StartupBus competitors near Baton Rouge

Four Baton Rouge entrepreneurs participating in the StartupBus competition—James Davis, co-founder of Peoplenetz; Brian Jackson, creative design director at Nerjyzed Entertainment; Logan Leger, an LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute fellow and owner of NewAperio; and Jared Loftus, owner of Tiger District and Taco de Paco—have developed a socially integrated goal-visioning website called YearToGo.com, which helps users map out goals, stay accountable to those goals and get their friends involved in making the process. The StartupBus places 25 strangers together on a bus to travel over 48 hours from different destinations to Austin, Texas, for the annual South by Southwest festival. Participants form teams and build business plans based on ideas presented when they first get on the bus. Once at the festival, the top teams present their ideas to venture capitalists. The Baton Rouge team is traveling on a bus originating in Miami. They, and the StartupBus that started in New York City, will stop at Embassy Suites on Constitution Avenue at about 6:30 p.m. tonight. The public is invited, and free food and drinks will be available. “The national StartupBus competition is an excellent opportunity to showcase our region’s entrepreneurial talent and the great support and vibe of our entrepreneurial community,” says Terry Jones, head of the local Regional Innovation Organization. Jones is asking locals to help the team’s chances by playing a game that allows you to invest virtual funds in their company found here. For more information contact Jones at terry@brac.org.