New Orleans. The winners of each pitch will be awarded $25,000.
Free tickets to all three pitch events are available now. More information about each event is below:
Liberty Bank Power Pitch – July 4th at 10AM
The Liberty Bank Power Pitch will be held at 10AM on July 4th at Manning’s Restaurant, 519 Fulton Street. This Angel round will feature 8 companies competing for $25,000.
Entergy Power Pitch – July 4th at 2PM
The Entergy Power Pitch will be held at 2PM on July 4th at Manning’s Restaurant, 519 Fulton Street. This Series A round will feature 8 companies competing for $25,000.
Chevron PowerMoves Pitch – July 5th at 12:10PM
The Chevron PowerMoves Pitch will be held at 12:10PM on July 5th in the Empower U Classroom at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. This pitch will feature 4 companies competing for $25,000. One entrepreneur will also win a $5000 audience favorite cash prize.
PowerMoves.NOLA lead organizer Leslie Jacobs, who is also the CEO of the New Orleans Startup Fund expects that tickets will be sold out to each event so early registration is encouraged.