Editor's note:Another week has come and gone, and it's time to round up the top headlines from the past few days. Trending Houston tech and startup news on InnovationMap included a roundup of startup news, a new coworking spot, photos from the Houston Innovation Awards Gala, and more.
Texas coworking company opens latest location in downtown Houston
The newest coworking spot is in POST Houston. Photo courtesy of Common Desk
A Texas-based coworking company has rolled out its fifth Houston-area location just on the edge of downtown.
Common Desk has opened in 32,000 square feet of space in the POST Houston, a recently renovated historic building built in 1934 at 401 Franklin St.
“Common Desk has built a homey office environment that integrates beautifully with the industrial architecture at POST Houston,” says Kirby Liu, director at Lovett Commercial, in a news release. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome organizations big and small to office at our development.” Continue reading.
Houston unicorn raises $200M series D, startup snags national award, and more innovation news
Here's your latest roundup of innovation news you may have missed. Photo via Getty Images
It's been a busy month so far with plenty of Houston startup news, major ecosystem events, and more — and there might be some headlines you may have missed.
In this roundup of short stories within Houston startups and tech, Solugen raises another mega round of funding, CorInnova snags a prestigious award, applications are open for two programs, and more. Continue reading.
HISD receives millions in funding from EPA for clean school buses
All aboard the bus to greener transportation. Photo via Unsplash
Houston Independent School District is hopping on the city's net-zero carbon emissions bus, so to speak, thanks to more than $6.2 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The funds are part of the EPA's Clean School Bus Program Fiscal Year 2022 rebate competition, which will award nearly $51 million in funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Texas school districts, and $965 million in total to districts around the country.
Houston's $6.2 million will go toward 25 new school buses, according to a statement from the EPA. Fifteen of the vehicles will be brand-new electric buses.
"Taking steps to make our school buses greener while remaining safe and effective is not only imperative for the wellbeing of students and bus drivers, but also for the public at large,” Houston Congressman Al Green said in a statement. “I applaud this announcement by the EPA under President Biden’s leadership. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that this outstanding award to purchase electric and propane school buses will have on reducing our carbon footprint.” Continue reading.
Photos: InnovationMap, HX share moments from the Houston Innovation Awards Gala
Take a peek into this year's Houston Innovation Awards Gala. Photo by K. Mamou Photography
Last week, the Houston Innovation Awards Gala honored 44 honorees within the Houston innovation ecosystem and named 11 winners across categories.
The event, held November 9 at the Ion, was hosted by InnovationMap and Houston Exponential. Nearly 600 attendees — finalists, guests, judges, sponsors, and more — joined to eat, drink, and celebrate the city's top innovators. Continue reading.
Houston organization leads collaboration to advance Gulf Coast clean hydrogen projects
The Center for Houston's Future is a part of a collaboration that has established a hub for hydrogen innovation. Image via Getty Images
A handful of organizations have joined forces to create a new hub for the advancement of clean hydrogen projects in Texas, Southwest Louisiana, and the surrounding Gulf Coast region.
The HyVelocity Hub announced last week that it is applying for U.S. Department of Energy Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub funding. GTI Energy, The Center for Houston’s Future, The University of Texas at Austin, Air Liquide, and Chevron are among the founding members of the HyVelocity Hub.
“The name ‘HyVelocity’ conveys the idea that we have a tremendous opportunity to accelerate the creation of a clean hydrogen market at the pace needed to meet aggressive decarbonization goals for communities in our nation and around the globe,” says Paula A. Gant, president and CEO of Illinois GTI Energy, in a news release. “We need hydrogen deployment at scale, and this hub will lay the foundation with complete end-to-end demonstrations of an integrated network, match supply and demand regionally or locally, and leverage existing infrastructure to deliver resilient, reliable, and sustainable clean energy.” Continue reading.