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Sponsorship Opportunities for the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup

INVEST IN LOUSIANA'S FUTURE ECONOMY

Do you want to grow the entrepreneurial spirit in Louisiana's next generation of business owners?

With your backing, the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup will inspire college students to improve their lives, communities, and state through innovative business ideas.

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The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup

The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is a real-world entrepreneur education opportunity for college students. Whether they are serious about launching a startup, or they want to learn more about entrepreneurship, competitors will gain a greater appreciation of the challenges and opportunities of starting a viable business.

The contest will offer one of the largest all-cash prize pools of any collegiate business competition in the country. The 2024 cash prize pool is $96,000, thanks to the generosity and partnership of Sponsor Dhu C. Thompson, founder and retired CEO of Delta Plastics and ULM alumnus. Thompson is providing prize money to be presented to students for first place ($50,000), second place ($25,000), third place ($10,000), and elevator pitch ($2,000), plus $3,000 to faculty advisers for first, second, and third places.

The newly created Student Innovation Fund offers Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup finalists the opportunity to apply for additional funding if they choose to take the next step and pursue their business. The fund will award a total of $200,000 per year over the next five years. Priority will be given to first through third-place teams, but any finalist team is eligible to apply. The fund will help foster the growth of ideas while providing guidance and resources along the way. The Student Innovation Fund is made possible by anonymous donations.

Sponsorship Opportunities Brochure

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How will your investment impact students?

YOU WILL HELP LAUNCH BUSINESSES

Every great business has to start somewhere. Northeast Louisiana has served as the birthplace of some great enterprises and entrepreneurs. Help continue to build on this legacy.

YOU WILL HELP EDUCATE AND INSPIRE STUDENTS FROM ANY MAJOR

The 2025 The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is open to any full- or part-time, certificate- or degree-seeking student currently enrolled in a 4-year college or university in the state of Louisiana. There is NO COST for students to enter the competition. Students of all disciplines will learn valuable business skills like market research, budgeting, strategic planning, teamwork, and written and verbal communication. The rigor of the competition will sharpen their critical-thinking, teambuilding, presentation, and other soft skills – all important to career success.

YOU WILL CHANGE LIVES

Many Louisiana students come from some of the most economically depressed regions in the nation. The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup will give students the opportunity to do more than they ever imagined possible. The students have a chance to earn an impressive monetary prize, but they also will gain access to networks of entrepreneurs, economic developers, investors, and others as they move through the process.

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