MONROE, LA The 3rd Annual Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Awards Luncheon will be held Friday, April 19 at 11:30 a.m. at Bayou Pointe Event Center on the 窪蹋勛圖 campus. Tickets are on sale now for $100 for the general public and $50 for students. Visit for ticket and sponsorship information. 泭
Open to all majors, the goal of The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is to inspire participants and the community to think entrepreneurially by rewarding creativity, professionalism, and hard work.泭泭
The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is open to any full- or part-time, certificate- or degree-seeking student enrolled in a four-year college or university in Louisiana.泭泭
The competition requires a written formal business plan judged by business owners and investors.泭 The six finalists will compete in the oral finals on March 26 at 窪蹋勛圖. Also, during the awards luncheon, each team will select one member to conduct a 90-second Elevator Pitch, and the winner will receive a $2,000 cash award.泭泭泭
The 2024 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Competition is the largest yet, with 22 entries from universities across Louisiana. We are thrilled to see this program expand so rapidly across the state and we welcome the visiting teams to our beautiful campus, said 窪蹋勛圖 Director of External Initiatives Cathi Hemed.泭泭
Prize amounts for the 2024 competition have been increased from last year.泭泭
This years cash prizes include:泭
First Place泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭 $50,000泭
Second Place泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭 $25,000泭
Third Place泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭 $10,000泭
Elevator Pitch Winner泭泭泭泭泭泭泭泭 $2,000泭泭
First, Second, and Third Place faculty advisors to receive $3,000.泭泭泭
Finalist Teams泭
Automatic AI, LLC (University of New Orleans) Team Leader: Andrew Bradford Team Members: Julien Bourgeois (non-student), Jake Compton Advisors: Dong-Jun Min (Primary), Shafin Khan (Secondary)泭
Cantaloupe (Tulane University & Southeastern Louisiana University) Team Leader: Rich Simmerman Team Members: Joshua Anderson (non-student), Lane Degenhardt Advisor: Jane Cooper泭
SketchMan (窪蹋勛圖) Team Leader: Supriya Pudasainy Team Members: Samir Gurung, Suruchi Bista, Nabin Tamang, Binit Karki Advisor: Therese Filhiol泭
Tipzy (Tulane University) - Team Leader: Josh McCoy Team Members: Jake Marzullo, Tinley Gorman Advisor: Rob Lalka泭
Trigworks (窪蹋勛圖) - Team Leader: Janet Stopka Team Members: Mackenzie King, Viktor Motov, Valeryia Trubskaya Advisor: Veronika Humphries泭
WavRC (Tulane University & University of Louisiana Lafayette) - Team Leader: Samuel Liu Team Members: Maggie Lai, Ting Jiang Advisor: Evan Nicoll泭
Every team that entered should be commended, said Hemed. The rigor of this competition is intense and requires countless hours of the students and faculty advisors, she added.泭
Preliminary Judges泭
Connor Ashley, Kennedy Rice Mill, LLC; Ash Aulds, Murphy USA, Keith W. Babb, CAI, AARE, Keith Babb & Associates, Inc.; Scott Bolonda, Neighbors, LLC; EP Bourgoyne, Oleolive, Inc.; Chap Breard, MoeBiz; Jamie Sheridan-Crawley, CPA, Husely, Harwood & Sheridan, LLC; Mallory Lawrence, InterMountain Mangament, LLC; Mary Linda McCann, Bank of Oak Ridge; Shane Middleton, M3; Long Nguyen, Lumen; Tom Nicholson, Strauss Interests; Miguel Perez, Plondo Network, Inc.; Andy D. Smith, ASGE Media Group + iConnect Newspaper; DeRon L. Talley, MBA; Key Marketing Solutions; Blake Upshaw, Crossmark Management Group, LLC泭
Final Round Judges泭
William V. Smart, Monroe Housing Authority; Linda Holyfield, Alli Management Solutions; Dixon W. Abell, Abell, LLC; Stewart Ewing, InterMountain Management; Sue Nicholson, retired Monroe Chamber of Commerce; David R. Smith, Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program Biomedical Research Foundation; Glen Post, PhireLink泭
Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Sponsors泭
Premier Sponsor and Founder: Dhu Thompson泭
Catalyst Sponsors: Abell, LLC; LA Plastic Industries泭
Expansion Sponsor: Scott Powerline and Equipment泭
Growth Sponsors: Arkansas Capital Corporation, Biomedical Research and Innovation Park, Entrepreneurial Acceleration Program, Keith Babb and Associates, Mid South Extrusion, Neighbors Cookies, 4 Sisters Rice, Kennedy Rice Mill泭
Breakthrough Sponsors: Central Oil & Supply, Holyfield Construction, Homeland Bank, InterMountain Management, LLC, John Luffey, John Rea Realty, KEDM, Marsala Beverage, Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Monroe Housing Authority, Origin Bank, Southern Industrial Contractors, 窪蹋勛圖 Foundation泭
Influencer Sponsors: Owen Corporation, Sir Speedy, Unique Trophies, West Monroe/West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce泭
About The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup泭
Now in its third year, The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup was founded by distinguished 窪蹋勛圖 alumnus Dhu Thompson. Thompson is the founder, past owner, and former chairman of the board for Delta Plastics, producer of agricultural irrigation tubing, and the largest recycler of plastics in Arkansas. He is also the former owner and past chairman of the board for Revolution Bag that manufactures EPA-compliant trashcan liners. Thompsons honors include 2004 Arkansas Business Executive of the Year and SBA Person of the Year. In 2019 he sold the Revolution brands to a New York private equity firm and now focuses on entrepreneurship growth in Arkansas and Louisiana.泭泭泭
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