Rice University Business Plan Competition – $1.5 Million Offer

Rice University Business Plan Competition – $1.5 Million Offer

Application Deadline: February 8th, 2021

Organized and hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, the Rice Business Plan competition is the richest and largest graduate-level student startup competition across the world. It is the Rice University’s internationally-recognized initiative devoted to the support of entrepreneurship, and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business.

2020 was the 20th year for the competition! In that time, it has grown from nine teams competing for $10,000 in prize money in 2001, to 42 teams from around the world competing for more than $1.5 million in cash and prizes. Even in the virtual environment, the competition provided an unparalleled experience for the participants by designing a diverse program over the course of three-days, with significant time designated for feedback and interaction with the judging panel.

Below are the highlights of content of the competition:

Mentoring from investors and experienced entrepreneurs.

Real-world opportunities to learn what’s required to successfully launch a new business.

Networking with potential venture capitalists and other investors for three days

Personalized, individual feedback during three separate sessions as well as on your written business plan before the competition .

Highly experienced judges, the majority of whom are senior level investors, entrepreneurs and leaders of industries.

Competition against top-ranked and emerging global student-led startups

The goal of the RBPC is to provide the best overall educational and entrepreneurial experience of any business plan/new venture competition and we were very gratified by the feedback we have received from past competitors and judges.

Requisites for Eligibility:

What qualifies any candidate to apply to the Rice Business Plan Competition

A candidate is initially eligible if his/her 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 are from a college or university anywhere in the world.
has not raised more than $250,000 in equity capital prior to July 1, 2020.
is seeking funding or capital (or will be in the next 12 months)
is a potentially viable investment opportunity.

Value of the competition:

More than $1.3 million in investment, cash and in-kind prizes was awarded to the teams at the 2020 Rice Business Plan Competition.

Prizes offered at the 2021 RBPC are expected to mirror this year’s prizes.

Rules and Format of the Competition:

Dates to note:

Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 12:30 PM CST RBPC announces 42 teams to compete via live vide0, email and phone.
Monday, March 1, 2021 by 5:00 PM CST.

– Invited teams confirm commitment to compete via confirmation of application, and last day to withdraw without penalty.

Deadline TBA – Deadline to submit required documents and media for competition; judge material review and feedback period; final submission of updated materials.

The days for the Rice Business Plan Competition are April 5-9, 2021.