Each year, emerging startups compete in the Blackstone Big Idea, the culminating event of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW).
NOEW is the annual festival that celebrates entrepreneurship, innovation, and advanced thinking in the New Orleans area each spring. It will take place from March 11-18 and is produced by The Idea Village, an entrepreneurial hub.
Through a nola.com poll, the community voted for their favorite startups out of the 20 semi-finalists to narrow it down to the top 10. The finalists will go on to pitch their ideas in front of thousands of spectators during the culmination of NOEW on Friday, March 18 from 5:00 to 8:00pm.
The three entrepreneurs to collect the most chips will go on to make their pitch to a panel of celebrity judges who decide the overall winner and recipient of the $25,000 grand prize.
The ten 2016 Blackstone Big Idea finalists are:
- Thinkerella
- FreshCane
- Lionheart Prints
- The Sweat Social
- Design UnWined
- Catalyst:Ed
- Mashball
- Culturalyst
- Scenehound
- Gigsy
As always, The Idea Village has gathered a celebrity judging panel, including Chef Nina Compton, Delvin Breaux of the Saints, well-known pop artist Ashley Longshore, and Patrick Comer of Lucid.
New Orleans-based advertising agency Peter Mayer has announced the Peter Mayer Marketing Prize, adding a $20,000 award to startups participating in the Blackstone Big Idea. The Peter Mayer Marketing Prize will provide marketing services based on on need, encompassing anything from logo and web design to brand strategy work and public relations services.
This coverage is brought to you by Callais Capital Management and Susco.
