Rice University To Host Veterans Business Battle

Veterans Business Battle partners with new organizations, extends application deadline to March 1

HOUSTON (PRWEB) February 20, 2018

A business plan competition for veterans that has taken place the last three years at Rice University will now be hosted by the school as well.

Veterans Business Battle is the nation's largest veteran-owned business competition. More than $2.5 million of investment offers have been extended since the competition began in 2015. It was founded by members of the Houston chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization, which acted as its host for its first three years, and members of VIBA, a student organization for MBA students at the Jones School of Business who are military veterans.

"We are excited to take on a bigger role with Veterans Business Battle and spend time helping applicants fine-tune applications and analyze their business plans," VIBA president and Rice MBA student Zach Harris said.

As part of the new role VIBA has in the competition, students in a graduate level course will analyze applications and partner with businesses to enhance their business plans.

Military veterans who own a business or who are starting one still have a chance to apply for the 2018 event. The competition allows veteran-owned businesses to make a pitch for a chance at investment capital and pairs them with advisors and resources.

The application deadline was extended to March 1 in part to accommodate applicants from two new partners, although any qualified business can still apply by submitting a business plan online.

Those partners are Vet to CEO and VETTED. VetToCEO, founded in 2012, is a nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans transition and succeed in business ownership through online courses. VETTED provides training resources for veterans in Austin and College Station.

Applications can be submitted at http://www.vetbizbattle.com. Businesses must be majority-held by a military veteran and reside in the United States. Finalists will be invited to pitch their business to a panel of investors at Rice University April 13-14.

Veterans Business Battle was established in 2015 by a group of Houston entrepreneurs and Rice University's Veterans in Business Association. The competition aims to foster entrepreneurship among veterans, grow veteran-owned businesses and give back to veterans seeking to make a difference in the business world. For more information, visit http://www.vetbizbattle.com

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/02/prweb15204190.htm