Innovate South

What is Innovate South?

Innovate South is a 2 day conference for innovative startup teams, aspiring founders and entrepreneurs, and technical minds in South Louisiana. Whether you’ve already launched your venture, just want to dip your toes into the world of scalable startups, or are intrigued by the intersection of technical skills and entrepreneurship, Innovate South offers a collaborative environment to engage in networking events, panel discussions, keynote presentations from national speakers, and pitches from local tech startups.

Mark your calendars on April 25-26 for #IS2024, because we’re packing this year’s event with insights, excitement, and networking opportunities.

Check out our #IS2024 Keynote Speakers

Colin Gardiner

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

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

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

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.

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