For startups, the first step to finding a solution is selecting the right problem. Soon-to-be entrepreneur Charles Beam had compiled a list of 20 possibilities to which he could apply his skills as an LSU computer science graduate. The biggest involved finding the right opportunities for federal contractors.

Truth Diagnostics got its start, and its name, because the startup's partners believed in a better business model: a boutique lab with personalized services for physicians and smaller clinics and transparency in customer relations.

You might say Chckvet, software tools that make veterinary practices more efficient, was born of frustration. Colin Hebert, Matthew Ieyoub and George Villaume had previously launched a web and app development company, Breach Software, which served as the web development team for Mallard Bay, the VRBO of hunting and fishing. "They really liked it, but Breach's growth opportunities were limited. They were just salaried employees, basically working full time for Mallard Bay," said Chckvet Business Lead Elliott Greenwood. "They wanted to do more."