Changes

*Student Enrollment: The competition is for students currently enrolled on a full- or part-time basis. Students who graduated in the preceding academic years are not eligible to participate. Appropriate adjustments are made for teams from non-US universities that have a different academic calendar. *Team Size: Team sizes can range from two to five students. At least two students must travel to Houston to compete and both must participate in the oral presentation of the business plan. Non-student team members are welcome to travel to Rice with the competing student team, but are prohibited from participating in the presentations or Q&A sessions. More than five students can travel to Rice with the team, but only five students can serve as presenters. Faculty advisors or other team mentors are encouraged to attend.  *Team Composition: This is a competition for graduate students, and at least one currently enrolled graduate student must be a member of the venture’s startup management team, and must be part of the team that presents in the competition (competing team). A team with some undergraduates will be allowed to compete, and the undergraduates may participate fully. All graduate students, not just MBA candidates, are eligible to participate in the competition. This includes executive MBAs, MD candidates, JD candidates, other Masters Candidates, and PhD Candidates. Students in Certificate programs or other non-degree programs, and Post-docs are excluded. Non-students may be members of the venture’s founding/management team and may participate in planning the venture. However, only students may compete (present the plan and answer questions from the competition judges). The maximum number of student competitors on a team participating at Rice is five, although there is no restriction on the total size of the venture’s founding team. *All ventures must be for-profit. *It is anticipated that students on the competing/presenting team should own at least 50% of the equity that is allocated to the management team OR at least 20% total equity. *The business plan must be prepared under faculty supervision.

Team Size: Team sizes can range from two to five students. At least two students must travel to Houston to compete and both must participate *The competition is for new, independent ventures in the oral presentation of the business planseed, start-up, or early growth stages. Non-student team members Generally excluded are welcome to travel to Rice with the competing student teamfollowing: buy-outs, expansions of existing companies, but are prohibited from participating real estate syndications, tax shelters, franchises, licensing agreements for distribution in the presentations or Q&A sessions. More than five students can travel to Rice with the teama different geographical area, but only five students can serve as presentersand spin-outs from existing corporations. Faculty advisors Licensing technologies from universities or other team mentors are research labs is encouraged to attend, assuming they have not been commercialized previously.

Team Composition: This is a competition for graduate students, and at least one currently enrolled graduate student must be a member of the venture’s startup management team, and must be part of the team that presents in the competition (competing team). A team with some undergraduates will be allowed to compete, and the undergraduates may participate fully. All graduate students, not just MBA candidates, are eligible to participate in the competition. This includes executive MBAs, MD candidates, JD candidates, other Masters Candidates, and PhD Candidates. Students in Certificate programs or other non-degree programs, and Post-docs are excluded. Non-students may be members of the venture’s founding/management team and may participate in planning the venture. However, *New technologies can only students may compete (present the plan and answer questions from enter the competition judges). The maximum number of student competitors on a team participating at Rice is five, although there is no restriction on the total size of the venture’s founding teamonce.