The country’s largest and longest-running news organization focused on state and local technology and startup ecosystems is expanding to the South.
Technical.ly has selected Louisiana as our newest region of focus. Why? In short, Louisiana has the right mix of credible ecosystem building, serious academic credentials and storytelling need.
Our professional storytelling will help develop an identity for and challenge the region to reach greater economic dynamism
The state has growing urban innovation districts and rural startup programming, all while confronting real challenges. New rigorous research from the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center spotlighted New Orleans while advising of the need for a statewide coalition. That aligns nicely with new leadership at Baton Rouge-based Nexus Louisiana and progress by the National Science Foundation-funded FUEL consortium.
As highlighted in past analysis, our storytelling strategy will help develop an identity for and challenge one of the country’s most culturally rich states to reach greater economic dynamism.
This marks Technical.ly’s first full launch outside the Mid-Atlantic, where we got our start 17 years ago in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.
This means the state’s founders, researchers and ecosystem builders — across New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette on the I-10 corridor, up to Shreveport on the I-20 and everywhere in between — will soon get a dedicated reporter on the ground, plus statewide coverage that connects local stories to a national audience.
In this way, our independent reporting makes Technical.ly an amplification platform for existing Louisiana efforts. And as big believers in collaboration, we intend our work to be republished by and inform ongoing work at existing local newsrooms.
Sign up for Technical.ly’s Louisiana weekly newsletter to receive it on launch:
Leaning into Louisiana’s momentum, with partner support
Technical.ly’s expansion model is selective by design. We enter places that have crossed a clear readiness threshold: a visible pipeline of startup activity; committed civic and industry leaders; research that’s moving to market; and partners willing to support independent, high-quality storytelling that informs residents and reaches beyond state lines.
Louisiana checks those boxes, with real momentum in energy transition, health innovation and logistics and a statewide push to better connect urban centers with rural communities. But the state ranks in the bottom half of our storytelling analysis – which quantifies the number and quality of stories of startups and breakthrough research.
Alongside our existing economic development clients and advertisers, Nexus Louisiana is providing financial support that lets us hire locally and publish broadly — avoiding a subscription paywall. As with all of our markets, support helps us scale, but has no bearing on what we cover or how we cover it. Editorial independence is the point. As we develop our Louisiana audience, we’ll work with others to further widen our reach and relationships.
We expand where the ecosystem is ready. Louisiana is ready.
Our job is to document the people, projects and policies reshaping the state’s economy, and to make that reporting useful to residents, employers and investors.
A full-time reporter, statewide coverage and practical, people-first stories
A high-level overview of what to expect from this initiative:
- A Louisiana-based reporter dedicated to high-growth startups, STEM workforce and the local effects of technology
- Coverage that spans New Orleans and Baton Rouge with attention to Lafayette, Shreveport and rural parishes
- Translation of university and industry research into practical stories founders and policymakers can use
- Service reporting that surfaces programs, resources and opportunities for residents and small employers
Behind the scenes, our editors have begun sourcing stories, meeting with founders and researchers, and mapping the coverage plan. We’re now hiring for that position, with first stories slated to publish at the start of 2026. As we have with our other market launches, we’ll form a readers council and listen before we speak.
- Tips and ecosystem briefs can be sent to our editors now: louisiana@technical.ly
- Louisiana startup founders and ecosystem builders interested in storytelling can join our annual Technical.ly Builders Conference in May 2026 in Philadelphia, marking the US Semiquincentennial. We have an open call for locations for the 2027 Technical.ly Builders Conference.
How Technical.ly decides where to add staff
Technical.ly is the national newsroom for local startup ecosystems and place-based economic development. States and regions don’t buy coverage, they earn it. When a market proves it’s serious about building an innovation economy and commits to supporting independent reporting that serves the public, we invest in a beat reporter and a statewide coverage strategy.
Technical.ly’s mission is to make entrepreneurship and innovation accessible and effective everywhere. Louisiana is up next,and we’re excited to get to work.
“Louisiana’s trajectory is undeniable,” said Tony Zanders, president and CEO of Nexus Louisiana. “Independent, statewide storytelling will help convert that momentum into inclusive growth.”
