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Hop on the bus

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“You and a team of strangers, on a bus traveling at 60 miles per hour, have 72 hours to conceive, build and launch a start-up.”

This is the dare greeting potential entrepreneurs on the StartupBus website, and you can almost hear a throaty announcer laying down the challenge.

In this growing annual event, buses take off from around the country and end up in Austin, where riders, called “bus-preneurs,” present their on-the-spot business ideas at South by Southwest. Buses have usually originated in well-known start-up hubs like San Francisco, but this year, a bus begins in Baton Rouge.

The Louisiana StartupBus leaves on March 6 from the Capital City for a three-day blitz that includes stops in the state’s major cities and an overnight stay in New Orleans. Then it is on to San Antonio and finally, Austin.

“It’s a great way to showcase the state’s collective startup energy,” says organizer Terry Jones, the driving force behind Baton Rouge nabbing a bus.

Louisiana’s best and brightest entrepreneurs will craft team-based ideas to be presented in Austin, some of which may be the next big thing.

To take part in this year’s StartupBus or get more information on this entrepreneurial effort, visit startupbusbr.com.