NEW ORLEANS --On a downtown rooftop Saturday afternoon, it was a chance for folks with big dreams to get acquainted.
This Crawfish boil kicks off Entrepreneur Week, an event hosted by The Idea Village, a local non-profit that works to identify, support, and retain top entrepreneurial talent in New Orleans.
"For one week, New Orleans is gonna be the center of innovation and entrepreneurship, as we have the best MBA schools from around the country, and the best corporations coming here, directly to help the local entrepreneurial community -- support their businesses, find funding, and grow jobs and revenue for our community," said Tim Williamson, founder and CEO of The Idea Village.
Williamson believes the event, in only its second year, is poised to become a major player in the national start-up community. He points to the city's blossoming reputation as a hub for entrepreneurship, where start-up companies commonly collaborate to get off the ground.
Downtown Development District President Kurt Weigle agrees.
"They're supporting each other during the early stages of their startups, and I think that means a lot," Weigle said.
And this week, representatives from companies like Google, Cisco, and Deloitte will keep watch, while MBA students partner with a select group of local entrepreneurs -- folks like Darren Hoffman, who is developing educational software that gives New Orleans musicians a chance to teach music students anywhere, anytime.
"I came from a film background and music background. So, I'm here to try to figure out how to bring what we're putting together to market and having a team of MBA's like this is just invaluable," Hoffman said.
For one native New Orleanian and current University of Chicago MBA student, it's an exciting return home.
"There's a ton of interesting companies we hear about in Chicago and just from the Idea Village people, and it seems the whole nature of the city has kind of changed after Katrina and it's an exciting time to be here," said Bradley Feingerts, an MBA student at the University of Chicago.
Williamson said: "There was a vision that New Orleans really could be this national center of innovation and entrepreneurship.
"So, we actually are in a space where I think the rest of the country is trying to figure out, how did we do it, how did we actually build ourselves up from nothing five years ago, and can they come down here and learn as a way to help their communities and help the rest of the world."
Entrepreneur Week 2010 includes events and activities throughout the week. It wraps up Saturday.
