New Orleans ranks No. 14 in Entrepreneurial Growth Report
 

A new report from the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center has recognized the New Orleans metro area as the 14th fastest-growing entrepreneurial region in the United States, placing the city alongside nationally recognized innovation hubs such as Austin, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Charlotte.    

“Being named a top 20 entrepreneurial growth engine validates what we see every day,” said Kimberly Gramm, David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer at the Tulane University Innovation Institute. Gramm was interviewed for the report to provide insights into the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. 
 
“New Orleans has built a distinctive, culturally rooted model of entrepreneurship. Tulane is proud to help accelerate that momentum by converting world-class research into new companies, new jobs, and long-term economic impact,” Gramm said. 
 
The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s Advancing Regional Innovation Economies (ARIE) report which ranks the New Orleans area number 14 nationally, maps entrepreneurial ecosystems at the metropolitan level and examines how place-based factors influence the success of startups. 

The report identifies four key factors that shape startup success: access to funding, strong educational networks, the movement of skilled talent and supportive policies. When these factors work together, they create a “flywheel” effect (a self-reinforcing cycle). Investors team up with experienced mentors to support new businesses; early customers help test and validate products, loans and financing help companies grow, and policies make it easier for startups to operate. Sharing information and success stories keeps the system moving, helping entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers make the most of the local ecosystem.    

Education is a major driver of startup success, according to the report which notes that regions with research-intensive universities, community colleges, and applied entrepreneurship programs experience a faster conversion of knowledge into startups, particularly when connected to capital networks and employer demand. 
 

Sergio Blanco, left, a Green Wave Innovation Network mentor and Tulane alum, advises aspiring entrepreneur Jordan Williams, an undergraduate in the School of Liberal Arts, during a speed mentoring session supporting New Orleans’ growing startup ecosystem on Nov. 12, 2025.

Tulane is a major contributor to the New Orleans’ region’s ecosystem, linking research with practical business development. The university’s programs, including the Tulane Innovation Institute, the Office of Intellectual Property Management, the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, provide mentorship, access to funding and industry connections that help faculty, students and community members transform ideas into viable ventures. 
 
Tulane’s operations also drive entrepreneurship. The university is a major source of growth for New Orleans and Louisiana, making an incredible $5.2 billion annual economic impact statewide, supporting more than 30,000 jobs and contributing $88.2 million in annual state tax revenue. A 75% increase in faculty research awards over the last decade is fueling Tulane’s continued leadership in research and discovery, which has helped launch numerous spinouts and start-ups including Informuta and Cleaved Diagnostics, two biotech companies that recently opened lab space in the New Orleans BioInnovation Center.    

The university’s historic expansion of its downtown campus, including plans to convert the former Charity Hospital building into a nationally recognized hub of bioscience discovery, promises to bring advancements to the market faster and drive biotech entrepreneurship within the region even further.  

From left, Dylan Murray, a Tulane undergraduate and Exactics co-founder; Matt Wisdom, founder of Civilized.AI and Turbo Squid; Brett Hurt, Tulane parent, CEO of Love Conquers Fear and serial entrepreneur; and Kimberly Gramm, manager of Tulane Ventures, participate in a networking event advancing innovation and entrepreneurial growth in the New Orleans ecosystem on Nov. 12, 2025.

ARIE emphasized that prospering ecosystems rely on more than funding; they depend on culture, connections, and education. The report said that in New Orleans, a resilient, locally rooted entrepreneurial culture encourages founders to build efficient businesses that show early momentum, such as users or initial revenue. In a metro area with fewer Fortune 500 headquarters and a smaller flow of large-scale venture capital, local entrepreneurs focus on validating ideas with customers before seeking larger investments, ensuring funding aligns with actual needs.    

The report also highlights the importance of physical and programmatic density, which increases “collision rates” between startups, investors, and mentors.  
The New Orleans ecosystem benefits from organizations and events that promote entrepreneurship or bring entrepreneurs and investors together. These include LA.IO, Greater New Orleans Inc., Startup NOLA, New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, and partnerships that connect venture and angel investors. Organizations cited in the report include Propeller, which helps New Orleans start-up founders access procurement contracts, and venture funds such as Corridor VC. Tulane’s Innovation Institute works with these organizations, companies, events and more.  


Despite strengths in the New Orleans region, the report identifies a persistent challenge: While New Orleans startups can secure early-stage funding, accessing the larger growth-stage investments needed to scale beyond $10 million in revenue remains difficult, underscoring the need for more substantial follow-on capital to retain growing businesses in the region. 

Tulane spinout Cleaved Diagnostics wins the $25,000 top prize at Tulane Innovation Day on March 26, 2025, highlighting high-growth startups and innovation during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.

Metrics evaluated for the ARIE top 20 metros included income earned from business ownership across demographic groups and the creation of venture-ready companies.  

The report’s findings reinforce Tulane’s role as an educational hub for innovation, translating research into commercial impact and providing infrastructure to support emerging entrepreneurs.    

By combining world-class education, strategic partnerships, and a culture that values resourcefulness and strong networks, New Orleans is establishing itself as a model for capital-efficient regional innovation, according to ARIE. 
 
ARIE is a collaborative effort led by the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, which guides the research agenda, ensures findings are actionable, and manages field partnerships with entrepreneur support organizations, investors, community leaders, and university leaders nationwide. Other members of the collaborative include the think tank Heartland Forward, which provides quantitative modeling and ecosystem benchmarking and Penn State University, which contributes to policy analysis and methodological rigor. The data company Crunchbase supplies key information on funding and venture activity for the ARIE’s 2025 report, which is available at nasdaqcenter.org.