The 2017 Silicon Bayou 100 is the annual list of the 100 most influential and active people in tech and entrepreneurship in Louisiana over the last year. The list is compiled by the community through an anonymous nomination process.
Over the next two weeks we will be sharing the bios of each of the 100 in alphabetical order. View the full Silicon Bayou 100 here and meet group 9 below:
Paddy Cosgrave
Paddy is best known for his role as CEO of several tech-related conferences including Web Summit and Collision Conference, the fastest growing tech conference in America. Collision is heading into its third consecutive year in New Orleans, scheduled for the week in between both Jazz Fest lineups. On LinkedIn.
Patrick Comer
Patrick is the CEO of Lucid (formerly Federated Sample), 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, the company now has another office in London a rapidly growing staff. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Peggy Babin
Peggy is the Managing Director of Valmiki Capital Management, which runs the subsidiary Valmiki 504 in New Orleans. The office focuses on Venture Capital and Private Equity investments into local Gulf Coast companies as well as offering opportunities for local investors to the global Valmiki investment portfolios. Prior to Valmiki, Peggy was an associate dean at the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University for 17 years. On LinkedIn.
Pete Prados
As the Executive Director of INNOV8 Acadiana, Pete is responsible for overseeing the entrepreneurial efforts in the eight parish region with a team of thought-leaders throughout northern Louisiana. Some of the initiatives he focuses on include pitch events, training programs, annual summits, investor and mentor relations, accelerators, and more. On LinkedIn.
Rob Lalka
Previously the Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Propeller, a hub for social innovation in New Orleans, Rob now runs the Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Tulane. He is also the co-founder and partner at strategy consulting firm Medora Ventures. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Ryan Becnel
Ryan is the creative director and co-founder at R&D Design, a New Orleans-based marketing firm focused on utilizing the latest and most effective marketing and engagement techniques, including virtual reality content. He was previously the Director of Marketing at local solar energy company Posigen. On LinkedIn.
Sara Estes White
Sara is a New Orleans native and the Deputy Chief Information Officer at the City of New Orleans’ Office of Information Technology and Innovation since 2015. She focuses on strategic planning for the IT department, its budget, HR, procurement, program and project management, and more. On LinkedIn.
Scott Wolfe
Entrepreneur Scott Wolfe Jr. has been involved in many successful ventures to date. He was one of the founding members of the Wolfe Law Group and the founder of the Web Lab over a decade ago. Since then, he launched Zlien, a provider of Mechanic Lien and Preliminary Notice compliance and filing services. Zlien was accepted into the Idea Village’s IDEAxcelerator class a few years ago and has grown tremendously since launch. On LinkedIn.
Sean Carrigan
Sean is one of the three behind MobileQubes, the world’s first self-automated kiosk that dispenses high capacity smartphone batteries called “Qubes” that customers can rent and return for a low-cost wireless and cord free charging solution. MobileQubes kiosks can be found in a variety of Greater New Orleans locations, including the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Harrah’s Casino, the Hyatt Regency, the Louis Armstrong International Airport, and Ochsner. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Sevetri Wilson
Sevetri is the founder and CEO of ExemptMeNow, a tech based in New Orleans that simplifies the nonprofit creation, management, and compliance process. For the last nine years, she has run Solid Ground Innovations, a full service strategic communications and management firm, and has been a contributing writer for Entrepreneur and Inc. Magazine for the last three years. On LinkedIn.