New Orleans Entrepreneur Week announces 2019 lineup

The A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and local nonprofit The Idea Village have announced initial programming and dates for the 11^th annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), a weeklong series of events featuring speakers, pitch competitions, workshops and networking events.

In 2018, The Idea Village welcomed the Freeman School, a prominent champion of entrepreneurs, as a new production partner. Together, the Freeman School and The Idea Village will strengthen the regional community by convening a unique community of startup founders and teams, prospective founders, innovation workers, investors, students, faculty and community groups.

“For more than a decade, New Orleans Entrepreneur Week has been the hub for convening our entrepreneurial ecosystem, including founders, business professionals, idea starters and partners. It’s truly the front door to innovation in our region,” said Jon Atkinson, CEO of The Idea Village. “From people interested in seeing the future of business in New Orleans, to current and future entrepreneurs, to those looking to network, NOEW is an incredible community resource that offers a platform for the exchange of ideas.”

This year, the Freeman School shared its expertise and networks to elevate the conversations during NOEW and expand the platform for thought leadership by tapping top-tier speakers, presenters, investors and more. The partnership showcases Freeman’s commitment to building the tools necessary for New Orleans to thrive as a true innovation hub and entrepreneurial destination.

“New Orleans Entrepreneur Week represents a unique opportunity for us to connect local startups with mentors and investors from across the Tulane community,” said Ira Solomon, Freeman School dean. “We are pleased and excited to co-produce this year’s event.”

JPMorgan Chase & Co. returns for its second year as a presenting sponsor of NOEW, continuing its long-standing commitment to local startup companies and investing in the next generation of leaders. As one of the longest standing corporate partnerships of The Idea Village and one of the earliest funders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans, JPMorgan Chase’s continued relationship will continue to boost the region’s connectivity.

This year’s slate of events will feature a focus on the themes of entrepreneurial hospitality, big data, diversity in investing and building scalable businesses among others. As a top tourist destination with a reputation as an entrepreneurial hub, New Orleans’ legendary hospitality industry provides a natural place to showcase innovations in customer service. Additionally, New Orleans is the home of innovative, fast growing companies who are using big data to provide insights to inform business decisions. NOEW is tying entrepreneurship to the New Orleans region’s core competencies.

NOEW 2019 again kicks off with three days of “NOEW in Your Neighborhood,” where local partners and organizations will host pitch competitions and events across the city, making NOEW a citywide affair that’s more accessible and engaging in the Greater New Orleans region. Citywide events will take place March 25–27. The NOEW Summit, which is comprised of two days of educational sessions, keynote speakers, pitch competitions, and networking events, takes place March 28–29 at the Ace Hotel New Orleans.

NOEW speakers include two founding fathers of the Internet-based tech industry — Jim Clark, co-founder of Netscape, and Jim Barksdale, former CEO of Netscape — interviewed by Walter Isaacson, University Professor in the Department of History at Tulane University. Both leaders are currently featured as characters in the National Geographic TV drama series “Valley of the Boom,” which explores the lives of early tech leaders in the boom and bust of the Internet in the 1990s.

2019 Headline Speakers Include:

• Jim Barksdale – Former CEO of Netscape, founder of The Barksdale Group and a current board member of Time Warner, FedEx and Sun Microsystems.
• Jim Clark – Co-Founder of Netscape, Silicon Graphics, myCFO, Healtheon and Commandscape, and current board member for Ibotta and IEX: The Investors Exchange.
• Casey Gerald – Author of There Will Be No Miracles Here, and co-founder of MBAs Across America.
• Marcus Lemonis – Chairman and CEO of Camping World, Good Sam Enterprises, Gander Outdoors and The House Boardshop, and star of CNBC reality shows about small businesses, "The Profit" and "The Partner."
• Natalia Oberti Noguera – Founder & CEO of Pipeline Angels, and the creator and host of Pitch Makeover, a podcast about pitching and startups launched by women, non-binary people and men of color.
• Shelly Porges – Co-Founder of The Billion Dollar Fund Campaign, president of the North American Jury for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards and board member of the Global Banking Alliance for Women.

View the current list of speakers and register at www.NOEW.org. While access to NOEW is open to the public, attendees must register and are encouraged to do so in advance online.