Nexus Louisiana received the Major Impact on Tech Community Award, presented by the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA)

BATON ROUGE, LA, July 29, 2026 — Nexus Louisiana has been recognized on an international stage for the first time, honored for the Nexus Technology Cup and its growing impact on Louisiana's innovation economy. 

Nexus received the Major Impact on Tech Community Award, presented by the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) as part of its eighth annual Innovation Awards, which recognizes technology associations and teams that have made a substantial, transformative contribution to their regional tech ecosystem or the broader community.

Nexus Louisiana was one of six technology associations named a 2026 Innovation Awards winner. The awards were presented July 21 during the TECNA Summer Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. TECNA represents nearly 60 technology councils and trade associations across the United States and Canada.

TECNA represents nearly 60 technology councils and trade associations across the United States and Canada. Its annual Innovation Awards celebrate the creativity, results and meaningful contributions of individuals and teams working to strengthen technology communities throughout North America.

"Every year, TECNA member organizations push the boundaries of what's possible in the ecosystems they serve," said Jennifer Young, TECNA CEO. "This year's winners didn't just innovate — they delivered results you can measure. Excellence at the local level adds up: when our members thrive, the North American innovation ecosystem thrives with them."

Launched in 2025, the Nexus Technology Cup is a statewide, multi-track competition in which founders, developers, college students, and high school students build and demo original hardware and software prototypes. Participants compete across open, college, and high school tracks for cash prizes and the chance to connect directly with industry leaders, investors, and mentors. The structured pipeline offers technical resources, mentorship, and non-dilutive capital. In its inaugural year, 75 participants across 25 teams produced functional technology prototypes and competed for $100,000 in funding, creating direct pathways to internships, hiring, and startup deployment across Louisiana.

"Being recognized by TECNA on an international stage validates what we set out to build with the Nexus Technology Cup: a real pipeline that turns Louisiana talent into viable Louisiana starups,” said Tony Zanders, President and CEO of Nexus Louisiana. "This award belongs to every student, founder, and mentor who showed up to build something in our first year, and it's fuel for us as we work to position Louisiana as a serious player in the national innovation economy."

The award reflects Nexus Louisiana’s expanding role as a statewide platform for connecting technical talent, industry leaders, educational institutions, investors and entrepreneurs. Through competitions, partnerships and founder-focused programming, Nexus helps Louisianans develop solutions that respond to the needs of the state’s industries and communities.

Applications are now open for the 2026 Nexus Technology Cup, which will take place December 14 through 16 at Nexus Louisiana’s headquarters in downtown Baton Rouge. Participants will compete for $150,000 in cash prizes through college and open competition tracks, with high school teams also invited to demonstrate their technology projects.

The competition is open to Louisiana founders, independent developers, college and technical school students, and high school students building software, hardware and technology-enabled solutions. Additional information and applications are available through the Nexus Louisiana website.

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