Two University of Utah student medical startup companies are heading to one of the nation’s top business plan competitions this month. The companies, Veritas Medical and 6S Medical, will be competing for more than $1 million in prizes in the 15th Annual Rice Business Plan Competition at Rice University, April 16-18.
The winner of the competition will take home a grand prize valued at more than $450,000, including seed funding and the opportunity to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ Marketsite. Judges select the winner based on the company that represents the best investment opportunity.
“It’s very exciting opportunity because both Veritas and 6S have each won several major grants and competitions,” said Nate Rhodes, CEO of Veritas Medical and a recent graduate of the U’s graduate program in bioengineering. “We have received excellent validation of our technologies and ability to execute. I believe we both have a good chance at each coming home with some major prizes. This is a testament to the quality of the U’s programs to have multiple startups receiving national recognition.”