# Centers & Labs
**Source**: https://business.rice.edu/faculty-research/centers-labs
**Parent**: https://business.rice.edu/
## Entrepreneurial Hub
A flexible, modern learning center and workspace, the Liu Idea Lab is Rice’s on-campus hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Here, Rice Business students prepare to become innovators in whatever industry they choose — a tech startup, government agency, civic group, nonprofit, small business or large corporation.
[Learn More](https://entrepreneurship.rice.edu/)
## Startup Central
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is a catalyst for building successful tech ventures, linking the Rice Business community to Houston’s vibrant startup scene. Over the past 23 years, more than 3,300 companies have participated in over 220 Rice Alliance programs.
[Learn More](https://alliance.rice.edu/)
## Interested in Rice Business?
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## The Nucleus for Innovation
The Ion, a 266,000-square foot structure in the center of Houston Innovation District, fosters a community and culture where corporate innovators, academic partners, community partners, startups, and entrepreneurs come together to solve some of the world’s greatest problems.
[Learn More](https://www.ionhouston.com/)
## Customer Strategy Center
We are home to exceptional young scholars in strategy, marketing, organizational behavior, finance, and operations. The Center for Customer-Based Execution & Strategy (C-CUBES) leverages strong connections in key industries—such as energy, healthcare, education, and technology—to benefit the community.
[Learn More](https://business.rice.edu/center-customer-based-execution-strategy)
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Rice Business Wisdom features faculty research applied in the classroom.
CEO Compensation | Accounting
### [Short-Term CEO Pay Isn’t Always a Mistake](https://business.rice.edu/wisdom/short-term-ceo-pay-isnt-always-mistake)
When companies break loan terms, boards adjust CEO pay to focus on stabilizing finances.
Discrimination | Organizational Behavior
### [Why Anti-Asian Discrimination Is Often Overlooked at Work](https://business.rice.edu/wisdom/why-anti-asian-discrimination-often-overlooked-work)
New research shows that people rely on mental prototypes when discerning racial discrimination in the workplace — and Asian Americans are less likely to fit that template.
Startups | Strategy
### [Does Gender Diversity Attract Investors? It Depends.](https://business.rice.edu/wisdom/does-gender-diversity-attract-investors-it-depends)
In startup accelerator programs, gender diversity alone doesn’t engage investors — what matters more is that founder and mentor teams align in their gender composition.
[See All](https://business.rice.edu/wisdom)
## Focus on Finance
The Rice Business Finance Center’s hands-on training complements our finance, accounting, data analysis and entrepreneurship courses. All on-campus students have access. The Finance Center is also home to the Fixed Income Fund, the business school’s coursework in which MBAs manage investment funds in equities and bonds.
[Learn More](https://business.rice.edu/facility/rice-business-finance-center)
## Resource Source
You’ll find answers to all your business questions at our Business Information Center, staffed by professional librarians and student workers who can help you access resources and track down any information you might need. It’s also a quiet, comfortable place to study and work.
[Learn More](https://business.rice.edu/department/business-information-center)
## In The News
In The Media
### [Rice Business Plan Competition names startup teams for 2026 event](https://houston.innovationmap.com/rice-business-plan-competition-2026-2675278809.html)
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship has announced the 42 student-led teams that will compete in the 26th annual Rice Business Plan Competition this spring.
School Updates
### [42 graduate-led startups selected to compete at Rice Business Plan Competition](https://business.rice.edu/news/42-graduate-led-startups-selected-compete-rice-business-plan-competition)
The 2026 Rice Business Plan Competition announced today the 42 startups invited to compete for more than $1 million in prizes April 9-11 at Rice University and in the Ion District. The RBPC, presented by Rice Business and hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, serves as a global stage for emerging ventures from leading universities.
School Updates
### [Burke to conclude 25 years of leadership at Rice Alliance, marking defining chapter for university’s work in entrepreneurship](https://business.rice.edu/news/burke-conclude-25-years-leadership-rice-alliance-marking-defining-chapter-universitys-work)
An all-veteran ownership team, Summit Point Leadership LLC, which launched through the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University and its Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Lab, has acquired the business of LDR Leadership LLC, a nationwide leadership, management and supervisory training firm.
[See More](https://business.rice.edu/news-events)
## Recruit@RiceBusiness
Hire our students. There are multiple ways to connect with our students and recruit. Post a job. Request a resume book. Host an info session about your company.
[Learn More](https://business.rice.edu/hire)