About OwlSpark

Established in 2012, OwlSpark was founded to ignite a passion for entrepreneurship within the Rice community. The impact of OwlSpark has built an ecosystem for entrepreneurs to connect and venture teams to launch. Since 2013, 204 founders have launched 97 ventures.

OwlSpark provides students, faculty, staff and recent alumni hands-on entrepreneurship experiences and a roadmap from innovation to commercialization. At the intersection of determination, grit, versatility and passion, we have created a family of like-minded thinkers and doers, and built a network that enables entrepreneurs to do cool things that make a difference.

Along with our accelerator program, our partnerships with the University of Houston and community organizations create an environment that cultivates entrepreneurs and early-stage startup teams, enabling founders to share ideas, experience the value of collaboration, and surround themselves with the best people and resources. The impact of OwlSpark has built an ecosystem for entrepreneurs to connect and ventures to launch.

OwlSpark grew in 2022 with the launch of BlueLaunch, a second accelerator to provide tailored support for small businesses and focused on customer development and business models. BlueLaunch took an actionable approach, helping participants enhance and grow their businesses from day one of the program. Business training, individualized mentoring and exposure to Rice and Houston’s best resources support entrepreneurs through customer development, brand refinement, product expansion and business strategy. Two classes participated in this separate accelerator from 2022 - 2023.

In 2024, the two accelerators were merged into OwlSpark, which has been expanded to offer two distinct tracks: one for tech startups and another for small businesses. Although many aspects of the accelerator will operate jointly, we'll still provide tailored content and training to meet the unique needs of each type of venture.