Second Line proudly supports Most Promising Enterprising Businesses at Think Beyond Plastic

NEW ORLEANS - June 7, 2013 - PRLog -- New Orleans, LA - Second Line, an impact investment firm and accelerator headquartered in New Orleans, LA, is providing business planning and investment guidance to three amazing businesses as part of the Think Beyond Plastic Innovation Contest. Think Beyond Plastic is a competition for products, services, materials and infrastructure solutions that result in a measurable reduction in plastic pollution. The award will be presented at the Think Beyond Plastic conference in Berkley, CA on June 13-14, 2013.

Three companies were selected as the Most Promising Enterprising Businesses by a jury of industry and science experts - Eben Bayer (Ecovative (http://www.ecovativedesign.com/)), Mike Biddle (MBA Polymers (http://www.mbapolymers.com/home/)), Julie Corbett (Ecologic (http://ecologicbrands.com/)), Adam Lowry (Method (http://methodhome.com/)), Dr. Ramani Narayan (http://www.egr.msu.edu/people/profile/narayan), Bina Venkataraman (MIT/Harvard Brode Institute (http://www.broadinstitute.org/)), Mike Velings (A-Spark Good Ventures (http://www.a-spark.nl/)) and Adam Werbach (Yerdle). (http://www.yerdle.com/) Second Line will provide these three companies consulting needed to recruit financial capital for next stage development. Second Line will also evaluate these three companies for potential investment.

“New Orleans has become a hub for environmental and green change due to necessity. Hurricane Katrina and BP Oil Spill made us face the precious nature of our planet. We are city with future tied to environmental change. Second Line is looking for the amazing ideas which will shift our collective trajectory toward a sustainable future. We are so inspired by the work of the Plastic Pollution Coalition and believe the Think Beyond Plastic competition is a portal for future, disruptive change.” said Gerard Cox, founder and managing partner of Second Line.

"The breadth of ideas and geographical reach of the submissions was inspirational. We are really excited to present the winners and to focus on real solutions to plastic pollution," said Eben Bayer, Co-founder and CEO, Ecovative and a Think Beyond Plastic juror.

Without a doubt the Think Beyond Plastic conference will demonstrate the amazing ideas extending humanity on our precious planet.

Second Line (http://www.secondline.com) (www.secondline.com) is an impact investment firm and accelerator headquartered in New Orleans, LA creating sustainable impact through the intersection of design and performance.  Second Line invests in disruptive ideas addressing the world’s greatest economic, social and environmental challenges. We are also a consultancy working hands-on with startups to infuse narrative-driven, design-oriented product development practices so each offering creates an emotional connection fueling market traction thus increasing impact, returns, and promoting positive change.http://www.secondline.com.

Think Beyond Plastic (http://www.thinkbeyondplastic.com/) (www.ThinkBeyondPlastic.com) is a project of the Plastic Pollution Coalition (http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/) and is dedicated to fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in addressing the plastic pollution crisis. http://www.thinkbeyondplastic.com/

http://www.thinkbeyondplastic.com/

Founded in 2009, Plastic Pollution Coalition (www.PlasticPollutionCoalition.org) is a global alliance working towards a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on people, animals and the environment.

For more information please contact Gerard Cox at gerard.cox@secondline.com