Actor Morris Chestnut is set to be the keynote speaker 2023 BizTech Challenge next week, per a statement by Nexus Louisiana.

Chestnut is a famed actor known for several standout roles including as Rickey in “Boyz In the Hood” and “The Best Man” series of movies as Lance Sullivan. He is currently the host of “Rebuilding Black Wall Street”, a show on OWN that spotlights the rebuilding of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the original Black Wall Street was housed. He recently served as commencement speaker at North Carolina A&T's Spring 2023 commencement ceremony.

Chestnut is set to deliver a speech about supporting black entrepreneurship and building wealth in the black community. Chestnut's appearance coincides with the BizTech Challenge featuring HBCU students from around Louisiana pitching business ideas to win cash prizes up to $20,000.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick attends Bay Golf Club against Atlanta Drive GC in the TGL semifinal match at SoFi Center on March 18, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Michael Vick strengthens Norfolk State defense in transfer portal
North Carolina A&T ranks among the top HBCUs and UNC campuses according to Forbes’ “Best Colleges 2024” list.
North Carolina A&T track & field lands $200,000 deal
Florida A&M University Board of Trustees interviews Group Vice President of state government affairs for Charter Communications Marva Johnson,
Marva Johnson selected as next Florida A&M president despite protest

The information about the HBCU finalists for the competition is below.

  • Representing Dillard University, Campus Connect is a specialized platform providing a space where undergraduates, graduate students, and Ph.D. candidates from various universities can connect, collaborate and network.
  • Representing Southern University Law Center, LegalLit aims to close the access-to-justice gap in America through a chatbot that answers consumers' questions about common legal issues, such as child custody, evictions and collections.
  • Representing Grambling State University, SU(D)M Kiosk is a high-tech information hub for educational institutions, providing students, teachers and visitors with an interactive map that hosts information on campus events, classes, and more.
  • Representing Southern University at New Orleans, Cookie-Bytes is an app that simplifies vital record storage by securely housing documents like passports, birth certificates, and licenses in one digital location.
  • Representing Southern University, Blue Pages is an app connecting college entrepreneurs with students, allowing entrepreneurs to showcase their offerings and students to easily discover and engage with local businesses.
  • Representing Southern University, ME Company is a cutting-edge web-based platform that streamlines the creation and sharing of digital business cards and provides insights into users’ engagement with them.
  • Representing Xavier University, LegalEase is an app that uses generative AI to answer legal questions and help decipher legal jargon.

The event is scheduled for November 24th at 11 AM CST in New Orleans, Louisiana. Each team will have five minutes to present their business ideas, followed by a two-minute Q&A session. The top three teams will be awarded a total of $20,000, with the first-place winner receiving up to $10,000. The winner will be chosen based on innovation, business model, and technical achievement.