Today, we announced Newlab’s latest expansion to New Orleans, Louisiana. Following our expansion to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this year with Newlab Riyadh, this is another major step toward building a global network of Newlab hubs in geographies where we can remove barriers for startups commercializing critical technologies.

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Our ambition in Louisiana is to help the state harness its generational industrial legacy to stimulate economic growth across future energy value chains. We will do this by building a thriving critical technology startup ecosystem powered by the state’s historical infrastructure, skilled workforce, and leading industrial players.

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Louisiana’s 2025 Comprehensive Statewide Strategic Plan, unveiled by Louisiana Economic Development (LED) this past March, outlines a bold vision to transform the state into a hub for high-growth, technology-driven companies. Central to this plan is the establishment of LA.IO, a dedicated division focused on fostering innovation. This strategic direction aligns seamlessly with Newlab’s mission to catalyze critical technology ecosystems, particularly in sectors like clean energy, carbon management, and maritime innovation, to name a few. By leveraging state-backed initiatives and a supportive regulatory environment, Newlab is well-positioned to accelerate the deployment of transformative technologies and drive sustained economic growth in Louisiana.

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Louisiana’s path to technology-led reindustrialization and economic growth

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Newlab’s expansion into Louisiana aligns with the state’s significant potential as a prime market for technology-driven reindustrialization. Historically driven by sectors like oil and gas, Louisiana’s economy is at a pivotal juncture, making diversification and industrial innovation critical for its long-term resilience and growth. The state is actively attracting transformative projects, such as Hyundai’s low-carbon steel facility, that signal a broader shift toward clean energy, digital infrastructure, and next-generation industrial manufacturing.

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The state’s robust infrastructure—including world-class ports and expansive petrochemical complexes along the New Orleans-Baton Rouge corridor—and its skilled workforce provide a strong foundation for integrating critical technology startups into the region’s evolving industrial landscape. By capitalizing on these established assets, Louisiana is strategically positioned to become a national leader in emerging sectors such as clean industrial power and electrification, carbon management and utilization, and advanced shipping and maritime solutions  – fostering innovation to future-proof its most critical industries.

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In the last 12 months alone, over $40 billion USD in mega-project FIDs have been announced across Louisiana, including major developments like Meta’s largest data center and the world’s largest blue ammonia production facility. Although these projects will serve diverse global markets, they share substantial operational interdependencies that next-generation critical technologies can address — such as the need for reliable 24/7 clean power, integrated carbon management networks, robust multi-modal logistics infrastructure, and sustainable construction materials.

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These mega-projects represent an economic inflection point for Louisiana, positioning the state to capitalize on a generational opportunity to establish a vibrant critical technology startup ecosystem capable of driving sustained high-growth job creation. Newlab will serve as an integrated platform in close collaboration with state agencies such as Louisiana Economic Development (LED) to ensure industrial project developers have direct access to critical technologies that significantly de-risk their investments. 

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Through our work in Louisiana over the last year, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), we have directly validated significant global interest among critical technology startups seeking to enter the Louisiana market during early stages of technology development and commercialization. The ability to leverage existing brownfield infrastructure combined with a supportive regulatory environment greatly accelerates deployment timelines and reduces risks associated with first-of-a-kind technology demonstrations – an important scale-up milestone to showcase techno-economic viability and drive commercial adoption. However, without a centralized ecosystem of strategic partners, investors, and government stakeholders who deeply understand and can actively address commercialization barriers, startups can face substantial hurdles when entering the market.

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A purpose-built facility for critical technology scale-up

Harnessing both industry demand for critical technologies that will define the next generation of reindustrialization of energy systems, and a strong pipeline of global startups eager to build and commercialize new technologies within Louisiana, Newlab is creating a dynamic, commercialization hub that bridges these stakeholders, accelerates deployment of impactful technologies, and fosters sustained economic transformation.

While Louisiana is primed for industrial-scale deployments, shared infrastructure that can support early- and growth-stage critical technology startups to scale their solutions is lacking. Currently, few dedicated spaces exist for collaborative scale-up work, forcing startups to expend their limited resources on building costly, purpose-specific facilities that they quickly outgrow. Moreover, shared scale-up infrastructure can benefit multiple startups simultaneously, fostering economies of scale, collaborative innovation, and market acceleration—creating an ecosystem effect where collective progress amplifies individual success.

To meet this need, we are building a hub focused on accelerating scale-up and deployment of industrial power, carbon management and utilization, and shipping and maritime innovations. This purpose-built facility in New Orleans will serve as an industrial build-out and pre-commissioning warehouse for these novel technologies. Built at the Naval Support Activity (NSA) site located at the intersection of the Intercoastal Industrial Canal and the Mississippi River, it will be a space for startups to pre-commission, build, and fabricate first-of-a-kind (FOAK) units to deploy across the state for pilot and demonstration projects. The hub will include shared access to tools like high load power access, overhead gantry cranes, and walk-in fume hoods – creating supply chain efficiencies, reducing risk and investment for individual startups, and empowering them to move faster. 

Our work through the DOE-funded programs we implemented in 2025 with startups commercializing critical technology in Louisiana has been invaluable to shape the strategy behind our hub, ensuring the site’s capabilities are tailored to meet the needs of critical tech startups innovating in energy at this stage of growth.

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What’s ahead

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Newlab’s hub in Louisiana marks the first step toward redefining the region’s industrial future. We are actively engaging startups, strategic industry players, forward-thinking investors, and government partners who recognize the immense potential of deploying critical technologies at scale. 

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With a clear vision and intentional investment, Louisiana will emerge as a global epicenter for industrial innovation and economic transformation. We are launching this effort in Louisiana, but demonstrating technologies at industrial scale here can accelerate adoption and reduce risk for emerging solutions across energy sectors globally.

If you’re a critical technology startup or industry partner looking to drive this transition, get in touch with us here. The time to shape the future of industry and energy is now.