Max Gaudin
Max, a longtime member of Launch Pad, is heavily involved in the New Orleans entrepreneurial community. He has launched businesses including Sidework and Airpnp, hosts the weekly 1 Million Cups, and is now working on Operation Spark, which teaches kids how to code. For the last nearly six years, Max has also been the Principal at Flying Horse Technology. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Michael Hecht
After working with small businesses in New York City and directing business recovery services for Louisiana Economic Development, Michael Hecht has made his mark locally by running the steamship GNO, Inc. Greater New Orleans Inc. is a regional economic development alliance serving the 10-parish region of Southeast Louisiana and has been integral in bringing attention the digital media scene in New Orleans. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Mike De Boer
In the past two years Mike, CIO of GE Capital’s Technology Center New Orleans, has successfully opened a Technology Center in the heart of downtown New Orleans. He and his team have hired more than 200 IT professionals working on Software Development; Governance, Risk, and Security; and Infrastructure. He has worked various positions within GE since 1995. Mike has also partnered with the Idea Village to provide mentoring and support for the local entrepreneurial community. On LinkedIn.
Mike Eckert
Mike was a member of the launch team of The Weather Channel and served as its President and CEO for 14 years. Mike is now involved in the New Orleans startup community. He was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence for The Idea Village beginning in summer 2013, and is currently the vice chairman of the board of directors of Angel Capital Association, and the chairman of the NO/LA Angel Network. On LinkedIn.
Monika Smyczek
Monika is the co-founder of CultureConnect, a mobile technology company that creates meaningful and beautiful mobile experiences for museums and cultural organizations. CultureConnect’s app builder platform powers a variety of digital experiences on any screen size – from tours and galleries to educator tools and interactive exhibitions. The company spent most of 2014 working out of the education startup hub 4.0 Schools. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Ned Fasullo
Ned, a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, is known to many as the “Southern Sinatra” because of his involvement in one of the only two big band orchestras in Louisiana. Ned has been involved in the tech industry since 1995, successfully helping many startups with their sales and marketing goals. He has now started two of his own companies. Ned works as a consultant, President, and CEO at Fasullo Enterprises as well as the Chief Marketing Officer at Global Data Systems. As the CMO, Ned leads the overall strategy development for the sales and marketing of the company’s expansive catalog of products and services marketed both domestically and abroad. On LinkedIn.
Neel Sus
Neel is an engineer by education but a true business man by trade. He’s currently the CEO of Susco Solutions, a productivity software development firm, and Touch Studios, a mobile development firm, both based in New Orleans. Outside of his own businesses, he is a founding member of Net2NO, a mentor to young entrepreneurs, and is involved as a board or committee member in many local organizations including the American Marketing Association, Louisiana Technology Council, and GNO, Inc. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Patrick Comer
Patrick is the CEO of Federated Sample, one of the hottest start-ups on the Silicon Bayou. Federated Sample, launched in March of 2010, is a market research technology firm based in New Orleans that focuses on bringing efficiency and automation to online sampling via their primary product, Fulcrum. After starting out as one man at a desk in Launch Pad, FedSample now has a rapidly growing staff. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Paul Christmann
Paul has been a leader in the New Orleans technology community for several years. He was primarily responsible for assembly of the development team at iSeatz and spearheading their deployment of major consumer travel portals prior to his departure at the end of 2013. In 2014, Paul has taken on several new roles, including: joining the Oseberg team as a software engineer, helping found the Friends of First non profit, and mentoring The Idea Village’s IDEAx program. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Peter Bodenheimer
We’ve referred to Peter previously as a behind-the-scenes guy who gets things done. His resume shows a man who quickly rose through the ranks of interactive marketing. Today he is a partner at FlatStack, a software development firm, an, “untitled collaborator” for Voodoo Ventures, and a partner and co-founder of Launch Pad Ignition. Peter’s passion and drive are sure to bring many more successes to him and those around him in the future. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
