NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The Idea Village celebrated the culmination of its Spring 2025 IDEAinstitute accelerator with Pitch Night, held at the historic Dew Drop Inn. The event spotlighted emerging startups from across the region, drawing a full house of founders, funders, and supporters of the local innovation economy.
After a round of live pitches and Q&A with a panel of expert judges, WhosLive, a live streaming discovery platform, was selected as the winner of Pitch Night, earning a $1,500 prize to support the continued development of their venture.
The lineup featured five standout startups from the Spring 2025 cohort:
● ti¢ker – A verified social investing app that pulls real-time activity from users’ brokerage accounts, eliminating hype, screenshots, and misinformation.
● GenM – A digital health platform supporting women through every stage of menopause with tools to manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
● WhosLive – A live-stream discovery platform connecting users to streamers across Twitch, YouTube Live, Kick, Rumble, and more.
● i-Spy Mold – An AI-powered app where users upload photos of mold to receive identification and next-step recommendations.
● ISP Watchdog – A physical device with an AI support agent that monitors home internet and autonomously manages provider interactions.
“I started WhosLive because I was missing live streams I would’ve loved to watch, and there was no way to see the top live streams happening across platforms easily,” said Nate Verhoeven, Co-Founder & CEO of WhosLive, “So I set out to build a discovery hub that brings all live content together in one place.”
The night also featured the Big Idea Showcase, where alumni founders shared their recent progress and audience members had a chance to cast a vote for their favorite company. VYGR was voted as the Big Idea Showcase by attendees and won a spot on stage to discuss the continued growth of their business in a “fireside chat”-style discussion in front of the audience.
VYGR founder Kristian Dobard participated in the Spring 2024 IDEAinstitute cohort. Kristian is currently working as a civil defense attorney and started VYGR because of her love of traveling. She aims to alleviate decision fatigue by offering locally curated experiences tailored for solo travelers.
The spring IDEAinstute cohort featured 51 founders across 42 companies. For about 55% of them, this is the first business they’ve ever started. Pitch night as a culmination of this accelerator underscores the region’s growing reputation as a hub for bold ideas and ambitious founders.
For more information about IDEAinstitute, visit: www.ideavillage.org/ideainstitute.
About The Idea Village
The Idea Village champions innovation and entrepreneurship in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf South. Since its founding in 2000, The Idea Village has supported over 20,100+ entrepreneurs with mentorship, coaching, and access to capital. Alumni companies have generated more than $2 billion in regional economic impact.
A 501c3 non-profit, The Idea Village provides business accelerator programs that guide startups from the idea stage through venture capital rounds. The Idea Village works every day to cultivate a robust startup community and create an inclusive, vibrant, and future-driven economy. For further information, visit www.ideavillage.org.
