New & Notable: Kimberly Gramm

David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer | Tulane Innovation Institute

More than $100 million in investment capital — that’s what Tulane University is aiming to bring to the New Orleans region through its new Innovation Institute, set to launch later this year.

Part innovation lab, part campus programming and part community accelerator, the Innovation Lab will initially be housed on the ground level of Tulane’s new Thirteen15 residential development in Downtown New Orleans. Following the completion of the university’s redevelopment efforts at Charity Hospital, it will then move into a mixed-use complex spanning nearly 350,000 square feet.

Leading this bold initiative will be Kimberly Gramm.

A South Florida native, Gramm has more than 14 years of early-stage technology venture development experience in Texas and Florida that has included founding two university accelerators — Florida Atlantic University’s Tech Runway and the Texas Tech University Accelerator.

Her work has helped launch more than 279 startups and attracted more than $470 million in investment capital.

“I believe in education and knowledge as a driver for innovation and startup creation,” said Gramm, “and what better place to do that than a university?… This is part of a larger initiative to create opportunity and generational wealth for all the citizens of New Orleans and Louisiana, not just Tulane students and faculty. It’s going to be truly transformative.”