New Orleans, Creative Hub

Regular readers would know that we have covered extensively the energy and ideas eminating from New Orleans in the last few years. PSFK has also interviewed many of the people like Jon Guidroz leading the drive to reinvigorate the city and make it a leading creative capital. The New York Times interviews picks up on the story with an article about the thriving emerging business scene focused around a co-working space called Entrepreneurs Row:

Then, last year, Sean Cummings, a real estate developer and entrepreneur in New Orleans, randomly found Free Flow’s Web site and noticed that the company had a Mississippi River project in the works. Mr. Cummings, 44, a co-founder of a group called Startup New Orleans, invited Mr. Guidroz to visit his offices in New Orleans at 220 Camp Street, a loft building called Entrepreneur’s Row. As an extra incentive, Mr. Cummings even offered to give him six months free rent.

“He helped me fulfill my dream of bringing this business to New Orleans,” said Mr. Guidroz, who moved back in January.”

…Entrepreneur’s Row was conceived in May 2007, when Mr. Cummings received a phone call from Nicolas Perkin, the co-founder and president of the Receivables Exchange, an electronic marketplace for the buying and selling of commercial receivables. Mr. Perkin had recently gotten married, and he and his bride wanted to relocate to New Orleans from New York. What did Mr. Cummings think?

Mr. Cummings thought it was a great idea, and the two men set about figuring out how to attract other entrepreneurs to the city. “To really prosper, New Orleans must focus on the few opportunities where we have a compelling competitive advantage,” Mr. Cummings said. “We must likewise recruit entrepreneurs who are drawn to a joyful quality of life. It’s a home-run success story. Entrepreneurs are reinventing New Orleans, like Prague after the curtain, like Milan, like a smaller Seattle.”

Along with three other business executives, Mr. Cummings and Mr. Perkin came up with Startup New Orleans, a Web-based information service to connect entrepreneurs with the resources they need to set up a new business. In March 2008, Mr. Cummings established Entrepreneur’s Row. Today, it is home to nine companies, including the Receivables Exchange; Mr. Guidroz’s company Free Flow Power; and Audiosocket, a music licensor. (Mr. Cummings has a financial stake in at least six of the companies.)

One of the cogs in this development is job-matching site KODA. KODA says it is changing the way new talent and smart companies meet and describes itself as “Social Recruiting”. It’s one of the companies that is advised by Robbie Vitrano, another creative force in the city who runs the popular ad agency Trumpet. The site introduced the service with:

Talented individuals are coming onto the employment scene with much more to offer than a diploma and a traditional resume. Likewise, the best organizations want to hire individuals who not only have relevant academics, but also the right skills, strengths, personalities, values and life experiences. So whether you are the talent – or you’re seeking it – KODA is the place for sharing your professional identity and discovering your next opportunity.

The company started in New Orleans but now has a base in California. Companies like IDEO in California have started to use the site for recruiting purposes.

NY Times: In New Orleans, Four Entrepreneurial Havens for Start-Ups
KODA

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New Orleans As Creative Capital Or 4th Sector Hub?

Video: PSFK Conference NYC: New Idea Agencies (With Robbie Vitrano)