Annual IDEApitch Companies Announced

Bomb Ass Fro, Glass Half Full, and iCan to Pitch on Friday of NOEW

New Orleans, Louisiana — The 12th annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), happening March 27 - April 1, will host the IDEApitch competition on Friday, March 31st at 4:00 p.m. at Generations Hall. IDEApitch is the annual high-energy event in which three companies from The Idea Village's VILLAGEx accelerator program pitch to a panel of expert investors and startup founders.

IDEApitch is the culmination of the pipeline of programs that The Idea Village offers, all of which aim to provide the resources needed to launch and scale high-growth companies. Now that New Orleans has shown it can create unicorn companies (such as Lucid’s $1.1 billion exit in 2021), the diversity of businesses and entrepreneurs highlighted in this year’s IDEApitch reflects the region's potential to produce titans that span across multiple venture-backed industries – from tech to consumer goods to climate-focused solutions.

The three IDEApitch finalists are: Bomb Ass Fro https://bombassfro.com/, Glass Half Full ghfrecycling.com, and iCAN Technologies https:/www.icanhiot.com/. These companies were selected to pitch, following extensive screening by a panel of experienced judges.

This year’s IDEApitch companies are excited about the opportunity to share their unique stories on one of New Orleans’ biggest stages.

“I’m thrilled to have been selected for the 2023 IDEApitch competition. The growth of black women-owned businesses is rapid, yet there remains a significant gap between our advancement and access to capital,” said Bomb Ass Fro founder, Sydni Raymond. “Community is paramount to Bomb Ass Fro’s mission. I want to be the example that bootstrapping isn’t the only way to success,” she continued.

Bomb Ass Fro is a natural hair care company with non toxic hair products for the perfect wash and go hair style.

Glass Half Full recycles glass into sand and gravel for coastal restoration, disaster relief, new glass products, and more. “We are thrilled to participate in IDEApitch this year, alongside two incredible companies from the cohort,” said Glass Half Full founder Franziska Trautmann. “At Glass Half Full, we have bootstrapped our way to where we are today through grants and GoFundMe crowdfunding so we are stoked to potentially win an investment into our company that could allow us to scale beyond our wildest dreams,” she said.

iCAN Technologies founder David Decuir said, “iCan is honored to be part of the 2023 VILLAGEx cohort and also one of the three companies selected for IDEApitch. To be on the stage at the end of NOEW is a huge compliment,” said Decuir. iCAN's mission is to improve the safety, skills, and retention of a skilled workforce through a comprehensive, methodical and seamless full cycle approach to training and competency backed and validated through data analytics.

To determine the winner of this year’s IDEApitch, an esteemed panel of judges have been brought together, representing both local leadership, last year’s IDEApitch winner, and notable venture investors from across the country. The 2023 IDEApitch judges are:

  • Brent Craige, Co-founder and CEO of JammAround

  • Sara Deshpande, General Partner at Maven Ventures

  • Taylor Griffin, Head of Athlete Relations at Patricof Co

  • Nitin Rai, Founder & Managing Partner at Elevate Venture Capital Fund

  • Jeffery Silverman, Managing Partner at Laconia

  • Robb Vorhoff, Managing Director & Global Head of Healthcare at General Atlantic

  • Sevetri Wilson, Founder & CEO at Resilia

Immediately after the IDEApitch winner is announced, the second night of NOEW Fest, the original music fest within NOEW, will kick off with a full evening of DJ sets and live music, including performances from Letrainiump, Brass-a-holics, DJ Mel, and Pell. IDEApitch attendees must purchase a NOEW Fest Pass ($99) or NOEW VIP Pass ($250) for admission to both IDEApitch and NOEW Fest, happening Thursday, March 30, Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1. Passes available here: https://www.noew.org/.

In addition to IDEApitch, NOEW attendees at Generations Hall on Friday can hear the Mayor’s Future Tech Challenge final pitch competition, a contest that offers up to $25,000 in cash prizes to innovative individuals in New Orleans who showcase how their creative technology solution connects the city's unique cultural economy with global economic opportunities. After that, former NBA player Taylor Griffin will discuss his experiences as the Head of Athlete Relations at Patricof Co, a private equity firm. IDEApitch follows Griffin.

“IDEApitch is about venture and investment readiness,” said Jon Atkinson, CEO of The Idea Village, the nonprofit accelerator that produces New Orleans Entrepreneur Week and provides the VIlLLAGEx program. “The entrepreneurs who participate in IDEApitch have founded and scaled startups that we believe are ready for additional investment. We know from experience that IDEApitch companies are positioned to be the future business leaders and employers in the Greater New Orleans region,” he said.

Previous companies who have participated in IDEApitch – In addition to Lucid and Levelset, who sold for a combined $1.6B in 2021 – include: Dinner Lab, Servato, Kickboard, Naked Pizza, Bioceptive, Cordina, ChapterSpot, AudioSocket, Better Day Health, Spectrum Interactive, BonTriage, Your Nutrition Delivered, Quarrio, Torsh, MobileQubes, SuperEats, Catalyst:Ed, Acrew, AxoSim, Resilia, Dig Dates, RentCheck, TrayAway, Research Defender, DOCPACE, Gilded, Falaya, Something Borrowed Blooms, Hampr, Spot2Nite, Iconic Moments, Cluey Consumer and JammAround.

JammAround, the winner of IDEApitch at NOEW in 2022, recently received a $100,000.0 investment from Silicon Valley legends Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz through their firm a16z. The duo, of Netscape and Loudcloud fame, also brought JammAround into the firm’s 16-week Talent x Opportunity Initiative mentorship program to help prepare the New Orleans company for their seed round of funding. JammAround co-founder Brent Craige said his VILLAGEx mentor, Julian Herbert, was the person that initially connected JammAround with a16z. JammAround will be sharing the stage with a16z on Wednesday, March 29th at Gallier Hall, for a session entitled “Why Culture Matters for Tech and Innovation,” hosted by Sabrina Short of NOLAvate Black.

View the full NOEW schedule here: https://www.noew.org/sessions

See the 3-day music line-up for NOEW Fest here: https://www.noew.org/fest

Purchase your NOEW passes here: https://www.noew.org/.

About New Orleans Entrepreneur Week

Now in its 12th year, NOEW (pronounced noh-wee!) brings together business owners, startup founders, industry leaders, forward-thinking investors, and business-minded creatives committed to imagining and building an exceptional future for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region through entrepreneurship. This year, the celebration will offer attendees a dynamic six-day experience with national and local industry leaders across startup/business, technology, music, food and more. Produced by the non-profit business accelerator The Idea Village and presented this year by JPMorgan Chase & Co, NOEW is the premier event in the Gulf Coast celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation, and culture in all forms, in a signature-style event that only New Orleans can host. Find out more and get your pass now at https://www.noew.org

About The Idea Village

The Idea Village’s core belief is that entrepreneurship is an agent of social and economic change. As an early champion of entrepreneurship in New Orleans, the organization has played an integral role in catalyzing the city’s entrepreneurial movement. In addition to supporting over 16,000 entrepreneurs, The Idea Village has successfully elevated New Orleans’ reputation as a hub of innovation, entrepreneurship, and business. By serving as a catalyst and developing programs that provide direct support and education to founders and early-stage companies, The Idea Village helps entrepreneurs build innovative and industry-leading companies that generate revenue and jobs and help create a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient local economy. www.ideavillage.org

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Valeria Ali