Originally from Chicago where he began his professional career in media and media technology. His career brought him to New York City and Atlanta. Mike was on the launch team of The Weather Channel and served as its President and CEO. He also served as Chairman and CEO of Pathfire, a technology start-up that became a leading provider of digital media and asset management capabilities to large media companies. In the summer of 2013 Mike moved to New Orleans to be closer to family.He has been, an active angel investor, angel group leader and LP in venture capital funds since the late 1990s. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the national Angel Capital Association, serving as Chair of its Public Policy Committee and of its Strategic Planning Activities; is Chairman of the NO/LA Angel Network, and is a member of the Investment Committee of the New Orleans Start-Up Fund. Prior to moving to New Orleans Mike was Chairman of the Atlanta Technology Angels, a top ten angel investment group nationally.

Daryl grew up in Iowa and is an Engineering graduate from Iowa State. Daryl retired from John Deere after enjoying 38 years in a wide variety of responsibilities at 7 Deere factories as well as at Corporate. His experiences have been in Engineering, Manufacturing, HR, Reliability and General Management and have taken him to over 40 countries around the world. His last Deere assignment was General Manager for Deere’s Worldwide Sugarcane Harvesting Equipment business, which brought him to Louisiana in 2002. Since retiring from Deere, Daryl has done a significant amount of business and management consulting. In 2014, Daryl and several others started up a custom metal fabrication company, Fabricari, LLC, for which Daryl is the President.

New Orleans native and Chairman of the Business Section of the Stone Pigman law firm. A 30 year veteran corporate lawyer, he has handled hundreds of M&A and corporate finance transactions, including representing many companies from start-up through capital raising, expansion and exit. He has offices in both New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and is a member of the Southeast Super-Region Committee, the Committee formed by GNO, Inc. and BRAC to promote cooperative economic development for GNO, GBR, Houma-Thibodaux super-region. Current board member and former President of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Louisiana Chapter. Active in leadership of the Mergers and Acquisitions Committee of the American Bar Association. Author and frequent speaker about many aspects of M&A law and practice. Named by Best Lawyers® as New Orleans Lawyer of the Year for 2013 in the field of mergers and acquisitions, and for 2014 in the field of venture capital law. Chairman of the Board of St. Mary’s Dominican High School. He has also personally invested in several startups.

Mr. Babb is a Managing Director of Louisiana Funds, two Early Stage Venture Capital Funds since 2004.

Mr. Babb served as CFO for Medical Science Partners three venture capital funds. He was the CFO and Chief Compliance Officer for Apeiron Partners a boutique investment bank in the Life Sciences sector. He established the NASD broker dealer and obtained Series 7, NASD General Securities Representative Examination, Series 24, NASD General Securities Principal Examination, Series 28, NASD Financial Operations Principal Examination, Series 63, NASD Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination.

Mr. Babb has a diverse business and accounting background, having been a Manger with Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurial Services Group handling various venture capital clients and their portfolio companies. His general business acumen developed having owned and operated his own business for 13 years.

Mr. Babb earned a BS in Business Administration from American International College and is a Certified Public Accountant. 

Jane Cooper was the founder, President and CEO of Patient Care, the nation’s leading advocacy company, started in New Orleans, LA. The company began operations in August, 2001 and launched its transparency division in 2005, providing services for over 500 employers and1.6 million members across the country. Ms. Cooper sold the company to DirectPath Health in January, 2017.

Subsequent to the sale of Patient Care, Ms. Cooper started JLC Company, a national healthcare consulting business. She and her husband also own Grande Krewe, a fine wine and spirits store in New Orleans.

Ms. Cooper has over 35 years experience in the health care industry, serving in management positions for 29 years. As a serial entrepreneur, she has started and led five healthcare companies since the early 1980s. As President and CEO of Advantage Health Plan in New Orleans, Louisiana, she developed the fastest growing HMO in the state in the late 1990s. She speaks nationally on health care issues and publishes articles on the industry on a regular basis.

Ms. Cooper has a Bachelor’s of Liberal Arts from Augustana College in Illinois and a Master’s of Art from Western Illinois University, with a major in speech and communication. She currently teaches Entrepreneurship at Tulane University and also serves on the Board of Directors of the NO/LA Angel Network.

Alison is principal of The Hartman Group, a management consulting practice focused on organization effectiveness. She has a unique combination of cross-functional expertise in business, human resources, and information technology.

Originally from New York City, Alison earned a B.S. from Rutgers University and moved to New Orleans in 1979 to pursue graduate studies at Tulane University. After receiving a Ph.D. in psychology, Alison worked as Tulane’s director of academic information technology before joining Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). In 1996, she was recruited by Freeport-McMoRan, a global resources company, where she held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility both domestically and overseas. In 2007, Alison formed The Hartman Group, which advises startups and established enterprises.

Alison serves on the volunteer boards of FirstLine Schools, New Pathways New Orleans, The Data Center, New Orleans Ballet Theater, and HeartGift New Orleans.

Ted Jones is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group and chairs the private equity steering committee of the mergers and acquisitions and private equity team. He counsels companies, pooled investment vehicles and other funds, investment banks and underwriters, and individual and institutional investors on a range of securities transactions and regulatory matters. Ted advises public and private companies, private equity and venture capital funds, investment banks and underwriters, and individual and other institutional investors in connection with securities offerings, other financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings and recapitalizations, corporate governance, and public finance matters. Ted also advises private fund managers, other investment advisors, investment bankers, and other broker-dealers with respect to compliance under federal and state securities laws and regulations.

Byron has served as president of LeBlanc & Schuster Public Relations, Inc., a highly respected, full service public relations and marketing firm handling a wide variety of regional and local accounts since 1976. In addition to his business accomplishments, Mr. LeBlanc is very active in civic and community affairs. He was a charter member of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and served as Chairman in 2014. He has also chaired and served on numerous charitable boards. At Tulane University, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. He is a fellow of the Loyola Institute of Politics. A native of Abbeville, Byron lives in Metairie with his wife Pat. They have four children and eight grandchildren.

Ms. Le Breton heads the Mergers & Acquisitions group for Chaffe & Associates, Inc., with emphasis in services to privately held companies. She has extensive experience in the structuring and negotiation of transactions, the valuation of companies, and the development and execution of competitive processes for the sale or purchase of businesses. Ms. Le Breton also has experience in the areas of capital planning for corporate expansion and private placements of debt and equity.

Ms. Le Breton began her career at Bankers Trust Company in New York. She returned to New Orleans in 1980 to join First National Bank of Commerce in commercial lending, and was then involved in the negotiation of several bank acquisitions. She joined Chaffe in 1987. Ms. Le Breton is qualified as an expert witness in U.S. District Court on matters relating to bank and corporate valuation and merger and acquisition process, and has appeared as a speaker on these subjects. She is active in community affairs and serves on a number of civic boards, including GNO, Inc. and the Advisory Council of the A.B. Freeman School.

Ms. Le Breton holds a B.A. from Newcomb College and an M.B.A. from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. She is licensed with Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) as a registered representative and general securities principal.

Jeff O’Hara began his hospitality career in 1985, working part time while a student at Florida State University. His career has taken him to every corner of the hospitality industry – he has worked in luxury boutique hotels and 1,000 plus room “supertankers.” He has managed small restaurants and developed B&B’s. Jeff moved to New Orleans in 1992, and has made it his home ever since. Since leaving a corporate career, he has started 10 companies in hospitality and real estate. He is the owner of PRA Business Events New Orleans, a company that provides services to the Corporate Meeting and Incentive Travel sectors. His company has been named three times to the Inc.5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America and twice to the Seminole 100 list of fastest growing companies owned by Florida State University alumni.

He has backed numerous start ups as an Angel Investor, including firms in the fields of technology, biotech, hospitality, medical devices, consumer staples and alternative energy. He is an active member of the NOLA Angel Network and Lagniappe Angels, and has also backed start ups through the Rockies Venture Club.

Jeff’s book “Have Fun, Fight Back and Keep the Party Going: Lessons from a New Orleans Entrepreneur’s Journey to the Inc. 5000” was released under Inc. magazine’s “An Inc. Original” label in December 2018.

A native of Kingston, NY, he received a BS in Hospitality Administration from Florida State University and an MBA from Tulane University.

Marion H. Rapier is a Certified Public Accountant with 20 years of experience. Born and raised in New Orleans, LA she attended Brenau Women’s College in Gainesville, GA and earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Over the last 20 years she has worked in industry and public accounting in various roles from staff accountant at Ernst & Young LLP to CFO at Holy Cross School. In addition, she has served on the board of directors for Oil and Gas and Investment related family entities.

Over the years she has worked closely with the board of directors for the companies she worked with as well as participated in business plan development, debt and equity fundraising and restructuring and related due diligence. Marion has recently launched her own company that will provide outsourced controller services.

Dann is a successful, serial entrepreneur. He has started and grown companies into successful enterprises for 20+ years. These companies include medical devices, e-commerce, manufacturing and distributorships. In the medical device field with RaintreeEssix, he invented technologies for orthodontic retainers and tooth move appliances without using orthodontic brackets. In May 2005, RaintreeEssix was acquired by DENTSPLY (Nasdaq: XRAY). Since 2005, Dann does consulting utilizing his knowledge in manufacturing, distribution, patents/trademarks, medical devices and quality management standards such as ISO 13485 & CE. Dann is a Senior Advisor with Kidron Corporate Advisors (www.kidronllc.com), a full service boutique investment bank.