Three early-stage entrepreneurs from the Northshore will step on stage at Slidell Municipal Auditorium on Monday, November 16, competing live for a $5,000 grant pool in front of judges and a public audience. The event, called THE LAUNCHPAD, is free and open to anyone who wants to watch local founders make their case.
According to City of Slidell, Louisiana, the evening runs on a tight schedule: a networking reception starts at 5 p.m., the live pitch competition begins at 6 p.m., the award ceremony follows at 7 p.m., and a closing celebration wraps things up at 7:15 p.m. Organizers describe THE LAUNCHPAD as a fast-paced live pitch competition spotlighting three promising early-stage founders from across the Northshore, according to startupnorthshore.com. The three finalists will pitch their ventures to a live panel of judges, with the full $5,000 prize pool on the line, per the same site.
Coaching, Judging and a Chance to Be Seen
Finalists don't walk into this cold. They receive individualized pitch coaching leading up to the event before taking the stage to present their businesses to judges and a live audience, the Startup Northshore site notes. The event is pitched as more than a competition — organizers say it brings together entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, business leaders and community members for an evening centered on startup storytelling and new connections.
To even qualify, businesses have to meet a specific set of criteria. Eligible companies must be located in St. Tammany, Tangipahoa or Washington Parish, actively participate in the Northshore entrepreneurial ecosystem, have received less than $50,000 in investment to date, and have generated less than $250,000 in revenue to date, per startupnorthshore.com.
A Kickoff to a Bigger Week of Events
THE LAUNCHPAD is being positioned as the opening bell for Global Entrepreneurship Week across the region. StartupNOLA is connecting events happening across the New Orleans community under one shared week, according to the organization's own announcement, and it has invited organizers to plan events for November 16 through 22, 2026, and submit them to its calendar. A report from Biz New Orleans said Greater New Orleans is expected to participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week for the first time during that same window, with the outlet noting that StartupNOLA has encouraged local organizations to host events showcasing the region's entrepreneurial activity and attracting founders and investment.
Biz New Orleans also listed Startup Northshore's Launchpad Pitch Series among the scheduled activities for November 16. A separate regional pitch competition, R:3 River, Road, Rail, is set for November 17 with a $20,000 non-dilutive cash prize on the line — a reminder that THE LAUNCHPAD's Slidell stage is just one stop in a busier regional entrepreneurship calendar this month.
Sponsorship and a Growing Pitch Series
OnPath Foundation joined as the 2026 presenting sponsor of THE LAUNCHPAD for two competitions this year, according to sttammanyedc.org. The series isn't new to the Northshore. A summer 2026 competition was held at North Star Theatre in Mandeville on July 23, with applications having closed July 5, and that event's $5,000 prize pool was split into $3,000 for the winning pitch and $1,000 for each runner-up, per the same source. THE LAUNCHPAD is also described as part of a broader pipeline of Startup Northshore programming that includes IDEAinstitute Northshore alongside other entrepreneur resources.
The series traces back to an August 2025 debut, co-hosted with Gulf South Angels, that AN17 covered as a brand-new series of live pitch competitions spotlighting early-stage founders from across the Northshore. That same announcement described a $5,000 prize pool while listing the award split as $3,000 to the winner and $1,500 to each runner-up — figures that don't fully reconcile, though AN17's reporting presented them as stated. StartupNOLA has also framed THE LAUNCHPAD as building on Startup Northshore's earlier NSpire Startup Slam pitch competition.
For now, the November 16 lineup of finalists has not been publicly detailed. What's confirmed is the setting, the stakes and the schedule: a free, public evening in Slidell meant to spotlight Northshore founders just as the region's entrepreneurship calendar kicks into gear for Global Entrepreneurship Week.
