New Orleans Entrepreneur Week is an entrance point to the entrepreneurial world for New Orleans locals and students alike, with featured innovators and entrepreneurs from the Gulf South region.

Featured organizations and universities include The Idea Village, The Nieux, Loyola University New Orleans, Tulane University, University of New Orleans, and Xavier University. The Loyola Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development and The Idea Village will be co-producing the event.

Sam McCabe, director of Loyola’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development says the event this year is, “built around four main themes: ‘Start it Here’, ‘Scale it Here’, ‘Business of the Future’, and ‘(Not So) Artificial Intelligence.” 

NOEW will occur in New Orleans from Monday, March 24 to Saturday, March 29. At various venues throughout the city, including Loyola, NOEW will celebrate and connect entrepreneurs from across the Gulf Coast. 

Loyola will be featured at the event, as the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development is co-producing NOEW. Summits will be featured on Loyola’s campus on March 27 and 28. McCabe noted that NOEW has a history with Loyola.

“Our Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development has been heavily involved in the entrepreneurship ecosystem for over a decade, providing support to Loyola-based founders and members of the New Orleans entrepreneur community,” he said.

At the Summit on March 28, students can look for programming oriented towards them. Events for the day include the IDEApitch Competition and My Black Country – Songs and Stories. 

As for why students should participate in the event, McCabe said the event appeals to everyone. 

“If you’re interested in starting your own business or think you have the next great idea, NOEW is for you,” he said. 

Young entrepreneurs will be celebrated at NOEW and will have the opportunity to connect with generations of Gulf Coast entrepreneurs who can “ignite the fire”, as McCabe phrased it, for future generations of New Orleans entrepreneurs.