Published February 24, 2023
MONROE, LA – The 2nd Annual Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Awards Luncheon will be held Friday, April 21
at 11:30 a.m. at. Bayou Pointe Event Center on the ULM campus. Tickets are on sale
now for $100 for the general public and $50 for students. Sponsorship packages are
also available for individuals or businesses. Visit www.ulm.edu/pelicancup for ticket and sponsorship information.
Open to all majors with one of the largest cash prizes in the nation, The Entrepreneurship
Pelican Cup is an opportunity for students to develop critical thinking, team building,
presentation, and other soft skills which are all important to career growth.
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. The finalists will be announced on March 16. Also, during
the awards luncheon, each team will select one member to conduct a 90-second “Elevator
Pitch,” and the audience will vote to select the winner of a cash prize.
This year’s cash prizes include:
First Place $25,000
Second Place $15,000
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 2023 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, including ticket
and sponsorship information, 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 second 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.
