New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) is the annual festival of entrepreneurship, innovation and advanced thinking. Now in its ninth year, the celebration of entrepreneurship broke attendance records by engaging 14,266 entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, students and thought leaders over six days.
There were 126 unique events throughout NOEW, including educational sessions, pitch competitions, keynotes, panels, and summits. Eighty percent of the more than 215 speakers were sourced locally. The Idea Village, producers of the festival, collaborated with 51 strategic partners to highlight 199 of the region’s startups to award $482,975 cash and in-kind resources to entrepreneurs.
Victoria Adams Phipps, Executive Director of NOEW, said the number of attendees includes off-site events such as the opening party, The Big Idea, and inivtation-only events like the investor dinner.
“NOEW 2017 was a phenomenal success. Through new partnerships and renewed commitments, our local business community has leaned in to support the growth of entrepreneurship in New Orleans,” said Phipps. “This year’s diverse lineup brought together members of our community and attendees from across the region not only to celebrate the economic progress we’ve made but also to discuss our current challenges and emerging opportunities.”