Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

What Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship does

Lilie is the dedicated entrepreneurship hub inside Rice University, providing experiential programming for undergraduate, graduate, PhD, and MBA students as well as Rice alumni. Its core offerings include the Entrepreneurship Minor (co-delivered with the George R. Brown School of Engineering and the Jones Graduate School of Business), the Launchpad and E-Labs courses, the Summer Venture Studio, the New Rice Launch Challenge (NRLC) competition, and the Innovation Fellows Program, which together provide mentorship, co-working space, and small amounts of venture funding to student founders. Lilie reports having supported more than 300 student ventures, with Innovation Fellows companies collectively raising more than $25 million in external capital.

The hub also runs the paid Pathfinder Summer High School Program, which extends its audience to high-school participants at roughly $6,000-$7,000 per student, and has begun co-developing a Healthcare Innovation course with Baylor College of Medicine, signaling expansion into the life-sciences vertical. It publishes the LiliePod podcast and partners with the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship plus ecosystem organizations such as the Ion District and Greentown Labs.

Lilie is funded primarily through Rice University budget allocations and the founding philanthropic gift from Frank Liu and family, with the Pathfinder program as the only direct fee-for-service revenue stream. The organization holds the Princeton Review #1 Graduate Entrepreneurship Program ranking for seven consecutive years and operates with a team of approximately 20 staff, structured as a university center rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Legal name

Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Website

https://entrepreneurship.rice.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lilie is Rice University's entrepreneurship hub, providing courses, mentorship, co-working space, and venture funding for Rice undergraduate, graduate, PhD, and MBA students, plus the paid Pathfinder summer program for high-school participants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Startup accelerator programs
• Venture funding programs
• University innovation hub
• Experiential learning programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. University Funding & Endowments: Lilie is funded through university budgets and private philanthropy. Established in 2015 with a generous gift from Houston entrepreneur and alumnus Frank Liu and his family through their private foundation.
2. Summer Program Tuition: Pathfinder Summer High School Program charges tuition for 2-week residential entrepreneurship education. Early Bird rate $6000, standard rate $7000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Lilie) is Rice University's home for experiential learning and co-curricular activity in entrepreneurship and innovation. It delivers a full stack of undergraduate and graduate courses, an interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship Minor, experiential Entrepreneurship Labs (E-Labs), accelerator programs (Launchpad, Summer Venture Studio, Rice Innovation Fellows), equity-free funding mechanisms (Rice Experiment Fund, NRLC Pitch Competition with $100,000+ in prizes), a residential Pathfinder Summer High School Program, community events (FIESTA Week, Ignition Hub Startup Career Fair, Venture Development Workshops), and co-working space in the Cambridge Office Building.

Product overview

Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie) is a comprehensive entrepreneurship education and support ecosystem at Rice University offering experiential learning programs, courses, mentorship, and funding opportunities. The portfolio includes structured academic programs (Entrepreneurship Minor, Undergraduate Courses, Graduate Courses, E-Labs), accelerator programs (Launchpad, Summer Venture Studio, Rice Innovation Fellows), funding mechanisms (Rice Experiment Fund, NRLC Venture Competition offering $100,000+), youth programs (Pathfinder Summer High School Program), and community events (FIESTA Week, Ignition Hub Career Fair, Venture Development Workshops). Together these offerings support students from idea stage through venture launch and growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Entrepreneurship Labs (E-Labs) Experiential Rice Business Entrepreneurship Labs that complement classroom learning by providing students space to put theory into practice; students can launch an entrepreneurial venture or work alongside industry professionals for credit.
• Launchpad Supports student ventures through mentorship, funding, and a vibrant entrepreneurial community with structured progression through three levels that unlock increasing resources and funding ($100-$600).
• Rice Experiment Fund (RXF) Enables current Rice students to test out their venture with up to $100 per academic year for small-scale experiments; RXF grants claim no IP ownership and are always equity-free.
• Summer Venture Studio Rice University's selective 3-month summer cohort-based entrepreneurial experience providing equity-free funding and individualized support to advance student ventures.
• Rice Innovation Fellows Trains Rice Ph.D. students and post-doctoral associates to translate research into real-world impact, providing dedicated time, expert mentorship, and equity-free funding ($10,000 translational research funding).
• Napier Rice Launch Challenge (NRLC) Rice's new venture competition where undergraduate, graduate, and MBA students pitch their business ventures to win a share of $100,000+ in equity-free funding.
• Change Maker Summit Pre-orientation program for incoming first-year Rice University students to meet faculty, partners, and get connected with innovation and entrepreneurship resources.
• Pathfinder Summer High School Program Transformative 2-week residential program for high school students exploring entrepreneurship, including workshops, field trips, and culminating in a Demo Day pitch competition.
• FIESTA Week 4-day Festival to kick off the school year celebrating Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, and Art at Rice University with keynote speakers, faculty researchers, and student founders.
• Ignition Hub Startup Career Fair Startup career fair bringing innovative, high-growth companies together to offer Rice students exciting career opportunities, held in partnership with Rice's Center for Career Development.
• Venture Development Workshops Hands-on sessions where students dig into specific parts of the startup journey, from Design Thinking and Ideation to Customer Acquisition and Business Model Development.
• Entrepreneurship Minor 18-credit interdisciplinary study program in innovation and entrepreneurship, including four core courses and six credits of elective courses, administered jointly by Lilie, Rice Business, and George R. Brown School of Engineering.
• Undergraduate Courses Courses including BUSI 220 (Design and Innovation), BUSI 369 (New Enterprises), BUSI 223 (Business Modeling), BUSI 461 (Financing the Startup Venture), and others covering entrepreneurship frameworks and skills.
• Graduate Courses Graduate-level courses including MGMT 621 (New Enterprises), MGMT 626 (Financing the Startup Venture), MGMT 641 (Entrepreneurial Strategy), and various E-Labs for experiential learning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $25M funding raised by Innovation Fellows Program Ventures
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rice Alliance for Technology and EntrepreneurshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYael V. Hochberg serves as Academic Director of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, a key partner in supporting technology entrepreneurship at Rice University.
• Jones Graduate School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLilie partners with Jones Graduate School of Business for graduate entrepreneurship courses and the MBA Entrepreneurship Concentration.
• George R. Brown School of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntrepreneurship Minor is a joint offering between Rice Business and George R. Brown School of Engineering.
• Ion DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRice Pathfinder Summer Program students visit cutting-edge innovation hubs like Ion in Houston to engage with the wider entrepreneurial community.
• Greentown LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRice Pathfinder Summer Program students visit Greentown Labs to engage with successful founders in Houston's innovation ecosystem.
• Jon Brumley Texas Venture LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTony Cordova previously worked as a consultant with Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs, advising pre- and post-revenue startups from across Texas.
• Rice University Center for Career DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Rice Center for Career Development and Career Development Office to host the Ignition Hub Startup Career Fair.
• NucleateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTony Cordova previously served as Managing Director of Nucleate Austin and Regional Managing Director for Nucleate Texas, organizations dedicated to democratizing startup development for graduate trainees in life sciences.
• DivIncminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCherise Johnson previously served as Director for Marketing for DivInc, a nonprofit startup accelerator for women and BIPOC founders. This prior experience informs Lilie's inclusive programming approach.
• Baylor College of MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMGMT 799 Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship course is offered in collaboration with Rice Global Medical Innovation Master's program and Baylor College of Medicine.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship: Rice University's technology entrepreneurship initiative, closely tied to Lilie through shared faculty leadership (Yael Hochberg). Directly comparable as a Rice-affiliated entrepreneurship support organization.
• Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP): Stanford's entrepreneurship center within the School of Engineering, focused on teaching, research, and student venture support. Closely comparable to Lilie's academic integration with Rice Business and Engineering.
• Wharton Entrepreneurship (University of Pennsylvania): Wharton's entrepreneurship center offering courses, mentorship, and venture competitions. Comparable to Lilie as a top-ranked graduate business school entrepreneurship program.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship: MIT's flagship entrepreneurship center offering courses, accelerators (Delta-V), mentorship, and funding. Directly comparable to Lilie as a top-tier university entrepreneurship hub serving students from idea to launch.
• University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship: University of Michigan's cross-campus entrepreneurship center offering courses, accelerators, and funding. Comparable to Lilie as a major research university entrepreneurship hub with similar program structures.
• Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (University of Chicago Booth): Booth School's entrepreneurship hub offering accelerators, courses, and venture competitions. Comparable to Lilie's graduate entrepreneurship focus and business school integration.
• Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab): Harvard's cross-university entrepreneurship and innovation space offering programs, mentorship, and workspace. Comparable to Lilie as a top-tier university entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Babson College Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship: Babson's entrepreneurship center and consistently top-ranked undergraduate entrepreneurship program. Comparable to Lilie as a top-ranked university entrepreneurship program with venture creation focus.
• Cornell Entrepreneurship (eLab): Cornell's student-run startup accelerator and entrepreneurship programs. Comparable to Lilie's Launchpad and Summer Venture Studio in structure and mission.

Regional players

• Greentown Labs: Houston-based cleantech startup incubator that Pathfinder summer students visit. Adjacent peer as a Houston innovation ecosystem partner with overlapping founder audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/liuidealab
• Instagraminstagram.com/liuidealab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship