Nov30th2007
The Rice Business Plan Competition is one of the largest and richest intercollegiate new venture competitions in the world. Thirty-six of the top MBA and Graduate Schools from around the world will compete for over $345,000 in prizes at Rice University in Houston. The event is judged by over 150 venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders from the technology entrepreneurship community.
The competition is open to all graduate level teams from any university. Both U.S. and international teams can apply to compete. EVERY team that is accepted is guaranteed to win a cash prize. All applicants will receive a copy of Business Plan Pro - Premier Edition software.
If you know of a graduate team or university that should compete, please encourage them to apply. ALL university teams that submit an intent to compete will receive a free copy of Business Plan Pro - Premier Edition software from Palo Alto Software. More information click here.
- Intent to Compete Deadline: Friday, February 1, 2008
- Executive Summary is Friday, February 22, 2008, 5:00 PM (Houston Time)
Competition Prizes - Over $345,000 in total prizes
- $175,00 Grand Prize - including $100,000 equity investment + $20,000 cash + $55,000 in services
- Over $240,000 in total cash prizes, plus over $100,000 in services awarded
- EVERY team accepted into the Rice competition is guaranteed to win at least e cash prize
Continue reading ‘2008 Rice Business Plan Competition - April 3-5, 2008′
Nov29th2007
Texas A&M University’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship is hosting Envision08 at the Marriott River Center in San Antonio, TX from April 23-25, 2008. The even looks very high profile and has a GREAT speaker roster:
The event will be a mix of general sessions, workshops, networking events and other exciting happenings. I suspect that this will be a full registration process so check it out.
Thanks to Don Newell at ADEC Employer Solutions for the information.
Nov29th2007
Philadelphia Eagles Offering Fans Assistance Via Text-Messaging
The NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles are using a unique text-alert system powered by qtags to provide in-stadium assistance to fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eagles fans who need emergency help or who have a situation that requires the attention of stadium personnel can text a keyword to 78247 (q-t-a-g-s). This initial text creates a channel for private communication between the fan and stadium support staff, allowing both to communicate back and forth using a web interface and the fan’s mobile phone. The keyword is communicated to fans via in-stadium signage and the Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard.
Read more…
Nov27th2007
I spoke with Tory Gattis of OpenTeams recently about what has been going on with their offering. After viewing the demo, it looks like the application is best suited for development groups and project management (although Tory told me that proj. mgt. is not their focus since there are so many other solutions in that space already), but Tory says that it is ideally suited for any department that is looking to help foster ideas and innovation for their company. I also think that OpenTeams offers a great implementation of Ajax.
Tory and OpenTeams also were recently interviewed on the BusinessMakers Radio Show. You can go here to hear the interview and learn more.
Nov25th2007
When I left my last position and was waffling on starting a consulting practice, everyone told me to talk with Ernie Rapp (LinkedIn, Facebook). At the time, Ernie had his own consulting practice here in Houston for over 5 years and had made a wonderful go at it. We bacme instant friends and have kept in touch since. Earlier in the year, Ernie let me in on his new project, The Up Experience (Facebook group) and we met recently to talk more about it. Here are some excerpts from that chat:
Josh: Tell me about the UP Experience. Where did the idea come from?
Ernie: UP (to be held February 7, 2008) came from my experiences over the last several years, as I realized how focused I had become on my profession. So focused, in fact, I realized I needed to add an intellectual/learning component to my life. I did not want to go back to college, nor did I want to get another certification in a particular field. I needed to understand what was going on in my world, both my local world and the larger world in general. Getting unique perspectives from unique people who are doing amazing things and who are experts in their fields was what I was looking for. I attended a 3 ½-day event in California called TED, and it was so educational and inspirational I wanted to create the same experience in Houston.
Josh: It does sound a lot like the TED conferences that several friends have attended over the years. How does UP differ from TED in format and construction?
Ernie: We have patterned UP based upon my own experiences from TED. We’ll have 20 presenters each giving 20-minute on-stage presentations during a one-day event. TED is 3 ½ days and their presenters are on stage for 18 minutes. A unique feature we added to the UP format is the break-out session scheduled after each group of 5 speakers – during the coffee and lunch breaks. The experts who just finished their on- stage 20-minute presentations will do another 20 minutes of informal question-and-answers for those attendees that are interested in a particular speaker. We really wanted to give attendees and speakers this opportunity to get to know one another (and the presenters are extremely interested in seeing this concept succeed).
Josh: Do you feel that Houston can support this in the same manner that California can? What challenges do you see ahead? Continue reading ‘Interview with Ernie Rapp of The UP Experience’
Nov23rd2007
According to a recent study released by the Human Capital Institute, Houston ranked 19 out of 43 in a survey of 641 respondents asked where their preferred metropolitan area for possible job relocation might be. The top 10 ranked by preference were:
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- New York
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Austin
- Denver
- Los Angeles
- Seattle
- Portland
Allan Schweyer, president and executive director of the Human Capital Institute and author of Talent Management Systems noted, “Our study found that the ‘brand,’ or perception of a city, is a critical factor in the decision-making process for candidates. Therefore, cities and employers that understand, manage and promote their brands will be best positioned to attract and keep knowledge workers of all ages.”
Houston barely beat out Orlando to hold onto a spot higher than 20 in the ranking while other, much smaller and less dynamic cities like Charlotte, Vancouver, and Phoenix ranked higher in the list.
Face it, folks: Houston, we have a problem. A PR problem. The perception that we have outside of our area is not good. Just recently I was following a thread from a former employee that celebrated in “Houston bashing” from a city that wasn’t even on the list. It is both frustrating and mind boggling to me.
Who is to take up the challenge of this? What are the issues we need to address? Can grassroots be enough to change things?
Let’s hear your thoughts.
Nov22nd2007
From our family at Startup Houston to yours, Happy Thanksgiving, which is a celebration of one of the greatest startups in human history, America.
“Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.”
Charter of Berkeley Hundred, December 4, 1619
Nov21st2007
Some of you may not know this but we have a list that we are developing on Houston based startup companies. So far, we have two listed but I know there are more. Kurt and I have been eager to add to this list but time constraints have made this hard.
So please visit the directory and add your startup to the mix. Reasons for putting your startup on the list are as follows:
- Increase your exposure;
- Join the community;
- Make friends;
- Influence people.
Our goal is to have the authoritative list. Let’s make it happen, people.
UPDATE: I just checked and there are 5 new startups listed…momentum people!!!
Nov21st2007
Houston based online community, CareFlash, announced a relationship with the Children’s Cancer Hospital at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson in which childhood cancer experts are moderating blogs involving childhood leukemia…with further blogs being developed around childhood brain tumors, proton therapy and others. The blog posts are written by Children’s Cancer Hospital faculty members and moderated by an M. D. Anderson representative.
For those of you who do not attend our OpenCoffee events or missed the Rice Alliance Web 2.0 event, CareFlash is a online collaboration community that provides friends and families of individuals afflicted with some medical issue the ability to educate themselves and others as well as provide updates to the patient’s progress.
CareFlash, Founder and CEO, Jay Drayer has been involved in several different startups over his career and brings a lot of passion to his new venture. Although Drayer’s background is mostly financial, CareFlash is driven by his personal experiences.
Rather than tell you more, I suggest you come to the next OpenCoffee event and talk to Drayer yourself to learn more.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov20th2007
So I went and setup some social networking groups for Startup Houston:
Please visit the groups and sign up!!!! Am I missing any?
Latest Comments
RSS