There’s a well-aired complaint among actors in film and TV that I’m sure you’ve heard: Typecasting. An actor has success in a role – say, as a fun-loving party person – and now that’s how everybody thinks of them. And it’s the only type of character they get called on to play.
Now move from the fictional world of movies to the real world of commerce, and transpose the word “actor” with “New Orleans”… If you’re an investor looking to put real money into a venture that has some chance of major success, anyone who’s got a business in New Orleans isn’t going to be someone you take seriously. Because, well, “New Orleans? It’s a fun place to party. But nobody does anything serious there. And, surely, nobody who’s serious about business would live there.”
That’s the typecasting stereotype a company called Corridor Ventures is looking to overcome.
Corridor Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered here in New Orleans.Their mission is to ignite innovation in the U.S. Southeast. The firm invests up to half-a-million dollars in companies in this part of the world that Northeast or Silicon Valley investors overlook.
Kelli Saulny is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Corridor Ventures.
Kelli Saulny, Managing Partner at Corridor Ventures where they direct investors to hidden startup gems in New Orleans and the South
Most of us are buying stuff that’s a lot less expensive than a half-million-dollar investment in a company. But the same rule applies: you can find great purchases, and even bargains, if you know where to look.
That kind of signature insight is what Rebekah Founds brings to her company, Thyme to Acquire.
Rebekah Founds, Owner & Stylist at Thyme to Acquire, prizing furniture with a lived in vibe and weevil holes over pristine perfection
Thyme To Acquire is a styling studio. You could, I suppose, call it “interior decoration,” but it’s not quite as straightforward as that. Thyme to Acquire specializes in hunting for and finding vintage items – from furniture to crystal goblets and everything in between – and combining them with a client’s own pieces.
The concept is about creating interior spaces that are not dedicated to appearance, but are more about how a space makes people feel. Rebekah describes the company’s M.O as “Rooted in story, styled with soul, and sprinkled with a little whimsy.”
Audio Engineer Blake Langlinais, Peter Ricchiuti, Rochelle from Columns, Kelli Saulny, Amy Irvin, Rebekah Founds, Out to Lunch at Columns in Uptown New Orleans
Out to Lunch was recorded live over lunch at Columns in Uptown New Orleans.
