SiNode Systems was chosen as the top startup company in the 2013 Rice Business Plan Competition (which they say is the largest business plan competition in the world). SiNode's prize is valued at $911,400, and incldues $700,000 in equity investments, $110,000 in additional cash prizes and $101,400 of business services (including office space, marketing support and business mentoring|).
SiNode, established in 2013 to commercialize a novel anode Li-ion battery technology developed at Northwestern University, developed a composite material of silicon nano-particles and graphene in a layered structure. The company says that their material will enable 10 times higher battery capacity and a tenfold decrease in charging time compared with current technology.