Gayle Benson To Launch Gulf Coast-Focused Venture Capital Fund

Saints and Pelicans Owner GAYLE BENSON is "developing a plan to launch" a $50M venture capital fund to "invest in early-stage companies across the Gulf Coast," according to Jerry DiColo of NOLA.com. The fund, Benson Capital Partners, "would invest in tourism, logistics, health care, energy and other sectors," though plans "appear to be only in the earliest stages." A Benson-backed fund "would instantly become the biggest New Orleans-based investment fund focused on the local startup scene," as Benson's initial fund "would invest in about 20 companies in New Orleans and the region," according to the draft proposal. It is "not clear how many outside investors the fund will have, or when it plans to begin making investments" (NOLA.com, 10/24).