Major infrastructure builds are underway across Louisiana as companies pick up on state officials’ push to spotlight the region’s potential as a hub for data centers and manufacturing.
Local startup Gulf Coast Tactical is building out its site at the Port of Iberia, while Meta’s massive Hyperion data center project doubles in scope once again. A pool care company and an energy firm have also committed millions to new sites. Plus, VC firm Gulf South Angels tops $14 million in investments this year so far.
Read on for news on all the above, and more Louisiana money moves.
Gulf Coast Tactical’s $6.1M port expansion and new raise
Maritime defense startup Gulf Coast Tactical raised fresh cash and last month announced plans to grow its Port of Iberia footprint.
The $6.1 million expansion in Acadiana’s Iberia Parish will scale the company’s building and testing capabilities for its unmanned surface vehicles and watercraft. The startup — founded by Sean Biddle in 2025 — plans to continue a phased construction approach over the next 12 to 24 months.
The project is expected to create 65 new direct jobs and 72 indirect jobs, according to a joint press release from Gulf Coast Tactical and Louisiana Economic Development.
“This expansion reinforces Louisiana’s leadership in maritime manufacturing as global demand grows for advanced defense and autonomous vessel capabilities,” LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois said in the release.
Two days after the expansion announcement, Gulf Coast Tactical filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to report a $200,000 raise, with a goal of $5 million to complete the round.
Gulf Coast Tactical did not respond to Technical.ly’s request for comment.
Meta doubles Hyperion data center investment to $50B
Meta now expects to spend $50 billion on its planned Hyperion data center project in Richland Parish, Louisiana.
Now at 5GW of compute capacity, Meta previously said it will partner with Entergy Louisiana to add renewable energy to the grid. Entergy plans $3 billion in new natural gas plants to support the site.
The latest expansion move comes after an initial growth spurt earlier this year. Meta had already upped its budget to $27 billion for the Northeast Louisiana project — a figure that has ballooned from its original $10 billion commitment in 2024 — after it purchased an additional 1,400 acres.
At least 4 million sq. ft. in size, Hyperion is set to be the tech company’s largest data center complex in the world.
Announced in December 2024, construction began in 2025 and is slated to continue through 2030. The facility is expected to come online beginning in 2028.
Like other data center developments, the plans come with additional commitments.
Meta notably committed $115 million for AI workforce training facilities — including one in Baton Rouge. Plus, the Big Tech company is contributing $5 million to Louisiana Delta Community College to fund a scholarship program that will train local residents for data center jobs.
Angel investment group passes $35M milestone
New Orleans-based investment group Gulf South Angels surpassed $14 million in investments during the first half of 2026 alone, bringing its total capital deployed to $35 million since 2014.
The network connects nearly 200 investors across 21 states and has backed 75 startups to date, New Orleans City Business reported.
Notable Louisiana-based portfolio companies include:
- Advano, a New Orleans advanced battery tech startup founded in 2017 by Alexander Girau and Shiva Adireddy.
- Bioceptive, a New Orleans woman’s health startup founded in 2010 by Benjamin Cappiello.
- Cyber Reef, a Shreveport mobile cybersecurity startup founded in 2012 by Hilton Nicholson.
- El Guapo, a New Orleans beverage startup founded in 2017 by Christa Cotton.
- Embera Neurotherapeutics, a Shreveport pharmaceutical startup founded in 2007 by Nicholas Goeders and Ross Barrett.
- Mobile Qubes, a New Orleans portable charger startup founded in 2013 by Sean Carrigan, Jason Palmer and Mike Melito.
- Obatala Sciences, a New Orleans scientific research service founded in 2017 by Trivia Frazier, Xiying Wu and Jeffery Gimble
- Pet Krewe, a New Orleans consumer pet brand founded in 2015 by Allison Ward.
- TrayAway, a New Orleans hotel tech startup founded in 2017 by Josh Johnston.
Gulf South Angels did not respond to Technical.ly’s request for comment.
More money moves
- New Orleans based glass recycling startup Glass Half Full raised $175,000 from undisclosed investors in mid-June, according to PitchBook.
- AT&T gave Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges a $25,000 contribution for scholarships targeting low-income students.
- A $5.66 million National Institutes of Health contract renewal will support the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
- Amazon and STACK — two forces behind a data center project in Caddo and Bossier Parishes — announced $500,000 in grants for local nonprofits.
- Energy firm Faith Technologies Incorporated will spend $80.5 million on a new manufacturing site in Ouachita Parish.
- BIO-LAB, which develops pool care products, is expanding its Calcasieu Parish operations to the tune of $8 million.
- The Environmental Protection Agency will fund a $4.5 million project to clean up brownfields across Louisiana.
- Cancer, trauma and heart and lung disease research centers across Louisiana are splitting $1.6 million in research funding from Louisiana State University and FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake.
