NEW ORLEANS (press release) – New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), happening March 11-16, is proud to feature a diverse line-up of expert speakers that includes New Orleans-based thought leaders alongside nationally recognized thinkers and business leaders. One of this year’s major keynotes is Edrizio De La Cruz, a former visiting Partner at Y Combinator and Co-Founder of Arcus, a financial technology startup. Mastercard Inc. purchased Arcus from De La Cruz in 2021.
Produced by the nonprofit business accelerator The Idea Village, NOEW (pronounced noh-wee!) is the premier event on the Gulf Coast celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation, and culture in all forms. Now in its 13th year, NOEW is a signature-style event that only New Orleans can host. Attendance is free, but attendees must register for a pass to receive access to the week-long programming and events at https://www.noew.org/register.
Edrizio De La Cruz immigrated from the Dominican Republic (DR) to Harlem, where he was raised. From a young age, his entrepreneurial spirit led him from selling guavas in DR to building a highly successful financial technology company, Arcus. Arcus raised $20 million from Y Combinator and was later acquired by Mastercard. As told in his new book The Underdog Founder: How to Go from Unseen to Unstoppable, he will share his founder journey at Gallier Hall, presented by Entergy, on Wednesday, March 13, in a session co-presented by NOEW and The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. https://www.linkedin.com/in/edrizio-de-la-cruz-2b8ab75
Other headlining speakers include:
- Robyn Bolton, Founder & Chief Navigator at MileZero. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynmbolton/
- Chris Meaux, Chairman of The Board at Mallard Bay Outdoors and Founder of Waitr https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-meaux-95006815/
- Margaret Molloy, former Chief Marketing Officer of Siegel + Gale. https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretmolloy/
- Arthur Soroken, Head of Growth & Community for AI at Google. https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthursoroken/
- Kenny Welcome, Chief Executive Officer of KJW Capital. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenny-welcome-02575069/
More than 100 speakers will appear at NOEW 2024. All will share their unique perspectives and expertise across NOEW’s 2024 themes: Artificial Intelligence, Climate Tech, Culture Tech, Founder Journeys, and Health Innovation. An expanded list of speakers can be found at www.noew.org/speakers. The majority of the NOEW 2024 speakers featured on the NOEW website are scheduled to speak at Innovation Day presented by Entergy on Wednesday, March 13, at Gallier Hall.
NOEW 2024 will intentionally take place during the same week this spring as the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. The two events aligned dates to create an even bigger draw for those looking to celebrate culture, innovation, big ideas and books. The partnership begins with NOEW’s kickoff on Monday, March 11 and with Book Festival’s kickoff on Thursday evening, March 14. Thursday, March 14, will serve as a “crossover day,” with featured programming by both events.
The two festivals will co-present sessions featuring nationally-recognized business authors and speakers, including: Shennette Garrett-Scott, Tulane Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies; Walter Isaacson, bestselling author and the Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values at Tulane; Rob Lalka, Tulane Professor of Practice and executive director of the Albert Lepage Center; Jessica Norwood, founder and CEO of RUNWAY and Peter Ricchiuti, Tulane Business Professor and host of WWNO’s Out to Lunch.
