Tulane ignites innovation at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week
From global student startup competitions to a $50,000 Demo Day, Tulane University will anchor major events during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), March 9–13, underscoring its commitment to translating research, ideas and student creativity into real-world solutions through entrepreneurship and cross-sector collaboration across the Gulf South innovation ecosystem.
Tulane’s Innovation Institute and the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, with participation from the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, are lead partners for this year’s NOEW. The week brings together founders, investors, students and community members for programming focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. All events are free and open to the public, with registration encouraged.
Tulane Business Model Competition
NOEW programming at Tulane begins with the semifinals of the Tulane Business Model Competition on Monday, March 9, in Room 470 of the A. B. Freeman School of Business. From 1 to 4:30 p.m., student-led ventures from universities across the United States and Canada will compete for a share of $125,000 in funding and receive feedback from experienced entrepreneurs and investors.
This year’s finalists represent sectors including health care, agriculture, biotechnology and materials science. The final round takes place Tuesday, March 10, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Freeman’s Marshall Family Commons.
“The Tulane Business Model Competition has been part of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week since NOEW’s earliest days,” said Rob Lalka, professor of practice in the A. B. Freeman School of Business and executive director of the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “Our competition is known as a world-class showcase of entrepreneurial talent. Founders compete for funding, receive feedback from experienced judges and gain valuable connections that support their ventures long after the event concludes.”
Tulane Innovation Day focuses on venture creation and capital strategy
On Wednesday, March 11, Tulane Innovation Day will take place at the Freeman School in the Marshall Family Commons from noon to 5 p.m., featuring programming focused on venture creation, funding strategy and applied innovation.
The event opens with a keynote conversation between Bong Suh, a technology executive with companies including CNET and BuyDirect, and Brett Hurt, CEO of Love Conquers Fear and author of "The Entrepreneur’s Essentials." Hurt also co-founded technology companies data.world, Bazaarvoice and Coremetrics, and manages a portfolio of startups through Hurt Family Investments.
The keynote will be followed by a venture funding panel featuring Kimberly Gramm, the David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation Officer at the Tulane University Innovation Institute; Tulane alumnus Jesse Lee, founding partner of East Dune Holdings; Chris Millan of BekenBio; and Rahul Gopal of CampusKnot. Millan and Gopal, founders of Tulane Ventures, are building AI-enabled solutions in health care and higher education. The discussion will address investor expectations and early-stage capital strategy.
“Great ideas become great companies with the right education and sustained support,” Gramm said. “New Orleans universities are a major driver of innovation and economic impact — Tulane, Loyola, Xavier and the University of New Orleans are working in alignment. We are educating the next generation of entrepreneurs, investing in founders and building infrastructure to support business growth in the region.”
Launched in 2022, the Tulane Innovation Institute is part of the university’s broader effort to accelerate the commercialization of research discoveries, support startup creation and strengthen the innovation economy in New Orleans and across the Gulf South.
At 1:05 p.m. on Innovation Day, the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking will host the Changemaker Institute Feedback Forum in the Schwartz Family Center. Fellows will present early-stage ventures focused on social or environmental impact and receive real-time audience feedback.
At 2:15 p.m., in the Marshall Family Commons, the Tulane Innovation Institute’s $50K Demo Day, supported by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, will feature 10 startups from Tulane and the New Orleans region competing for the prize money. Awards include $25,000 for first place, $15,000 for second and $10,000 for third. Additional support includes legal services from Stone Pigman and potential follow-on investment from 1834 Ventures, which supports Tulane-associated entrepreneurs and startups.
Innovation Day concludes with networking and the announcement of the inaugural Green Wave Innovation Network Mentor Awards.
Events like Innovation Day highlight Tulane’s expanding role in connecting entrepreneurs, researchers, investors and industry leaders to help move ideas from concept to market and strengthen the region’s growing startup environment.
NOEW concludes with the NOEW Summit on March 12 and 13 at Loyola University. Tulane representatives will participate in panel discussions, including a March 13 session focused on innovation and the future of New Orleans’ BioDistrict.
Tulane alumni Hannah Walker Huppi and John Huppi will also speak at the summit. John Huppi’s Arctic expedition experience informs his teaching and leadership at Tulane’s School of Architecture and Built Environment, where he is a professor of practice in real estate in the School of Architecture and Built Environment. Hannah Walker Huppi is an athlete, entrepreneur and marketing strategist.
NOEW overlaps with the fifth annual New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, March 12–15, on Tulane’s uptown campus. The free festival features authors and speakers discussing literature, culture, leadership and public affairs. The Book Festival is also free and open to the public, with registration encouraged.
