NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO) is linking innovation partners across Louisiana for the first time through a coordinated effort. Building on the state’s existing entrepreneurial support organizations, the new Louisiana Innovation Event Series will unite entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders under a shared strategy to strengthen connections and expand opportunities across the state.
“This partnership represents a turning point for Louisiana,” said LED Chief Innovation Officer Josh Fleig. “We’re building the connective tissue between the various regions in the state. Louisiana is no longer just planning for innovation-led growth – we are investing in it, region by region, year over year.”
LA.IO was established by Louisiana Economic Development (LED) earlier this year to accelerate high-growth, technology-enabled startups across Louisiana. The new Innovation Event Series represents its largest direct investment in entrepreneurship programming to date and the first major statewide initiative under the LA.IO umbrella.
The Idea Village Takes the Lead
The Idea Village will spearhead coordination of the new Innovation Event Series, linking a network of entrepreneurial partners statewide. The effort aims to amplify the impact of signature gatherings such as its 3rd Coast Venture Summit in New Orleans while boosting visibility, participation, and resources for regional events in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Shreveport, and beyond.
“One of the most inspiring aspects of LA.IO’s vision is its commitment to harnessing the unique genius of Louisiana while preparing innovators to actively shape the state’s economic future,” said Andrew Albert, program director for The Idea Village. “These events ensure that every parish is engaged in this new era of innovation. Together, we’re building a connective platform that unites the core pillars of a thriving innovation economy: access to compelling problems and the talent, capital, resources and customers across the state to build the solutions.”
Regional Partners
Building on the statewide coordination led by LA.IO and The Idea Village, the Innovation Event Series has also partnered with the following organizations:
- Startup Prize in Shreveport, produced by Prize Foundation
- Innovate South in Lafayette, produced by Opportunity Machine
- New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, produced by Loyola University of New Orleans
- Nexus Technology Cup in Baton Rouge, produced by Nexus Louisiana
Startup Prize
Based in Shreveport, the Prize Foundation — the nonprofit organization behind Louisiana’s growing network of “Prize” competitions — produces a suite of events celebrating creativity and innovation across the state, including prizes in film, music, food, comedy, fashion, and a junior film division.
Launched in 2014 as one of the foundation’s flagship programs, Startup Prize connects early-stage founders with investors, mentors, and resources, drawing 70 companies from 23 states this year.
“Entrepreneurship can be pretty lonely,” said Melissa Brannan, director of the Startup Prize. “We say we are a recruitment arm for Louisiana because we bring folks from outside Louisiana to the state. We want them to come see what it has to offer.”
Originally focused on health, the Startup Prize is now launching an energy-focused vertical with added support through the Innovation Event Series.
Opportunity Machine
“We help idea- and seed-stage startups spend their time, energy, and money as wisely as possible,” said Destin Ortego, executive director of Opportunity Machine, the Lafayette-based business accelerator that produces the annual Innovate South conference.
He said Opportunity Machine works to expand the innovation network so that businesses are aware of the capital, talent, and resources available and know how to access them. “This way startups can truly start and grow and scale and keep their venture here in Louisiana.”
New Orleans Entrepreneur Week
Sam McCabe, director of Loyola University New Orleans’ Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, which produces New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), said the event remains a key driver of the region’s startup ecosystem.
“New Orleans Entrepreneur Week has, for fifteen years now, been at the forefront of the business ecosystem in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana and beyond, across the Gulf South,” he said. He added that the IDEAcorps MBA Consulting Challenge brings MBA students from across the country to help scale local businesses while showcasing New Orleans and Louisiana as innovative places to launch their careers after graduation.
Nexus Louisiana
Tony Zanders, president and CEO of NEXUS Louisiana, said the organization was created by statute to incubate innovation across the state. “A lot of the folks that have the ability to build high-level technology don’t get up in the morning and consider themselves entrepreneurs,” he said. “They look in the mirror and say ‘I’m a chemical engineer’ or ‘I’m a senior manager at Dow or BASF.’ Technical people are a bit more risk averse, so the idea of leaving that comfortable job to take a risk isn’t their jam.”
Zanders said NEXUS Louisiana focuses not just on derisking startup opportunities for such people but also on creating a series of programs and events. “Dev Days, which takes a design problem and finds a solution, connects them with downstream programs like The Idea Village,” he said. “The marquee event is the annual, statewide NEXUS Technology Cup.”
The Ultimate Goal
Through a coordinated network of signature events, the Innovation Event Series aims to connect entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders statewide to strengthen Louisiana’s economy.
“We work through our partners and today is very much about collaborative, collective partnership,” said Fleig. “We want to raise the visibility of what is happening in all regions of Louisiana so that stakeholders in Acadiana, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport realize that our partners’ mission is aligned with our mission in Louisiana.”
