NEW ORLEANS – The 8th annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), presented by IBERIABANK hits full stride today with 14 events that showcase the dimension of the city’s vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem.
In addition to signature events like the annual Water Challenge and the 4.0 Schools Education Pitch taking place on the NOEW campus on Fulton Street, select partner organizations with place-based missions are hosting pitch events off campus, including in St. Roch and St. Bernard, Jefferson, and St. Charles Parishes.
NOEW is the annual festival celebrating business, innovation, and advanced thinking in New Orleans. Produced by The Idea Village, NOEW engages a dynamic global network of entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, non-profits, students, and professionals to support growing companies and elevate entrepreneurial successes through eight days of discussion, debate, education, competition, and celebration.
This year is expected to engage 14,000 of the nation’s most innovative business leaders, financiers, entrepreneurs, and students though over 111 events.
The 2016 New Orleans Entrepreneur Week’s Monday Lineup showcases:
• WATER CHALLENGE 2016
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Manning’s, 620 Fulton St.
Water Challenge 2016 includes presentations and panels that target the leading sectors within the water industry and culminates with a $15,000 business pitch competition sponsored by the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
• 2ND ANNUAL VETLAUNCH FROM-COMBAT-TO-CAREERS ACCELERATOR PITCH COMPETITION
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at The Chicory, 620 Fulton St.
A cohort of veteran entrepreneurs will present their business models to a team of judges with hopes of winning a $5,000 prize package to help start their business.
• WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR (WE) FELLOWSHIP PRESENTED BY THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF NEW ORLEANS
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at The Chicory, 620 Fulton St.
Junior League of New Orleans has created the Woman Entrepreneur (WE) Fellowship. This yearlong program will support a female business owner with mentorship and in-kind services sourced through JLNO’s membership, and the winner will be selected during this event.
• TECH-GENERATE TO TECH-GENIUS: DIGITAL LEARNING BOOTCAMP
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at The Chicory, 620 Fulton St.
A daylong bootcamp focused on digital literacy, introducing non-technical talent to current methodologies, techniques, and resources for project management and beginner’s web development.
• ELECTRIC GIRLS | BRINGING STEM EDUCATION TO NEW ORLEANS YOUTH (by invitaion only – open to the press)
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Manning’s, 519 Fulton St.
Electric Girls will be conducting a 6-hour workshop for middle and high school-aged girls, giving them the chance to join multiple design and building challenges.
• CREATIVE INDUSTRIES SUMMIT FEATURING THE DOWNTOWN NOLA ARTS-BASED BUSINESS PITCH
1 p.m. – 5 p.m. at The Chicory, 620 Fulton St.
Local arts-based entrepreneurs will compete for a prize package valued at over $25,000 in cash and resources during the Downtown Development District’s 4th annual Downtown NOLA Arts-Business Pitch. Prior to the pitch, the Creative Alliance of New Orleans and Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation will host two forums focused on strategies to grow the creative economy.
• STARTUP ST. BERNARD PRESENTED BY THE MERAUX FOUNDATION AND SBEDF
1 p.m. – 3 p.m. at the Arlene Meraux River Observation Center in St. Bernard Parish
Startup St. Bernard presented by the Meraux Foundation is an initiative of the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation designed to offer innovative entrepreneurs a chance to compete for a prize package worth $110,000.
• THE JEDCO CHALLENGE POWERED BY FIRST NBC BANK
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Southport Hall in Jefferson Parish
The JEDCO Challenge powered by First NBC Bank showcases startup companies with ties to Jefferson Parish. The entrepreneur with the winning pitch will receive $20,000 in direct capital and additional in-kind services to help grow the company.
• NOLA MADE 2016: LIVE PITCH COMPETITION FOR FOOD & FARMER ENTREPRENEURS
2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the St. Charles Parish Satellite Center in St. Charles Parish
NOLA Made 2016 is a inaugural “elevator pitch” competition for individuals and teams of food and farmer entrepreneurs that have an innovative food production idea and would benefit from the use of the kitchen facilities at Edible Enterprises.
• TULANE BUSINESS MODEL COMPETITION QUALIFYING PITCH
2 p.m. – 4 p.m. at The Chicory, 620 Fulton St.
Presented by The Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Tulane Business Model Competition provides seed funding, investor exposure and technical expertise to university student ventures. Six teams will compete in this qualifying round for a chance to win $35,000 in cash prizes in the final round on Friday, April 15, 2016.
• THE 2016 WOMEN-IN-BUSINESS CHALLENGE
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino in the Vieux Carre Ballroom
The Women-In-Business Challenge (WIB) is a business accelerator program for early stage businesses owned by female entrepreneurs. During this event, four female founders will compete for $10,000 in seed funding. Keynote by Paula Williams Madison, Chairman and CEO, Madison Media Management.
• PITCHLOCAL HAPPY HOUR Powered by JPMorgan Chase & Co.
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• 4.0 SCHOOLS EDUCATION PITCH – THE FUTURE OF SCHOOL STARTS HERE
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at Manning’s, 519 Fulton St.
4.0 Schools has teamed up with the Recovery School District and Orleans Parish School Board to find education entrepreneurs that can address local priorities affecting students, families and educators.
• THREAUX, INC.: A PROJECT OF THE WELCOME TABLE NEW ORLEANS BUSINESS AND CIVIC LEADER CIRCLE
6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at The Chicory, 620 Fulton St.
Threaux, Inc. seeks to challenge and re-shape New Orleanians’ ideas about racial reconciliation through economic opportunity via one of New Orleans’ most prominent and beloved institutions: Mardi Gras.
• LAUNCH NOLA PITCH COMPETITION
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at St. Roch Community Church, 1738 St. Roch Ave.
Launch NOLA, an initiative of St. Roch Community Development Corporation, is having a pitch competition for graduates of their 9 week Co-Starters class.
According to USA Today, NOEW is “the Mardi Gras of entrepreneurship.” It is a uniquely New Orleanian festival experience, showcasing the best of the Big Easy and its surrounding areas. New Orleans has experienced an explosion of entrepreneurial activity in the past five years and we’re just getting started. New Orleans has been ranked the #2 State in the USA to Start a Company (Tax Foundation & KPMG), the #2 Boomtown in America (Bloomberg), and the #3 Big City Winning the IT Jobs Battle after Silicon Valley and S.F. (Forbes) – and we have supported the launch of exciting startups like Lucid, APMT, Dinner Lab, and Kickboard who are disrupting industries on a national scale. NOEW is when our global community of startups, investors, corporations, universities, and professionals gathers to collaborate, innovate, and celebrate this activity and showcase it to the world.
