Shreveport, LA – Louisiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem leaders, representatives from the state’s economic development office and academics from leading business schools came to Shreveport last week for Startup Prize: Focus on Innovation. The inaugural event was designed to bring together Louisiana’s stakeholders and connect them to nationally awarded thoughtleaders and mentors who are successfully building entrepreneurial ecosystems in places like Denver, Boston and Austin. The result of this unique gathering was meaningful discussions, collaboration, and strategic planning, all with the goal to spark and support innovation and drive economic growth for Louisiana. The event was hosted by the Prize Foundation with generous support from Louisiana Economic Development.

“The response to this gathering was pretty amazing,” said Gregory Kallenberg, executive director of the Prize Foundation and founder of Startup Prize. “It was incredible to see all of these leaders in the room together, unifying to create a way forward for entrepreneurs in our state. If nothing else, it shows how the Startup Prize can help create a beacon for our region to lead Louisiana towards being a national innovation leader.”

The conference opened with an intimate Welcome Dinner at the Second Act Supper Club, where attendees were able to connect and share insights. Friday featured a day of curated discussions, with the goal of determining actionable takeaways for those working to nurture and grow Louisiana’s innovation ecosystem.

Highlights from the event included roundtables led by national experts in their field, including:

○ Building Strong Innovation Ecosystems with Chris Bauer (MassChallenge)

○ Strategic Partnerships with Urvashi Bhatnagar (The Good Science Fund)

○ Private-Public Sector Collaboration with Eric Drummond (Denver Innovation

Corridor)

○ Funding the Future with Cian Robinson (Robinson Ventures)

○ Fostering a Culture of Experimentation with Dr. Karl Krumm

“I’ve been really impressed with the passion and the work that’s being done here to create the opportunity and the foundation for a robust environment for innovation,” said Eric Drummond, Founder and CEO of Denver’s Innovation Corridor. “Startup Prize has brought the leaders together from around the state, and now it’s time to get to work. I look forward to watching Louisiana’s progress towards their ambitious goals.”

The event concluded with a wrap-up of the day, Building an Innovation Empire, that highlighted opportunities for continued growth, celebrated the progress and connections made, and set the stage for ongoing collaboration among attendees.

For more information about Startup Prize and upcoming programs, visit startupprize.com.