Benjamin Allen, Dolphin Debit Access, LLC.

Catalyst Foundation

Crescent Bank and Trust

Frank & Coya Levy

George H. Wilson, Jr.

Hugh Uhalt

Hunter & Leslie Pierson

Jay and Sally Lapeyre

Mary Freeman Wisdom Foundation

Michael S. Gollner, Managing Partner and Founder of private equity firm Operating Capital Partners, LLP and its venture capital affiliate, Operating Venture Capital, LLC.

Rick S. Rees

RosaMary Foundation

On October 18^th, the New Orleans Startup Fund will be hosting Capital Pitch, in partnership with LaunchPad, New Orleans BioInnovation Center, South Coast Angel Fund and The Idea Village.  4-6 high growth companies that are actively looking to close a round of $250,000-$1 million will each have seven minutes to pitch their company.  Potential investors will have an opportunity to meet with the entrepreneurs after the pitch session.

If you are interested in attending, please contact: Candice Black at 504.527.6900 or via email at cblack@neworleansstartupfund.org to reserve your space, as space will be limited.  Attendees must be qualified investors.

If you are interested in pitching, you must be nominated by one of the nominating organizations (see below).

A nominated company should meet the following criteria:

• Must be a high growth company (at least 10 million in 5 years)
• Actively looking to close a round of $250,000 to $1 million
• Is an investable company (ideally have a term sheet and/or some funds already raised)

For more information, please contact Candice Black at 504.527.6900 or cblack@neworleansstartupfund.org.

Full list of nominating organizations:
Biospace1 Technology Business Center (Intertech SciencePark)
Business Incubator of Southwest Louisiana Mini Incubator
Central Louisiana Business Incubator
Cohabitat Shreveport
Dixie Business Center
Edible Enterprises/Goodwill Industries of Southeast Louisiana
Enterprise Center of Louisiana
JEDCO Business Innovation Center at Churchill
Louisiana Business & Technology Center
Louisiana Emerging Technology Center
Louisiana Technology Park
Metro/Regional Business Incubator
New Orleans BioInnovation Center
NewCorp, Inc.
Northeast Louisiana Business & Community Development Center
SLEC Center for Economic Growth and Technology
Southeast Louisiana Business Center
St. Landry Parish Economic Industrial Development District Business Incubator Center
Student Business Incubator at the LBTC
SUNO Small Business Development & Management Institute
SUSLA Small, Women and Minority Owned Business Incubator
The Enterprise Center at Louisiana Tech
UL Lafayette Center for Business and Information Technologies
UNO Research and Technology Park Center for Innovation

Co-Sponsors:
New Orleans BioInnovation Center
The New Orleans Startup Fund
Launch Pad
The South Coast Angel Fund
Abstraction Ventures
The Idea Village

Local Entrepreneur Will Help Contractors Collect On Debt

Nonprofit investment fund leverages $450,000 for lien filing service innovation

NEW ORLEANS — Today, the New Orleans Startup Fund announced the closing of an initial round of financing for Zlien, a mechanics lien filing service that helps contractors and suppliers manage liens, claims, and receivables nationwide. The Startup Fund invests in high-growth companies located in the Greater New Orleans area.

“The Startup Fund is delighted to invest in Zlien, a business providing a turn-key service to the construction industry, helping companies manage and enforce lien rights,” said Leslie Jacobs, CEO of the Startup Fund. “This infusion of capital will allow Zlien to create new jobs in New Orleans and to expand its online platform to fuel rapid growth nationally.”

Zlien provides both large and small construction companies an easy, cost-effective way to collect on outstanding debts.

“This is a very exciting time for Zlien. It’s our mission to make mechanics lien filing and compliance simple for the construction industry, and this funding is going to help Zlien continue its aggressive development of solutions in this space,” said Scott Wolfe, CEO of Zlien.

“NOSF has been a significant asset to our company. More than guidance through the funding process, the Startup Fund has been concerned about our business, connecting Zlien with highly qualified contacts who not only understand our company’s goals and challenges, but who are actually willing to help. The experience and knowledge we’ve collected working with NOSF absolutely matured our company at least three times faster than we could have done on our own.”

Zlien’s executives boast strong New Orleans ties, and the decision to locate their business in New Orleans was an easy one, according to Wolfe.

“There’s no better place to start a business right now than New Orleans. There’s a lot of talent in the city and the entrepreneurial community is a tight-knit bunch with a real solid base of resources,” Wolfe said.

Moreover, New Orleans native Jennifer Smiley serves as Zlien’s COO, where she has guided the company to year-over-year growth.

The New Orleans Startup Fund is funded through a combination of private donations and public programs, including the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation, U.S. Economic Development Administration and the Louisiana Office of Community Development/Disaster Recovery Unit.

Local Entrepreneur Will Expand Biofuels Plant Production

Investment of $250,000 for biofuels innovation

NEW ORLEANS — Today, the New Orleans Startup Fund announced the closing of an initial round of financing for Golden Leaf Energy, a company that produces and distributes biodiesel to commercial clients, including the Louisiana film production industry. This investment will allow the company to create 11 new jobs and expand its operating capacity. The Startup Fund is making an investment of $50,000, an amount which Golden Leaf Energy leveraged to secure an additional $200,000 in funding.

“The Startup Fund is excited to invest in Golden Leaf Energy, and we applaud their success in completing this recent capital raise,” said Leslie Jacobs, CEO of the Startup Fund. “Addressing Golden Leaf Energy’s capital needs will allow the company to create new jobs and expand production, and I am confident Golden Leaf will be another successful New Orleans startup.”

Golden Leaf Energy produces high quality biofuels by converting natural oils, fats, and greases into biodiesel. Founded in 2008, Golden Leaf manufactures and distributes its product commercially and operates a 2.2 million gallon multi-feed stock facility in Harvey, La.

“The investment from the Startup Fund allows us to move our plant to full production,”said Troy Clark, President & CEO of Golden Leaf Energy. “It expands our operations and gives us the ability to bring more product to the ever-expanding biofuels market.”

“Greater New Orleans, Inc. is pleased to see the Startup Fund invest in Golden Leaf Energy,” said Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “Golden Leaf Energy’s production of biodiesel fits squarely within the Emerging Environmental sector, a sector targeted by GNO, Inc., because of its high job growth potential in Southeast Louisiana. Biofuels, including biodiesel, reduce our dependence on foreign energy, and companies like Golden Leaf Energy enhance Louisiana’s critical role as a significant producer of this nation’s energy.”

“Innovation is the key to developing and maintaining a strong and diversified economic base,” said Nolan Rollins, President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans. “Golden Leaf’s alternative energy production is yet another indication that our region is serious about supporting and growing businesses.”

Golden Leaf Energy’s founders, Troy Clark and Dr. Calvin Mackie, have extensive entrepreneurial experience and strong local ties to the community. Mr. Clark brings over 12 years of entrepreneurial and business experience to Golden Leaf Energy. Prior to founding Golden Leaf Energy, he served as the chief executive for a granite and construction company. Dr. Mackie is an award-winning mentor, author, a former Tulane engineering professor, an internationally renowned motivational speaker, and an entrepreneur; he has led the personal development consultant firm Channel ZerO Group for over 20 years.

The New Orleans Startup Fund is funded through a combination of private donations and public programs, including the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation, U.S. Economic Development Administration, and the Louisiana Office of Community Development/Disaster Recovery Unit.

A native New Orleanian, Mark is serving as President and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC), Mark leads the city’s official leisure travel promotion agency, responsible for enhancing the tourism industry through effective marketing and promotional programs. Mark is an established public relations and marketing professional and is accredited (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America. Mark has been involved in a variety of historic and milestone events throughout his career, including the development of the Hotel Inter-Continental New Orleans, the 1984 Louisiana World’s Fair, U.S. presidential nomination attempts by both Elizabeth and Bob Dole, the successful 1999 reopening of Harrah’s New Orleans, the 2006 Sugar Bowl (only Sugar Bowl game ever to be played outside of New Orleans due to Katrina) and the wildly successful Idea Village New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.  Most recently, he served as Chairman of the NOLA Navy Week Host Committee, the group tapped by the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to present New Orleans’ participation in the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and Star Spangled Banner.

Prior to joining NOTMC, Mark served several years as Vice-President of Marketing and Public Relations for HCA Inc. – Delta Division (Hospital Corporation of America). Mark joined HCA after a sixteen year career at Peter A. Mayer Advertising. Named Top Executive by the Advertising Club of New Orleans in 2002, he was promoted to President of Peter A. Mayer Advertising’s Public Relations Division in 2004, managing a staff of ten professionals and dozens of clients. While at Peter Mayer Advertising, Mark also provided professional support to many community initiatives including the introduction of former New Orleans Chief of Police  Richard Pennington, the Bring New Orleans Back Commission and the Fleur de Lis Ambassador Program.

Prior to joining the agency in 1992, Mark served as Vice President – Public Affairs for New Orleans-based Hibernia National Bank. From 1985 to 1987, and then again for a brief period in 1988, Mark served on the Secretary’s staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.  There, he worked as a Staff Assistant to Secretary Elizabeth H. Dole, and also performed a similar role for Mrs. Dole during her husband’s run for the presidential nomination in 1987-88. Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., Mark was Director of Protocol and Guest Relations for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition (1984 World’s Fair) from 1982 – 1984. Immediately following the World’s Fair, he served a brief stint as Executive Director of LaFete, New Orleans’ Summer Festival, the non-profit organization promoting New Orleans during the summer months. Prior to joining the World’s Fair team, Mark was part of the team that developed the New Orleans Inter-Continental Hotel, and was hired as its first National Sales Manager.

Active in his community, Mark, along with his father Jerry, is serving as Co-Chair of the Media & PR Committee for the 2013 Super Bowl XLVII Host Committee. He is a member of the Board of Trustees and Board Secretary for Xavier University of Louisiana. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of the NO/AIDS Task Force. He is immediate past president of the Fontainebleau Improvement Association and is affiliated with City Year – Louisiana, serving as a City Year – Louisiana Champion. He is also a member of the New Orleans City Park Board of Commissioners.

Mark is immediate past Chairman of the Board of The Idea Village and is an emeritus member of the Fore!Kids Foundation, producer of the annual PGA TOUR ‘s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Project Lazarus (currently a member of the Development Council) and the Southern Repertory Theater. Mark is past International President of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity (TKE), and is a former board member of the TKE Educational Foundation. Mark is a graduate of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute and Leadership Louisiana. For several years Mark taught public relations courses at Tulane’s University College.

Mark graduated from Brother Martin High School and attended the University of New Orleans, where he received his B.S. from the School of Business Administration (School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration) in 1978. While in college, Mark interned at the Royal Orleans Hotel, working in several departments to gain experience and credit toward his degree. He was named the school’s outstanding alumnus in 1984. Mark is a member of St. Rita Parish in New Orleans.  He was also honored by the Young Leadership Council as a Role Model and received St. Elizabeth’s Guild Volunteer Activist Award in 2008.

New Orleans Startup Fund invests in adverCar

The national transit media company has run successful campaigns for Louisiana State University, New Orleans Hornets, Sleepy’s, Krispy Kreme, and other national clients

NEW ORLEANS — Today, the New Orleans Startup Fund announced the closing of an initial round of financing for adverCar, a rapidly growing national transit media company headquartered in New Orleans. The funding will allow the company to significantly expand its operating capacity while adding 80 new direct jobs in the area over four years.

“We are extremely pleased to finance a company like adverCar, which already has multiple household names as clients,” said Matt Wisdom, Chairman of the Startup Fund. “The mission of the Startup Fund is to help accelerate the growth of high-potential companies in the Greater New Orleans region that have national—or global—aspirations. This injection of capital will be very helpful to adverCar as they expand and seek additional financing down the road.”

Using the practice of placing advertisements on buses and taxicabs as a model, adverCar matches everyday drivers with businesses looking to promote their brands. The company uses a fleet of GPS-tracked vehicles on precisely chosen commuter routes and other driving-intensive areas, as display advertising platforms. By saturating specific neighborhoods, surface roads, or commuter routes to reach specific target groups, brands’ messages can be delivered in a more focused fashion than ever before.

Drivers are local residents in target areas who are paid monthly to affix vinyl advertising decals to their cars. By participating in campaigns, adverCar drivers can eliminate or drastically reduce their day-to-day fuel costs. This compensation approach has proven to be highly effective for recruiting drivers, with thousands of people signed up nationally.

The company is currently running campaigns for Sleepy’s—the nation’s largest mattress retailer—in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia.

“It’s two parts—first you can get into smaller, localized markets that regular outdoor can’t do. And, if you want to say hello to competitors, that helps, as well,” said Chris DeCicco, Media Buyer for Sleepy’s. “You can strategically target certain people or groups of people within the area or market.”

adverCar’s founders have deep roots in New Orleans. Neil Turner, the company’s CEO, was the Chief Strategy Officer for iSeatz, a major New Orleans-based developer of online travel reservation technologies. Alex Goss, a co-founder and partner of adverCar, is a Louisiana native and also a veteran of iSeatz.

“Basing adverCar in New Orleans was a priority for us,” said Turner. “All of the key elements we required to develop a powerful foundation for our company are here. From a business and venture culture that fosters the developments of new ideas, to great organizations like GNO, Inc. that facilitate the business process, to a place that’s just unbeatable from a quality of life standpoint, we knew that this was where we needed to be. I urge other owners of innovative companies to consider New Orleans as a home base.”

Greater New Orleans, Inc., the regional economic alliance for the 10-parish region of Southeast Louisiana, met with adverCar’s founders to discuss available incentives programs. GNO, Inc. then introduced the company leadership to the New Orleans Startup Fund’s management team. Working in tandem with the Startup Fund, GNO, Inc. met with adverCar’s advisory board to demonstrate the business case for the region.

“New Orleans has proven itself to be this nation’s hub for entrepreneurship and innovation,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “Having local financing available is a critical part of our efforts to grow jobs and add value to companies right here at home.”

The New Orleans Startup Fund is funded through a combination of private and public programs, including the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the Louisiana Office of Community Development/Disaster Recovery Unit.

New Orleans Startup Fund invests in Drop the Chalk

Education software company becomes first business to receive funding

NEW ORLEANS – Today, the New Orleans Startup Fund announced that Drop the Chalk will become the first business financed by the nonprofit venture capital fund.  Designed to accelerate local early-stage companies that demonstrate high-growth potential, the Startup Fund aims to create more jobs and economic prosperity for the Greater New Orleans region.

“The Startup Fund’s mission is to invest in great companies and to help them run their businesses and raise the capital they need,” said Matt Wisdom, CEO of Turbosquid and Chair of the Startup Fund.  “Beyond this investment, the Startup Fund helped Drop the Chalk find several angel investors and will act as the local institutional investor for the national funders.”

Due to local attention and support from the Startup Fund, Drop the Chalk has also been able to secure financing from Abstraction Ventures, Calvert Balanced Portfolio, First Light Ventures, and other local angel investors.

Founded by Teach For America alumna Jennifer Schnidman Medbery, Drop the Chalk is a web-based education software company that enables teachers to collect and analyze classroom data in real time.  The company seeks to catalyze education reform by empowering teachers to use student data effectively.

Drop the Chalk offers intuitive software that provides school administrators and teachers with better access to student information.  Kickboard, the company’s first software program, allows school leaders to enter data to track students’ schoolwork and behaviors.  The program is designed to save time, eliminate the need for spreadsheets, and make information instantly accessible across schools.

“In the past few years, New Orleans has become a hub of innovation for education reform,” said Medbery.  “Because the city’s schools are so focused on improving student achievement, it is the ideal place to launch Drop the Chalk.  The Startup Fund is one more very compelling reason for new companies in all fields to consider New Orleans as a place to do business.”

The company has been the recipient of numerous national awards, recently winning the Domain Companies’ prize at the Tulane Business Plan Competition, in addition to winning the UPenn Graduate School of Education Business Plan Competition and the Tulane University New Day Challenge.  Drop the Chalk also was a finalist for the Mass Challenge, the Unreasonable Institute, and the Echoing Green competition.

Additionally, Drop the Chalk is a graduate of the 2010 Idea Village Entrepreneur Challenge, an intensive six-month business accelerator program that supports high-impact entrepreneurs by identifying growth challenges and providing business strategy.  The Idea Village team worked with Medbery to develop a sound financial model and strategic growth plan enabling Drop the Chalk to expand from six schools to fifteen.  Drop the Chalk also secured a $100,000 investment through The Idea Village’s Village Capital program, an innovative peer-to-peer lending model conceived and funded by First Light Ventures.

“The Idea Village began ten years ago with a mission to identify, support and retain local entrepreneurial talent in New Orleans,” said Tim Williamson, CEO and co-founder of Idea Village.  “This investment is representative of the ever-growing local entrepreneurial pipeline and reaffirms the importance of New Orleans having a strong ecosystem of partners that work together to support and scale local entrepreneurs.”

To become the Startup Fund’s first investment, Drop the Chalk underwent a nearly four-month long application and review process.  In order to qualify for funding, startups must be headquartered within the 10-parish Greater New Orleans region and must demonstrate a clear vision to grow their business to $20 to 50 million in revenue within five to seven years.

During a press conference held at The I.P. Building in downtown New Orleans, a representative of Entergy presented Medbery with a check on behalf of the Startup Fund, representing the first $50,000 of an overall $100,000 commitment by the venture capital fund.  In addition to financing, Drop the Chalk will receive technical assistance—including Financial Modeling, Marketing Strategy, Operation Planning, Management, and Follow-on Capital Raising.

“Jen Medbery moved here to participate in Teach For America; while teaching at a local charter school, she had a groundbreaking idea,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc.  “The Idea Village incubated her company, and now the New Orleans Startup Fund is investing in her company.  We have asked Entergy to present Jen with her check, since their investment in New Orleans has supported all of these organizations and helped us to build a more robust entrepreneurial landscape.”

“We at Entergy are happy to do our part to help support business development in the New Orleans area,” said Charles L. Rice, Jr., President and CEO of Entergy New Orleans, Inc.  “Participating in economic development work and helping to grow new and existing industries are an important part of the work we do to serve the community.”

During the press conference, the Startup Fund also announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration has committed to make a $400,000 investment in the venture fund.

-John Hardman and Ross Baird,
First Light Ventures

“New Orleans has early stage deals, but for so many years lacked an early stage fund to execute and lead these deals.  No more.  The New Orleans Startup Fund provides valuable capital, local market insights and relationships adding great value to both the ventures and investors they engage.  It was great working with such a talented team of people to get a high quality deal done.”

-Daryn Dodson,
Calvert Funds