Innovation Institute

Tulane Venture Fellows are the next generation of academic founders. This highly selective program recruits top PhD graduates and embeds them within the Innovation Institute to transform breakthrough research into venture-backed companies.

Working at the intersection of science and entrepreneurship, fellows identify high-potential technologies from across Tulane’s research portfolio and develop the strategy, validation, and partnerships required to bring them to market. With mentorship from industry leaders, investors, and faculty, each fellow operates as a venture CEO who leads the commercialization of a technology and launching a startup over a multi-year residency. Your investment supports and enables Tulane to recruit exceptional founders, accelerate the commercialization of university discoveries, and build companies that create jobs, attract capital, and drive long-term economic growth in New Orleans.
 

Housed within the Robert L. Priddy Innovation Lab, the Provost’s Proof of Concept Fund is Tulane’s catalyst for transforming early-stage discoveries into real-world solutions.

Through competitive awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, the Fund enables faculty and student innovators to take critical next steps toward commercialization—advancing technologies from promising ideas to market-ready opportunities. Investments are strategically deployed at pivotal moments, supporting milestones such as prototyping, customer discovery, market validation, laboratory studies, and intellectual property development—where targeted funding can unlock significant downstream impact. 

This Fund serves as the bridge between research and real-world application—fueling the innovations that become startups, licenses, and industry partnerships. Your investment unlocks the moment where ideas become impact. Your support ensures a consistent pipeline of funding to accelerate Tulane’s most promising discoveries de-risking technologies, attracting follow-on investment, and driving solutions that improve lives and strengthen the regional economy.
 

The Tulane Venture Formation Series is where ideas take their first step toward becoming ventures. Designed for the earliest stages of innovation, this platform supports faculty and student teams as they refine concepts, explore market potential, and begin shaping pathways to real-world impact. Beginning with Tulane-only programs like Open MIC and Open Season, innovators develop and refine their ideas through structured feedback and mentorship.

The Series culminates in the $50K Demo Day, a high-visibility, public showcase where the most promising concepts are presented to investors, industry leaders, and the broader New Orleans community. At this critical moment, select teams receive catalytic, non-dilutive funding to accelerate their transition from concept to venture.

Through structured showcases, mentorship, and milestone-based feedback, participants test assumptions, develop early narratives, and engage with industry experts well before a formal startup is formed. Your investment fuels the earliest stage of innovation where ideas either take shape “From first idea to first funding.” Your support ensures that promising concepts receive the guidance, visibility, and early validation needed to move forward building a stronger, more diverse pipeline of future ventures at Tulane and in New Orleans. 
 

The Tulane Research, Innovation, and Creativity Summit (TRICS) is Tulane’s flagship, university-wide platform for surfacing the ideas that shape the future. Each year, more than 400+ faculty and student innovators from across all schools present groundbreaking research and creative work offering a rare, comprehensive view into Tulane’s full innovation portfolio.

More than a showcase, TRICS is where discovery meets opportunity. It is often the first moment that promising ideas are identified, connected to resources, and positioned for further development through the Innovation Institute’s commercialization and venture-building programs. Our goal is to eventually make this a statewide initiative and welcoming the community and industry. 

TRICS serves as the front end of Tulane’s innovation pipeline capturing high-potential ideas at scale and channeling them into pathways that lead to commercialization, venture creation, and real-world impact. Your investment unlocks the full potential of Tulane’s research enterprise. Your support ensures that breakthrough ideas are not only discovered, but seen, supported, and advanced fueling the pipeline of innovations that drive new ventures, partnerships, and societal impact. This full display of the power of our knowledge assets creates an annual festival of know-how and inspires future interdisciplinary work.
 

Tulane Innovation Interns are embedded at the front lines of discovery and venture creation. This selective program places students alongside startup founders, researchers, and Innovation Institute leaders—where they contribute directly to the commercialization of new technologies and the development of high-growth ventures.

Fellows gain hands-on experience while providing critical capacity to early-stage efforts that would otherwise lack the resources to move forward.

The program includes two distinct tracks:

• Venture & Commercialization Track
  Interns work with early-stage ventures and Tulane research teams supporting customer discovery, market research, product development, and commercialization strategy.
• Entrepreneurship Systems Track
  Interns support the Innovation Institute itself helping design programs, engage community partners, and strengthen the systems that drive innovation across Tulane and New Orleans.

Your investment powers the talent behind every breakthrough.

Your support enables Tulane to place high-performing students into meaningful, paid roles where they gain transformative experience while directly advancing research commercialization, venture creation, and startup investment.
 

The Tulane Founder Lab is where breakthrough research becomes venture-backed companies. This in-house venture lab pairs faculty innovators with experienced entrepreneurs to transform high-potential technologies into scalable startups.

Through a structured, six-month program, teams work side-by-side to validate markets, refine business models, and de-risk commercialization building the foundation for successful company formation. The Founder Lab provides a direct pathway from discovery to venture creation, with top teams advancing toward investment through Tulane Ventures and external partners. Each Founder selected in supported with $25K to dedicate full-time to launching the technology company. The Founder Lab is Tulane’s engine for company creation converting research into startups that attract capital, create jobs, and deliver real-world solutions.

Your investment builds companies from Tulane discoveries. Your support enables Tulane to recruit experienced entrepreneurial leaders, provide critical early-stage resources, and accelerate the commercialization of high-impact technologies turning research into ventures that drive economic and societal impact.
 

Tulane’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Education platform equips students, faculty, and researchers with the mindset and skills to transform ideas into real-world impact. Through a coordinated portfolio of programs from immersive internships to campus-wide coursework and experiential learning, participants learn best practices to identify opportunities, test ideas, and build pathways to commercialization. More than a collection of programs, this is a university-wide effort to embed innovation into the Tulane experience ensuring that every student and researcher has access to the tools, networks, and support needed to bring ideas to life.

Your investment builds the culture and capability behind every idea and breakthrough.
Your support enables Tulane to expand high-impact programs, develop new learning models, and deepen partnerships across campus ensuring that innovation and entrepreneurship are accessible, experiential, and embedded across disciplines.
 

The Green Wave Innovation Network is Tulane’s curated community of mentors, advisors, and industry leaders who help turn promising ideas into successful ventures. Comprised of more than 109 experts across business, finance, law, product development, and beyond, the Network provides founders with access to the insight, experience, and connections needed to navigate the path from discovery to market.

Mentorship is not incidental it is embedded across the innovation journey. From early concept development to venture launch, Tulane innovators are paired with the right advisors at the right time to accelerate decision-making, avoid common pitfalls, and unlock new opportunities.
A cornerstone of this effort is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence, a dedicated leader who works alongside founders to shape ventures and activate the broader Network. This Network transforms potential into progress ensuring that Tulane innovators are supported by real-world expertise as they move from idea to execution.

Your investment connects innovators to the people who make success possible.
Your support enables Tulane to expand and engage this national network deepening mentorship, increasing founder access to industry leaders, and accelerating the commercialization of high-potential ideas providing the infrastructure and training for a first class experience for both mentees and mentors.
 

The Faculty Innovation Fellows Program empowers Tulane faculty to integrate innovation and entrepreneurship into the heart of the academic experience. Through competitive support, faculty redesign courses, create new learning environments, and develop hands-on opportunities that equip students to think creatively, solve real-world problems, and translate ideas into action.

Faculty Fellows bring innovation to life in the classroom connecting students with industry experts, engaging with local startups, and building experiential learning opportunities that extend beyond campus. Faculty are the multiplier of the entire innovation system. By activating faculty as innovation leaders, this program embeds entrepreneurship across disciplines expanding Tulane’s capacity to generate ideas, develop talent, and drive real-world impact.

Your investment empowers the faculty who shape the next generation of innovators.
Your support enables Tulane to equip faculty with the resources and flexibility to reimagine teaching creating dynamic, experiential learning opportunities that inspire students and accelerate innovation across campus.
 

Tulane Ventures

The Capital Engine for Tulane Innovation

Founded in 2023, Tulane Ventures is the Innovation Institute’s early-stage investment fund—providing the capital that transforms promising ideas into high-growth companies. Backed by a $10 million fund through a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Credit Initiative and Tulane University, Tulane Ventures invests $50K–$250K in faculty, students, and local entrepreneurs.

Supporting ventures emerging from Tulane’s innovation pipeline and the broader New Orleans ecosystem, the fund deploys capital through a rigorous evaluation and due diligence process—identifying high-potential opportunities and helping founders build, scale, and attract follow-on investment. Portfolio companies benefit not only from funding, but also from hands-on support, mentorship, and access to a powerful network of partners and advisors.
 

The Concept Fund serves as the earliest entry point into Tulane Ventures for ventures emerging from the Tulane Founder Lab. Following successful completion of the program, select teams receive a fast-tracked due diligence process of $25K capital to validate their business model, advance key milestones, and position for institutional investment.

This staged approach strengthens the overall investment strategy ensuring that the most promising ventures are de-risked and prepared before receiving larger investments through Tulane Ventures.

Your investment fuels the companies that shape the future. Your support can include Tulane Ventures or the Concept Fund for one portfolio company naming. This support expands Tulane’s capacity to invest in high-potential ventures unlocking additional capital, accelerating company growth, and anchoring innovation-driven businesses in Louisiana.
 

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is an after-school program that helps transform local high school students into confident capable entrepreneurs. Over the course of a year, students from idea to execution developing business concepts, conducting market research, pitching to investors, and launching real companies. YEA! programs are poised to change community trajectories. YEA! is an early entry point into the innovation economy equipping students with the mindset, skills, and confidence to create opportunities for themselves and their communities.

Your investment changes the trajectory of young innovators. Your support enables Tulane to provide transformative, hands-on entrepreneurial experiences for local students building confidence, expanding opportunity, and strengthening the region’s future talent pipeline.