Anchors Aweigh

Houston Ship Channel poised for integral $1 billion expansion

Improvements include widening and deepening the 52-mile ship channel. Photo courtesy of Houston Port Authority

The busiest port in the U.S. is about to get a major upgrade. The Houston Ship Channel is set for a massive $1 billion expansion, the Port of Houston announced.

The new project, dubbed Project 11, is the 11th major improvement that the ship channel has undergone in its more than 150-year history. Improvements aim in part to widen and deepen the 52-mile ship channel, creating two-way traffic flow, and thus, safer and more efficient vessel navigation, according to a press release from U.S. Rep. Al Green.

Project 11 will also aid the local ecosystem. By utilizing dredged materials, improvements will create 20 acres of new bird islands, build three marshes totaling 800 acres, and create more than 300 acres of new oyster reefs supported by reef pads to aid in their survival of natural disasters. Yet another ecological benefit: The expansion and development promises reduced emissions, potentially meaning better air quality for the ship channel and even the Greater Houston area.

Green has been an ardent supporter of Project 11 since its conceptualization in 2010. He arranged for more than $140 million in federal funding by working with the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and both sides of the aisle in Congress, a press release notes. Current goals are for the project to be completed by 2025.

“I am proud to help advance Project 11 for the host of environmental benefits it offers and because of the critical role it will play in fostering commerce,” Green noted in a statement, adding, “I look forward to advocating for the Port of Houston’s future activities keeping Texas and the City of Houston as a top exporter across our nation and leading competitor around the world.”

Each year, Houston’s port sustains more than 3 million U.S. jobs, supports more than 200 industrial facilities along the ship channel, and generates more than $800 billion in economic value, according to Port of Houston data. Statewide, the ship channel, which extends through the Gulf of Mexico, supports economic activity totaling $339 billion, the Houston Port Authority estimates.

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A version of this article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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Building Houston

 
 

Fourteen companies are joining the spring cohort of the Softeq Venture Studio. Photo courtesy of Softeq

A Houston tech company has announced the latest cohort of its accelerator program, bringing the total number of startups supported by the company to 63.

Softeq Development Corp., a technology services development company, named 14 new startups joining its three-month spring Softeq Venture Studio cohort.

“We are so proud of the success we have had with the Softeq Venture Studio, helping to support and secure funding for 63 startups to date through the Softeq Venture Fund," says Christopher A. Howard, founder and CEO of Softeq. "With 23 of 89 founders coming from outside of the U.S., we demonstrate Houston’s growing influence as a startup hub where entrepreneurs can find a welcoming innovation community, a strong talent base, and world-class research facilities."

The spring 2023 cohort for Softeq includes:

  • Houston-based AIM7, data intelligence platform that unlocks wearable and mHealth data to provide customized and predictive wellness solutions.
  • Avendly, based in Providence, Rhode Island, makes robotic automation for restaurants to help, not supplant humans. Its first of many products is Mixibot, an integrated back-bar cocktail vending system.
  • Founded in Austin, ClioVis, is meeting today’s content-creator students where they are and how they learn. The company provides unique experiential learning tools designed for today’s content-creator students who learn by doing, not lectures.
  • Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, Flometrica, is a digital health solution featuring "use anywhere" devices to remotely monitor and diagnose various urinary tract problems through analysis of different urine parameters.
  • Gophr, from Lake Charles, Louisiana, is a technology-driven logistics company that provides tailored and efficient delivery solutions for various industries, individuals, and businesses of all sizes.
  • Chicago-based KarChing puts cash in teens’ hands for safe driving. The only app built for parents, teens, and insurance companies that rewards drivers for phone- and distraction-free behavior behind the wheel.
  • Houston-founded Meander collects travel customer satisfaction micro-surveys as people go about their trips. The research platform rewards travelers for sharing their pics, videos, and insights.
  • MEedia, based in Sacramento, California, puts a professional press conference event in your pocket. Individuals can create broadcast-worthy interactive shareable content with just their phone.
  • MeterLeader, from Huntington Beach, California, gamifies saving energy in homes by using real-time utility data and behavioral science. We're like a Fitbit challenge for your home, but instead of steps we measure kWh, therm, and CO2 reductions.
  • Houston-based PayOnDelivery, integrates secure payment with delivery for markets like Craigslist and Facebook. It’s low-hassle, fraud-free buying and selling for peer-to-peer marketplaces.
  • Another Lake Charles business, Picasso Analytics has a platform that can reduce delays and save oil refiners and petrochem owners 10 to 15 percent on multi-million dollar turnaround events by providing a single source of truth integrating the schedule, time entry, and shop status.
  • Sarasota, Florida-based Toivoa develops software-based therapies for people with disabilities who experience mental health disorders. On track for FDA approval, the platform is prescription-based, clinically validated, and delivered on your phone.
  • UpBrainery Technologies, founded in Houston, helps students explore careers through digital experiences. AI guides their interests in career paths and credentials their achievements for employers and colleges.
  • Also from Houston, WellWorth (https://wellworthapp.com/), is a financial modeling SaaS platform that helps upstream oil and gas finance leaders improve their decision-making around raising, managing, and deploying capital.

Softeq Venture Studio launched over a year ago with its inaugural cohort in 2021, and the fund was launched last year. Since launch, Softeq has raised 80 percent of its inaugural $40 million Softeq Venture Fund and made investments in 63 startups. Softeq has also reformatted its accelerator program to include two cohort classes per year, allowing for more time to be spent with the Venture Studio and its cohort startups.

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