Hello From The Idea Village
 

 

Dear Friends of The Idea Village,

We are happy to report the conclusion of a successful first quarter of 2008.

Since January 2008, The Idea Village has:

  • Directly supported 56 entrepreneurial ventures.
  • Worked with 68 students, participating universities include: Tulane, Stanford University Business School, Harvard Business School, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania.
  • Selected an entrepreneur to occupy the retail space in our pilot Business Innovation Center in the Upper Ninth Ward.
  • Engaged a global network of talent to drive innovation in New Orleans.
We are excited to carry this momentum into the second quarter.

Of course, our success would not be possible without the efforts of our dedicated Board of Directors. On that note, we are proud to share with you exciting news about our Board Chairman, Mark Romig.  After 16 terrific years as Director and President of Peter Mayer Public Relations, Mark has joined Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) as VP of Marketing and Public Relations. While Mark's insight and expertise will certainly be missed at Peter Mayer, HCA is lucky to have his energy, passion, and commitment on its frontlines.

In this newsletter, please find updates regarding our four primary initiatives:

And don’t forget to continue Trusting Your Crazy Ideas!

The Idea Village Team
www.ideavillage.org

idea village po boy festival tshirt

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IDEAcorps™: Stanford, UPenn Innovation Challenges; IDEAcorps™ in the News

This month, The Idea Village has partnered with two additional universities to solve our pressing innovation challenges:

Most recently, the Stanford Graduate School of Business helped identify the first retail tenant for The Idea Village @ N. Galvez Business Innovation Center.  After a week of 16+ hour days, the team selected Phillina Carradine, proud owner of Reflections of Beauty hair salon.
****Read more about Stanford’s GSB Recent Innovation Challenge in the Innovative Spaces section.

The Stanford MBAs arrived on the heels of a team of University of Pennsylvania Engineering students who devoted their spring break and a fleet of computers to Idea Village clients. In all, 16 entrepreneurs received computers and the technical know-how to grow their businesses.

****Please visit our recent news section to read about the work of MIT and additional IDEAcorps™ teams. 


Vincent Pigna of Gelatto Pazzo hosts the Penn IDEAcorps™ team after receiving computers and technology training.

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INNOVATIVE SPACES: IV @ N. Galvez Inaugural Tenant & Pay It Forward Grant Fund™

Through an inspired partnership between The Idea Village and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, fourteen MBA students from around the world spent an intensive week developing sustainable business models for the four entrepreneurial candidates selected as finalists for the The Idea Village @ N. Galvez.

The Stanford team raised $50,000 which The Idea Village matched to seed the initial $100,000 for "The Idea Village @ N. Galvez Pay It Forward Grant Fund™," a fund in which entrepreneurs supported are encouraged to reinvest in the Upper Ninth Ward community. 

The week culminated with the Stanford students delivering its final recommendations of Phillina Carridine’s Reflections of Beauty hair salon to an advisory panel of key business and civic leaders, including Sam Giberga, Katherine Prevost, Pres Kabacoff, Margaret Beer, Kenneth Beer, Dana Eness and Robin Barnes. 


Stanford GSB students celebrate with Phillina Carradine.  (Photo  by J. Charitha Ratwatte)

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VANGUARD TALENT: CityBusiness; Tim joins Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors

The New Orleans media is taking notice of the influx of talent in New Orleans. In a March 21st CityBusiness article, Terry O’Connor writes:

“Idea Village is reversing the chronic brain drain in New Orleans, which has been sapping the vitality from the Crescent City work force for 40 years. It has already created a limited brain gain. In time it could become one of the top success stories of the recovery.”

We are committed to supporting this movement as we engage the growing pool of talent.
 
****Click here to read the entire article: Idea Village, Chris Paul energize N.O. observers.

Tim Williamson Honored as a Fleur-de-lis Ambassador
The Idea Village President and co-founder, Tim Williamson, has joined the 2008 Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors whose mission is to portray New Orleans as an economically viable and livable city. We extend our congratulations to our Board Members, Tim Ryan and John Payne, who have also been named 2008 Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors.

 
First Lady Laura Bush visits The Idea Village office on March 3rd, 2008.

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VILLAGE VENTURES: Art in Bloom Honors Movers & Shakers; Support Bacchanal & Backyard Ballroom

Congratulations to The Idea Village entrepreneurs who have been selected by Art In Bloom as 2008 Movers and Shakers.  The following businesses are being celebrated for their relevance, resilience, and commitment to supporting the New Orleans community post-Katrina:

Support Bacchanal and Backyard Ballroom

Chris from Bacchanal and Otter from the Backyard Ballroom were involved in a bad car accident early morning March 31.  Many wonderful groups and individuals are coming together to help support Chris and Otter financially and otherwise. L'art Noir New Orleans is coordinating a fundraiser tentatively to take place on Saturday, April 19th at the Backyard Ballroom with bands, performances, art and other goods/services auction.

For additional information or to lend direct support to these entrepreneurial individuals, please visit www.chrisandotter.com.

Have a recent business innovation that you would like to share with The Idea Village Network?  Please send the information to innovation@ideavillage.org and we will consider highlighting it in our monthly newsletter.  

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News From The Idea Village

The Idea Village
The Idea Village Announces Inaugural Tenant and Launch of “Pay It Forward Fund” for The Idea Village @ N. Galvez
Through an innovative partnership between The Idea Village and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, fourteen MBA students from around the world spent an intensive week developing sustainable business models for four entrepreneurial candidates selected as finalists for the space. 

The Times Picayune
Website Promotes N.O. for Startups
"I think it's just showing that the movement is starting to build and grow. Building a vibrant entrepreneurial network is key," said Williamson, "You're starting to see high-growth entrepreneurs moving to the city."

News @ MIT Sloan
MBA Students Help New Orleans Entrepreneurs Become Greener
 “’The entrepreneurs were very excited to have all of us there. They gave a critical eye to what we suggested and the ideas we presented to them. But in the end they were very happy for the help. We spent a lot of time working on this project and I think it showed,’ said Gary Schmirer, a trek member.”

The Times Picayune
Idea Village Plans Business Center
"’This is a model. The ultimate goal would be creating a network of this around the city,’ Williamson said. ‘Once we validate how it creates true economic impact, we can really create innovation centers around the city.’"

The Times Picayune
Students Build Business Plan
“’The students took the mantle of professional consultants, providing the sort of research, advice and guidance that could cost thousands of dollars in the real world -- an amount out of reach for many start-ups, particularly those in post-Katrina New Orleans,’ Williamson said.”

CityBusiness
Idea Village, Chris Paul Energize N.O. Observers
Connecting the entrepreneurs and "new level of talent" that have come to New Orleans to aid in the rebuilding with those already in New Orleans and keeping them here, engaging them, is key, said Tim Williamson, president and co-founder of The Idea Village, a nonprofit economic development group.

MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan Students to Help the N.O. Recovery with “Green” Projects
 “New Orleans has become ‘a focal point for sustainability and green development,’ noted Sloan student and SLST member Phillip Stephenson. The city, due to the devastation, is now a blank slate and ‘a palate like the world has never seen.’”

Associated Press
Monster.com Founder: Execution Key in Digital Economy
Connecting the entrepreneurs and "new level of talent" that have come to New Orleans to aid in the rebuilding with those already in New Orleans and keeping them here, engaging them, is key, said Tim Williamson, president and co-founder of The Idea Village, a nonprofit economic development group.

Delta Sky Magazine
Life in the New Normal
“Right after the storm, everyone was an entrepreneur again,” Williamson says. “Whether you had been in business for 100 years, 50 years or six months, you were back to starting over.”

The Times Picayune
R-E-S-P-E-C-T... that sandwich
Sunday's first annual New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival on Oak Street has all the earmarks of a great southern Louisiana festival: the promise of great food, great bands and a bit of local history.

CityBusiness Innovator of the Year
The Idea Village was a finalist for two 2007 CityBusiness Innovator of the Year Awards:
     • Business Innovation Center
     • IDEAcorps Program

Business Week Online
New Orleans: A Startup Laboratory
Entrepreneurs are finding fertile ground for new ventures they think will help bring the devastated city back to life 

CNN.com
New Orleans' new arrivals: Young, educated and infused with hope
Regardless of their hometowns, their professions, their reasons for moving, they are bound by a common thread: a pull to this city that so many left behind.

Times Picayune
N.O.'s needs draw fresh, new thinkers
Out of potholes, they see possibilities

Forbes.com
New Orleans Ninth Ward Business Innovation Center Groundbreaking
A vital center that provides access to retail space, technology, technical assistance, financial education and other essential resources necessary to infuse small business innovation and resources in the Upper 9th Ward area.

 
 
 
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