Want to progress your startup?
Thinking about where to go from here?
Need funding and mentorship?
Take your student venture to the next level and apply to the Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC)!
Rice University is home to the largest and richest graduate student startup competition--the RBPC! With 42 university ventures from around the US and the world competing for over $1 million in in prizes over 3 days, it's a big deal!
Will your startup be the one to represent Rice University?
Get in it to win it!
At the RBPC, collegiate entrepreneurs get real-world experience in how to pitch their startups to investors, integrate with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, enhance their startup strategy, connect with mentors, and learn what it takes to launch a successful business.
To be eligible, your startup will:
Have at least one current Rice student founder
Contain at least two current student founders or management team members, one of which must be a graduate-degree seeking student (MA, PhD, MBA, JD, etc)
Be student-driven, student-created and/or student-managed, but can be from multiple universities and across degree programs
Fall into one of the following categories: Energy, Cleantech & Sustainability, Life Science and Healthcare Solutions, Had Tech, Digital Enterprise, and Consumer Products and Services
Not have raised more than $250,000 in equity capital prior to July 1, 2020
Be seeking funding (or will be in the next 12 months) and be a potentially viable investment opportunity
Important deadlines:
Applications are due Tuesday, February 2, 2021 by 11:59 PM CST.
All Rice startups will apply on the main application site and click Yes to the question about Rice affiliation.
The selection process (short pitch with Q&A) to determine which Rice startup will be invited to compete in the RBPC is Thursday, Feb. 18 from 5:30 - 8:30 PM (remote).
The Rice Business Plan Competition takes place April 5-9, 2021 (remote).
The application and complete details on eligibility, guidelines, rules, prizes and competition format are on the RBPC website: www.rbpc.rice.edu.
Contact Catherine Santamaria, RBPC Director, at rbpc@rice.edu for more info. Thank you and see you at the races!
Catherine Santamaria
Director, Rice Business Plan Competition
Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
713-348-3190 (leave a message and I will call you back)
