​Join us at the NRLC Championships to support Rice University student ventures! Watch five finalists pitch for a share of $100,000 in funding. Network with Houston's top entrepreneurs, vote for the Audience Choice Award, and enjoy a reception with drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Open to Rice students, alumni, friends, and the Houston entrepreneurial community.

​Doors at 5:30 PM

​Event begins at 6:00 PM

​Reception at 7:30 PM

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​Meet the 2024 NRLC Finalists

​Solidec, a startup from Rice's ChBe department, developed new technology that can literally create the most sought after chemicals out of thin air to fuel the energy transition.

​Ryan DuChanois Post-Doc ChBe, Yang Xia Post-Doc ChBe, Dr. Haotian Wang

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​Bonfire, from Rice Computer Science, has built the mobile app for local events, getting +1000 Rice student users since launching a few weeks ago.

​Benjamin Liu BA COMP ‘26, Michael Mounajjed BA COMP ‘27

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​HEXAspec is using their novel new material to improve heat management for the semiconductor industry, saving energy and millions of gallons of water used to cool data centers.

​Chen-Yang Lin PhD ‘26, Tianshu Zhai PhD ‘25

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​Women’s Wave is building a platform for women 20-40 to meet one another, enjoy local experiences together, and walk away with their new best friend, with +100 paying customers in the last month.

​Cassandra Wagoner BS MECH '24, Nabeeha Ghani BA CSCI '24

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​Coflux Purification has created a new system to capture and permanently destroy the toxic PFAS forever chemicals that are in our bodies, brains, and every water source on the planet.

​Alec Ajnsztajn PhD ‘24, Dana Vazquez​ MBA ‘24, Jeremy Daum PhD ‘25