​🚀 Ready to see the future of innovation?

​Join us for an unforgettable night at the Napier Rice Launch Challenge (NRLC) Championships, where Rice University's top student founders take the stage to pitch their bold, creative ventures for a chance to win a share of $100,000 in prize funding.

​Here’s what’s in store:
🎤 Live pitches: Cheer on brilliant founders as they compete for cash prizes
🏆 Audience voting: Cast your vote for the People’s Choice winner
🤝 Networking: Connect with founders, investors, and Houston's entrepreneurial community
✨ High-energy inspiration: Leave motivated by incredible student innovation

​🚀 Meet the 2026 NRLC Final 5 👀

​​Haast Autonomous

​​Co-Founders | Jason Chen, Ege Halac, Santiago Brent

​Haast Autonomous is building unmanned, long-range VTOL aircrafts with cold storage to revolutionize organ transportation.

​​Actile Technologies

​Founder | Barclay Jumet

​Actile Technologies is developing and commercializing textile-integrated technologies.

​​Bionostic

​Founder | Alexandria Carter

​Bionostic enables the development of individualized treatment plans for cancer patients by dividing biopsied tissue into a microwell array that allows oncologist to test multiple treatments simultaneously

​​Project Kestrel

​​Founder | Sanjay Soni

​Project Kestrel uses machine learning to organize a bird photographer's photo collection, turning massive photo collections into a searchable, interactive library.

​​Kairos

​​Co-Founders | Adhira Tippur, Sanjana Kavula, Tanush Chintala, Aditya Jain

​Kairos is an AI-powered patient intake platform built specifically for independent dental practices.

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​The H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge (NRLC) is Rice’s new venture competition, where undergraduate, graduate, and MBA students pitch their business ventures to win a share of $100,000+ in equity-free funding, all while launching their venture on the biggest stage of the year.

​For more information, visit the NRLC page.