Applications are open for the Rice Business Plan Competition 2025. The Rice Business Plan Competition is designed to give collegiate entrepreneurs a real-world experience to pitch their startups to investors, receive mentoring, network with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, enhance their startup strategy, and learn what it takes to launch a successful startup.
Hosted and organized by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship—which is Rice University’s internationally-recognized initiative devoted to the support of entrepreneurship—and Rice Business.
Categories
- Energy/Cleantech/Sustainability (including but not limited to): Agriculture/Agtech, Batteries & Storage, Decarbonization/Climate Tech, Energy Infrastructure, Oil & Gas Technologies, Renewable/Alternative Energy, Recycling, New and Non-Carbon Fuels, Transportation/Electric Vehicles, Water
- Hard Tech (including but not limited to): Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Materials, Aerospace/Spacetech, AR & VR (augmented & virtual reality), Autonomous Vehicles, Drones, Machine Learning and AI (Artificial Intelligence), Quantum Computing, Robotics, Smart Sensors
- Life Sciences & Healthcare Solutions (including but not limited to): Aging/Gerontology, Biotech, Diagnostics, Digital Health, Disease Management, Public Health, Medical Devices, Personalized Medicine, Pharma & Therapeutics, Prevention
- Digital Enterprise (including but not limited to): Big Data, Blockchain, Cyber/IoT Security, Cloud & Edge Computing, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Media & Advertising, SportsTech, Supply Chain/Logistics, Workforce
- Consumer Products & Services (including but not limited to): Analytics, Consumer Web, Education/EdTech, Food & Drink, Gaming, Mobile, Personal Devices, Social Impact, Subscription Services, Wearables & Clothing.
Prizes
- Over $1.5 million in prizes; minimum cash prize is $800; grand prize winner receives a $150,000 investment.
Eligibility
You are eligible if your startup:
- is student-driven, student-created and/or student-managed;
- has at least two current student founders or management team members, and at least one of those students is a current graduate degree-seeking student;
- are from a college or university anywhere in the world;
- has not raised more than $250,000 in equity capital prior to July 1, 2024;
- has not generated revenue of more than $100,000 in any 12-month period prior to July 1, 2024;
- is seeking funding or capital (or will be in the next 12 months);
- is a potentially viable investment opportunity.
They encourage teams from multiple universities and across graduate degree programs, but do not accept students in post-doc or certificate programs.
Application
Only one team member will need an account to apply to the Rice Business Plan Competition. Applications are due by Monday, January 27, 2025 by 11:59 PM.
Click here to apply
For more information, visit RBPC.
