News

Nine companies were named most promising at the annual Rice Alliance Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition at CERAWeek March 12, co-hosted with the Houston Energy Transition Initiative and TEX-E. The event showcases energy ventures driving efficiency and advancements toward the energy transition through fields such as carbon management, advanced manufacturing, hydrogen, grid technology and more. This year’s competition was a qualifying event for the Startup World Cup, powered by Pegasus Ventures. The top-scoring venture is invited to compete in the grand finale for a $1 million investment prize.

The 2025 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) announced today the 42 startups invited to compete for more than $1 million in prizes April 10-12 at Rice University and the Ion in Houston.

The RBPC, presented by Rice Business and hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, brings together the best student ventures from top universities across the world to compete for prizes in front of more than 300 angel, venture capital and corporate investors and members of the business community.

HOUSTON and SILICON VALLEY, Calif., March 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy startups attending CERAWeek 2025 have a unique opportunity to catapult their innovations onto the global stage. By participating in the Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition on March 11 and 12, 2025, in Houston, Texas, these startups can compete for a coveted spot at Startup World Cup 2025, the world's #1 startup pitch competition, where they will vie for a $1 million investment prize and unparalleled exposure to international investors, industry leaders, and media.

For the 13th year, the Texas Life Science Forum hosted by BioHouston and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship celebrated innovative companies from around the world that are creating new treatments and solutions to today's biggest health care challenges.

Over 500 people attended the 21st annual Energy Tech Venture Forum hosted by the Rice Alliance.

Anchor event for inaugural Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week that includes events at the Ion powered by Rice University.

The annual Bayou Startup Showcase presented by Rice University’s OwlSpark and the University of Houston’s RED Labs took place Aug. 1 at the Ion – Houston’s innovation hub powered by Rice.

The University of Houston and Rice University continue their 11-year collaboration to support Houston entrepreneurship by announcing the latest cohort of their respective startup and small business accelerators, RED Labs and OwlSpark. This summer the accelerators will host their ventures at the Ion, the heart of the Houston innovation corridor in Midtown.

For the 24th year, the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship hosted its Rice Business Plan Competition, facilitating over $1.5 million in investment and cash prizes to the top teams.

The Rice Alliance , the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) and TEX-E have opened applications for their Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition at CERAWeek, set to take place in the Agora program on March 20.

Rice University’s Office of Innovation has named Brad Burke as associate vice president for industry and new ventures. 

Fifteen new energy ventures that are building technologies to accelerate the energy transition will work with the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator as part of the third cohort of the program.

HOUSTON – (May 15, 2023) – FluxWorks from Texas A&M University, a magnetic gear technology company, took home the grand prize at the 2023 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC).

On Saturday night in Houston, Rice University hosted an awards banquet for the largest and most lucrative pitch competition in the world - the Rice Business Plan Competition. Founded in 2001, the RBPC is designed to honor the brightest and best entrepreneurs on the planet - offering nearly $3 million in awards to the teams that compete. 

HOUSTON – (May 1, 2023) – The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, a catalyst for innovation and new business, has announced the 17 ventures participating in its summer accelerators for Rice University students, faculty, recent alumni and staff, the largest number of ventures in the 11-year history of these programs.

HOUSTON – (March 22, 2023) – The 2023 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC), hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the Jones Graduate School of Business, will be held on Rice University campus May 11-13. The competition brings together the most promising student ventures from top universities across the world to compete for prizes in front of active investors, entrepreneurs and the Houston business community.

HOUSTON – (March 9, 2023) – After 42 pitches and more than 300 meetings, investors and energy corporations have selected the eight “Most Promising Companies” at the 2023 Rice Alliance Energy Venture Day.

HOUSTON – (March 20, 2023) – The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is accepting applications for Class 3 of its Clean Energy Accelerator, the premier energy transition accelerator in Houston, through April 14.

HOUSTON – (Nov. 14, 2022) – Clean energy startups that are ready for investments and pilot programs will showcase their work during The Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator’s Nov. 17 Demo Day.

The event hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship will present quick pitches from 17 companies as well as networking opportunities. Startups will showcase work in areas including advanced materials, energy storage, energy efficiency, hydrogen, wind, wave and geothermal energy. Anyone interested in attending should register here.

Based on professors’ tech, it aims to commercialize decarbonization of hydrogen production and chemical manufacturing. Syzygy Plasmonics, a Houston-based startup fueled by technology developed at Rice University, has announced $76 million in Series C financing led by Carbon Direct Capital — one of the largest rounds of funding for a venture spun out of a Rice lab.

HOUSTON – (Sept. 9, 2022) – The founding partners of the National Science Foundation Southwest I-Corps Node, co-established by Rice University, have been awarded a $15 million grant to form a hub that will expand the partnership to five additional universities.

HOUSTON – (Aug. 30, 2022) – This year’s edition of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship Energy Tech Venture Forum, the premier venture capital and energy tech conference for connecting innovators, investors, corporations and the energy ecosystem, will feature more than 60 companies pitching their technologies to investors.

HOUSTON – (Aug. 4, 2022) – The Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator’s second annual class will put a spotlight on 17 early- to mid-stage startups that collectively have already raised more than $54.5 million.

HOUSTON – (July 27, 2022) – OwlSpark, Rice University’s high-growth tech startup accelerator, is celebrating 10 years of facilitating entrepreneurship and its 10th cohort, along with debuting the inaugural class of the small business accelerator BlueLaunch, which is focused on growing ventures of any industry.

HOUSTON – (May 31, 2022) – Entrepreneurs who are interested in running a startup that can impact the energy transition can apply to be matched with a novel technology in a new Chevron Studio program.

Applications are open through May 31 for the second cohort of the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator, which helps seed-stage startups refine and grow their sustainable and energy-transition technology solutions.

Smith shares more about what she's looking for in the second cohort of CEA on the podcast episode, as well as what she sees as Houston's role in the energy transition. Listen to the full interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.

Rice has a new resource for entrepreneurs: BlueLaunch, the Rice University accelerator for consumer product companies and other small businesses.

BlueLaunch, the latest initiative from the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, provides hands-on training and mentoring designed to support the success of Rice-affiliated small-business entrepreneurs in any industry. Companies accepted into the accelerator have access to legal, financial, sales and marketing resources as well as mentorship from an invaluable professional network.

This week, 39 energy startup companies from all over the world pitched in Houston — and nine were recognized as being the most promising of the batch.

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship returned its Offshore Technology Conference pitch event to its in-person capacity and host the annual event at the Ion Houston for the first time. The event featured three-minute pitches from the companies, and a select group of corporate and venture investors decided on the top nine to honor.

LIDROTEC, a student startup from RWTH Aachen University in Germany that aims to increase production in the semiconductor industry, took home the grand prize at the 2022 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC).

he Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the Jones Graduate School of Business have announced the 42 student teams that will compete in the 2022 Rice Business Plan Competition, which returns to an in-person format on the Rice University campus in April.

HOUSTON – (Nov. 16, 2021) – Rice Business is ranked the No. 1 graduate entrepreneurship program in the United States for 2022 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. This is Rice Business’ third No. 1 ranking in a row, its sixth year in the top three and the 13th year in which it has ranked in the top 10 on this prestigious list.

SeebeckCell Technologies, a startup in the first class of the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator, today announced they are invited to participate in the Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) Catalyst Program to develop further their technology platform designed to recover industrial waste heat energy, increasing energy consumption efficiency, and eliminating battery replacement in IoT applications.

Rice Business moves up 12 spots to #3 this year for Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship by Poets & Quants: The Jones School itself is less than three decades old. But entrepreneurship was baked into its DNA from the get-go.

The Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University is ranked No. 3 in Poets & Quants’ World’s Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship rankings for 2022, up from No. 15 on the 2021 list. Poets & Quants created the annual rankings with Inc. Magazine to measure schools' performance in providing launching pads for entrepreneurial-minded MBA students. 

A dozen startups will pitch their clean energy technologies to investors and industry leaders this week as a virtual Demo Day concludes the inaugural class of the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator. Read more in the Rice University press release. 

The Rice Alliance Energy Venture Day at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) features 14 promising energy companies — which combined have raised more than $108 million — presenting their business pitches to key industry investors and leaders.

Rice University selected 12 early-stage clean energy startups to help accelerate over the summer — and the new program kicks off later this month.

An application that allows convenience store owners to remotely manage and monitor their businesses from their smartphones took home the grand prize during the 2021...

Three events during this week’s Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) — the world’s largest and richest student startup competition — will be livestreamed. Hosted by...

Applications to join the first Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator cohort are open to early-stage clean energy startups. The Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator — located in...

World’s largest, richest student startup competition reveals participants Friday The Rice Business Plan Competition — the world’s largest and richest student startup competition — will...

Rice and its Jones Graduate School of Business have the No. 1 graduate entrepreneurship program in the U.S., according to the 2021 rankings announced Nov. 17 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. This marks the second consecutive year the Rice program has topped this category, its fifth time in a top 3 position nationally and the 12th year in a row ranked in the top 10.

Life science investors, leaders and innovators from around the world gathered virtually to discuss the pandemic, medical technology and the future of the industry at...

The 2020 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers conference brought together the largest number of attendees in the annual event’s 24-year history to award 17 university...

The Ion, the innovation and startup hub being developed in Midtown Houston by Rice University, has received a grant for $1.5 million from the Economic...

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship has announced its new Clean Energy Accelerator — a 12-week program for early stage energy startups — at the close of the 18th annual Energy Tech Venture Forum.

"Houston truly is the hub of the global energy industry, and it is here where the next generation of energy leaders will create and scale innovations that will change the world," says Bob Harvey, president and CEO at the Greater Houston Partnership, in a press release. "The new Clean Energy Accelerator will build on that legacy and align with the work already taking place in Houston's robust energy innovation ecosystem."

Rice Alliance, the globally recognized initiative within the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University, will expand its programs to help startup enterprises with the launch of the Clean Energy Accelerator.

The accelerator will be a hands-on, 12-week program to support early stage energy startups from around the world, all of which will have access to the Rice Alliance network of energy corporations, investors and advisers. Rice Alliance will leverage existing relationships with energy corporations and investors, as well as its experiences from the Rice Business Plan Competition, energy tech venture forums and the Rice University OwlSpark accelerator.

For the 20th year, the Rice Business Plan Competition has awarded prizes and investments to student-led startups from around the ward. While this year's competition was postponed and virtually held, the show went on with 42 startups pitching virtually June 17 to 19.

After whittling down the 42 startups to seven finalists, the RBPC judges named the winners. And, this year, all seven finalists walked away with a monetary prize. Here's how the finalists cleaned up.

Aurign, which provides publishing services for recording artists and record labels, from Georgia State University, won first place and the $350,000 grand prize from GOOSE Capital. Aurign also won RG Advisory Partners' prize of $25,000, bringing the company's total to $375,000 won.

An Atlanta-based startup that combines music publishing with blockchain technology won the 20th Rice Business Plan Competition, a three-day event that was postponed and held virtually this week due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aurign, a startup out of Georgia State University, won a $350,000 investment, which could increase as it works with Goose Capital, a Texas investment firm. It was one of seven finalists that competed Friday. 

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship’s annual Energy Tech Venture Day, which is usually part of the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston each May but moved to a virtual format this year.

Energy Tech Venture Day still on for May 7 Companies to present their pitches...

The Rice Business Plan Competition, the world’s richest and largest student venture competition, had six of its recent alumni startups featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2020, an annual compilation of the most innovative and exciting young entrepreneurs in the United States and Canada.

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, one of the country’s premier initiatives devoted to the support of technology commercialization, entrepreneurship education and the launch of technology companies, hosted a special event Dec. 5 to unveil its new offices, the 3,000-square-foot Bill and Stephanie Sick Suite.

Eleven universities with leading-edge entrepreneurship programs, along with 19 finalists, were recognized for their outstanding programs at the 2019 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) conference in Stockholm. The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business serve as the central office for the GCEC organization.

Rice and its Jones Graduate School of Business have the No. 1 graduate entrepreneurship program in the U.S., according to the 2020 rankings announced Nov. 12 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. This marks the first time the Rice program has topped this category, its fourth time in a top 3 position nationally and the 11th year in a row the school has been ranked in the top 10.

Ultrafast battery charging and a method to stop oil spills from spreading are among the technological advances touted by new companies honored this year at the largest energy tech venture capital conference in the U.S.

Rice's Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie) and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship successfully held the first campuswide entrepreneurship event Sept. 4 to bring the university’s entrepreneurship community together in one place.

After 12 weeks of refining their business models and building their companies as part of an annual startup accelerator program, teams from Rice’s OwlSpark and the University of Houston’s RED Labs pitched their innovations at the Bayou Startup Showcase held Aug. 1 at The Cannon and Bayou City Fellowship campus.

The winner of the 2019 Rice University Business Plan Competition will ring Nasdaq’s opening bell on the day before Independence Day. Vita Inclinata Technologies from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota will perform the ceremonial opening of the Nasdaq Stock Market trading day at 9:30 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, July 3.

Rice University’s OwlSpark and the University of Houston’s RED Labs will launch their annual joint startup accelerator program on May 16. The startups, whose offerings range from medical devices to consumer apps and enterprise software, will attend the 12-week program at Station Houston, an accelerator hub for startup technology companies, corporate innovation and entrepreneurship.

Ten companies were recognized as "most promising" at the 2019 Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship's Startup Roundup May 6 at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

From oil and gas and space exploration to the largest medical center in the world, Houston has long been a capital for innovation. Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business April 17 about his vision for the city as one of the leading centers of innovation and entrepreneurship, driving economic development and jobs over the next decade.