Several teams from Triangle universities and Georgia are among the semifinalists in the $300,000 Rice Business Plan Competition.
More than 140 teams entered the event, which is touted as the “richest” business plan competition in the world. The finals are set for March 22-24 in Houston where Rice University is located.
Among the semifinalists are:
• Duke University: Spectrum Diagnostics and Innovators in HOPE
• Georgia Tech: Pharmaceutical Intelligence
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: ImagineOptix
• University of Georgia: VisVisa
Semifinalists were selected from around the world.
“This year’s field of competitors is the toughest ever in the seven-year history of the competition,” said Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance. “Simply being accepted as a semi-finalist can be considered a success, especially this year. It will be harder than ever for our judges to select the winning company.”
The winning team will receive a $100,000 equity investment, $20,000 in cash and more than $55,000 in business services.
More than 150 venture capitalists, investors and business executives will serve as the judges.
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship puts on the event.
