NEW ORLEANS – The Landing Zone New Orleans will host its opening launch party tonight, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, to unveil its new coworking space and business incubator exclusively for U.S. military veterans.
The event is open to the public from 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., at 625 Celeste St., New Orleans. They’ll be food and cocktails, tours of the Landing Zone space and amenities, featured stories from veteran members and a presentation by founder Bob Armbruster and strategic partners.
The Landing Zone will be the only collaborative workspace in New Orleans to specifically target U.S. military veterans. The space is designed to foster the camaraderie that veterans miss when they leave the service. Committed to building from their shared experience, the Landing Zone will serve as a coworking facility where veterans network and more importantly, work together in planning and developing successful businesses.
Located in a recently renovated historic warehouse in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District, The Landing Zone will include a variety of office rental packages for veteran members and also feature five communal areas with amenities including a complete kitchen and a fully equipped workout gym – all with the intent to help sustain New Orleans’ community of veteran entrepreneurs.
The Landing Zone will also be home to VetLaunch, a New Orleans-based 501c3 nonprofit organization devoted to providing resources to veterans to help them effectively adjust from military service back to civilian life. The nonprofit launched its inaugural business accelerator program this month, a program that helps veterans harness their military leadership experience as a resource for creating sound business start-ups. The Idea Village is working with VetLaunch on the accelerator program, which will culminate during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) in March 2015.
“My military experience taught me the fundamentals necessary to build a successful business,” Robert Armbruster, retired United States Marine Corps Captain and founder of VetLaunch and The Landing Zone, said. “Thanks to the support from Idea Village, the VetLaunch accelerator will help other veterans learn how to leverage their military backgrounds in order to launch viable ventures right here at home in New Orleans.”
The VetLaunch Accelerator program will provide strategic consulting, mentorship, capital access and peer networking opportunities to five selected veteran entrepreneurs. Each participating veteran meets weekly with a dedicated “Entrepreneur-in-Residence,” who will help them hone their business model, and navigate a curated network of business owners and start-up experts. The program will conclude with a pitch competition at NOEW, and each entrepreneur will present their venture to a panel of business experts for possible seed capital and complimentary office space at The Landing Zone.
To RSVP for the event or donate to Vetlaunch
