Pretty slick: A Tulane University-based venture with a plan to turn algae into crude oil was one of the big winners at the Tulane Business Plan Competition last week. Taylor Gilbert, who will receive a Tulane MBA this year, and Brandon Iglesias, a 2011 Tulane MBA grad, won this year’s Domain Cos. New Orleans Entrepreneur Challenge with their plan for ReactWell, which has patent-pending technology to convert algae into crude oil. The technology converts biomass into synthetic crude oil using underground geothermal reactors. Iglesias says the company, which he started as a student, could generate up to 100 permanent jobs at several planned algae farms if it’s successful in moving forward. Read more about it at the Tulane website here.
Work it: New Orleans’ newest coworking space, Beta Shared Workspace, opened this week in New Orleans’ Central Business District, Silicon Bayou News reports. Developed specifically to accommodate like-minded individuals rather than industry-specific entrepreneurs, the space integrates modern design into one of the city’s oldest buildings to capture an encompassing concept of “new New Orleans.” Beta is located on the second floor of the newly renovated Maritime Building, with 20 dedicated workstations and eight private offices. Get the full story here.
Roll on in: To mark Earth Day, Izzo’s Illegal Burrito says anyone who rides a bike Monday to its LSU campus area restaurant, at 4250 Burbank Dr., will get a free regular size vegetarian burrito. The offer is also good for the Izzo’s Lafayette restaurant near the ULL campus. “The cost of gas is on a constant rise, so help us support the planet and fuel up on a free burrito by riding your bike in celebration of Earth Day,” say Izzo’s co-founders Gary Kovacs and Ozzie Fernandez in a news release. Meanwhile, the Baton Rouge-based restaurant says plans are in the works for additional locations in Bossier City and Jackson, Miss.
Today’s poll question: Should the EBR Parish School Board change its travel rule to give all 6,000 employees a flat per diem for meals, as opposed to the current system that requires receipts to be submitted for reimbursement?
