2009 Rice Business Plan Competition Wrap-up

The 2009 Rice Business Plan Competition is over and it was a whirlwind three days of competition.  I was impressed with all of the teams that presented. Over 350 teams applied to make the list of 42 with over 50 teams from around the globe vying to join the select group of Rice Business Plan Competition winners.

Congratulations to Dynamics, Inc. from Carnegie Mellon University, this year’s Grand Prize winner!  They are producing next-generation interactive payment cards that utilize programmable magnetic stripes to communicate dynamic information to the 60 million 1970s era magnetic stripe readers that are used in our day-to-day payment card transactions.

Check out the extended entry for the full list of winners.

I also want to say a hearty “Well Done!” to Brad Burke, and the staff and student volunteers at the Rice Alliance and the Jones School. Both Brad and I were quoted in a story about the competition in Saturday’s Houston Chronicle.

America’s future and its strength lies in the hope and dreams of our youth: innovation, entrepreneurism, and a belief in yourself to make the future better.  The best stimulus plan in the world is the encouragement we should give these MBA students.  America is still the home of success!  I couldn’t be prouder of our city, our country and our youth.

Overall Awards:

• Grand Prize – Dynamics, Inc, Carnegie Mellon University
• Second Place – NextRay, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Third Place – Tendix Development, LLC, Johns Hopkins University
• Fourth Place – Integrated Diagnostics, University of California, Berkeley
• Fifth Place – Audiallo, University of Michigan
• Sixth Place – 80 Legs, Rice University
• Seventh Place – EzyTex, Thammasat University, Thailand

• The GOOSE Society of Texas Investment Prize – Dynamics, Carnegie Mellon University
• Opportunity Houston Life Science Award – NextRay, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Opportunity Houston Technology Award – Dynamics, Inc, Carnegie Mellon University
• DFJ Mercury Tech Transfer Award – Tendix Development, LLC, Johns Hopkins University

Special Awards:

• Dow Sustainability Award – Tendix Development, LLC, Johns Hopkins University
• 2nd Place Sustainability Award – Ikanos Power, University of Michigan
• NASA Earth/Space Life Science Innovation Award – Integrated Diagnostics, University of California, Berkeley
•  NASA Earth/Space Engineering Innovation Awards  –
  • Troy Research Corporation, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • NextRay, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • E&M Devices, University of California, Berkeley
• IP Powerhouse Award – Audiallo, University of Michigan
• International Team Award –  EzyTex, Thammasat University, Thailand
• Life Science Award – NextRay, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Medical Device Award – NextRay, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Best Written Business Plan – NextRay, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Outstanding Nanotechnology Award – High Definition Glass (HDG), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Hispanic Business Plan Award – PowerMundo, Colorado State University
• Energy Award – Skillman Downstroke, Southern Methodist University
• IT Award – Dynamics, Inc, Carnegie Mellon University
• Sales & Marketing Award – EzyTex, Thammasat University, Thailand
• Company Showcase Award – Ikanos Power, University of Michigan
• Sheafor-Lindsay Social Venture Award – SolarCycle, Brown University

Wildcard Round:
 First Place – Integrated Diagnostics, University of California, Berkeley
Second Place – Bombyx Technologies, Cornell University
Third Place – Ikanos Power, University of Michigan
Fourth Place – CaptainU, University of Chicago
Fifth Place – Si Metal,  Purdue University
Sixth Place – In Context Solutions, University of Chicago

Austin Ventures Elevator Pitch Competition:
First Place – ElutInc., University of Utah
Second Place – PowerMundo, Colorado State University
Third Place – Tendix Development, LLC, Johns Hopkins University
Fourth Place – Silicon Solar Solutions, University of Arkansas
Fifth Place – Si Metal, Purdue University

Teen Judge Elevator Pitch:
ElutInc., University of Utah
PowerMundo, Colorado State University

Challenge Round Winners:
Flight 1:
First Place – SolarCycle, Brown University
Second Place – Machine Visionaries, University of North Dakota
Third Place – Perfuzia, Medical Babson College
Fourth Place – Troy Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Flight 2:
First Place – PassPro-Tech, University of Texas – Dallas
Second Place – Epitherapeutics, Queen’s University
Third Place – PowerMundo, Colorado State University
Fourth Place – Hydrangle, Johns Hopkins University

Flight 3:
First Place – GreenOil, S.P. Jain Institute of Mgmt & Research, Mumbai
Second Place – Nanoprecision, Medical University of California – San Francisco
Third Place – Intellidemia, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Fourth Place – E&M Devices, University of California – Berkeley

Flight 4:
First Place – Impel Neuropharma, University of Washington
Second Place – NALION Technologies, University of Waterloo
Third Place – BNL Largo, University of South Florida
Fourth Place – Inderm, University of Cambridge

Flight 5:
First Place – ElutInc, University of Utah
Second Place – Enterprise Theory, Southern Methodist University
Third Place – Skillman Downstroke, Southern Methodist University
Fourth Place – Avello Bioenergy, Iowa State University of Science & Technology

Flight 6:
First Place – Silicon Solar Solutions, University of Arkansas
Second Place – SimPrint Nanotech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Third Place – mPedigree, Dartmouth College
Fourth Place – Clean India, University of Virginia
Fifth Place – Miret Surgical, Stanford University

Flight 7:
First Place – eMotion, Illinois Institute of Technology
Second Place – High Definition Glass (HDG), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Third Place – iShoe, Harvard University
Fourth Place – Telemed, Africa University of Virginia
Fifth Place – Econetix, Stanford University