RAC ‘s primary mission is to support Rice Alumni entrepreneurs in successfully acquiring and operating businesses. RAC strives to be the best resource for Rice Alumni entrepreneurs focused on enterprise acquisition. This purpose is driven by a network of trust. The RAC Investment Committee, the RAC Advisors, and the Rice Alumni network provide a boundless source of technical, commercial, and legal support. RAC wants to be at the center of that network. The RAC Fund is part of the support offering, which can provide entrepreneurs with meaningful financial resources from Rice Alumni.

RAC serves the Rice Alumni entrepreneur and the Rice Alumni investor above itself. RAC has been formed to 1) provide entrepreneurs with a trusted network of support and resources to acquire businesses and 2) to provide Rice Alumni investors with opportunities to support Rice entrepreneurs. Succeeding with these objectives changes lives and makes the Rice University entrepreneur program stronger.

RAC Fund I seeks to raise $1 Million to spread across 4-5 investments. Individual investment amounts are expected to range from $50K to $350K, but could be greater if the fund greatly exceeds its fundraising target.

RAC funding is limited to those opportunities that have been selected by the Investment Committee. The RAC Fund is not restricted in its approach, but generally targets investments in essential US industries that can generate 20%+ annual returns. Acquisition targets should have some defendable history of profits, fit within the entrepreneur’s core skillset(s), and there should be a high likelihood of a transaction. Additionally, the RAC Advisors have the right to deny opportunities that do not conform with the mission.

The process begins with contacting the Investment Committee RAC@essential-invest.com. If the investment materials are sufficient and the opportunity fits the stated criteria, the Investment Committee can initiate its diligence process. In most cases, the Investment Committee will provide feedback on any missing information and may also provide support references within the RAC network.​

Varies by the investment, but the Investment Committee would ideally review and fund an investment within 1 month

The process begins with contacting the Administrator of the RAC Fund (RAC@essential-invest.com). The Administrator will verify the Graduating Year of the requestor, and then send the registration material that enables access to the fund investment documents. Only accredited investors can invest in a RAC Fund. An accredited investor, as defined by SEC Rule 501 Reg D, is one with a net worth over $1 million (excluding primary residence) with income of over $200K (individual, $300K w/ spouse).

The RAC Fund is administered by a third party (the Administrator) selected by the Advisors. The Administrator selected for RAC Fund I is a Rice-alumni led fund manager called Texas Essential Investments (TEI). TEI receives an annual 1% management fee on unreturned committed capital for administering the fund throughout the fund's life. TEI is also an investor in the fund. Along with managing the registration process, the Administrator handles all communication, documentation, marketing, banking, legal and general accounting. Tax preparation costs and other fund specific expenses are not included in the management fee.

RAC receives 15% of the returns beyond the 10% preferred rate,which is distributed to the Investment Committee and the Administrator of the fund. The Advisors do not receive equity.

The Advisors and Investment Committee invest in the Fund.