2026 Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition
March 24, 2026 – March 25, 2026 CT
The Rice Alliance, the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) and TEX-E are partnering for the annual Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition at CERAWeek, set to take place on Tuesday & Wednesday, March 24-25, 2026.
Energy Venture Day features two days of presentations by energy tech ventures driving efficiency and advancements toward the energy transition.
On Tuesday, March 11, the Pitch Preview at the Ion will feature over 50 companies presenting in front of Rice Alliance’s robust network of investors and industry partners. The pitches are followed by private, investor-led, one on one meetings to connect tech companies with venture capitalists, corporate innovation groups, industry leaders, and tech scouts.
The following day, Wednesday, March 12, the Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition at CERAWeek will showcase 36 ventures in front of the Agora audience. This fast-paced competition is divided into three industry tracks spanning advanced materials to clean energy. Industry experts and investors will judge the pitches. The top three ventures from each track will be named in an awards ceremony at the end of the program.
Both events will include a university track, the TEX-E prize, highlighting the innovations of five Texas student-led energy startups. With mentorship leading up to the competition, these student startups will compete for $50K in cash prizes.
