A year and a half after opening in Houston, Greentown Labs has continued to evolve to meet the unique needs of the energy tech companies based out of its local incubator. The company, based originally in the Boston area, always knew it wasn't going to be as simple as copying and pasting its Somerville, Massachusetts, location in Texas.

Lately, as Juliana Garaizar, head of the Houston incubator and vice president of innovation for Greentown, says on this week's Houston Innovators Podcast, the surprising element emerging in Houston is the need for an entry point into the United States from foreign companies — mostly emerging from Latin America.

"We're realizing that we're becoming the landing pad for many international companies or companies coming from other ecosystems," she says on the show. "We are glad to be that landing pad for many companies looking to enter the United States through Texas."

Last year, Houston played a role in Greentown's annual Climatetech Summit. The two-day streamed event in 2021 attracted over 2,500 viewers from 38 different countries. This year's event will return to in-person but keep the streaming element to maintain this opportunity to reach people all over the world.

The summit kicks off on November 2 in Houston and continues on November 3 in Boston. (InnovationMap is a partner for the Houston portion of the summit.) The program is focused on elevating the conversation around clean energy and the energy transition in Houston and beyond, as well as serving as a showcase for emerging technologies coming out of Greentown's member companies.

"The main theme for this Climatetech Summit is commercialization, and we're trying to explore it in different ways," Garaizar says. "We're going to have some great panels on rapid commercialization and Houston and the energy transition."

Garaizar explains that the program is a must-attend event for innovators within energy innovation, and she hints that, at the conclusion of the day, Greentown may have some news to share with attendees.

"We're also going to be announcing a few things at the end of the program, so you'll have to stay tuned," she says.

Garaizar shares more about the event on the podcast, as well as some of the challenges Houston energy startups are facing. Listen to the interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.