April 9–11, 2026 | Houston, Texas
BeamFeed, LLC led by CUNY Physics PhD students Erina Vela and Sina Mohammadi, was awarded the $25,000 Amentum and WRX Companies Rising Stars Prize in Space Technology and Commercial Aerospace at the 2026 Rice Business Plan Competition. Selected from 42 of the world’s top graduate-led startups competing for over $1M in prizes, BeamFeed stood out for its innovation in long-distance wireless power transfer for aerospace applications. This recognition marks a major milestone as the first CUNY-affiliated team to reach the finals and secure a top industry award on this global stage.
Citations:
• LinkedIn post from the NYC Innovation Hot Spot: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nyc-innovation-hot-spot_huge-congrats-to-erina-vela-and-sina-mohammadi-activity-7449447945638342657-yZ0X?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADbWMoAB75ib-mld9nA3EpQkS1kRjO83H6Y
• Rice Business Plan Competition Results: https://rbpc.rice.edu/2026/results
