Big Easy Ideas

New Orleans is poised to become a health tech hub -- what will it take to make this a reality? Tune into this panel, facilitated by Aimee Quirk of Ochsner Health and Ochsner Ventures, as they try to answer this question. Aimee is joined by Sarah Deshpande of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Maven Ventures, and Keith Figlioli of Boston-based venture capital firm LRVHealth. In their wide-ranging...

The health care sector continues to undergo massive changes as digitization & tech work their way through one of the country's largest industries. As the landscape shifts, opportunities for innovation & investment are abundant. Join Keith Figlioli of Boston-based venture capital firm LRVHealth as he lays out the macroeconomic state of healthcare and health tech, and makes the case for...

Wwe're thrilled to bring you this episode to hear discussions with three exceptional entrepreneurs who have achieved remarkable building their companies in the Gulf South. You will hear from Alex Reed and Jay Manouchehri, the bright minds behind Fluence Analytics. Some spectacular news to share with you about Fluence Analytics is that since recording this episode at NOEW 2023, this company ha...

In this episode, you’ll hear a compelling conversation led by Kim Boyle, featuring tech founders and talent builders from New Orleans. Esteemed speakers, including Burton White from Excella, Gerard Ramos from Revelry, Tony Zanders from Skilltype, and John Fraboni from Operation Spark, delve into their experiences and insights, shedding light on the inherent strengths that contribute to building su...

SaaS Without Borders is an exploration of the legal and operational considerations that arise when providing Software as a Service (SaaS) on a national and global scale. Speakers: Stephen Morel, JurisDeed Sam Bruner, Spot2Nite Lara Sevener - Jones Walker

Throughout this episode, you will hear about how two founders jumped into entrepreneurship and have since been building successful SaaS companies focused on data and market research in New Orleans. A few months after this conversation took place on the New Orleans Entrepreneur Week 2023 stage, one of the speakers acquired the other speaker's company! Both founders agreed that there was clear...

Different companies interpret customer centricity in different ways, but at the heart of this business strategy is a deep understanding of the customer and a commitment to creating customer value at every touchpoint in the customer journey. Listen to our panelists from companies of different sizes, stages and industries share how they build long-term relationships with customers by providing excep...

Meet two founders who have broken the mold and created industry leading companies in unique marketplaces. Join Walter Isaacson (Tulane) as he interviews Ryan Williams (Cadre) who is revolutionizing commercial real estate investing, and Scott Wolfe (Founder of Levelset) who created the number one construction payment platform, based here in New Orleans. Hear firsthand accounts from innovators who h...

Commander’s Palace Co-Proprietor Ti Adelaide Martin joins Christine Albert of the non-profit LCMC Health for a panel that will speak to the power of hospitality in New Orleans and how this approach can be applied across industries for meaningful impact. Speakers: Christine Albert, LCMC Health  Ti Martin, Commander's Palace

On this episode of the EATrepreneurs season, four founders share insights about the opportunities to harness technology for the growth of their food and/or hospitality businesses . These speakers delve deep into how the use of technology can create a safe and advantageous environment for business and how technology is helping their businesses prepare for the future . Additionally, the speakers dis...

In this episode, a panel of founders will discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of scaling consumer packaged goods (CPG) businesses in the southern United States. They will share insights and strategies from their own experiences and share their perspectives on the realities of building and growing a CPG brand in the New Orleans, as well as practical advice for navigating the region&apos...

Get inspired and learn from Greg Tillery, CEO of We Dat's Chicken and Shrimp, entrepreneurial journey with his resturant. His story is an inspiring tale of ambition, resilience, and business success. On this episdoe, Greg delves into the challenges he faced, the strategies he employed, and the lessons he learned along the way to build a successful food business. Whether you're a food ent...

The hospitality industry has undergone massive changes in the past few years and has had to shift and innovate as the world became uncertain. Join us for a dynamic panel discussion with some of New Orleans' top restauranteurs as they share their insights on the future of hospitality in a post-pandemic world. Our panelists will share their experiences of navigating the challenges of the pandem...

WThis special episode puts the spotlight on one of our nation’s leading entrepreneurs and investors: Steve Case….one of America’s most accomplished entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and a pioneer in making the Internet part of everyday life. Joined by Walter Isaacson - former editor of Time Magazine, CEO and Chairman of CNN, and CEO of the Aspen Institute - you'll hear Steve discuss the core...

On this episode, you'll hear a conversation between Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Walter Isaacson - renowned author and thought leader - , and Steve Case - AOL co-founder and startup investor -  discuss how Louisiana is embracing the climate tech transition, share insights on how entrepreneurship can foster innovation in climate and related industries like health and biotech, and highl...

In the last decade, there has been tremendous investment and focus on software tools, electrification, and clean energy technology. The UN’s recent climate summit, COP26, highlighted natural systems as a major component of the response to climate change, on par with anthropogenic solutions such as wind, solar, and CCUS. The gulf coast is rich in the natural resources, skills, and experience to tac...

In this session, the panel will share stories and explore electric vehicle transportation – what’s working, where are the gaps, and identifying where the industry is headed. Join us for some quick insights into the burgeoning electric vehicle industry and the unique challenges presented as society moves toward embracing this technology.

Complex real world problems require even more innovative solutions. Once the glacially paced cousin of software-based tech, "hard tech" has emerged as the forefront of innovation driving solutions to some of society's most pressing challenges including climate change. Local hard tech founders share their journey as startups tackling huge problems. As the ambition of hard tech startu...

Investment in climate tech startups doubled from 2020 to 2021. With over $40B deployed across 600 deals in 2021 alone, climate tech investing is one of the hottest growth areas within venture investing. What is driving this trend and where is the opportunity frontier for climate tech going? Chante Harris is a leading pressed and seed-stage investor, go-to-market expert, and supporter of early stag...

What would it take for Louisiana to lead in climate innovation through technology? Nish Acharya is a national thought leader focused on creating place-based innovation clusters. A senior policy official for the Obama administration, Nish helped create the Regional Innovation Strategies framework that has guided federal investment in innovation for the last decade. A contributor to Forbes and advis...

What can startups and investors learn from CleanTech 1.0?  What does the future of ClimateTech investing look like? How do incumbent sectors better manage disruptive forces and embrace change? Paul Holland is a successful veteran of Silicon Valley and serves as Managing Director and VC-in-Residence at Mach49, where he leads the company’s Corporate Venture Investing Practice. Paul has been a GP at...

Learn how these entrepreneurs have used technology to solve unique problems in the sound recording ecosystem, while building future forward companies!

With the rapid adoption of Web3, media and digital strategy for corporations and cultural institutions have undergone a considerable transformation in recent years. In this fireside chat, Chris Cummings, the CEO and Founder of Iconic Moments, will discuss how he's building a marketplace for museums and cultural institutions to "mint" their unique assets as NFTs. In conversation with...

The opportunities for creatives to benefit from the world of #WEB3 are endless. Learn about how creative talent in New Orleans can benefit from the immense possibilities within Web3 and how creatives can be onboard into this new space for experienced local artists and entrepreneurs participating in Web3. 

Alongside the explosion of interest in digital ownership through NFTs, Web3 has brought an age-old phenomenon to the forefront of the technological frontier: community. Through anything from jpeg images of Bored Apes to Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (or "DAO's") aiming to buy a copy of the Constitution, Web3 has presented new ways for people to coordinate digitally, along w...