NEW ORLEANS — PowerMoves.NOLA is convening the country’s premier entrepreneurs of color for its second annual national conference in New Orleans on July 1 – 3, 2015, to coincide with ESSENCE Festival® presented by Coca-Cola®.
The three-day event is designed to connect nationally-sourced entrepreneurs with a preeminent network of advisors, experts, and investors. The conference advances PowerMoves.NOLA’s mission to increase the number of America’s venture-backed, minority-founded companies in high-tech and high-growth sectors. It is made possible through the generous support of Chevron as Founding Sponsor and Morgan Stanley as Presenting Sponsor.
“Entrepreneurs of color do not typically have access to deep pools of capital, and this event is about identifying the very best of this historically overlooked talent pool and connecting them to experienced investors,” said Earl Robinson, the president of PowerMoves.NOLA. “The entrepreneurs get unparalleled access, and the investors are exposed to attractive prospective investment opportunities at reasonable valuations.”
More than 50 highly-regarded investors and advisors and some 40 entrepreneurs will be in attendance. In addition to hand-selecting the nation’s most promising entrepreneurs of color, several invitation-only events ensure top-quality deal flow.
The conference will also include the culmination of the PowerUp Boot Camp for early-stage entrepreneurs of color. The intense program helps them develop viable brands, produce effective business models, and prepare for the Demo Day presentation to potential investors held at the conference on July 3.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Entergy Angel Pitch
This pitch will feature five early-stage entrepreneurs competing for a $25,000 cash prize.
July 2, 9AM – 10:30AM, Club XLIV in Champions Square (LaSalle Street)
Morgan Stanley Series A Pitch
This pitch will feature five later-stage entrepreneurs competing for a $25,000 cash prize.
July 2, 11AM – 12:30PM, Club XLIV in Champions Square (LaSalle Street)
PowerMoves Alumni Panel
This panel will feature former PowerMoves.NOLA Pitch and Demo Day participants as they discuss their experiences scaling their startups and raising capital as entrepreneurs of colors.
July 2, 2PM – 3:30PM, Club XLIV in Champions Square (LaSalle Street)
Morgan Stanley FinTech Showcase
This showcase will feature five entrepreneurs representing the financial technology field present their business models to a select group of investors and industry business leaders.
July 3, 8:30AM – 10AM, Freeport-MacMoRan Building, 1615 Poydras St., 23rd Floor
PowerUp Demo Day presented by IBERIABANK
Twenty early-stage tech entrepreneurs of color will culminate their 6-week boot camp at the PowerUp Demo Day where they will pitch for the chance to win a $15,000 cash prize.
July 3, 10AM – 11:30AM, Pan American Life Building, 601 Poydras St. -20th Floor – IBERIABANK Atrium
Big Break Power Pitch
Four consumer-focused startups founded by entrepreneurs of color will compete at the 2015 ESSENCE Festival® presented by Coca-Cola® for the chance to get their “Big Break.” The winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize and exposure to investors and business leaders. The Big Break Power Pitch will be moderated by Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Global Wealth Management, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisory at Morgan Stanley.
July 3, 1:30PM – 2:15PM, Center stage in the Ernst M. Morial Convention Center
