Application Details | Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition at CERAWeek

Pitch Preview: Energy Venture Day at the Ion:

• Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | 8:00 am - Registration & Light Breakfast, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm - Pitch Program. Ion Houston
• 3.5-minute pitches from 50+ energy ventures 

Office Hours Meetings Between Investors and Energy Ventures: 

• Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | 2:30 pm - Registration, 3:00 to 5:30 pm - Meetings.
  Ion Houston
• Invite-Only for selected energy ventures and investors 

Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during CERAWeek:

• Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm, 5:00 pm - Awards. George R Brown Convention Center, 2d Floor, McKinney Balcony
• Hosted by Rice Alliance, HETI and TEX-E
• No Agora pass is needed for access to the second floor McKinney Balcony
• 3.5-minute pitches from 40 energy ventures
• 4 tracks for energy technology ventures
  • 3 tracks for early to late-stage ventures
  • 1 track for student-led ventures: the TEX-E Prize

Eligibility: 

All energy ventures and entrepreneurs with businesses, such as (but not limited to) those addressing challenges and opportunities in Advanced Manufacturing and Materials, CCUS, Renewables, Energy Storage, Nuclear, and the Circular Economy, are invited to apply. All energy ventures from early-stage to growth stage that have a technology solution are eligible to participate. Five pitch slots will be reserved for early-stage student-led energy startups from universities in Texas for the TEX-E Prize. 

Selection and Judging: 

The hosts of Energy Venture Day, the Rice Alliance, HETI and TEX-E, along with a pool of investors and industry experts, will select the final ventures to participate. During the competition,  a panel of investor and corporate judges will select the top three companies from each of the first three tracks to be awarded bragging rights. The TEX-E judges will select the top three startups from the TEX-E Prize track to be awarded cash prizes. 

Cost:

There is no cost to apply. Once selected, participating energy venture registration is $395 which includes one pass for the CERAWeek Agora. Student startups selected for the TEX-E Prize have no-cost registration. 

Pitch Format: 

The selected energy companies will be grouped into four tracks. Three for seed-stage to growth-stage ventures and one track for student ventures.

• Seed-Stage to Growth Stage:
  The three tracks will be based on technology or industry-focus (i.e. materials). These tracks will be announced at a later time. 13 companies will give a 3.5-minute pitch in each track to a panel of industry judges, as well as a room full of CERAWeek attendees. 
   
• University Early Stage: 
  Five student-led companies will give a 3.5-minute presentation in the TEX-E pitch competition, followed by Q&A from a panel of experts. The top three companies in this track will be awarded cash prizes from TEX-E.

Office Hours Format: 

All ventures invited to pitch at Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition will be included in Office Hours: one-on-one meetings with investors. More than 40 investor groups are expected to participate. Investors review applications in advance and provide organizers with their priority meetings. This investor-led matching ensures meetings will be productive—with investors who are interested in learning more about your solutions. Office hours will be held on Tuesday, March 24 at the Ion Houston. Participating ventures should expect between 3-7, 10-minute meetings.