$50K DEMO DAY PITCH COMPETITION

What | Our biggest pitch event of the year—$50K DEMO DAY 2026—will spotlight rising entrepreneurs who’ve participated in Tulane Innovation Institute’s GWIN Network mentoring programs. The competition will take place during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week on Tulane Innovation Day.

Selected early-stage ventures will compete for non-dilutive funding, including a $25,000 grand prize, $15,000 for second place, and $10,000 for third.

The competition is open to for-profit and nonprofit startups. To be eligible, applicants must have participated in the Startup Team Mentoring program or completed at least three (3) Ad Hoc Mentoring sessions. You don’t need to have formally launched a company, but judges are looking for progress in that direction.

Applications open this fall, with a deadline of January 9, 2026, for submitting your application and completing the mentorship requirements. To learn how to participate in the GWIN Network mentoring programs, or if you have additional questions, contact jengland@tulane.edu.

When | March 11, 2026

Where | Tulane A.B Freeman School