New Orleans Entrepreneur Week releases full schedule | Innovation

The producers of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week have released details for the 2025 event, which is scheduled to take place March 24-29 at multiple locations citywide before two days of programming on the campus of Loyola University New Orleans.

Now in its 14th year, the free, weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship will gather more than 100 speakers and panelists, who will discuss business, technology, innovation and culture.

This year, nonprofit business accelerator The Idea Village, NOEW’s founder, has partnered with Loyola to coproduce the event, which is scheduled to coincide with the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University.

“Bringing NOEW to campus is going to take our entrepreneurship program to a whole new level,” said Robert “Bobby” Savoie, dean of Loyola’s College of Business. “The gathering will be good for participating businesses and will be an excellent networking opportunity for our students.”

The two-day NOEW Summit, previously held at Gallier Hall, is designed to attract entrepreneurs, investors, students and “anyone with a stake in the city’s future”.

The event will spotlight south Louisiana entrepreneurs.

Matt Wisdom, who sold his tech company TurboSquid for $75 million in 2021, will join Waitr founder Chris Meaux to talk about the lessons they learned launching their first companies, how they’re approaching entrepreneurship the second time around, and how AI is reshaping the startup landscape.

Jim Odom, founder of PreSonus, will explain how he built and sold his global music tech company. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation bought the Baton Rouge-based startup in 2021.

Walt Leger, president of New Orleans & Company, will join Idea Village CEO Jon Atkinson in a discussion about the future of the New Orleans brand and explore how innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship are fueling the city’s next chapter.

Hospitality veterans Amy Sins, Larry Morrow and Robert LeBlanc will discuss the future of hospitality and night life in New Orleans, as well as their expansion into new markets.

Other highlights of NOEW programming at Loyola include a dedicated “mini-summit” celebrating Black entrepreneurs and investors, a panel about the business of festivals, and a look at how universities can fuel economic growth.

Unlike previous years, when the week culminated with a pitch competition, this year’s NOEW is taking a different approach. On Friday, three startups that have successfully completed the Idea Village’s accelerator program over the years will make presentations and receive an investment commitment from NOEW, which launched its Momentum Fund last year. There will be several other pitch competitions throughout the week.

After the Idea Pitch event, NOEW will conclude with a panel focusing on “My Black Country,” a memoir written by songwriter Alice Randall.