New Orleans Startup Fund

The New Orleans Startup Fund is a nonprofit venture fund focused on business creation and innovation in the 10-parish Greater New Orleans region. The Fund exists to accelerate the growth of early-stage, pre-revenue companies looking for proof-of-concept capital. The Startup Fund's mission is to create jobs and economic prosperity for the 10-parish Greater New Orleans region by providing seed capital and business assistance to early-stage firms that demonstrate significant growth potential.

The Startup Fund's mission is to help strengthen the Greater New Orleans region's entrepreneurial ecosystem by:
1. Developing a portfolio of companies that will create jobs, wealth, and opportunity;
2. Building and strengthening the local angel investment network; and
3. Attracting external venture capital to a region rebranded for innovation.

The result will be a stronger, more diverse economy for the future of New Orleans.

The Startup Fund is different from typical investment funds in two key ways:
1. While it is crucial that the fund's investments have good returns, the primary measure of success is not traditional ROI but
• The creation of a strong portfolio of companies able to attract follow-on financing
• Development of the capital ecosystem, both local (angel) and external (venture capital)
2. The fund is "evergreen" - all profits are reinvested back into the program

The Startup Fund's model is based on venture development funds that have successfully sparked entrepreneurial activity and innovation in other U.S. cities, including JumpStart Inc.in Cleveland; Innovation Works in Pittsburgh; and NYC Investment Fund in New York City.

Our Impact:

FRESH IDEAS: This nonprofit evergreen fund accelerates the growth of early-stage, innovative businesses into venture-ready companies.We look for high-growth companies ready to expand to the next level.

INVESTMENTS IN CHANGE: Our investments fuel growth and enable startups to take on new challenges and markets. Nearly half of all portfolio companies have a social impact.

CULTIVATING INCLUSIVENESS: More than one third of all portfolio companies are women-owned-more than 3x the national average. Half of all portfolio companies are minority owned-more than 50x the national average.

OUR PORTFOLIO: The Startup Fund has invested $2 million in 36 companies that have raised more than $65 million in follow-on funding.

Testimonials

In recent years, the Greater New Orleans region has become a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity. In fact, Tax Foundation + KPMG Louisiana recently selected Louisiana as the #2 State in the USA to Start a Company, and according to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, New Orleans Leads the USA by 56% in number of startups-per-capita. New Orleans was also ranked as the 6th Best City for Young Entrepreneurs by Under30CEO.com. This growth is supported by several entrepreneurial hubs and by aggressive state tax incentive programs, such as a 25% tax credit for qualified digital media expenditures and a 35% tax credit for qualified angel investments.