Coulter IDEApitch, named after billionaire investor and New Orleans lover Jim Coulter, was created in as part of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) in 2010 to give local, high-growth startups the chance to reach world-class investors.
The high stakes pitch selects top local startups each year to pitch for a chance to win big. The 2018 Coulter IDEApitch was the last competition of this year’s NOEW, taking place the evening of Friday, March 23.
Lowry Curley, CEO of New Orleans-based startup, presented the winning pitch. AxoSim has created a nerve-on-a-chip technology that changes the way new drugs are tested using engineered human nerve tissue that looks and functions like real human nerves. This technology allows pharmaceutical companies to develop safer and more effective drugs before they ever do a clinical trial.
The startup won $100,000 investment towards their next round of funding, provided in partnership with Coulter and The Idea Village.
“Our diverse team of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs are committed to tackling critical problems in pharmaceutical research,” shared AxoSim. “Utilizing technology originally developed in the lab of Dr. Michael J. Moore at Tulane University, we are commercializing a benchtop model of the nervous system to advance the safety and manage the costs of bringing novel pharmaceuticals to market.”
AxoSim competed alongside Dig, the dog person’s dating app, and ExemptMeNow, an online platform that is revolutionizing the incorporation, exemption, and compliance process for non-profit organizations.