Business Report
Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week is finally here.
Innovators and entrepreneurs will take center stage during the weeklong event, which begins today with an opening night celebration of Baton Rouge’s new and emerging technologies and companies.
More than 40 startups, including Pixel Dash Studios, General Informatics, MasteryPrep and Waitr, will be featured at tonight’s Opening Night event, taking place from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the Louisiana Emerging Technology Center, 340 E. Parker Blvd.
Students, first-time founders, serial entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, community members and others can interact with the startups, stop by the TEDxLSU lounge and fly a micro drone.
BREW continues on Tuesday with a lineup that includes the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Big Think, as well as Food, Booze and Innovation @Curbside Burgers, a free event taking place from 8-9:30 p.m. at 4158 Government St.
Big Think is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at LSU’s Cook Hotel and Conference Center. The event, hosted by Waitr, features keynote speaker Jeff Cherry of Conscious Venture Lab. Cherry will discuss how social and economic justice are related.
ThreeSixtyEight and the Curbside burger team will host a panel of local food entrepreneurs and experts at Food, Booze and Innovation @Curbside Burgers. The panel includes Alex Barbosa of Barbosa’s BBQ, Ryan Grizzaffi of The Cajun Spoon, Chase Lyons of City Pork and CML Consulting, and The Advocate reporter Matt Sigur. The panel members will discuss their current projects and visions of future food innovation in Baton Rouge.
Wednesday BREW events include 1 Million Cups which will feature Riley Vannoy of Noble Wave and Daniel Wendt of Tonal Innovation. The event will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Goodwood Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Get more information.
Also on Wednesday, the Louisiana Business & Technology Center will celebrate its 28th anniversary from 6-8 p.m. at the L’Auberge Conference Center and Hotel, 777 L’Auberge Ave.
BRAC will unveil its 2017 Economic Outlook from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Thursday morning at Ruffino’s at De La Ronde Hall, 320 Third St.
Also on Thursday, the November finale of PitchBR’s Pitch Night will take place at Pelican House, 2572 Citiplace Court. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and the event starts at 5:30 p.m. Innovation Catalyst, a Baton Rouge venture organization, will help choose the best pitch from local entrepreneurs and advance the winner to a private due-diligence phase for a potential investment of up to $250,000 from the Catalyst Fund. The event is free and open to the public.