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.

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 of Rice Business

• Over $1.5 million in prizes; minimum cash prize is $800; grand prize winner receives a $150,000 investment.

Check : National Business Book Award 2025 ($30,000 prize)

Eligibility for Rice Business

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.

Also Check : Harry Frank Guggenheim Emerging Scholar Awards 2025 (up to $25,000)

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.

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