No slumdog millionaire here!

BetaGlide, a team from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagur, India, came to the Rice Business Plan Competition last week-end with its mobile app development tool and was awarded a $1 million prize from the Houston-based Mercury Fund. The Mercury prize, originally set at $100,000, became $1 million as investors upped the ante for this promising product.

Texas State University's SioTex Corp., a new start-up just 3 months old, received the $125,000 Texas Halo Fund prize. SioTeX has developed a "greener" silica additive derived from rice hulls for use in paints and polymers. Read more about the winners at this year's RBPC in the Houston Chronicle.

SioTeX Heads to "Rice" competition!

On April 9, 2014 Texas State University based start-up, SioTeX will be presenting at this year's Rice University Business Plan Competition! SioTeX, a specialty chemical and performance materials manufacturer, has developed a drop-in replacement for fumed silica called Eco-Sil. The production cost of Eco-Sil is 70% lower than that of conventional fumed silica. - See more at I Start!

10 million USD investment, 2 women, and safe cycling

Hövding by Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin of Sweden is a company that stands for safety combined with comfort and even fashion aesthetics. Their "invisible" bike helmet has been under development for several long years and is now making headlines around the world. Last fall NPR (National Public Radio) covered their story. And GE's Focus Forward has filmed the story of these two inventors: