Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship

The 22nd Annual Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum is underway!

Yesterday, we hosted private Office Hours where participating ventures met one-on-one with investors and corporates—leading to more than 750 investor meetings ahead of the Forum.

This morning, we’re kicking off with welcoming remarks and an opening keynote from Arjun Murti, followed by a full day of company pitches, panels and conversations on the future of energy innovation.

Stay tuned as we highlight moments throughout the day—and don’t forget, the afternoon features the Clean Energy Accelerator Class 5 Demo Day pitches and more insightful panel discussions. Follow the full schedule at the link in bio.

You want this awesome custom Bayou Startup Showcase glass? Then be one of the first 200 attendees at the Bayou Startup Showcase celebrating the 24 startups from Rice University and University of Houston at Saint Arnold Brewing Company Wednesday Aug 3rd, 5-8pm!
RSVP at http://www.bayoustartupshowcase.com

We're just nine days away from the Ninth Annual on Wednesday August 3rd at Saint Arnold Brewery! Have you RSVP'd yet? You don't want to miss your chance on meeting the 24 newest and from Rice University and University of Houston accelerators: OwlSpark, RED Labs, BlueLaunch and RED Launch.

Head to http://bayoustartupshowcase.com to RSVP and checkout our teams pitches prior to the showcase!

Join us for the Ninth Annual on Wednesday, August 3rd at Saint Arnold Brewing Company . Help us celebrate the newest and small businesses from Rice University and University of Houston! The showcase features 24 companies from our four accelerators: RED Labs, OwlSpark, RED Launch and BlueLaunch. RSVP now to receive updates and get early access to pitch videos.

We LOVE our mentors at Rice University BlueLaunch and University of Houston RED Launch! Thankful for these wonderful professionals giving their time and invaluable advice to our founders. We pride ourselves on having a diverse group of individuals from all areas of the thriving Houston Entrepreneurship Ecosystem willing to share their ideas and guidance.

Dual, the artist behind some of Houston’s most beautiful pieces of urban art and murals, came to speak to Rice University BlueLaunch and University of Houston REDLaunch cohort as part of our Startup Founder Series. He shared with us how he turned his love of creating art to a very successful small business. His biggest piece of advice was how to utilize community collaboration, “Keep your options open to different thoughts and ideas. Take peoples proposals, give feedback and recommendations , and create something you can be proud of.”

Read Boles, professor at Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, had some actionable advice in the special art of making sales for the Rice University OwlSpark and RED Labs cohort. "Step one: Find out who the first customer is and sell, sell, sell. Step two: Figure out how you expand this thing. Identify an adjacent customer with minimum pain and suffering." He reminded us to work smarter not harder, "There will be a tendency for chasing the next shiny project. But maybe a more disciplined systematic and beneficial choice is to find an adjacent market".

Enjoyed having Paine Matiscik, two-time OwlSpark alumni, join us as part of our Startup Founder Series for Rice University OwlSpark and RED Labs to speak to our new cohort. He taught our new class the importance of networking, “Shake all the hands you can. It’s all about who you know, not what you know.” This piece of advice has gotten him to where he is today as Investor Relations Manager at Capital Factory.Love watching our alumni thrive!🤝

Happy Birthday Jess! Thanks for being our fearless leader for OwlSpark& BlueLaunch. We appreciate you🎉

Check out Class 10 of Rice UniversityOwlSpark and University of Houston RED Labs🌟 These founders are ready to take their startups to the next level. Stay tuned to keep up with their journey!

📣 Apply by April 1 for OwlSpark Class 10! OwlSpark is an immersive 12‐week program for the Rice University tech entrepreneur—and provides curriculum, mentoring and connections to investors and a vast entrepreneurial network. In partnership with University of Houston's RED Labs, OwlSpark culminates in the Bayou Startup Showcase, an opportunity to pitch to investors and members of the Houston community.

Now in the 10th year, 180 founders across 73 tech startups have participated in OwlSpark and gone on to raise more than $28 million in funding.

Open to Rice University students, faculty, staff and recent alumni across disciplines. Startups receive a $1,000 stipend to participate!

https://owlspark.com/apply/