The 2015 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) awarded more than $1.53 million in cash and prizes in a record number of prizes at this year’s competition. KiLife Tech from Brigham Young University, who created the Kiband for parents concerned about keeping track of young children in public crowded spaces took home $563,000 in cash and investment as well as in-kind prizes of $56,200 for total (cash and in-kind) of $619,200.

Rice University’s own team DexMat came in came in 5th with development of high-performance carbon nanotube fibers as a stronger, more flexible, lightweight replacement for old-fashioned metal wires initially targeting the aerospace and aviation markets. They also won the Heinlein Commercial Space Activity Prize and the CASIS ISS National Lab Space Flight Prize.