2026 Rice Business Plan Competition

The Rice Business Plan Competition showcases the best university startups from across the U.S. and around the world each year in Houston, Texas — giving young entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch to high-level investors, raise funds, scale their businesses, exit successfully and more.
 
How high are the stakes? Last year’s winner took home more than $900K in funding and RBPC alumni have gone on to raise more than $6 billion in total.  
 
Get ready to apply: Review frequently asked questions, check out a preview of the application, or join us at a virtual info session to learn more about the application process. Register now for one of the upcoming info sessions:

November 13, 2025

December 11, 2025

What can student startups do at the RBPC? 

• Find investors and compete for $1+ MILLION in prizes
• Win non-dilutive cash, investment and in-kind prizes (all competing startups win a minimum cash prize)
• Gain real-world experience
• Receive mentorship, feedback and guidance from investors and entrepreneurs
• Join top-ranked emerging graduate student-led startups
• Learn from, network with and connect to colleagues and peers 

We will be looking for startups to apply that: 

• Are student-driven, student-created and/or student-managed
• Are from a college or university anywhere in the world
• Have at least two current student founders or management team members (and at least one of those students must be a current graduate degree-seeking student (MA, PhD, MBA, JD, etc.)
• Fall into one of our 5 sectors: Energy, Cleantech & Sustainability, Life Science & Healthcare Solutions, Hard Tech, Digital Enterprise, or Consumer Products & Services
• Are seeking funding or capital (or will be in the next 12 months)
• Are potentially viable investment opportunities

 Registration link: https://rbpc.rice.edu/