Enter the Rice University Business Plan Graduate-level Student Startup Competition 2024 ($1.6m in Cash)
The RICE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION for 2024 is now open. The entrepreneurs participating in the competition, now in its 24th year, gain valuable real-world experience as they pitch their startups, refine their business strategies, and discover what it takes to launch a successful company. This event is hosted and organized by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, a renowned initiative of Rice University dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship, along with Rice Business. Since its inception, the competition has grown significantly, starting with nine teams vying for a $10,000 prize in 2001, and now attracting 42 teams from across the globe competing for over $1 million in cash and prizes. Undoubtedly, it stands as the largest and most lucrative student startup competition worldwide.
Applicable sectors
- Energy, Cleantech, and Sustainability
- Hard Tech
- Life Sciences and Healthcare Solutions
- Digital Enterprise
- Consumer Products and Services
Prizes:
All 42 startups participating in the 2024 Rice Business Plan Competition will receive a minimum of $950 in prizes, regardless of their placement in the competition. Our prizes include cash, no-equity investments, invitations from Houston accelerators with potential investment prizes, and in-kind prizes that offer valuable expertise to help your startup thrive. Participants will also get:
- Mentoring
- Business Plan Feedback Before the Competition
- Pre-Competition Mentorship
- Practice round
Eligibility Criteria. To be eligible for RBPC 2024, your startup must meet the following criteria:
- It should be driven, created, and/or managed by students.
- It must have a minimum of two current student founders or members in the management team, with at least one of them being a current graduate degree-seeking student.
- It can be from any college or university worldwide.
- It should not have raised more than $250,000 in equity capital before July 1, 2023.
- It should not have generated revenue exceeding $100,000 in any 12-month period before July 1, 2023.
- It should be actively seeking funding or capital, or have plans to do so within the next 12 months.
- It should present a potentially viable investment opportunity.
Application deadline January 31, 2024. For details and to submit an application, visit the official website of the RICE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION here
