The Rice Business Plan Competition is an annual startup pitch competition run by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship at Rice University in Houston, Texas, with Rice Business as presenting partner. The organisers call it the world’s largest and richest student start-up competition.
Invited teams spend three days on campus pitching to panels of investors and industry judges, through a 60-second elevator pitch and at least two 10-minute investor pitches.
Entries come from colleges and universities anywhere in the world. The 2026 edition brought 42 startups and 125 founders from 35 universities to Houston, and the 27th edition is set for 8–10 April 2027.
Benefits & funding
- More than $1 million in investment and cash prizes was expected at the 2026 competition; the organisers put the full pool, including in-kind awards, above $1.5 million.
- First place: $200,000 investment, sponsored by Goose Capital.
- Second place: $100,000 investment. Third place: $50,000 investment.
- Fourth through seventh place: $5,000 each in non-dilutive cash.
- Sector and special prizes for healthcare, space technology, women entrepreneurs and sustainability, plus smaller cash awards in the semi-final and wildcard rounds.
- Every competing startup left the 2026 event with at least $950 in prizes.
- Three days of feedback and mentoring from investor judges.
Eligibility
- The startup must be student-driven, student-created and/or student-managed.
- At least two current students must be founders or members of the management team, and at least one of them must be a current graduate degree-seeking student.
- Students may come from a college or university anywhere in the world; no nationality or residency requirement is stated.
- The startup must not have raised more than $250,000 in equity capital before the cycle cut-off date, published as 1 July 2025 for the 2026 competition.
- The startup must not have generated more than $100,000 in revenue in any 12-month period before that same cut-off date.
- The startup must be seeking funding or capital, or expect to be within the next 12 months, and must be a potentially viable investment opportunity.
- Teams bring two to four students to Houston, at least one a graduate student, and at least two must present in every round.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Education required
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Application process
- 1Check the published eligibility rules before starting.
- 2Create an account on the application portal at rbpc.poetic.io once applications open; the 2026 cycle opened on 3 November 2025.
- 3Complete the online form — roughly 20 questions on the startup leader and team members, sector, a description of 100 words or fewer, funding and revenue to date, and stage of progress.
- 4Upload an executive summary as a PDF of five pages or fewer and under 5 MB, with the startup name on the first page.
- 5Submit before the closing time, 11:59 PM US Central Time on the deadline date.
- 6Wait for screening in early to mid February; invited startups are announced in mid-February and confirm participation within about a week.
- 7Submit the required competition documents in March and attend all three days in Houston.
Program timeline
Applications open for the 2026 competition
Nov 3, 2025
Information session
Nov 13, 2025
Information session
Dec 11, 2025
Application deadline, 11:59 PM CST
Jan 31, 2026
Invited startups announced
Feb 17, 2026
Invited startups confirm participation
Feb 23, 2026
Competition documents due
Mar 19, 2026
2026 competition opens at Rice University (ends 11 April)
Apr 9, 2026
27th competition, 8–10 April 2027; application dates for this cycle are not yet published
Apr 8, 2027