Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup now accepting applications for 2024 competition

Published February 1, 2024

MONROE, LA – The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is now accepting applications for the 2024 competition.
This event is the premier academic business plan competition for the state of Louisiana,
with one of the largest cash prizes in the nation. Applications can be submitted at www.ulm.edu/pelicancup. The application link can be found inside the competition guide. The deadline for
applications is February 25.  

Open to all majors, the goal of The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is to inspire participants
and the community to think entrepreneurially by rewarding creativity, professionalism,
and hard work.  

The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is open to any full- or part-time, certificate- or
degree-seeking student currently enrolled in a four-year college or university in
the state of Louisiana.  

The competition requires a written formal business plan judged by business owners
and investors.  Six finalists will be chosen to conduct an in-person oral presentation
to top-tier entrepreneurs.  Also, during the awards luncheon, each team will select
one member to conduct a 90-second “Elevator Pitch,” and the winner will receive a
cash award.   

This year’s awards luncheon will be held Friday, April 19 at 11:30 a.m. at Bayou Pointe
Event Center on the ULM campus.  

This year’s cash prizes include: 

First Place                   $50,000 

Second Place               $25,000 

Third Place                   $10,000 

Elevator Pitch Winner  $2,000  

First, Second, and Third Place faculty advisors to receive $3,000.   

For more information about the 2024 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, including a full
list of dates and requirements, visit www.ulm.edu/pelicancup.You can also contact Cathi Hemed, Director of External Initiatives, at (318) 342-1151
or hemed@ulm.edu. 

Now in its third year, The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup was founded by distinguished
ULM alumnus Dhu Thompson. Thompson is the founder, past owner, and former chairman
of the board for Delta Plastics, producer of agricultural irrigation tubing, and the
largest recycler of plastics in Arkansas. He is also the former owner and past chairman
of the board for Revolution Bag that manufactures EPA-compliant trashcan liners. Thompson’s
honors include 2004 Arkansas Business Executive of the Year and SBA Person of the
Year. In 2019 he sold the Revolution brands to a New York private equity firm and
now focuses on entrepreneurship growth in Arkansas and Louisiana.