People come to Louisiana looking for everything from Alligators to Zydeco. The two things they are usually not looking for are high tech superstars and women duck hunters. That’s exactly who Peter’s guests on Out to Lunch are looking for.

Bill Ellison and his venture capital organization Innovation Catalyst invest in new high-tech companies. Some of them turn out to be big deals, like Waitr, which recently sold for $308m.

Emily Degan’s company, Saint Hugh, makes outdoor apparel, focused on functional and fashionable clothes for women who like to hunt ducks.

In business, New Orleans and Louisiana are both undeniably changing. Ideas and companies that would have been completely foreign to us and unfundable a few years ago, are taking root and flourishing. It no longer seems unreasonable or unlikely to wonder if Saint Hugh could become the next Lulu Lemon or if Innovation Catalyst could finance the next Facebook.

Photos at Commander’s Palace by Jill Lafleur.