Start-ups, entrepreneurs and small business owners across Louisiana have a chance to win a $10,000 prize package by demonstrating their savvy business plan or new idea to a panel of judges at "Get Started New Orleans."
“We’re hoping that folks in Acadiana will certainly submit an idea for the pitch because we know that entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive and well here in Acadiana,” says Patricia Thompson, public affairs manager for Cox Communications Southeast. “I would love to see Acadiana represented at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.”
Get Started NOLA will take place during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week on Wednesday, March 25, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at The Chicory, located at 610 S. Peters St. in New Orleans. Candidates interested in pitching their idea can apply now through March 6 at midnight by visiting www.GetStartedNOLA.com. Those interested in attending as an audience member can register now for NOEW, sponsored by IberiaBank.
Participation in Get Started NOLA is open to five qualified contestants who will be given 2.5 minutes each to pitch their idea in front of a live audience. A panel of four expert judges will follow up with questions and observations. The experts will review each of the plans and select a winner based on innovation, ease of implementation and consumer and community benefit.
The judges for this year’s competition includes Lauren Thom, founder and CEO of Fleurty Girl; Kris Frieswick, senior editor at Inc. Magazine; Chris Schultz, founder of VooDoo Ventures; and Steve Rowley, senior vice president of Cox Business.
The winning presentation will be awarded a prize package valued at $10,000, including cash and a subscription to Cox's business services.