The application for the Rice Business Plan competition is now open. The Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) is the world’s richest and largest graduate-level student startup competition. It is hosted and organized by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. This article will focus on everything you need to know about the business plan competition.
2020 was the 20th year for the competition! In that time, it has grown from nine teams competing for $10,000 in prize money in 2001, to 42 teams from around the world competing for more than $1.5 million in cash and prizes.
Benefits of the competition to participants
Below are some of the benefits the participants enjoy
- Real-world opportunities to learn what’s required to successfully launch a new business
- Mentoring from investors and experienced entrepreneurs
- Networking with potential venture capitalists and other investors for three days
- High-caliber, experienced judges, the majority of whom are senior level investors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders
- Personalized, individual feedback during three separate sessions as well as on your written business plan before the competition
- Competition against top-ranked and emerging global student-led startups
The goal of the RBPC is to provide the best overall educational and entrepreneurial experience of any business plan/new venture competition.
Eligibility Requirements
You are initially eligible if your startup meets the requirements
- is student-driven, student-created and/or student-managed
- has at least two current student founders or management team members, and at least one of those students is a current graduate degree-seeking student
- are from a are from a college or university anywhere in the world
- has not raised more than $250,000 in equity capital prior to July 1, 2020
- is seeking funding or capital (or will be in the next 12 months)
- is a potentially viable investment opportunity
Important dates:
- Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 12:30 PM CST – RBPC announces 42 teams to compete via live video, email and phone.
- Monday, March 1, 2021 by 5:00 PM CST – Teams confirm commitment to compete via confirmation on application, and this is the last day to withdraw without penalty.
- Deadline TBA – Deadline to submit required documents and media for competition; judge material review and feedback period. In addition, this is the last date to submit updated materials.
- Competition date: April 5-9, 2021
For more information, visit the Rice Business Plan Competition website.
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