Mission & Vision
The New Orleans Startup Fund (The Startup Fund) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) evergreen seed fund established by Greater New Orleans area business and financial leaders to accelerate the growth of early-stage, innovative businesses into venture-ready companies. The Startup Fund’s mission is to create jobs and economic prosperity for the 10-parish region of Greater New Orleans by providing seed capital and business assistance to early-stage firms that demonstrate significant growth potential.
In recent years, the Greater New Orleans region has become a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity. In fact, Under30CEO.com recently ranked New Orleans the “2011 Top City for Young Entrepreneurs,” and, according to the Brookings Institution, from 2008 to 2010, the rate of individuals starting up businesses in the New Orleans metro outpaced the national average by nearly 30%. This growth is supported by several entrepreneurial hubs and by aggressive state tax incentive programs, such as a 25% tax credit for qualified digital media expenditures and a 35% tax credit for qualified angel investments.
The Startup Fund’s mission is to help strengthen the Greater New Orleans region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by:
- Developing a portfolio of companies that will create jobs, wealth, and opportunity;
- Building and strengthening the local angel investment network; and
- Attracting external venture capital to a region rebranded for innovation.
The result will be a stronger, more diverse economy for the future of New Orleans.