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Plans to bring over 80 businesses to Downtown Lafayette

Officials from the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) and Opportunity Machine (OM) announced their plans for 314 Jefferson Street in Downtown Lafayette. The historic Knight’s/Lee’s Furniture Store is to be renamed the Opportunity Machine, where OM operations will be relocated and expanded.

The Opportunity Machine will house OM’s members, bringing over 80 new businesses

Aerobotics Celebrates Company Success with Open House and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Partnership with Opportunity Machine Accelerates Growth

Lafayette, LA— Officials from the Aerobotics Drone Division of Grand Isle Shipyard celebrated the company’s expansion and acceleration through the Opportunity Machine (the OM) with a ribbon cutting and open house.

Aerobotics, co-founded by Eric Langlinais, CEO, and DaCoda Bartels, President, UAV Chief Pilot/Division Manager, was acquired by Grand Isle Shipyard in September 2018 for use of their industrial inspection and survey services in the energy industries. Aerobotics was the first Louisiana company to use drone technology for offshore platform inspection as

by Patrick Young
Founder of ableusa.info

Here’s a fact that you may not know: A higher percentage of people with disabilities are business owners than those without disabilities. If you’re a parent with disabilities, starting your own business may sound overwhelming. But the truth is there are so many opportunities out there that choosing which one to pursue could be your biggest problem. If you want to get your business up and running while raising your

The 2018 business accelerator program, Accelerate South, hosted 10 innovative healthcare startups from across the US in Lafayette, La. The companies included:

• Fairway Biomed, from St. Louis, MO, conducts bleeding control in resection surgeries done in the liver, kidney, and lungs.
• NeuroRescue, from Columbus, OH, produces a prehospital medical device to begin induced hypothermia protocol.
• Birya Biotech, from Baltimore, MD, is improving the quality of life for those battling severe allergies.
• F3 Healthcare, from Carrboro,
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ArtSpark 2019 applications to AcA are due by Feb. 22. Apply here.  

Visual artist Lucius Fontenot’s latest endeavor has elevated to art the struggles and wisdom of ladies of a certain age – those 75 and older whose stories were known only to their families or not at all.

Fontenot, whose photos capturing life in south Louisiana have been featured in national publications, is producing a coffee table book in an effort

Image Courtesy Pexels

by Lucy Reed
Owner/Blogger/Developer
Gigmine.co
 
It’s no secret that Uber drivers can make a lot of money in their free time. You buy stuff from eBay and Etsy. You may be even know someone who freelances or works on contract. The gig economy is a big deal these days. About a third of the workforce is now part of this new

The final event of the three-day Opportunity Machine Innovation Conference (OMIC)– a competition called “Pitchers & Draft” – featured five teams that challenged innovation by combining culture and technology for the CREATE Initiative.     

On the first day of the OMIC, Mayor-President Joel Robideaux “pitched” challenges related to his CREATE Initiative, dedicated to growing the cultural economy through a sustained focus on Culture, Recreation, Entertainment, Arts, Tourism and Economy. Five Acadiana-based teams composed of academics, business people, artists, and

The Opportunity Machine Innovation Conference was a three-day entrepreneurial fest that featured tech executives, hungry startups, college and high school students, and investors looking to get in on a Google or Amazon in the making.

The inaugural event in early November attracted 250 attendees who came to “learn, share, and celebrate entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Destin Ortego, director of the OM.

The OMIC was held at the Louisiana Immersive Technology Enterprise and Abdalla Hall, both located

Adam Daigle
The Acadiana Advocate
Nov 2, 2018 - 9:30 AM

Publicly traded Landcadia Holdings Inc., which acquired Waitr in May for $308 million, announced late Thursday it has set a special shareholder meeting for later this month to combine the two companies.

Landcadia, which is owned by

Dan Boudreaux
The Acadiana Advocate
Nov 2, 2018 - 6:35 PM