30 March 2015
Media Contact:
Catherine Gans
(504) 302-3747
cgans@gopropeller.org
NEW ORLEANS, LA (Mar. 26, 2015) – Today, Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation announces the 10 Semi-Finalists who will pitch their ideas at PitchNOLA: Living Well, a live pitch competition seeking entrepreneurial solutions to get New Orleanians healthier, more active, and better nourished.
Semi-Finalists will compete for a total $10,000 in seed funding, provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The competition will take place from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 21 at the Propeller Incubator at 4035 Washington Ave.
Since 2009, PitchNOLA has contributed over $60,000 in start-up funding to 18 early-stage local ventures. Past winners include a school health program that has gone on to secure Medicaid/Medicare benefits to provide over 4,000 school children with health screenings and a healthy food delivery service that currently serves as a corporate food provider for Baker Donelson, Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, Jones Walker, Blessey Marine, and Iberia Bank.
“As we deepen our impact in the sectors of food security and healthcare, we’re excited for this year’s PitchNOLA Living Well semi-finalists who show exceptional potential to solve our city’s health disparities,” said Propeller Executive Director Andrea Chen.
Prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges, including John Elstrott, Chairman of Whole Foods Market and Joe Kanter, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the New Orleans Health Department.
PitchNOLA: Living Well is made possible by partners Alliance for Walking & Biking, Louisiana Public Health Institute,Tulane’s Prevention Research Center, Louisiana State University, Ochsner Health System, Institute for Mental Hygiene, Market Umbrella, and The Rethinkers.
Introducing the PitchNOLA 2015: Living Well Semi-Finalists:
WeRunNOLA Maps
(Youth Run NOLA)
Youth Run NOLA empowers youth through running. WeRunNOLA Maps support healthy habits through safe and engaging running routes from community and school sites and an online community.
Community Plates
(Lauren Rudzis)
Community Plates is dedicated to ending food insecurity in New Orleans by using technology and a volunteer platform to rescue and directly transfer nutritious fresh food.
Lower 9th Ward Market
(Burnell Cotlon)
A veteran that is putting forth every effort to rebuild his community, which includes a full service grocery store among several other businesses.
How's Your 5? Coping Cube
(Doug Walker)
How's Your 5? Coping Cubes are Rubik's cube-like public mental health tools that promote mental wellness by sparking conversations that assess mental well-being among family, friends, and healthcare providers
Clear Health Analytics
(Kathryn Wollan)
Empowering consumers to make smarter health insurance decisions by providing clear and unbiased cost comparison information.
The Urban Farmstead
(Jordan Bantuelle)
The Urban Farmstead is an educational center dedicated to teaching homesteading skills and permaculture design, while also providing vegetables and starter plants through its sister organization, Southbound Gardens.
NOLA Milk Bank
(Neha Dubli and Latona Giwa)
The NOLA Milk Bank improves the health of Louisiana families by providing donor breast milk and breastfeeding support
School Health Assessment & Initiative
(Leah Jensen)
From an approach of public health, we will develop a campus-wide health assessment and initiative to improve and support healthy students to increase individual academic performance and school-wide academic outcomes.
GRoW on the Go
(Danielle Burrell)
A fleet of recreation and nutrition education trucks that engage low-income children and families in activities and classes to help them eat healthier, move more and connect with other youth services.
New Orleans Food Literacy Initiative
(Adam Aronovitz & Alissa Bilfield)
The Cookbook Project (CBP) is a non-profit organization that empowers youth to be a catalyst for healthy and sustainable communities through food literacy and cooking education.
Ventures mentioned in this post
Clear Health Analytics
Kathryn Wollan and Jennifer Sclar
Areas of focus: Health
Community Plates
Melissa Spiesman, Lauren Rudzis, Kevin Mullins, and Jeff Schacher
Areas of focus: Food
