For the 24th time, the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship hosted the Rice Business Plan Competition, awarding more than $1.5 million in investments and cash prizes to top teams.
Announced earlier this year and featuring teams from around the world, 42 of this year’s startups took part in the three-day event, which culminated with a reception on Saturday, April 6th. Companies were divided into his five categories: energy, cleantech; and sustainability. Hard Tech; Life Sciences and Healthcare Solutions. Digital enterprise. Consumer Products and Services.
“We are awarding a $1 million prize to a competitor, which will provide the foundational capital to launch a startup,” RBPC Director Katherine Santamaria said at the April 6 ceremony. He said this at the award ceremony on April 6th. This room exudes a sense of generosity and community. This community is always ready to support founders and support our vision for the competition by investing time, money, and resources in student innovators. ”
All participating teams received $950 for being selected, while several teams walked away with thousands in funds, cash, and in-kind prizes. Here are the companies with big wins:
Mesa Quantum, Harvard University — $335,000
MesaQuantum develops accurate and precision chip-scale clocks. Although the company was not selected as a finalist, it secured the most funding among several awards.
- $250,000 OWL Investment Award
- $60,000 nCourage Courageous Women Entrepreneur Investment Award
- $25,000 Jacobs, Intuitive Machines, WRX Corporate Rising Star Space Technology and Commercial Aerospace Prize
Protein Pint, Michigan State University — $251,000
The big winner of the night was Michigan State University’s Protein Pint, a high-protein, low-sugar ice cream product. The company not only won his GOOSE Capital Investment Grand Prize for first place and $150,000 in prize money, as determined by over 350 judges, but also won other investment awards including:
- $100,000 Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Texas Angels Investment Award — Protein Pint, Michigan State University
- Eagle Investor Award
- Amberch Family Company Showcase Award $1,000
- Mercury Elevator Pitch Competition Award (Best Consumer Product Category)
- Invitation to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Elevator Pitch Show
Osfim, RWTH Aachen University — $201,000
Osphim, a German data collection and monitoring platform, won the following award despite not being shortlisted.
- $200,000 Goose Capital Investment Award
- Amberch Family Company Showcase Award $1,000
- Mercury Elevator Pitch Competition Award (Digital Division Grand Prize)
Johns Hopkins University Somnair — $200,000
Somnair won second place and $100,000 from David Anderson, Jon Finger, Anderson Family Fund, Finger Interests, Greg Novak and Tracy Druce to treat obstructive sleep apnea. is a new non-invasive neurostimulation device. The company also received the following awards:
- Houston Angel Network Investment Award $100,000
- Mercury Elevator Pitch Competition Award (Life Science Category)
- Invitation to Texas Medical Center Accelerator Bootcamp
- Invitation to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Elevator Pitch Show
University of Kansas Icorium Engineering Company — $171,000
Icorium Engineering Company — a chemical engineering startup developing technologies to enable a sustainable circular economy for refrigerants and other complex chemical mixtures — is a partner of Norton Rose Fulbright, EY, Chevron Technology Ventures, Sponsored by Shell Ventures, he placed fifth and won $5,000 in prize money. As:
- $100,000 OWL Investment Award
- $40,000 nCourage Courageous Women Entrepreneur Investment Award
- $25,000 from Finger Interest, Anderson Family Fund of the Greater Houston Community Foundation, Greg Novak, and Tracy Doles
- Amberch Family Company Showcase Award $1,000
- Mercury Elevator Pitch Competition Award (Best Energy, Sustainability Award)
- Invitation to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Elevator Pitch Show
InfoRouter, Tulane University — $70,000
Informuta’s proprietary technology uses DNA sequencing to predict whether bacteria will respond to different antibiotics or whether they will develop resistance for the first time in the future, causing treatment failure. The company placed fourth and won a $5,000 prize sponsored by Norton Rose Fulbright, EY, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Shell Ventures.
$40,000 Pearland EDC Spirit of Entrepreneurship Prize- $25,000 from Finger Interest, Anderson Family Fund of the Greater Houston Community Foundation, Greg Novak, and Tracy Doles
EndoShunt Medical, Harvard University — $55,000
EndoShunt has developed a rapid, targeted blood flow control device that can be used in emergency situations and trauma scenes. The company won his sixth place and $5,000 in prize money, sponsored by Norton Rose Fulbright, EY, Chevron Technology Ventures, Shell Ventures, as well as:
- $25,000 Southwest National Pediatric Device Consortium Pediatric Device Prize
- $25,000 from Finger Interest, Anderson Family Fund of the Greater Houston Community Foundation, Greg Novak, and Tracy Doles
Power2Polymers, RWTH Aachen University —$50,000
Addressing the challenge of permanent chemicals, Power2Polymers creates safe alternatives that are free of permanent chemicals. A German company took third place with a $50,000 investment sponsored by Finger Interests, the Anderson Family Fund of the Greater Houston Community Foundation, Greg Novak and Tracy Doles. The company also won the Mercury Elevator Pitch Competition Award (best overall award).
D. Saul, Carnegie Mellon University — $30,000
D. Sole earned a wild card ticket to the finals and finished 7th. The company is developing remote patient monitoring in podiatry using foot insoles designed for early detection and monitoring of diabetic foot complications such as ulcers and deformities. They also received $30,000 from Finger Interests, the Anderson Family Fund of the Greater Houston Community Foundation, and Greg Novak and Tracy Doles.
Other prizes:
- $25,000 New Climate Ventures Sustainable Investment Award Awarded to Yale University’s Oxylus Energy
- The $25,000 Dream Big Ventures Latino Entrepreneur Investment Award went to Northwestern University’s Dendritic Health AI
- NOV Energy Technology Innovation Prize of $25,000 awarded to University of Houston’s LiQuidium
- The $25,000 Urban Capital Network Diversity Investment Award in partnership with the South Loop Venture Investment Award went to TouchStone at the University of California, Berkeley.
