Rice Business Plan Competition

Application Preview

Thinking about applying but want to check out the questions in advance? Below is a preview. Most questions are required:

  • Startup Leader and Member details
  • Startup Details (about 20 questions)
  • 7 acknowledgement questions
  • Attach a 5-page max executive summary

The Rice Business Plan Competition takes place April 8-10, 2027 at Rice University in Houston, Texas. 

2027 RICE BUSINESS PLAN APPLICATION PREVIEW

Note on Eligibility: If your startup has previously competed in the RBPC, you are ineligible to apply. Past applicants who were not selected to compete are encouraged to apply again.

Before starting the application, please confirm the statements below:

I have read the Eligibility and How to Apply document and certify that my startup is eligible to apply and compete in the RBPC. Document is on this page: https://rbpc.rice.edu/eligibility

  • Yes
  • No

My startup contains at least two current students pursuing a university or collegiate  undergraduate degree (BA, BS, etc.) or graduate-level degree (MBA, MA, MS, PhD, JD, MD (up to but not including residency, etc.). Both graduate student-led startups and undergraduate student-led startups are eligible to apply and compete.

  • Yes
  • No

I acknowledge that applicants should be seeking funding or capital and be a viable investment opportunity at the time of the competition.

  • Yes
  • No

A. Startup Leader Information (the primary student contact for your startup team)

Startup Name

Startup Leader First Name

Startup Leader Last Name

Startup Leader Email

Startup Leader Mobile

Startup Leader University

School/Department/College

City, State

Country

Startup Leader LinkedIn Profile URL

What degree are you seeking?

  • Undergraduate
  • Graduate

B. Startup Member (another student member of your startup team)

Startup Member First Name

Startup Member Last Name

Startup Member Email

Startup Member Mobile Phone Number

Startup Member University

Startup Member Department

Startup Member City, State

Startup Member Country

Startup Member LinkedIn Profile URL

What degree are you seeking?

  • Undergraduate
  • Graduate

C. Startup Details

My Startup is in the following primary sector:

List of sectors: https://rbpc.rice.edu/compete/sectors-and-subsectors

And to be more specific, my startup is in the following sub-sector (please select your primary sector to reveal a list of subsectors):

List of sub-sectors: https://rbpc.rice.edu/compete/sectors-and-subsectors

My startup could also fall into this secondary sector:

List of sectors: https://rbpc.rice.edu/compete/sectors-and-subsectors

Please link any social media and/or online presence of your startup:

In roughly 100 words or fewer (no more than 700 characters and spaces), describe your startup: the technology or concept, the problem you are solving, your unique selling proposition, etc.

Has the startup received any funding?

  • Yes
  • No

What type of funding has your startup received? Check all that apply.

  • Federal Grant
  • Investor / Equity
  • Prize
  • Other grant (regional, foundation, community, etc.)
  • None
  • Other

Total amount of funding received:

Please describe the types of funding and list amounts or put n/a (text must be 700 characters and spaces or fewer):

Has your startup generated any revenue?

  • Yes
  • No

Total revenue to date: 

Please describe revenue and amount in past 12 months or put n/a (text must be 700 characters and spaces or fewer):

Is your startup currently registered as a legal business entity?

  • Yes – Formed/Incorporated
  • In progress (filing underway)
  • No – Not yet formed

Does your startup of the startup founder have any intellectual property?

  • Yes
  • No

If yes, What type of intellectual property (IP) does your startup rely on? (Select all that apply)

  • Issued Patent(s)
  • Pending Patent Application(s) / Provisional Application(s)
  • Exclusive or Non-Exclusive License (e.g., University Tech Transfer)
  • Trade Secret(s) or Proprietary Software / Trade Secrets
  • Registered Trademark(s) or Copyright(s)
  • None / No formal IP

How is the IP legally controlled or owned by your startup entity?

  • Owned directly by the company (assigned by founders/inventors)
  • Licensed from a university or research institution
  • Licensed from a third party / corporate entity
  • IP is held individually by founders (not yet assigned to the company)
  • Not applicable / No IP

What is the current status of your primary patent protection (if applicable)?

  • Issued/Granted patent(s)
  • Non-provisional application pending
  • Provisional application filed
  • Planning to file within 12 months
  • Not applicable (relying on trade secrets, software, or brand)

ls/Has your startup participating/participated in any entrepreneurship programs? Check all that apply.

  • Business Plan / Venture / Startup Competition
  • Incubator / Accelerator Program
  • Entrepreneurship Center, Initiative or Department
  • Student Entrepreneurship Group or Club
  • Other
  • None

Please describe or put n/a (text must be 700 characters and spaces or fewer):

Please note your Startup Progress Level below. Choose the level that best corresponds to your status. If you have characteristics of more than one level, choose the higher level. This is a very general scale. We understand it will be different for each sector.

The entrepreneur/startup founder has (choose one):
1.    A vision of the product or service; identified a problem or opportunity; developed a hypothesis
2.    Defined the value proposition; identified the target market;  demonstrated basic functionality; developed a proof of concept
3.    Started developing or developed an MPV; confirmed value proposition through customer and expert feedback; started beta testing;
4.    Started testing the product or MVP, pilots, field trails, and/or demonstrations
5.    Started to see traction; begun customer acquisition
6.    Acquired paying customers; begun generating revenue; initiated commercial application; confirmed sustainable business model; started moves to scale

Please describe:

Please list your academic advisor. They will be contacted to confirm your startup's eligibility and authenticity. An academic advisor can be any faculty or staff at your university institution who advises, supports, works with, or knows about your start up:

Academic Advisor First Name

Academic Advisor Last Name

Academic Advisor university email

Academic Advisor university

School, Department, or Center

D. More Eligibility Acknowledgements and Executive Summary

I understand that any violation of the rules, intentional or non-intentional, is grounds for disqualification from the RBPC application process and competition.

  • Yes
  • No

I understand that once I submit my application, I cannot make any changes.

  • Yes
  • No

I understand that if my startup is invited to compete at the RBPC, at least two students from my startup will need to attend and present at the event at Rice University in Houston, Texas on April 8-10, 2027, and both must be currently-enrolled university of collegiate students

  • Yes
  • No

If your startup is based at, co-hosted at, and/or affiliated with Rice University, you will go through an internal review process to determine which Rice startup advances to the RBPC. (Please note that only one startup will compete at the RBPC from Rice University; the other invited startups will be selected from other universities through this application process.) 

If you are a Rice startup, please confirm with Yes.

  • Yes
  • No

Please attach your startup’s Executive Summary

Requirements:

  1. Your startup name must appear somewhere clearly on the first page of your executive summary
  2. Document MUST BE in PDF format
  3. No more than 5 pages
  4. No larger than 10 MB
  5. Applications with executive summaries submitted in the wrong format will not be screened
  6. If you need an template for an executive summary, there is one in the FAQ section of the website: https://rbpc.rice.edu/compete/faqs and linked here: 

E. Outreach

The questions below are optional but will help us determine the impact of our outreach activities, ensuring we are reaching and connecting with a representative and diverse set of founders.

How did you hear about the Rice Business Plan Competition? Choose all that apply:

  • Past RBPC competitors / RBPC alumni company
  • My university
  • An advisor or mentor
  • An investor
  • An external accelerator, incubator or other program
  • I have applied before
  • Web Search
  • Email from RBPC

A founder or management team member from my startup identifies with the following racial or ethnic group (choose all that apply):

  • Black /African American
  • American Indian or Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Hispanic or Latinx
  • Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
  • Other
  • Prefer not to asnwer

A founder or management team member from my startup is a female or identifies as a woman:

  • Yes
  • No
  • Prefer not to answer

A founder or management team member from my startup is a US military veteran:

  • Yes
  • No
  • Prefer not to answer

SAVE DRAFT or SUBMIT 

*****

Apply to the RBPC here. Good luck!                                                                                    

 

Ready to apply?