Call For Applications: Rice Business Plan Competition 2025 (up to $1.5 million in prizes)
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.
Apply Also: Stories x Women Program for Women Creatives (Fully-funded)
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.
Deadline: January 27, 2025