What to Expect at Tulane's Open Season Pitch Competition

New Orleans' innovation scene descends on The Josephine on September 15 for Open Season 2026, the Tulane Innovation Institute's annual pitch competition and community celebration. Ten finalists will take the stage to compete for $3,000, but the night is really a snapshot of where the city's next founders are coming from, and a chance for anyone curious about entrepreneurship to walk in and see it firsthand.

We sat down with Jeanne Exnicios, director of marketing and communications at the Tulane Innovation Institute, to talk about what's new this year, who's applying, and why the event is open to the whole city, not just Tulane.

The details:

• What: Open Season 2026, a pitch competition and community celebration

• When: Tuesday, September 15, 5-8 p.m.

• Where: The Josephine, 2400 Napoleon Ave.

• Cost: Free and open to the Tulane and greater New Orleans community

• Sign up:innovation.tulane.edu/openseason

For people who've never been to a pitch event, what should they expect walking into The Josephine on September 15?

High energy, fun and a chance to meet new people, and in New Orleans you never know where that may lead in the absolute best way. This event is open to anyone in the Tulane or New Orleans community interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. The investment community loves attending these events to find new founders to work with, and people from support organizations across town will be there too. Even if you've only ever entertained the idea of becoming your own boss and running a company and don't have an idea yet, it's inspiring to watch these early-stage founders get on stage and present what they want to build to a panel of judges who give them valuable feedback.

Who's pitching this cycle? Can you give me a preview of even one or two companies or founders?

We won't have finalists selected until closer to the event. Last year our first-place winner was LumaWave, a Tulane spinout who recently received a $1.5 million ARPA-H grant, and Breeze Shuttles, a free-to-low-cost electric microtransit service you may have seen around New Orleans, won second place and the People’s Choice award.  Attendees can vote for their favorite pitch at the event, too..

This event is kicking off a full founder program. Can you walk me through what that program actually involves, who it's for and what founders get out of it beyond September 15?

This event is also introducing the Tulane Innovation Institute Founder Journey, a roadmap for aspiring founders to understand what opportunities are available to them as they start to build. From ideation to proof of concept to startup formation to eventual investment readiness, we want to make the path easy to understand and give entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed. There are a lot of steps to building a company and fundamentals founders need to learn, like who is your customer, how to build a business model and how to build a pitch deck, and that's where our team comes in.

Is there anything happening that night besides the pitches themselves? Networking, food, other programming?

We'll also have a game where participants can learn about the different stages of entrepreneurship, from ideation to raising money. Attendees can visit interactive stations to enter to win prizes.

What made this year's applicant pool different? Any surprises in who applied or what they're building?

We received 47 applications, a mix of Tulane students, staff, faculty and community members. The ideas are creative, varied and really interesting, ranging from fashion to legal tools to music to health care. Our Green Wave Innovation Network mentors will review the applications and select 20 to present at our office ahead of the event. From there, 10 finalists will compete for $3,000 at the big event on September 15. All applicants, whether selected for the event or not, are invited to work with the Tulane Innovation Institute for entrepreneurial education and support.

Why open this up to the whole greater New Orleans community instead of keeping it Tulane-only? What's the thinking there?

From our Young Entrepreneurs Academy, which serves high school students, to our Tulane Ventures fund, which invests in high-growth startups across Louisiana, the Tulane Innovation Institute is here to serve the university and our state. We believe entrepreneurship belongs to anyone with the passion to pursue it, and we want to support as many future founders as possible.

What's the Tulane Innovation Institute hoping comes out of this event beyond the $3,000 prize? What's the bigger goal?

The prize money will provide funding to the winners, but all 47 people who applied to Open Season are offered continued education and mentorship. For instance, we're hosting a free Startup Sprint Bootcamp on September 25, and we offer mentorship with industry mentors from our Green Wave Innovation Network, a community of 109 Tulane alumni, parents and New Orleans executives who volunteer their time to help aspiring founders grow.

If someone's on the fence about attending, what's the pitch for why they should come?

It's free to attend, and we promise you'll learn something new and leave inspired, whether it's watching early-stage entrepreneurs build the next big thing in our community or meeting someone from a different background you may not have met otherwise. And it is always a high-energy event!

Open Season 2026 takes place Tuesday, September 15, 5-8 p.m. at The Josephine (2400 Napoleon Ave.). It's free and open to the public. Sign up here.