New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), the festival celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation in the city, is in full swing this week. Hot topics include New Orleans culture and technology, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Web3, and much more.
Saints player Demario Davis was featured on a panel about how Web3, the idea that the new iteration of the Internet is based on blockchain, can impact the community and culture of New Orleans. He also introduced a session about what’s next for the future of culture and creativity in the city, and he feels strongly that technology is a major part of it.
Davis’ major takeaways include:
- Web3 is an opportunity to close the racial wealth gap because “anybody can get in the game,” due to no barriers to entry
- “New Orleans is one of the richest culturally diverse places in the world,” and the Web3 space belongs to the creators that reside in New Orleans
- New Orleans has the unique opportunity to be on the cutting edge of the new Web3 frontier
“Who better than New Orleans because New Orleans is about community and creation?” Davis asked the audience. “Web3 is about creating content and then also owning it. This is why Web3 is very important.”
Following Davis’ remarks, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell took the stage to share her insights on the future of Web3 in New Orleans. While she admitted to still be learning the ins and outs, she announced the city plans to invest in the Web3 community.
“While I’m learning about it, we are going to be about it in the City of New Orleans,” Mayor Cantrell continued. Mayor Cantrell announced the brand new Mayor’s Web3 Challenge, which will invest $100,000 in the creative community tapping into the Web3 movement in New Orleans.
Another full day of programming focused on local innovation and leadership is scheduled for today at NOEW. Visit noew.org for more information.