Spring 2025 IDEAinstitute Pitch Night: Bold, New Ideas Pitched Live at the Dew Drop Inn

The Idea Village closed out its Spring 2025 IDEAinstitute accelerator with a packed house at the historic Dew Drop Inn, where entrepreneurs took the stage to share what they’ve been building.

Pitch Night is the culmination of our 10-week IDEAinstitute program and brings together founders, funders, and community members for a night of startup storytelling and real-time feedback. Five finalists from the Spring cohort were selected to pitch live in front of a panel of judges for a chance to win funding to move their businesses forward.

Pitch Competition Winner: WhosLive

The judges selected WhosLive as the winner of the evening. The team received a $1,500 cash award to support the next phase of their platform development.

“I started WhosLive because I was missing live streams I would've loved to watch, and there was no easy way to see what was trending across platforms,” said Nate Verhoeven, Co-Founder & CEO of WhosLive.
“I built the tool I wished existed—a discovery hub that brings all live content together in one place.”

Meet the Finalists:

The finalists brought forward ideas addressing everything from women’s health to AI-powered home support:

ti¢ker – A verified social investing app that pulls real-time data from users' brokerage accounts, cutting through hype and misinformation.
GenM – A digital health platform that helps women manage symptoms through every stage of menopause.
WhosLive – A discovery tool that connects users with trending livestreams across Twitch, YouTube Live, Kick, and Rumble.
i-Spy Mold – An AI-powered app that uses image recognition to identify mold and recommend next steps.
ISP Watchdog – A smart home device with an AI assistant that tracks internet outages and handles service provider communication.

Alumni Take the Stage: The Big Idea Showcase

This year’s event also included the Big Idea Showcase, where past IDEAinstitute participants gave short updates on their progress. The audience voted live, selecting VYGR as their favorite.

Founder Kristian Dobard, a Spring 2024 alum, joined for a fireside chat to share her story and what she’s learned along the way. A civil defense attorney by day, Kristian founded VYGR to make solo travel easier by curating experiences based on your destination and preferences.

Spring 2025 by the Numbers

51 founders participated, representing 42 companies.
54% were first-time entrepreneurs, and 81% of companies were led by solo founders.
25% of participants were from out of state — the highest percentage in program history.
23 mentors led more than 63 one-on-one coaching sessions with founders.
82% of cohort founders plan to raise capital in the future, signaling strong ambition to scale.
Founders’ familiarity with startup concepts increased from 60% to 88% after the program.
- Most notable learning gains: customer journeys, opportunity validation, and solution validation

This cohort brought a range of new founders into the fold, many of them working on their very first venture. Pitch Night gave them a platform to share progress, test their messaging, and build connections.

Learn More About IDEAinstitute

IDEAinstitute is a 10-week accelerator that supports founders in validating their ideas, developing early business models, and connecting with others in the startup space. Learn more about IDEAinstitute

Thank You To Our IDEAinstitute Sponsors!

Thank you to all of the generous donors and suppirters of The Idea village’s year-round work!

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About The Idea Village

The Idea Village champions innovation and entrepreneurship in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf South. Since its founding in 2000, The Idea Village has supported over 20,100+ entrepreneurs with mentorship, coaching, and access to capital. Alumni companies have generated more than $2 billion in regional economic impact.

A 501c3 non-profit, The Idea Village provides business accelerator programs that guide startups from the idea stage through venture capital rounds. The Idea Village works every day to cultivate a robust startup community and create an inclusive, vibrant, and future-driven economy. www.ideavillage.org

Spring 2025 IDEAinstitute Pitch Night: Showcasing New Ideas at the Dew Drop Inn