A Rice Business Plan Competition is the world's richest undergraduate and graduate student startup competition. It is organised by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, which is Rice University's internationally recognised initiative dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship, and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. 2020 was the competition's 20th year! In that time, it has grown from nine teams competing for US$ 10,000 in prizes in 2001, to 42 teams from all over the world competing for more than US$ 1.5 million in cash and prizes. Even in the virtual environment, the competition has provided an unparalleled experience for participants by designing a diverse programme over three days, with significant time designated for feedback and interaction with the jury.
Highlights of the competition:
- Real-world opportunities to learn what it takes to successfully launch a new business
- Mentoring from experienced investors and entrepreneurs
- Networking with potential venture capitalists and other investors for three days
- Experienced, high-calibre judges, most of whom are high-profile investors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders
- Personalised individual feedback during three separate sessions, as well as on your written business plan before the competition
- Competition against top-ranked global and emerging student-led startups
RBPC's aim is to provide the best overall educational and entrepreneurial experience of any business plan/new venture competition and we have been very pleased with the feedback we have received from former competitors and judges.
Eligibility requirements
Are you eligible to apply for the Rice Business Plan Comepetition? Let's see!
Initially, you are eligible if your initialisation:
- is student-led, student-created and/or student-managed
- has at least two current founders or members of the management team, and at least one of these students is a current graduate student seeking a degree
- are from a college or university anywhere in the world
- did not raise more than US $ 250,000 in equity before 1 July 2020
- is seeking financing or capital (or will be in the next 12 months)
- is a potentially viable investment opportunity
Prize
- In total, more than US$ 1.3 million in investments, cash and prizes in kind were awarded to the teams in the rice 2020 Business Plan Competition.
- The prizes offered at RBPC 2021 should mirror this year's awards.
Competition Rules and Format
Important dates:
- Tuesday, 23rd February 2021 at 12:30 CST - RBPC announces 42 teams to compete via live video, email and telephone
- Monday, 1st March from 2021 until 17:00 CST - Invited teams confirm their commitment to compete by confirming their registration, and last day to withdraw without penalty
- Deadline TBA - Deadline for submission of documents and media required for the competition; period for review and feedback of judge's materials; final submission of updated materials
- Save the dates 5-9 April 2021 for the RICE Business Plan Competition!
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