Tulane Innovation Institute Impact Report

August 15, 2026

Dear friends of the Tulane Innovation Institute, 

Entrepreneurship belongs to anyone with the passion to pursue it; it is not the province of the few. That belief drives the Tulane Innovation Institute, and it is why I was honored to be selected this year to serve as Louisiana's ambassador for Right to Start, a national movement built on the principle that entrepreneurial opportunity should be open to everyone. When it is, communities grow stronger, jobs are created close to home, and opportunities expand for everyone.

This year offered many meaningful chances to act on that principle. I was proud to help found the New Orleans Entrepreneurship Council (NEC) and serve as its inaugural chair, bringing together cross-sector leaders to align our city's entrepreneurship ecosystem around common goals. I was also humbled to receive the Scott Gale Memorial Award at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, which I accepted on behalf of every person building this community alongside us.

The proof of what is possible was boldly demonstrated by one of our Tulane students this year. Madeline “Dylan” Murray, co-founder of Exactics and the first undergraduate founder backed by Tulane Ventures, delivered the student commencement address at the Caesars Superdome this spring. She and her team built an at-home diagnostics company that raised more than $1.5 million before she crossed the stage in her cap and gown. There is nothing more gratifying than watching a student you believed in stand before thousands of people and tell them what is possible in entrepreneurship.

This year demonstrated what is possible when we build the right infrastructure around innovators, from expanding entrepreneurship education across campus to increasing support for founders, researchers, and early-stage companies. As we move into FY27, we are focused on creating a more structured pathway for ventures to grow. We will implement a stage-gate system that provides founders with clear milestones, targeted resources, and strategic support to systematically move promising startups toward investment readiness. We will also expand our Green Wave Innovation Network mentorship model beyond early-stage companies to support ventures preparing to raise capital, connecting founders with the expertise and guidance they need as they scale.

None of this happens without the people who show up every day: our team, our faculty, our Green Wave Innovation Network mentors, our community partners, our councils, and the supporters who invest in the founders we serve. They make it real and exciting, and we are just getting started! With the announcement of the Charity Innovation Hub, our startups will have a home. Big ideas are starting here—and growing here!
 

With gratitude,

Kimberly Gramm, MBA, PhD
David & Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer