16 semi-finalists selected to complete in 2022 Veterans Business Battle

HOUSTON, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixteen veteran-owned startups will compete for prize money and investment dollars at the eighth annual Veterans Business Battle at Rice University.

The semi-finalists will present to a panel of investors April 22. Judges will select the top four, who will pitch their ideas again on April 23 for a chance at prizes totaling $30,000 and financing opportunities.

The event, which is open to the public, includes a day of learning Saturday featuring a keynote by WestPoint alumni and best-selling author Jason VanCamp, CEO of the nonprofit focusing on military entrepreneurship Warrior Rising. Panel discussions with former Veterans Business Battle competitors and experts on business finance will offer practical advice for founders.  

"We are excited to bring Veterans Business Battle back in person this year and offer an educational experience about entrepreneurship to the public," said event Co-Chair Reid Schrodel.

Cash prizes will be awarded, with $15,000 prize for first place, $10,000 for second place and $5,000 for third place.All semi-finalists have the potential to receive investment offers.

The event is hosted by the Rice Business Veterans Association, a student organization for military veterans pursuing post-graduate degrees from the Jones School of Business, in partnership with Honor Sponsors PenFed Foundation's Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Program and Schlumberger.

The selected semi-finalists are:

4Sight Environmental, Inc, Abilene, Texas
accelEQ Inc., Tampa, Fla.
Bon AppéSweet, Chantilly, Va.
Canopy Aerospace, Chicago, Ill.
DenScore Inc., Des Moines, Iowa
Enrichly, Houston, Texas
Libre Technologies, Minneapolis, Minn.
Martini Mates, Conroe, Texas
Multitude Insights, Watertown, Mass.
Opera Bioscience, Chicago, Ill.
SecureFoundry,Fort Worth, Texas
Skywire Design, Richardson, Texas
Uro-Research, Houston, Texas
SYBOR Tech, Mckinney, Texas
VRB, Austin, Texas
Wrexx, Austin, Texas

Winners will be announced April 23. The objective of this competition is to foster growth in all veteran-owned businesses. Since its inception in 2015, more than $4 million has been invested in veteran-owned businesses. Investments come in the form of loans, equity investments and partnerships.

For more information, visit vetbizbattle.org

To sign up for the event, visit Veterans Business Battle Registration | Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University

Media Contact: Sara Yonker, 713-296-0004, [email protected] 

SOURCE Veterans Business Battle