Houston is buzzing with local startup and innovation news lately, and there might be some headlines you may have missed.
In this roundup of short stories within Houston startups and tech, Chevron Technology Ventures reveals their Gensler-designed office in the Ion, a Houston startup received a grant from the Air Force, and more.
Chevron reveals completed Ion office
CTV now has an office at The Ion. Photos courtesy of Gensler
Chevron Technology Ventures tapped Gensler to design its office in The Ion. According to Gensler, the office was designed to be "an innovative think tank and collaboration space within The Ion for its employees, and for interfacing with external consultants, partners, and vendors."
Per Gensler, some of the design elements of the office space includes:
- Chevron-branded biophilia wall, accented with various artifacts showcasing Chevron’s rich history in the energy industry
- Multiple meeting rooms for internal teams to collaborate on projects, for vendors to conduct demos and test emerging technologies, or to host case competitions, recruiting events, and more
- A dedicated recording studio with state-of-the-art acoustics and lighting serves as a hub for bringing videos and podcasts to life
- A coffee bar and social area
HTX Labs receives $1.25M Air Force grant
HTX Labs' EMPACT product will be further developed to support the Air Force. Image courtesy of HTX Labs
HTX Labs, a Houston-based company that designs extended reality training for military and business purposes, announced earlier this month that it has been awarded a new $1.25 million Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contract with US Air Force Global Strike Command to enhance its product, EMPACT Immersive Learning Platform, to facilitate collaborative, multi-role immersive learning capabilities in support of maintenance training for the B-52 aircraft.
“HTX Labs is excited to expand our presence into Global Strike Command and take on the challenge to aid Global Strike with its mission to produce highly qualified, engaged, and prepared Airmen. Our main objective with this SBIR award is to build on the success of the immersive training programs we have helped drive within AETC, and bring those successful results along with lessons learned over to Global Strike," says Chris Verret, president and co-founder, HTX Labs, in a news release.
"When coupled with EMPACT’s no-code immersive content authoring tools, this capability will support just-in-time mission training, enabling delivery of the right training at the right time – across geographically disparate locations to the Airmen who need it,“ he continues.
The goals of the project is to "increase throughput of the training pipeline, lower overall training costs, and produce more fully mission-ready Airmen," according to the release.
Scott Schneider, co-founder of the company, recently joined the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss how he and his team have tapped into the military sector. Click here to listen.
Pitch competition reveals
Here's who will be pitching at The Cannon later this month. Photo courtesy of The Cannon
Dell for Startups is bringing a pitch competition to The Cannon on Wednesday, June 29, and the eight companies who will be pitching for cash prizes were announced.
Here's what Houston companies will take the stage:
- Sarah Tamilarasan, SOTAOG - Energy Tech
- Alex Baqui, Valhalla Healthcare - Health Tech
- Ghazal Qureshi, UpBrainery - Ed Tech
- Jason Robinson, Playbook Five - Sports Tech
- Margo Jordan, Enrichly - Mental Health Tech for Youth
- Osinachi Ukomadu, Heroshe - Shipping & Logistics
- Doug Mochrie, OHANA - Social Impact Hardware & Technology
- Brad Greer, DrySee - Health Tech
Houston artist completes Greentown Labs mural
Hannah Bull painted a mural depicting the future of climatetech on Greentown Houston's building. Photo courtesy of Greentown
Houston artist Hannah Bull was selected and commissioned by Greentown Labs to paint a mural on the outside of Greentown Houston. The project wrapped up and the mural, entitled “Powering the Future Through Climatetech,” can be found on east exterior wall. Watch a timelapse of the painting by clicking here.