NEW ORLEANS – It’s the final week to apply for The StartupBus 2017's international competition, an intensive three-day challenge for business and internet entrepreneurs to develop a new company while traveling 70 mph toward a grand finale. This year’s final stop is the co-working facility Landing Zone in New Orleans. Upon arrival, the entrepreneurs will present their business plan and website to a Venture Capitalist panel and compete for funding in what Wired magazine called, "a pedal-to-the-metal business incubator."
Individuals interested in applying for the final spots on the New Orleans bus can visit northamerica.startupbus.com and use the code NOLAREPRESENT.
This is the first time since 2012 a bus will depart from New Orleans with 24 people assembled into teams. This year, seven buses are leaving from “tech hubs” around the United States and Mexico including New York, San Francisco, Tampa, Akron, Ohio, St. Louis and Mexico City. New Orleans is both the final destination of a three-day road trip beginning July 31 and the starting point for one of the buses. Approximately 200 entrepreneurs on more than 25 teams are expected to compete for potential funding.
The New Orleans bus, organized by local entrepreneurs and StartupBus alumni Alyson Kilday and Max Gaudin, will be traveling through regional hubs across four southern states on a round trip starting and ending in New Orleans. The bus will be loaded with the region’s most ambitious developers, marketers and designers riding over 72 hours while participating in part hackathon, part road trip.
StartupBus made its debut in Louisiana in 2012 when Kilday and Gaudin both rode. “With StartupBus, what seemed like a novelty at first quickly became a deep dive into the startup world. I gleaned a significant amount of startup know-how while making several lifelong business connections,” said Gaudin of the StartupBus New Orleans 2012 experience. Gaudin has since utilized the experience as the COO at Operation Spark, a coding boot camp that rapidly trains people for careers in technology related fields.
The New Orleans bus will leave the Crescent City on July 31, at 9:00 a.m., with destinations of Pensacola, Birmingham, Jackson, Lafayette, and returning to New Orleans on August 2, at 5:00 p.m., for the big two-day competition.
The international buses depart for New Orleans Monday, July 31 and arrive Wednesday, August 2. The competition will be Thursday, August 3 and Friday, August 4 at Landing Zone, 625 Celeste St., in the Lower Garden District where venture capital pitch coaches will be on hand to assist teams both days. Coaches and organizations providing services throughout the event include Human Networks, Fuel Success Academy, Ready.Set.Passion!, Venture Walk, Valmiki Capital, and Eduardo Erazo (Amazon).
The StartupBus New Orleans 2017 is made possible by generous donations and sponsorships from companies vested in the future of New Orleans, organizers said. Those sponsors include GE Digital, Landing Zone, SCORE/SBA of New Orleans, NOLA Brewing, Vetlaunch, Hop & Jaunt, and HEROfarm Marketing & Public Relations.
The StartupBus New Orleans 2017 still has limited opportunities for sponsors who are interested in helping startups and furthering the creative and technical capabilities of Louisiana. Corporate sponsorships include branding and media recognition at the Landing Party on August 3 – 4. Those interested in sponsorship information for the event and potential riders can contact Alyson Kilday at aly@hopandjaunt.com.
