The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship announced the 42 student-led teams worldwide that will compete in the highly competitive Rice Business Plan Competition this spring.

The annual competition, known as one of the world’s largest and richest intercollegiate student startup competitions, will take place April 4 to 6 in Houston. Teams in this year's competition represent 35 universities from four countries, including two teams from Houston and four others from Texas.

Teams, made up of graduate students from a college or university anywhere in the world, will present their plans before 350 angel, venture capital, and corporate investors to compete for more than $1 million in prizes. Last year, teams were awarded $3.4 million in investment and in-kind prizes, the largest total awarded thus far in the decades-old competition after some investors doubled — or even tripled — down on investment awards.

The 2024 RBPC will focus on five categories: Energy, Cleantech and Sustainability; Hard Tech; Life Sciences and Healthcare Solutions; Digital Enterprise; Consumer Products and Services.

Invitees include:

• AIRS ML, Imperial College London (United Kingdom)
• Blaze Power, UCLA
• ChiChi Foods, Washington University in St. Louis
• CureWave Sciences, Rutgers University
• CurveAssure, Johns Hopkins University
• D.Sole, Carnegie Mellon University
• Dendritic Health AI, Northwestern University
• Dialysis Innovations, University of Michigan
• FlowCellutions, University of Pittsburgh
• HEXAspec, Rice University
• HydroPhos Solutions, University of New Hampshire
• Icorium Engineering Company, University of Kansas
• Informuta, Tulane University
• Kiwi Charge, York University (Canada)
• Korion Health, University of Maryland, College Park
• Limitless Aeronautics, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
• LiQuidium, University of Houston
• Malleous, University of Pittsburgh
• MesaQuantum, Harvard University
• MineMe, University of Pennsylvania
• NaviAI, Cornell University
• NutriAI, Tufts University
• OSPHIM, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)
• Overture Games, Northwestern University
• OX SOX, University of Georgia
• Oxylus Energy, Yale University
• Palanquin Power, University of Texas at Austin
• Paradigm Robotics, University of Texas at Austin
• Particle-N, University of Connecticut
• Poka Labs, Harvard University
• Power2Polymer, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)
• ProPika, University of Arkansas
• Protein Pints, Michigan State University
• Samtracs, Oklahoma State University
• Sancorda Medical, University of Texas at Dallas
• Side Coach Sports, Baylor University
• Socian AI, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Somnair, Johns Hopkins University
• TouchStone, University of California, Berkeley
• Vita Innovations, Stanford University
• WattShift, University of Chicago
• ZebraMD, UCLA

The companies join more than 700 RBPC alumns that have collectively raised more than $5.5 billion in funding. More than 269 RBPC companies are in business or have made successful exits, according to the Rice Alliance's website.

Last year, Texas A&M-based team FluxWorks took home $350,000 and won the competition based on judges scores. The company's technology includes magnetic gears that are four times quieter than standard with 99 percent efficiency.

Sygne Solutions and TierraClimate, two Rice-led teams, won second and fourth places, respectively. Zaymo, from Brigham Young University, took home the most in investment dollars. Click here to see the full list of 2023 teams.