Published April 16, 2024
monroe, louisiana – Part 3rd The annual Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Awards Luncheon will be held on Friday, April 19th at 11:30 a.m. at the Bayou Point Event Center on the ULM campus. Tickets are on sale now for $100 for adults and $50 for students.visit www.ulm.edu/pelicancup For ticket and sponsor information, please visit
Entrepreneurship Open to All Majors The goal of the Pelican Cup is to inspire entrepreneurship in participants and the community by recognizing creativity, professionalism, and hard work.
The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is open to any full-time or part-time certificate or degree-seeking student enrolled at a four-year college or university in Louisiana.
This competition requires a formal written business plan to be reviewed by business owners and investors. The six finalists will compete in the oral finals on March 26th at his ULM. Also at the awards luncheon, one member from each team will be selected to give a 90-second “elevator pitch,” and the winner will receive her $2,000 prize.
The 2024 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Competition is the largest ever, with 22 entries from universities across Louisiana. “We are excited to see this program expand so quickly across the state and welcome the visiting team to our beautiful campus,” said ULM Director of External Initiatives Cati Hemed. Ta.
The prize money for the 2024 tournament has been increased from last year.
This year’s prizes include:
first place $50,000
Second place $25,000
3rd place $10,000
Elevator Pitch Winner $2,000
First, second, and third place supervisors will receive $3,000.
finalist team
Automatic AI, LLC (University of New Orleans) – team leader: andrew bradford Team members: Julien Bourgeois (non-student), Jake Compton Advisor: Dongjun Min (primary), Shafin Khan (secondary)
Muskrope (Tulane University and Southeastern Louisiana University) – team leader: rich shimmerman Team members: Joshua Anderson (non-student), Lane Degenhardt Advisor: jane cooper
Sketchman (ULM) – team leader: Supriya Pudasaini Team members: Samir Gurung, Suruchi Bista, Navin Tamang, Vinit Kalki Advisor: Therese Philchior
Tipsy (Tulane University) – team leader: Josh McCoy Team members: Jake Marzullo, Tinley Gorman Advisor: rob larca
Trigworks (ULM) – team leader: Janet Stopka Team members: Mackenzie King, Victor Motov, Valeria Trubskaya Advisor: Veronica Humphries
WavRC (Tulane University & University of Louisiana at Lafayette) – team leader: Samuel Liu Team members: Maggie Lai, Ting Jiang Advisor: Evan Nicol
“All teams that entered should be congratulated,” Hemed said. “This competition is intense and requires countless hours of students and faculty advisors,” she added.
Preliminary judge
Conor Ashley, Kennedy Rice Mill, LLC; Ash Aulds, Murphy USA, Keith W. Babb, CAI, AARE, Keith Babb & Associates, Inc. Scott Boronda, Neighbors LLC, EP Bourgoyne, Oleolive, Inc. Chap Breed, MoeBiz. Jamie Sheridan Crowley, CPA, Hughesley, Harwood & Sheridan LLC, Mallory Lawrence, Intermountain Mangament LLC, Mary Linda McCann, Oak Ridge Bank. Shane Middleton, M3. Longen, Lumen. Tom Nicholson, Strauss Interest. Miguel Perez, Plondo Network, Inc. Andy D. Smith, ASGE Media Group + iConnect Newspapers, Deron L. Talley, MBA. Leading marketing solutions. Blake Upshaw, Crossmark Management Group, LLC
final judge
William V. Smart, Monroe Housing Authority; Linda Holyfield, Alli Management Solutions; Dixon W. Abell, Abell LLC; Stewart Ewing, Intermountain Management; Sue Nicholson, retired from the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.David R. Smith, Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program Biomedical Research Foundation, Glenn Post, Firelink
Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Sponsor
Premier Sponsor and Founder: doe thompson
Catalyst Sponsor: Abel LLC; LA Plastic Industries
Extension Sponsor: scott power lines and equipment
Growth Sponsor: Arkansas Capital Corporation, Biomedical Research and Innovation Park, Entrepreneur Acceleration Program, Keith Babb and Associates, Mid-South Extrusion, Neighbors Cookies, 4 Sisters Rice, Kennedy Rice Mill
Groundbreaking Sponsor: Central Oil & Supply, Holyfield Construction, Homeland Bank, Intermountain Management, LLC, John Laffey, John Rea Realty, KEDM, Marsala Beverage, Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Monroe Housing Authority , Origin Bank, Southern Industrial Contractors, ULM Foundation
Influencer sponsor: Owen Corporation, Sir Speedy, Unique Trophy, West Monroe/West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce
About Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup
Now in its third year, the Pelican Cup of Entrepreneurship was founded by noted ULM alumnus Dew Thompson. Thompson is the founder, former owner and former chairman of the board of Delta Plastics, a producer of agricultural irrigation tubing and the largest plastics recycler in Arkansas. He is the former owner and former Chairman of the Board of Revolution Bag, which manufactures EPA-compliant trash can liners. Mr. Thompson is the 2004 Arkansas Business Executive of the Year and he is the recipient of the SBA Person of the Year award. In 2019, he sold the Revolution brand to a New York private equity firm and is now focused on growing entrepreneurship in Arkansas and Louisiana.
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