A group that includes the state plans to turn the former Tin Roof Brewing location into an incubator for carbon management startups.

Proof Works will provide lab space and programming for early-stage tech startups to develop their ideas into market-ready products. The new startup hub is part of East Baton Rouge Parish’s portion of FastSites, 19 industrial and business sites around Louisiana that will receive state funding for development in hopes of attracting investment.

Louisiana Economic Development manages the $150 million revolving capital fund that fuels FastSites. Gov. Jeff Landry announced the first round of sites, which will collectively receive $140 million, at a press conference Tuesday.

The development of Proof Works is a collaboration between The Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership, LED, FUEL and Baton Rouge Area Foundation. The incubator will be privately operated once up and running.

Lori Melancon, president and CEO of the economic partnership, said the incubator is a step forward in diversifying the Baton Rouge area economy and empowering local entrepreneurs to build a future industry.

“For generations, our industrial base has powered opportunity here, and now we are building the infrastructure that ensures the next wave of innovation is created and scaled in our backyard,” Melancon said in a statement. “By supporting entrepreneurs in hard-tech and advanced prototyping, we are expanding what is possible in the 225, retaining top talent, and creating new pathways for high-wage, high-impact careers.”

The facility will have labs, programming and workspace for startups working on carbon capture, utilization and monitoring and industrial technology. The goal of Proof Works is to help startups successfully develop their products and bring it to the marketplace, a part of the startup timeline when many falter, typically due to funding gaps, commonly referred to as the “valley of death.”

A few companies have already committed to using Proof Works for prototyping, product development and testing, according to a release from The Partnership.

The incubator will be led by Paul Barrial, who was most recently director of member engagement at the business incubator Nexus Louisiana.

“This is an exciting chapter for entrepreneurship in the Baton Rouge area and Louisiana,” Barrial said in a release. “Our growing ecosystem will benefit not just from this new physical space, but also the cross-collaboration that it will enable. We look forward to welcoming founders to Proof Works soon.”

Strategically placed

Proof Works will be housed at 1624 Wyoming St., the former Tin Roof Brewery. The brewing company closed its doors in 2024 to allow the owners to focus on other ventures and has been vacant since.

The location positions the incubator between LSU campus and downtown, putting startups in close proximity to other innovation players in the area like the university, IBM and Louisiana Innovation. LED Chief Innovation Officer Josh Fleig said Proof Works’ proximity to LSU is paramount since the university is the “wellspring” of energy research in the state.

LSU FUEL’s Regional Innovation Engine, a National Science Foundation-funded program that donates money to groups to research and develop energy and technology solutions, will supply Proof Work’s first tenants. FUEL, or Future Use of Energy in Louisiana, is made up of more than 50 business and education partners led by LSU to find solutions for energy use, particularly in carbon management.

FUEL offers a proof-of-concept fund program that provides money to startups to help them commercialize.

While Baton Rouge is home to several business incubators and accelerator programs, Proof Works will specialize in startups developing technology that involves tangible, complex hardware, with an emphasis on carbon management and industrial technology.

FUEL received $15 million from the NSF for each of its first two years in its Regional Innovation Engine program, with potential to reach up to $160 million, based on performance.

“There’s so many ways you can use carbon to create a product that makes money and drives wealth and creates jobs in Louisiana,” Fleig said.

Looking ahead

Plans are still in the works for construction to convert the brewery into Proof Works’ office and a timeline is to be determined, according to The Partnership. But a few startups are interested in using the space and the organization is looking into opening the space up soon.