Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition | HETI + Rice Alliance + TEX-E

The Rice Alliance, the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) and TEX-E are partnering for the annual Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during CERAWeek, set to take place on Tuesday & Wednesday, March 24-25, 2026.

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About Energy Venture Day

The 2026 agenda will be updated soon, but we expect it to be similar as 2025.

Energy Venture Day features two days of presentations by energy tech ventures driving efficiency and advancements toward the energy transition.

On Tuesday, March 24, the Pitch Preview at the Ion will feature over 50 companies presenting in front of Rice Alliance's robust network of investors and industry partners. The pitches are followed by private, investor-led, one on one meetings to connect tech companies with venture capitalists, corporate innovation groups, industry leaders, and tech scouts.

The following day, Wednesday, March 25, the Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during CERAWeek will showcase 36 ventures at the George R Brown Convention Center, McKinney Balcony. This fast-paced competition is divided into three industry tracks spanning advanced materials to clean energy. Industry experts and investors will judge the pitches. The top three ventures from each track will be named in an awards ceremony at the end of the program.

Both events will include a university track, the TEX-E prize, highlighting the innovations of five Texas student-led energy startups. With mentorship leading up to the competition, these student startups will compete for $50K in cash prizes. Please contact Dr. Yolanda Norman (Ynorman@tex-e.org) for questions specific to the TEX-E prize and eligibility.

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 

Invite- Only, Office Hours Between Investors and Energy Ventures: 

• Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | 2:30 pm - Registration, 3:00 to 5:30 pm - Meetings
• Ion Houston 

Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during CERAWeek:

• Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• During CERAWeek; George R Brown Convention Center, 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 transition ventures
  • 3 tracks for early to late-stage ventures
  • 1 track for student-led ventures: the TEX-E Prize