NEW ORLEANS – Opportunity Hub New Orleans (OHUB x NOLA) celebrated a major milestone in its mission to champion overlooked founders with its latest $100K Startup Investment Challenge, held June 25 at The Shop at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.
The high-energy pitch event, sponsored by Block, Inc. (parent company of Square and Cash App), Finance New Orleans, and Entergy, drew a packed room of investors, community leaders, and innovators from across the South.
After six bold pitches and real-time audience votes, Courtney Jiggetts, founder of PHŌS Mobility, emerged as the winner of the $100,000 early-stage investment. Her startup is developing a solar-electric low-speed vehicle designed for resilience, modularity, and sustainability, engineered specifically for regions facing grid failure, extreme weather, and transportation access challenges.
“OHUB’s Climate Tech Bootcamp gave me the tools and community to think more strategically about what’s possible in climate innovation,” Jiggetts said. “This $100K funding is catalytic for PHŌS; this brings us one step closer to introducing our solar-electric mobility system to the world. It’s an investment in the future of resilient, design-centric transportation.”
Jiggetts’ pitch resonated deeply with both the judges and audience, blending market insight, scalable design, and a clear path to impact, making it a standout moment in the competition.
“This is exactly the kind of founder we aim to invest in, a visionary and purpose-driven startup company building solutions that matter for the future,” said Dr. Rodney Sampson, Executive Chairman & CEO of OHUB. “New Orleans is quickly becoming a launchpad for scalable innovation, and we’re proud to place real capital into the hands of entrepreneurs who are typically overlooked but full of promise.”
The event showcased OHUB’s unique model of community-powered venture development, combining expert judges, public voting, and direct capital deployment. The evening featured dynamic pitches, DJ sets, and a keynote fireside chat from Anthony Oni, CEO of the Elevate Future Fund, which leads a $111.9 million fund advancing the clean energy transition through investments in underrepresented founders.
Louisiana continues to rise as a hub for innovation. A recent 2024 report by Flippa ranked the state sixth in the nation for venture capital (VC) growth, with a nearly 1,200 percent increase in VC funding over the last decade. OHUB’s consistent presence in the region is helping drive that trajectory by supporting startups focused on climate tech, equity, and impact at scale.
“We designed this challenge to create access to opportunity, capital, and community,” added Sampson. “Every seat in the room mattered. Every vote cast reinforced the idea that innovation should be inclusive and rooted in the communities it aims to serve.”
OHUB will continue to support founders through its accelerator programs, investor network, and growing digital platform.
To explore upcoming opportunities, pitch events, and startup resources, download the OHUB Ecosystem App at www.ecosystemapp.com.
About OHUB
Founded in 2013, Opportunity Hub (OHUB) is the leading technology, startup, and venture ecosystem development platform committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has direct access to the future of work, fourth industrial revolution and beyond as a path to multi-generational wealth creation with no reliance on pre-existing multi-generational wealth.
One of its most recent initiatives is OHUB’s High-Growth Company Building Certificate Program, a rigorous, self-paced, 100% virtual course designed for founders, investors, and professionals ready to launch, grow, and scale businesses built for long-term growth and investment. Taught by seasoned experts like five-time founder Dave Parker and OHUB’s CEO Dr. Rodney Sampson, the program delivers real-world strategies in product-market fit, go-to-market execution, capital readiness, and leadership development.