Nic Perkin has launched companies around the world, but he says New Orleans is the perfect fit for his newest venture.

"When you tell people you're working in New Orleans, and that you're company is based in New Orleans, they know where you are," Perkin said.

It's the first official day of business for his new start-up, which is headquartered in Downtown New Orleans.

The company is an online marketplace that allows other companies to sell off their invoices.

Now Perkin, a New York native, is working to lure other young entrepreneurs to the Crescent City.

Along with local businessman Sean Cummings, Perkin co-founded StartUp New Orleans. They're spreading the word about the positives of setting up shop here.

Cummings says the group has already met its goal of luring five startup companies to the city, nine weeks ahead of their target date.

"(We) really feel like the future of New Orleans is this entrepreneurial bohemia, much like say, Prague after the curtain came down -- where we had our own major event. So after Katrina, we really feel like this is the future," Cummings said.

A major positive Perkin says, is the cost of living in the city compared to other popular cities for young people.

"If you work in New York, you work in San Francisco, a startup salary is not going to cover your lifestyle, but you can live down in New Orleans, work for a startup like this where, you know, people do this for the experience. They do this for the equity -- to build the business into something that will someday have some value," he said.

The group is targeting businesses in technology, media, and the arts.

Seema Sudan is a fashion designer who, after living in New York and Philadelphia, decided New Orleans could provide the necessary advantage to get her clothing line noticed.

"We started this business in February and it's just been phenomenal," Sudan said. "We keep telling people about it, how it's been so good for us an our brand, and the cost of doing business is so much better here than anywhere else."

In a city still fighting to recover, some are banking on the entrepreneurial spirit to save the day.

"We need more people like this here who are choosing New Orleans to run a company, to live here with their wives and children and loved ones. It's what New Orleans needs," Cummings said.

Other companies new to the city include a music licensing firm and a renewable energy company. Also, NBA star and Picayune native Jonathan Bender is in the process of developing several new businesses in New Orleans.