Through the STartUP Northshore Initiative, Partnership Continues to Invest in Supporting Northshore Entrepreneurs
MANDEVILLE – Today, Chris Masingill, CEO of St. Tammany Corporation, is pleased to
announce that applications for the Spring 2023 IDEAinstitute Northshore cohort are now open.
From now until April 12th, STartUP Northshore and The Idea Village will be accepting applications for the 10-week accelerator program, which is set to begin on the week of April 17th.
In August 2022, St. Tammany Corporation and The Idea Village announced the establishment of
a strategic partnership between the organizations, anchored by the launch of the IDEAinstitute
Northshore program. IDEAinstitute is an idea-stage accelerator program that introduces
innovative entrepreneurs and potential startup founders to the tools they need to turn an idea
into a scalable venture. Founders will walk away from the program with a plan to build a business
following the Lean Startup Methodology, and they will meet a community of like-minded
founders along the way. This 10-week program is run in a hybrid format, with each week’s session
running virtually with opportunities to engage in person at local events throughout the program.
IDEAinstitute is led by Dr. Felipe Massa, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at
Loyola University New Orleans and produced by The Idea Village in collaboration with local
partners.
Since its inception, the program has served 330 founders across eight cohorts while continually
fine-tuning the curriculum and surrounding acceleration model. Now a proven model with a
consistent net promoter score of more than 70 (the industry standard for “world-class”),
IDEAinstitute continues to expand hands-on support and accessibility in surrounding
communities. Ultimately, The Idea Village envisions a hub-and-spoke network that brings worldclass startup resources to all communities within our region and connects and provides value to all regional entrepreneurs.
“This partnership with The Idea Village is a key component of our STartUP Northshore initiative
that strives to advance our strategic business formation and business retention efforts,” said
Masingill. “IDEAinstitute Northshore is a significant opportunity to begin shaping the broader
entrepreneurial ecosystem on the Northshore. This partnership is designed to bring specific, technical business development support for entrepreneurs from a nationally recognized leader in the entrepreneurial space directly to our Northshore area businesses.”
“The momentum of regional entrepreneurship shows that good ideas don’t know parish lines,”
said Atkinson. “Our ongoing partnership with St. Tammany Corporation offers Northshore
entrepreneurs an enhanced opportunity to benefit from The Idea Village’s deep experience in
helping to catalyze their startups, while also connecting them with other Northshore startups,
business coaches, mentors, and investors that are closer to home,” he said. “The launch of this
partnership, along with the STartUP Northshore initiative, is a key first step towards building a
connected super-regional startup community that supports local founders in creating dynamic,
innovative new businesses and allows for deep, local connections wherever they choose to call
home.”
The inaugural IDEAinstitute Northshore cohort, which ran from September through November of
2022, welcomed in a group of 16 engaged founders across 14 companies. The Northshore
community’s diversity was on full display in that cohort with 56% of founders identifying as
female and 31% as people of color (POC). STartUP Northshore’s Entrepreneur in Residence and
Program Manager, Cenzo Caronna, facilitates a curated experience for Northshore founders
through one-on-one coaching sessions, coordinating in-person networking opportunities, and
the recruitment of mentors to take part in Coach Week. St. Tammany Corporation coordinated
30 one-on-one coaching sessions between founders and subject matter experts during the
program, representing a value of approximately $3,750 of free consulting services. IDEAinstitute
Northshore also received a 100% Net Promoter Score (NPS) from the Fall cohort, meaning that
all founders in the program reported a score of 8 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of how
likely they are to recommend this program to an entrepreneur at a similar stage.
To learn more about IDEAinstitute Northshore, STartUP Northshore, St. Tammany Corporation’s
partnership with The Idea Village, and to apply for the Spring 2023 cohort, visit
https://startupnorthshore.com/idea-institute-northshore.
St. Tammany Corporation’s STartUP Northshore initiative is made possible through the financial
support and partnership of Chevron and Citizens National Bank. This three-year entrepreneurial
ecosystem pilot program is designed to deliver first-class programming and technical assistance
to entrepreneurs, startups, and second stage companies on the Northshore through strategic
partnerships with recognized entities in the entrepreneurship landscape.
About STartUP Northshore
STartUP Northshore is St. Tammany Corporation’s three-year entrepreneurial ecosystem pilot
program with the purpose of catalyzing entrepreneurship, innovation, and business formation on the Northshore through strategic partnerships with recognized entities in the startup community to deliver first-class programming for entrepreneurs and second stage companies. STartUP Northshore is supported through the collaboration of St. Tammany Corporation, Tangipahoa Economic Development, and Washington Economic Development Foundation. Through this initiative, the next wave of local entrepreneurs from all three parishes will gain access to immersive education, networking opportunities, access to capital and mentorship from esteemed industry leaders, investors, and founders, all of which come together to form a critical support system that will set their business up for success.
About St. Tammany Corporation
As the lead economic development organization for St. Tammany, St. Tammany
Corporation serves as the comprehensive resource center for business services throughout the
parish. St. Tammany Corporation’s services include business retention, site selection, workforce
development, research and data services, state and local incentives, business attraction, talent
retention, certified site development, relocation support, and marketing St. Tammany. Since the
organization’s launch in 2018, St. Tammany Corporation facilitated business expansion and
attraction announcements representing over $60 million in capital investment and 1,520 new
and retained jobs in St. Tammany Parish.
About The Idea Village
The Idea Village’s core belief is that entrepreneurship is an agent of social and economic change.
As an early champion of entrepreneurship in New Orleans, the organization has played an
integral role in catalyzing the city’s entrepreneurial movement. In addition to supporting nearly
15,000 entrepreneurs, The Idea Village has successfully elevated New Orleans’s reputation as a
hub of innovation, entrepreneurship, and business. By serving as a catalyst and developing
programs that provide direct support and education to founders and early-stage companies, The
Idea Village helps entrepreneurs build innovative and industry-leading companies that generate
revenue and jobs and help create a more vibrant, inclusive, and resilient local economy.
www.ideavillage.org
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