When the final pitches wrapped and the judges cast their votes, one team rose to the top of this year’s Veterans Business Battle: IntuBlade. The startup, founded by two Purple Heart recipients, is developing a single-use video laryngoscope that plugs into any smartphone — a practical, field-ready solution designed to improve outcomes in high-pressure medical situations. Their win capped a competitive two-day event at Rice Business that brought together veteran entrepreneurs from across the country.
But IntuBlade’s victory was just one part of a broader story.
From more than 200 applicants, 15 finalist teams were selected to present their ventures, each shaped by a combination of military experience and business ambition. Competing across four categories — defense technology; energy and clean technology; health care and biotechnology; and software and information technology — the finalists reflected the depth and range of veteran-led innovation today.
Alongside IntuBlade, Stream Settle and Pulse Patch rounded out the top three teams as selected by a panel of approximately 50 judges, including venture capitalists, investors, bankers and other industry professionals. Together, the top teams received more than $550,000 in combined nondilutive funding and investment award offers.
Stream Settle introduced a secure, triple-blind platform designed to serve as a neutral deal detector for civil lawsuits, while Pulse Patch is developing a disposable monitoring device to help first responders detect early signs of physiological distress during in-custody encounters. Each venture addressed a distinct challenge, but all shared a common thread: solutions grounded in real-world experience.
Throughout the competition, the value extended beyond the awards themselves. Finalists received feedback from industry professionals, built relationships with potential investors and engaged with a network that continues long after the event concludes. With more than $10 million in investments tied to the competition over time, the Veterans Business Battle has grown into the largest veteran business competition in the country — and one that attracts investors specifically interested in supporting veteran-led ventures.
“Houston loves risk takers,” said Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez during his welcome remarks, pointing to the city’s long history of bold thinking and ambitious problem-solving. That spirit, he noted, is part of what makes the environment at Rice — and events like this one — so powerful for entrepreneurs looking to build something new.
The Veterans Business Battle began in 2015 as a partnership between the Entrepreneurs’ Organization of Houston and the Rice Business Veterans Association, a student-led group composed of military veterans pursuing their MBA. For founder Al Danto, senior lecturer in entrepreneurship and active investor of veteran-owned businesses, the goal has been clear: to help veterans translate their leadership and experience into successful ventures.
That mission continues through the broader Rice Business community. The Rice Business Veterans Association supports students transitioning from military service to academic life, while also partnering across campus and with the Houston business community to support veteran-focused initiatives. Programs like the Military Scholars Program further that commitment, providing scholarships that cover tuition, fees and living expenses for selected MBA students who have served.
For participants, the impact of the experience is both professional and personal. As Michael Hart, co-chair of the Veterans Business Battle and a full-time MBA student, put it, the skills developed through military service — communication, teamwork and a willingness to learn — continue to shape success in the business world. Just as important is the sense of shared experience and community that carries through the program.
For the top teams at the VBB, it ended in a win. For the broader group of founders, it marked another step forward — and a reminder of what’s possible when experience, innovation and opportunity come together.