NOLABA Small Business Spotlight: CotingaSoft
NOLABA connects New Orleanians with the support and resources they need to achieve economic prosperity. This includes providing information for small businesses like local resource providers and certification opportunities. In a new series of small business spotlights, we’re highlighting New Orleans business owners who use these resources to grow their businesses in the city.
Barrett Conrad is an independent software engineer who founded CotingaSoft in 2008.
CotingaSoft works with businesses and startups to develop software in New Orleans. The company’s unique name comes from a rare family of birds with bright blue feathers in Latin America called cotingas. NOLABA conducted a Q&A with Conrad:
1) Why did you choose New Orleans to open your small business?
Owning a business has always been a goal. When I graduated from Tulane and decided to stay in New Orleans, that also meant the business would be here too. I didn’t open the business until a number of years after that decision though. Branching out on my own felt right because I knew the time was right for technology in New Orleans.
2) What stands out to you most about New Orleans’ small business community?
I have always felt an enormous sense of support from the rest of the small business community here. Since so much of New Orleans is based around small businesses, many of them look to work together and grow together, which makes for a great atmosphere.
3) What small business resources in New Orleans have helped in your growth?
I finished the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Delgado in the spring of 2017. It was an amazing experience that helped me push my business forward, meet other great, local businesses and connect me to even more resources.
4) What are your goals for your business moving forward?
We’ll grow our software engineering team to continue supporting our current clients and new ones. We’re also looking to take experiences from past projects and focus on specific industry segments and expand our client base regionally and beyond.
