Skilltype’s COO Christine Quirion recently attended the Founders Forum at the Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, at Tulane Business School. The event was structured as a combination of founder pitches, speed networking and experiential learning where students could interact with companies in the community around New Orleans. Founders and students were matched in small groups for short conversations. Founders shared the origin story and key differentiating factors for their business, to which students asked questions and shared their own ideas about ways for each venture to expand or grow.
Skilltype is pleased to participate in events like the Founder’s Forum and the Freeman School to build the next generation of entrepreneurs, contribute to creating a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem in New Orleans, and to shine a light on the unique opportunities that can be found working with library organizations and librarians. The students were curious, highly engaged and they each brought a unique lens to Skilltype’s vision to develop world-class libraries with data and skill development.
While many university students have previously experienced libraries through prior coursework and lived experiences, our conversations with the students surfaced the potential of libraries as a potential market for developing new ventures and business opportunities. Thanks to Tulane, the faculty, and the students for bringing perspectives from concentrations in management, human resources, and data science to the conversation on library skills and impact.

A speaker welcomes students and founders to The Founder's Forum

Students gather together for a photo while attending Tulane's Founder's Forum

Students gather together for a photo while attending Tulane's Founder's Forum