The Lab by TECHPLUG

Why New Orleans, Louisiana?

Louisiana:

46th in Healthcare

47th in Economy

48th in Opportunity 

Source: USNews.com

New Orleans:

71% of the Black households living below the poverty line

Black residents in New Orleans are 2x more likely to die from HIV, kidney disease, cancer and diabetes

Life expectancy for residents in ZIP code 70112 (Treme community) is 54.5 years. 

Source: City of New Orleans Department of Health

We understand that the economy, education and access are drivers to some of the challenges that face communities in New Orleans. Our work is centered in the community. 

The Lab by TECHPLUG creates 9-month localized community-centric immersion programs for innovative tech companies addressing health disparities in vulnerable and marginalized communities.  TECHPLUG’s goal is to transform communities by partnering with Tech founders who seek to proactively address health disparities. 

The program consists of a 2-week community immersion experience where founders understand the unique challenges in community.  The 2-week community immersion experience consists of:

- Understand the unique opportunities in Federally Qualified Health Centers and Safety Net Hospitals

- Zip Code Lunches (2 in different zip codes)

- Round table discussions with NOLA Culture barriers/Civic Community leaders

- Biweekly speaker series

- Meet ups with local leaders (City, Health Systems, Nonprofits, University, and Corporate)

The Lab by TECHPLUG 9-month localized community centric immersion program provides tech companies an environment to scale their business solutions within communities that can most benefit from the solutions.  The companies will receive business support to help advance their technologies, as well as gain access to opportunities to acquire partnerships.  A demo day will culminate the nine-month experience.

Goals:

- Contribute to the improvement of the health outcomes in community in the following disease areas: maternal health, chronic diseases, sexually transmitted infections, and heart disease.

- Develop a pipeline of skilled talent to address health disparities.

- Create an option for the Tech companies to expand their operations (Economic Development) in Louisiana.

We have successfully launched two cohorts-Queen mother. In our first cohort there were three companies each addressing a problem in maternal health. Two of the companies secured partnership deals during the program. We are currently with Queen Mother cohort 2. There are three companies in the cohort; 2 are New Orleans based and 1 is based in Chicago. They are all working to address a health disparity in New Orleans. 

We opened The Lab by TECHPLUG officially two years ago. We have worked intentionally to understand the unique challenges within the Treme’ community in New Orleans. Our work has centered around earning the trust of the community. Our work does not move if the community is not engaged.

We are now at the phase where we can invite companies into our brick-and-mortar space to engage with community members thoughtfully. Our work is grounded in a commitment to the health of the community.

We are well-positioned for this work because we have taken our time to:

-       understand the unique challenges in the community

-       identify companies that have a solution that addresses a health inequity challenge

-       build meaningful relationships within the neighborhood, city, and State to provide a workable foundation

-        deliver transformative health results in the community

This stage was selected because we have selected and launched two cohorts within the Treme' community. We secured two partnership deals in cohort 1. One of our companies received a $700k partnership deal from a payor. The other company received a partnership deal from a safety net hospital in New Orleans. 

We are moving beyond our pilot phase and we support as we approach scale. We are looking to expand our work in New Orleans. We are at the begining stages of launching another The Lab by TECHPLUG in another city. Solve's reach can assist us in our goals to establish the internal infrastructure to scale appropriately while we connect in new markets. 

1- Full-time

5- Contractors

4- Interns

We've been working on TECHPLUG since March 2019. The Lab by TECHPLUG in New Orleans has been operational for 2 1/2 years. 

We believe our team should reflect the diverse communities that seek to partner with. We have found that our work attracts individuals that have been plagued by health inequities in their lives. We are committed to ensuring that our team embodies the mission of our organization.