New Orleans Entrepreneur Week is closing out its second year at Loyola University New Orleans, further establishing the university as a central gathering point for the city’s innovation and startup community.
The weeklong event, known as NOEW, featured more than a dozen events across the city from March 9-14, culminating in a two-day flagship summit at Loyola’s Danna Center on March 12 and 13.
The summit included more than 100 speakers and over 50 sessions ranging from workshops on legal challenges to keynote addresses.
“New Orleans Entrepreneur Week is a weeklong gathering and connection point for the intersection of innovation, community and culture here in New Orleans,” said Sam McCabe, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development at Loyola.
NOEW has been a fixture in the city’s entrepreneurial calendar since 2009. For its first 13 years, the event was produced by the Idea Village, a local startup support organization. Last year, the Idea Village partnered with Loyola to co-produce the event on campus for the first time, McCabe said.
“That event went pretty well. We were happy with how it went and decided to continue doing it here on campus,” McCabe said. “We learned a lot. There’s nothing more entrepreneurial than figuring out how to pivot and solve a problem on the spot”.
This year, organizers fully centralized summit operations in the Danna Center based on lessons from last year’s inaugural hosting, McCabe said.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno encouraged residents to attend the event, framing it as part of the city’s broader economic development agenda.
“One of the things I talk about all the time and that we’re working hard on is to increase economic development opportunities and support businesses here in New Orleans. And that also includes supporting and encouraging our entrepreneurs,” Moreno said in a video posted to social media ahead of the event.
Moreno described NOEW as “a great opportunity to be able to learn from those who’ve been able to take some big ideas and turn them into multimillion dollar companies.”
Programming extended well beyond traditional business topics. Sessions covered the music industry, independent media, social media marketing and healthcare innovation. Panels featured local figures including Andrew Campanelli of The Revivalists and Robert Mercurio of Galactic and Tipitina’s, McCabe said.
“While it may seem like it’s just the business community that’s part of this, really anybody that’s on this campus that is looking to stay in New Orleans and be a part of this community, there’s something for you at NOEW,” McCabe said.
Anna Claire Gee, a junior business administration major at Loyola, said she volunteered and attended sessions on healthcare innovation.
“You can gain so many tools just by going and experiencing and just even looking at what we have to offer,” Gee said.
Registration for the summit was free, and students could obtain a badge in under 30 seconds at the Danna Center, McCabe said.
The Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development plans to continue programming after NOEW. Wolfpack LaunchU, the center’s annual pitch competition with more than $35,000 in funding for Loyola community entrepreneurs, follows the event. The center also hosts the Side Hustle Expo in the fall, where students showcase creative ventures.
“You don’t have to have some grandiose idea that’s going to solve some major problem in the world to be an entrepreneur and to be a part of that community,” McCabe said.
For more information, visit NOEW.org or startup.loyno.edu.
