The 2018 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 week we will be sharing the bios of each of the 100 in alphabetical order. View the full Silicon Bayou 100 here and meet group 5 below.
Jen Medbery
Jen is a former Teach For America corps member and a founding teacher of New Orleans Charter Science and Math Academy. After frustrations with paper management of her classroom, Jen started Kickboard, which helps schools track, manage, and change the actions that help students stay engaged and act positively. She now sits on the board and works on other projects directly supporting entrepreneurship in New Orleans. On LinkedIn.
Jimmy Roussel
Jimmy is the former Entrepreneur in Residence and now CEO at the New Orleans Startup Fund in addition to working as a consultant at MakeBuzz, LLC. He specializes in starting up small tech firms and taking them through the initial few rounds of venture capital. Jimmy is experienced on both the business and finance side and the technology side. On LinkedIn.
Joe Ellis
In 2017, Joe began working as a senior software developer for Seat Scouts while a new position in 2018 as a senior engineer at TaskRabbit. He has been a long standing member of the New Orleans tech community and is known for his work with the New Orleans Developer Meetup. On LinkedIn.
Joe McMenemon
Along with fellow Tulane graduate Brendan Finke, Joe founded ChapterSpot to solve the problems of group management. ChapterSpot’s online application allows groups (initially fraternities and sororities) to communicate efficiently, collect membership dues, share important files, maintain a member database and design a website all on one platform.The company was launched a decade ago and continues to hire team members in the New Orleans area.. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
John F. George, Jr.
The Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP) at the BRF was spearheaded by Dr. George, who formed the team of leaders in July 2014. The program nurtures and educates entrepreneurs while introducing them to qualified investors to increase their chances of success. The EAP portfolio currently has 27 companies across industries such as medical, security, and entertainment.
John Fraboni
John is making a name for himself in the New Orleans startup scene through his company, Operation Spark, which teaches local kids how to code and gives them the skills needed to enter into the workforce and do great things. Prior to launching the company in 2013, he was a developer at companies such as Behaviour Interactive and Ludia. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
John Pucci
As managing director of software development studio Smashing Boxes’ New Orleans office, John oversees office profitability, client growth and retention, employee retention and new business initiatives. His position has also allowed him to partner with local organizations including Loyola’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, Tech Talent South, and Louisiana Tech University..On LinkedIn.
Johnny Culpepper
Over the last year Johnny helped grow the New Orleans office of software company Accruent, originally from Austin, from one to over 50 employees in his role as director of operations. Prior to joining Accruent, he utilized his strengths in team building in markets in everything from startups to distilleries to software. On LinkedIn.
Jon Atkinson
In 2018, Jon became the CEO of The Idea Village, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify support and retain entrepreneurial talent in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. He is also the fund administration for Lagniappe Angels, and was previously the director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community at the Loyola University College of Business in New Orleans. On LinkedIn.
Justin Bayer
Justin is the founder of Welcome to College, a startup that helps higher education institutions optimize the highest leverage decision point in the college selection process: the college visit. Their web platform and professional services are giving colleges innovative tools to enhance how they are connecting with prospective students before, during, and after the college visit. On LinkedIn.