Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup 2023 Tournament Registration Now Open

Published January 13, 2023

Monroe, Louisiana – The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is currently accepting applications for the 2023 competition. This event is Louisiana’s premier academic business plan competition. Applications can be submitted at: www.ulm.edu/pelicacup. The application deadline is February 26th.

One of the largest prizes in the nation and open to all majors, the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is an opportunity for students to develop critical thinking, team building, presentations and other soft skills critical to career growth.

The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is open to full-time or part-time certificates or degrees currently enrolled at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Edward Beer College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), Louisiana State University Shreveport (LSUS), or Centenary. Any interested student can participate. University of Louisiana, Northwestern State University, Grambling State University, or Louisiana Tech University.

The competition requires a formal written business plan vetted by business owners and investors. Six finalists will be selected to give oral presentations directly to leading entrepreneurs. Also at the awards luncheon, each team will select one member of her who will conduct a 90-second “elevator pitch” and the winner will receive a cash prize.

This year’s Awards Luncheon will be held on Friday, April 21 at 11:30 am at the Bayou Point Event Center on the ULM campus.

This year’s prizes are:

1st place $25,000

Runner-up $15,000

3rd place $10,000

Elevator Pitch $2,000

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Faculty Advisors will receive $3,000.

For more information, including a complete list of 2023 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup dates and requirements, please visit: www.ulm.edu/pelicacup.You can also contact Cathi Hemed, Director of External Initiatives, at (318) 342-1151. hemed@ulm.edu.

Now in its second year, the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup was founded by renowned ULM alumnus Dhu Thompson. Thompson is the founder, past owner and former Chairman of the Board of Delta Plastics, a manufacturer of agricultural irrigation tubes and Arkansas’ largest plastic recycler. He is also the former owner and former chairman of the board of directors of Revolution Bag, which manufactures EPA-compliant trash liners. Thompson’s accolades include 2004 Arkansas Business Executive and his SBA Person of the Year. He sold the Revolution brand to his private equity firm in New York in 2019 and is now focused on growing his entrepreneurial spirit in Arkansas and Louisiana.