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• Learnings from more than three months of rapid changes
• Suggestions on how to pivot your messaging
• Takeaways from first and second-party data
• And insights from paid advertising strategies.

• Learning from Nonprofits & The Arts: Engaging your Audience (Panel) - Sam Bowler, Founder & Director of Culturalyst; Jason Andreason, Executive Director, Baton Rouge Gallery; Chris Cummings, CEO & Founder, Pass It Down
• Restaurants & the F&B industry - Creating Alternative Income Streams (Panel) - Eliana Thompson Becnel, Business Development Manager, GNO, Inc.; Lovey Wakefield, Ecommerce Solution Group (ESG); Robbie Vitrano, Serial Entrepreneur / Restauranteur; Kristen Preau Moore, Cook Me Somethin'' Mister; Aaron Gailmor, Brass Roots Food
• Going Virtual: Working at Peak Performance from Home (Workshop) - Cherie Hebert, CEO, BBR Creative

• Creating Resiliency in your Marketing Channels (Workshop) - Mary Ellen Slayter, CEO, RepCap
• Going Virtual: Staying Safe and Productive While Working from Home (Panel) -William Sellers & Michael Fazely from Venyu
• Creating Quality DIY Videos for your Company (Workshop) - Mark Tassin, Creative Director at Rooted Consulting

• A VILLAGEx Pivot - Local sunscreen machine maker Stop & Block is now building hand sanitizer dispensers. CEO Sean McCloskey says they''ve put out 50 hand sanitizer dispensers and are expected to develop more as more Louisiana businesses reopen. Watch the full story here. 

• Applications are open to apply for Propeller''s Impact Accelerator Program | July 15 - November 20. Their program focuses on building ventures that are grounded in financial viability, social impact, racial equity, and a demonstrated commitment to the prosperity of our city and region. Apply now. 

• Powered by Acumen America and in partnership with the Center for Health Care Strategies, Adaptation Health is hosting a Demo Day Series for Medicaid Innovation in response to COVID-19. The events aim to connect Medicaid leaders with critical health innovations and enable these leaders to champion and implement these products and services. Find out more from both a company and an attendee perspective here. 

• NOLAVATE Black has opened up speaker applications for their virtual Black Tech NOLA 2020 Inclusive Innovation Conference, June 29th - July 1st. Apply here.

• Watch Patrick Comer, founder and CEO of Lucid, discuss innovation and the future of the New Orleans tech scene with former Lucid employees here. 
• Gilded has created automated crypto billing with a new, recurring invoice feature on their platform. Learn more about what this VILLAGEx 2020 alum has been up to here. 
• Check out an interview with the CEO of the New Orleans startup Don''t Get Mad Get Paid in Forbes here. 

• The Shop Workspace is hosting a free co-working event for community members to try the workspace on December 4. Learn more and sign up here. 
• BREW is taking place from January 19-21 in a hybrid virtual and in-person format. Learn more and sign up for the pitch competition here.  
• Save the date for our virtual Ecosystem Holiday Party on December 16th at 5:30 PM! Stay tuned for more details. 

• Dr. Sean White, Chief R&D Officer at Mozilla
• Sarah Sharif, Founder of Experimental Civics
• Iam Tucker, President and CEO of ILSI Engineering 

• Propeller is hosting a webinar Thursday, May 14th on forgiveness criteria for the PPP (Payroll Protection Program). Speakers Natalie Barranco (Owner, Prime Business Advisory Solutions) and Michael Williams (Partner, Phelps Dunbar) will be walking attendees through the PPP forgiveness criteria and a case study on how a small business can maximize forgiveness on their PPP loan. Register here.

• Exciting news: New Orleans based SaaS platform Resilia Raises $8M to Scale Impact in Philanthropy and Reduce Friction for Nonprofits! In addition to being one of the largest series A rounds of an enterprise software company headed by an African American female founder, it also marks the highest venture capital raise by a female-founded tech company in the state of Louisiana. Big congrats to founder and VILLAGEx alumni, Sevetri Wilson and her team! Read more here.

• Powered by Acumen America and in partnership with the Center for Health Care Strategies, Adaptation Health announced last week their Demo Day Series for Medicaid Innovation in response to COVID-19. The events aim to connect Medicaid leaders with critical health innovations and enable these leaders to champion and implement these products and services. Find out more from both a company and an attendee perspective here. 

• NOLAVATE Black has opened up speaker applications for their virtual Black Tech NOLA 2020 Inclusive Innovation Conference, June 29th - July 1st. Apply here.

You''re invited to our Holiday Happy Hour this Wednesday, December 16th at 5:30 PM CT! Join us to connect and network with local entrepreneurial support organizations, business owners, founders, and community members alike. Learn about what's coming up in the ecosystem and how to get involved, and celebrate as we close out 2020 and look forward to a bright 2021. 

We'll be using the Remo platform to allow for seamless virtual networking, so come ready to mingle with your camera and mics on! 

Thank you to everyone who tuned into the 2020 IDEApitch Winter Showcase - we hope you enjoyed celebrating innovation in New Orleans! If you missed it, you can check out the full event here at any time.

We have so much gratitude for all our sponsors and partners who make New Orleans Entrepreneur Week and the work we do at The Idea Village possible. Special thanks to JPMorgan Chase & Co., Ochsner Health Systems, The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University and Commander's Palace, and to our behind-the-scenes production wizards, Elephant Quilt Productions, inDEPTH Media, and implicted for bringing this special edition event to life.  And HUGE congrats to all three founders who pitched and to DOCPACE for taking home the $50,000 grand prize! 

Don''t forget to save the date and keep your eye on your inbox for more details to come on NOEW 2021 happening from March 22nd-26th! 

Shop online using code GIVEBACK-0ONC during checkout on kendrascott.com, or shop in-person at 5757 Magazine St suite C and mention The Idea Village at checkout. Masks are required to shop in-store.

• Check out a free webinar with Verne Harnish about how to achieve your goals in 2021 on 12/16 at 2 PM ET. Learn more and sign up here. 
• This holiday season, a coalition of female-led businesses in New Orleans created Shop Our City, a campaign to bring attention to the importance of shopping small now more than ever. Learn more here! 
• Check out this spotlight on Rx Interactive, a VILLAGEx alum that uses gamification technology to make patient education more engaging. 

• Programming featuring seasoned entrepreneurs who can share their experiences during times of  disasters and downturns
• Opportunities to connect with other entrepreneurs and professionals through breakout sessions
• Networking! Yes, networking! There will be speed video networking available to support making new connections.
• And an expo area to learn about entrepreneurial resources to support your business

• Calling all students, inventors, passionate creatives, out-of-the-box thinkers, motivated entrepreneurs, startups, and investors - INNO kicks off tomorrow! What sessions will you be tuning into? Register to attend here. #INNO20

• During this period of unknowns, DOCPACE would like to bring the healthcare community together. Over the next several weeks, they are inviting practitioners, practice managers, and nurses to participate in virtual roundtable discussions with Founder Shelby Sanderford to "Discuss the Future of the Waiting Room". Sign up to attend a discussion here. 

• Last week Gilded announced the world's first digital currency payments solution "on autopilot" deployed by CoinMarketCap. Read more about it here. 

Day in and day out we''re lucky enough to work with founders who lead and lead tirelessly. In response to the current pandemic, companies from our current cohort and alumni are activating in incredible ways. Check out some of their stories below.

DOCPACE
As New Orleanians, DOCPACE, a Health-Tech Startup in VILLAGEx, is offering their service to help local healthcare providers navigate this uncertain time and help #StopTheSpread of the COVID-19 virus in our community. DOCPACE can minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 by texting patients protocol and wait updates to reduce crowds in the waiting area, as well as send pre-screening and drive-thru testing questionnaires to patients via text messaging. DOCPACE will be providing this as no cost over the duration of the pandemic. To learn more about DOCPACE, visit their website.

NOLA Couture  
Alum NOLA Couture has switched their primary focus from creating clothes for men, women, and children, and have since repurposed their operations to create surgical gowns and masks for the healthcare workers suffering due to the shortage. They will be using their factory, as well as accepting at-home volunteers, to help meet the growing demand for protective gear! If you''re interested in volunteering (and have the sewing skills!), contact NOLA Couture at info@nolacouture.com.

In light of the challenges of COVID-19 and the cancellation of NOEW 2020, we need your support now more than ever. Your support for The Idea Village is an investment in building and maintaining the future of New Orleans.

Through programs like VILLAGEx, ENERGYx and IDEAinstitute, we are providing resources and building a community around emerging entrepreneurs. Help us and the New Orleans startup community arise from this crisis stronger and more resilient.

Now more than ever it is important for our community to lift one another up and drive toward a more exceptional future for New Orleans. In light of recent events, we''ll be offering a limited number of scholarships for our Spring 2020 IDEAinstitute to anyone whose current job has been directly affected by COVID-19.

IDEAinstitute is a 10-week, online course jam-packed with industry leading curriculum and taught by Loyola University of New Orleans Professor Dr. Felipe Massa. You''ll be taken through step-by-step modules that will give you the tools you need to turn your idea into a reality and how to identify problems to create actionable solutions and a scalable startups. 

As part of your application, you''ll be asked to briefly describe how your current situation has been impacted by COVID-19 and how participating in IDEAinstitute will help build your career moving forward. Please note these limited scholarships are open on a first-come, first-served basis, so don''t hesitate in submitting your application for review now. 

• GNO inc has launched GNOpivot,  an initiative aimed to help businesses affected by COVID-19 pivot their standard operations and provide services in high demand due to the crisis. This will not only help flatten the curve, but will also further sustain the GNO economy. Visit their website to learn more and to join GNOpivot.
• As part of their trepwork for good platform, trepwise will be offering a free strategy session to any New Orleans-based organization! Learn more and sign up here. 
• The team over at My House Events has put together resources to help chefs and restaurant owners navigate throughout COVID-19 cutbacks. Find the list of resources here.

• Evie Poitevent Sanders, Human Capital Manager at Greater New Orleans, Inc. (Moderator)
• Josie Delaune, HR Vice President at Geocent
• Jack Carrere, Co-Founder at Prokeep
• Mike Walker, Chief Technology Officer, Raistone Capital 
• Zach Hollwedel, Director of Operation, Whetstone Education

A new landscape for investment is unfolding, and there are so many questions about what this means for founders. Join us tomorrow, April 16th, for our virtual Community Content series, sponsored by Regions Bank and bring your questions to a group of local investors for a panel discussion on Preparing to Fundraise In A Cash Crisis. 

• Congratulations to current ENERGYx cohort member Natrx for being selected as a finalist for the RISE Resilience 2020 Coastal Community Challenges! Natrx will pitch to the $2 million RISE Resilience Innovation Fund, with winners announced in early May. Learn more about Natrx and the challenge on their websites. 
• GNO inc. has curated a list of webinars for businesses and business owners that focus on navigating the COVID crisis. Browse their list and find the resources you need here. 
• Fund17, SCORE New Orleans, and partners are hosting biweekly virtual town hall meetings to share information and resources to help small business owners through the COVID-19 crisis. Register for one of the meetings here. 
• Don''t miss INNO from April 28 - April 29! Our friends at Revelry are presenting their cross-industry innovation conference online for FREE. Register here. 

 ?? LAST CHANCE TO APPLY ??

 SEE YOU TONIGHT! 

• Check out the New Orleans Health and Innovators Challenge and watch finalists pitch their digital solutions for a chance to win $36,000. 
• Join us for our Ecosystem Virtual Holiday Happy Hour on 12/16 at 5:30 PM, where community members, entrepreneurs, and business owners can connect, network, and learn more about our ecosystem. More details to come! 
• VILLAGEx alumn Stop & Block has pivoted their technology to produce hand sanitizer dispensers to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Read more here. 

Tune in for a live, virtual broadcast of the first-ever NOEW IDEApitch Winter Showcase. New Orleans Entrepreneur Week partnered with The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University and Commander's Palace to bring you:

• A pitch competition where three top-notch founders from our VILLAGEx 2020 cohort will compete for a $50,000 investment prize in their emerging startup.
• An exclusive interview, presented by The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, with Walter Isaacson, Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values and Co-Chair at Tulane, and internet pioneer Steve Case, Chairman and CEO, Revolution LLC, Co-founder, AOL and author of The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future
• A fireside chat with Ti Martin, Co-Proprietor of Commander''s Palace on how this New Orleans landmark pivoted during the COVID-19 crisis.
• The option to dine with us from home by ordering lunch from Commander''s Palace during registration - orders can be picked up the day of the event so we can all virtually picnic together!

The holiday parties look a little different this year, but we''re still excited to celebrate with you all--join us for our Virtual Ecosystem Holiday Happy Hour on December 16th at 5:30 PM CT! Community members, local business owners, and entrepreneurs are invited to tune in, celebrate, connect, and get involved with our entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

• Prokeep is hiring a Marketing Manager-learn more about the position and apply here. 
• Check out this Marketing to Match your Customers Journey webinar from Fund17 and Propeller. 
• AxoSim discussed the recent investment from Benson Capital and the startup''s aspirations for the future of neurodegenerative diseases in an interview on WWLTV, check it out here.
• Listen to Sevitri Wilson, founder of Resilia and VILLAGEx alumni, discuss her story of building a multi-million dollar tech platform and obtaining VC funding. 

Curious about how exactly accelerator programs support startups? Whether you're a founder looking for the right program to help you scale your company, or someone new to the wide world of entrepreneurship, check out our latest blog to learn more about what accelerators do and why we're so passionate about this work. 

• Loyola''s Graduate Entrepreneurship Program has been ranked in the nation''s top 20 by U. S. News and World Report. Read more about this well-deserved recognition here! 
• The recently-launched fund by Benson Capital Partners announced its investment in Idea Village alum Axosim. Big congrats on this milestone!
• Check out this startup spotlight about VILLAGEx alum DOCPACE, a queue management system for healthcare professionals. 
• Nexus Louisiana is hosting BREW 10, a virtual/hybrid conference highlighting Louisiana''s entrepreneurs with keynote presentations, panel discussions, and a high-stakes pitch competition on January 19-21. Learn more and apply to pitch here. 

Tune in this Thursday 12/10 for a live, virtual broadcast of the NOEW IDEApitch Winter Showcase, presented by JP Morgan & Chase. New Orleans Entrepreneur Week teamed up with The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University and Commander's Palace for a celebration and snapshot of the incredible up and coming startups in our region. Plus, catch an exclusive interview with Walter Isaacson and internet pioneer Steve Case, founder of AOL and author of The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur''s Vision of the Future. 

While watching from home, viewers have the option to order an special lunch from Commander''s Palace to pick up the morning of the event. Just place your orders by today, 12/7 at 12 PM CST. 

Three VILLAGEx 2020 startups were selected to pitch to local judges and compete for a $50,000 investment prize: 

• DOCPACE | Shelby Sanderford, Founder and CEO
• Gilded | Gil Hildebrand, Founder and CEO
• Unlock'd | Barret Blondeau, Founder and CEO

Want to find out more about these founders? You can catch them before their big pitch at the Commander''s Palace Virtual Wine & Cheese Party on Wednesday, December 9-learn more and register here

You''re invited to our Virtual Ecosystem Holiday Happy Hour on December 16th at 5:30 PM CT! Come network, meet new faces, catch up with old connections, and celebrate the season with local businesses, entrepreneurs, and fellow community members! Special thanks to Region''s Bank and The Shop for making Community Content possible. 

• Lydia Winkler, VILLAGEx alum and co-founder of RentCheck, was featured on Business Insider''s list of rising real estate stars. Check it out! 
• Skygauge Robotics, an alum from our ENERGYx accelerator, closed a $3.3 million seed round. Congrats! 
• Watch the Camelback Ventures 2020 Local Economies Fellows pitch their impactful ventures with scalable solutions to New Orleans and beyond on 12/8: sign up here. 
• Check out the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission webinar on diversity, equity & inclusion in the workplace on 12/9. 
• Tune in to the Operation Spark Graduation Showcase and see their latest cohort present their newly developed apps on 12/10.

• Join Propeller on July 9th from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm for Ed Communities of Practice: Pivoting Your Model. Intended for all for profit education entrepreneurs. RSVP here.
• On Friday, July 10th from 12 pm - 2 pm, the Lepage Center Roundtable will host Overcoming Uncertainty through Design Thinking Workshop led by Lauren Siegel and Blake Stanfill with Trepwise. Join on Zoom.
• RSVP to the New Orleans Chamber''s Virtual Power Lunch, on Tuesday, July 14th from 12 pm - 1 pm. Attendees will have the opportunity to give a 2-minute pitch on what their business is and how they have transitioned during COVID-19. Registration is limited, reserve your spot now. 

Join us virtually on Wednesday, August 19th, at 5:30 PM CST for our monthly Community Content Series sponsored by Regions Bank. This month we have a thought-provoking webinar on Believable Branding, with Scott Couvillon, CEO and Chief Strategic Officer of Trumpet Advertising. With Trumpet's expertise, this webinar will help you connect your purpose as an entrepreneur with today's consumers who crave meaningful connections to validate their choices, in a sea of seemingly exchangeable brands.

Central to this webinar is Scott''s unique perspective, which marries the bookends of business-purposeful branding with investment accountability-to establish the critical importance of organizational alignment with a core motivating belief and its impact on the bottom line. 

• Good Work Network is partnering with Get The Bag, LLC to host a webinar on August 19th @ 11AM. Webinar attendees will learn about alternative funding sources for small businesses including grants, e-commerce working capital loans, and revenue-based financing. Register here. 

• The 41st annual Tulane Business Forum is going online. Enjoy the same great forum experience -- outstanding speaker presentations, opportunity to earn continuing education, networking with your fellow attendees -- virtually! The half-day event will take place on September 17th starting @ 8AM.  Sign up to attend here.

• NOLAVATE Black wants to help you with your career in tech with their Level Up initiative! NOLAVATE Black is focused on mapping accessible pathways into the industry for People of Color. If you are interested in a NEW career in tech, you can take NOLAVATE Black's Level Up survey or you can browse their list of currently available jobs. 

While early bird pricing for our Spring 2020 IDEAinstitute has ended there''s still time to register before class kicks off on April 20th!

Did you know 25% of the companies in the current VILLAGEx accelerator cohort first came through the IDEAinstitute? 

Our virtual program is tailored to offer the tools you need as a founder, or potential startup founder, to turn your idea into a business set to rapidly scale! By registering for the IDEAinstitute you will gain access to:

• "Launching the Lean Startup," a 10-week online course taught by Loyola University of New Orleans MBA Professor Dr. Felipe Massa, Ph.D.
• Webinar discussions.
• Q+A with the professor and your peers in a virtual classroom.
• Mentor office hours with industry leaders.
• Pitch coaching.
• Opportunity to pitch at the culminating Mini-Demo Day for the grand prize.

Mark your calendars for April 16th, 5:30PM, and join us for our first-ever virtual Community Content Series, sponsored by Regions Bank! We''ll be hosting a webinar panel discussion on Preparing to Fundraise in A Cash Crisis, featuring investors. Let us know you''ll be attending >>> 

• Congratulations to 360VR Technology for taking home the $75K first place prize at the 2020 Tulane Business Model Competition! Check out this student-founded startup and their flagship emergency preparedness platform here. 
• Good Work Network is holding an open call on April 7th for small businesses to share their concerns surrounding COVID-19, and to get an idea for what resources these businesses would need! Register for the April 7th call now. 
• Interested in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) but not sure where or if you fit in? GNO inc. has put together a package of resources to help you identify if you qualify for the PPP, and where to begin gathering the information you need. 
• The Urban League of Louisiana will be hosting virtual job fairs to connect job seekers with opportunities in essential industries! Register here for the April 3rd event.