Today marks the first day of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), a virtual weeklong conference celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship in the Big Easy. Over 60 sessions are scheduled from now until Friday, including a high-stakes pitch competition where three startups will pitch for the $50,000 investment prize from The Idea Village.
The Idea Village, producers of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, will be making the investment into one of the three participating businesses. To date, the organization has provided over 13,000 entrepreneurs with more than $32 million in resources.
The 12th annual IDEApitch, as the culmination of NOEW, will take place on Friday, March 26, at 5:00 pm and will be livestreamed from The Broadside in New Orleans.
Meet the three participating startups:
- Something Borrowed Blooms – Founded by cousins Lauren Bercier and Laken Swan, Something Borrowed Blooms seeks to revolutionize the wedding flower industry by offering premium silk flowers to rent, saving customers up to 70% of traditional costs and offering a more sustainable product.
- Hampr – Founded by Lafayette-based working mother of two, Laurel Hess, Hampr is an on-demand laundry app with a subscription model that offers next-day wash/dry/fold services.
- Spot2Nite – Founded by Sam Bruner and Terry Broussard, Spot2Nite offers users the ability to find and book vacant RV camping spots that meet their needs and criteria.
“The three founders on stage have incredible stories, have tapped into unmet market need in innovative ways, and are building technology driven companies that represent tremendous economic potential for our region,” shared Jon Atkinson, CEO of The Idea Village. “We’re excited to enable these three early-stage startups to share their stories with our community while competing for an investment prize from The Idea Village.”
Registration to attend New Orleans Entrepreneur Week is available at noew.org.