NEW ORLEANS – The GNO, Inc. Innovation Internship Program (GIIP) “Nuts and Bolts of Launching a Start-Up” session, hosted by Phelps Dunbar LLP, delivered essential knowledge on legal formation, IP protection, founder agreements, and regulatory compliance on June 13 at the Phelps Dunbar office.
The 2025 GIIP cohort includes 33 interns. Since its launch, GIIP has supported more than 100 students and placed interns with over 30 host companies, including Entergy, Ochsner Health, Cornerstone Chemical, Chalmette Refining, Obatala Sciences, Urban Systems, Gallo Mechanical, Landis Construction, and AOS Interior Environments, as well as El Guapo Bitters, Woodward Design, Lucid, and the Sewerage and Water Board.
“A huge shout out to Phelps Dunbar LLP for hosting our GNO, Inc. Innovation Internship Program professional development event “The Nuts and Bolts of Launching a Startup”, and providing such an informative session on the legal process of launching a successful startup,” said Daphine Barnes, Executive Director of Economic Mobility at GNO, Inc. “From business formation to intellectual property and contracts, your team offered invaluable insights that gave our interns a real-world look at the legal foundations every entrepreneur needs to understand. Experiences like this help shape the next generation of innovators and business leaders.”
“Phelps is always thrilled to host and present to the next generation of leaders through our partnership with the GNO Inc. Innovation Internship Program,” said Kim Boyle, Partner at Phelps Dunbar LLP. “For many years, my fellow Phelps colleagues, Ashley Heilprin, Will Bishop, and Mike Victorian, and I have embraced the phenomenal opportunity to share our knowledge by hosting the Nuts and Bolts of Launching a Startup program that provides professional development for New Orleans’ brightest minds and nurtures homegrown emerging talent in the startup community of our beloved city. Together we are building a brighter future for business in our region.”
GNO, Inc. Innovation Internship Program – Students Benefit
GIIP was launched in 2021 as part of the GNO Region One Center for STEM (GNOrocs)—a workforce initiative of GNO, Inc. focused on preparing and retaining regional talent for employment in high-growth sectors.
The GIIP program is open to students enrolled in Louisiana-based four-year colleges or universities and to students who are permanent residents of Greater New Orleans, even if they attend college out of state. This model helps retain local students and attract back Louisiana natives studying at top institutions across the country. GIIP participants have represented nearly every major university in Southeast Louisiana, as well as Spelman College, University of Notre Dame, Morgan State University, and Tuskegee University, among others.
“The Phelps Dunbar session was truly eye-opening. It deepened my understanding of business development and introduced me to a broader range of business structures beyond the traditional LLC model,” said Fabienne Hughes, a participant. “I walked away with practical insights that will shape how I approach entrepreneurship moving forward.”
Beyond classroom learning, GIIP offers paid, eight-week internships across five distinct tracks: Startup (Entrepreneurship), STEM, Engineering, Energy, and Venture Capital/Private Equity. It provides students with hands-on work experience, professional skills development, and insight into Southeast Louisiana’s innovation ecosystem.
GIIP incorporates multiple layers of professional development to ensure student readiness and long-term career success. All applicants—regardless of whether they are selected—undergo high-level interview preparation provided by YouthForce NOLA. This ensures every candidate leaves the process with tools to strengthen future job and internship prospects. Selected interns then begin with a week-long corporate readiness boot camp hosted by Maroon, Inc., which concludes with a $3,000 pitch competition led by Kornelius Bankston at The Lab by TechPlug, powered by HealthyBlue and supported by the Tulane University Innovation Institute.
“Learning how to open, manage, and operate different types of businesses is an invaluable skill. As someone who already runs a business, the conversation with Mr. Michal Victorian and Mr. William Bishop helped me understand why forming an LLC is often more strategic than pursuing a partnership or corporation,” said Judah Duroncelay, one of the participants. “I gained real clarity on the process of launching and growing a business, and how to navigate those options effectively.”
During the “Nuts and Bolts of Launching a Start-Up” session, Phelps experts led discussions on business entity formation (such as LLCs and S-Corps), founders’ agreements, contracts, intellectual property considerations, regulatory compliance, and legal case studies relevant to early-stage ventures. Interns engaged in hands-on exercises and left with practical tools to help navigate the legal mechanics of launching a business.
“The Phelps Dunbar experts taught us things that many business professionals don’t find out until they’ve done years of trial and error,” said Scarlett Seyler, one of the program participants. “We talked through not only the different ways that business can be set up theoretically, but also the legal ramifications of choosing each structure and what kind of litigation these decisions would make us vulnerable to.”
“I really appreciated hearing each professional share their personal journey to where they are today. It was both inspiring and motivating to learn how they navigated challenges and remained resilient in the face of adversity,” said Olivia Barthelemy, another participant. “Their stories reminded me that perseverance is key to long-term success.”
GNO, Inc. Innovation Internship Program – Results
GIIP reports strong results, with 43% of graduates employed in high-demand sectors locally and nationally, 30% pursuing further education—including medical school, public health programs, and graduate degrees—and 10% launching startups or receiving seed funding. Many interns have also extended their internships with their host companies.
Program sponsors view GIIP as a direct investment in regional workforce growth, with goals such as developing a skilled, job-ready talent pool for high-growth sectors, strengthening connections between Louisiana’s emerging professionals and leading employers, and supporting innovation-driven companies with high-performing, pre-vetted interns. Overall, the program helps power long-term economic development by giving Louisiana students a reason—and a pathway—to build their careers right here at home.
