What is Innovate South?
Innovate South is a 2 day series of events bringing together tech startups, technical professionals, and aspiring entrepreneurs across South Louisiana’s innovation ecosystem.
Whether you’re building a startup, working in tech, exploring entrepreneurship, or interested in connecting with South Louisiana’s technical & startup communities, Innovate South offers a collaborative environment featuring networking events, panel discussions, keynote presentations from national speakers, and pitches from local tech startups.
Mark your calendars on April 24 – 25 for #IS2025!
Stay tuned for more details coming soon.
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Colin Gardiner
Founding Partner at Yonder Ventures
Colin is the Founding Partner at Yonder Ventures and a seasoned operator with a rich history, having worked as an early employee at Outdoorsy, Roamly, Tripping.com, Ancestry, and JustAnswer.
Beyond his operational expertise, he is a self-proclaimed marketplace geek who writes about them extensively through his newsletter gardinercolin.com. He is the Founding GP of Yonder Ventures, which is investing in the future of marketplaces. He is also the founder of Longtail, a programmatic solution for SEO for all types of businesses, and Karta Labs, a consultancy for marketplaces and platforms looking to grow and monetize.
Colin wears many hats, also serving as the co-host of the podcast Wannabe Angels, where he covers all things angel investing.
Autumn Manning
Founder of Faana
Autumn Manning stands out as a dynamic entrepreneur and investor, known for her leadership in transforming company cultures and driving organizational excellence through human-centered design.
As the co-founder and CEO of the innovative B2B SaaS platform YouEarnedIt, later WorkTango, her strategic acumen in market positioning and product and organizational strategy has been key to driving lasting success.
Autumn was recognized as Austin’s Best CEO in 2018, and is a dedicated mentor, mother to Marin and Miles, and an advocate for personal well-being as the foundation for strength in Leadership.
Yu-Kai Chou
Founding Partner at Octalysis Group
Yu-Kai Chou is the Founding Partner at Octalysis Group, and a pioneer in gamification and behavioral design. He is renowned as a designer, author, and speaker. He is the creator of the Octalysis Framework, which has empowered over 1.5 Billion users.
Gant Laborde
CIO at Infinite Red
Gant isn’t just a tech leader; he’s also a father, published author, award-winning speaker, and mentor with over 20 years of experience as both a developer and a business owner.