A LITTLE HISTORY & A LITTLE ABOUT
In the year 2000, the vision for The Idea Village was conceived on a napkin (see image to the right) by founding partners Allen Bell, Sally Forman, Sam Giberga, Darin McAuliffe, Michele Reynoir, and Tim Williamson, along with Robbie Vitrano, at the Loa Bar in New Orleans, Louisiana. They were discussing ways to reverse decades of economic and social decline in New Orleans that began with the oil bust in the 1970s, followed by decades of political corruption, poor education, and high crime rates, leading to over 40,000 individuals, aged 25-35, leaving the state in the 1990s.
At that time, these founders looked at these collective challenges and saw entrepreneurship as the agent of change needed to reverse the downward trend. Each of them pitched in to launch a business plan competition with no expectations of major public participation. Much to their surprise, hundreds of applications flooded in. The winner of the self-named Loa Group’s business plan competition received a prize package of cash and in-kind services worth over $125,000.
As an early champion of entrepreneurship in New Orleans, The Idea Village has played an integral role in catalyzing the city's entrepreneurial movement. Twenty years later, the organization has grown into a fully operated nonprofit that has supported over 16,000 entrepreneurs, and counting, across the Gulf South through different forms of support and education (i.e. IDEAinstitute, IDEAfuel, and VILLAGEx), year-round events (i.e. New Orleans Entrepreneur Week ‘NOEW’), and free, year-round entrepreneurial content (i.e. Big Easy Ideas podcast) for early-to-later-stage startups founders.
By serving as a catalyst and developing programs, there have been dozens of alumni who have built industry-leading companies, generated millions in revenue, and created hundreds of jobs across the Gulf South. All of this has helped cultivate a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient regional economy.
At the core of what we do is the belief that entrepreneurship is an agent of social and economic change, which is why we are passionate about supporting regional startups and the big thinkers that power them. Drawing inspiration from New Orleans, the city we call home, and with the tremendous support of our network, The Idea Village’s mobilize a village of people who are relentlessly resourceful and committed to building successful companies.