“I think, by 2018, there’s an opportunity for New Orleans to be viewed around the country, around the world, as a hub of entrepreneurship for the South,” says Tim Williamson, the CEO and cofounder of incubator The Idea Village, referring to the year the city will celebrate its 300th anniversary.
That would have been hard to imagine in 2005, when the storm flooded 80% of the New Orleans and cut its population by more than half, while leading to the deaths of more than 1,800 people across the Gulf region.
But after the floodwaters receded, lifelong residents and newcomers from around the country organized to piece the city back together: rebuilding houses, clearing debris, and even restoring street signs, says Andrea Chen, executive director of New Orleans social entrepreneurship incubator Propeller.
Source: Ten Years After Katrina, A New Startup Sector Takes Hold In New Orleans
Photo credit: Propeller