A Houston real estate developer is making sure its common spaces are clean by using a new UV sanitation product from a Houston industrial services company. Photo via 255assay.com

A new technology coming out of a Houston industrial services company is allowing shared spaces to reopen safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apache Industrial Services has expanded its industrial services to include SafeSpace Solutions, a new line that includes UV-C products that minimize the risk of infection by detection and decontamination systems.

Houston-based real estate developer, McCord Development, has employed this new UV sanitation technology at its new apartment complex, 225 Assay, in Generation Park to sanitize high traffic areas such as elevators, amenities, retails spaces, and apartment units before move-ins.

"The new UV technology provides an extra level of comfort and peace of mind for employees and current residents," says Levi Hermes, director of development for McCord Development.McCord Development has two Tomahawk UV-C lamps that rely on ultralight technology to detect and destroy microorganisms in the air and on hard surfaces where the light touches. The light eradicates harmful pathogens and viruses in large open spaces with 99.9 percent effectiveness.

The Tomahawk lamp can be used in closed and open spaces, made out of lightweight carbon steel with a four-wheel stand, it is portable and easy to move. The light tower is remotely operated and leaves a burnt smell after the cleaning process is done.

"The ultimate goal of using the UV technology in our real estate is for our employees, customers, and our other partners that come into our different spaces," says Hermes. "We are doing everything the Center for Disease Control recommends including sanitizing high touch areas, but this adds an extra level of protection."

The lamp is easy to operate and can be moved to common areas and offices in commercial and apartment units quickly. McCord Development has used the UV lights in a variety of settings including industrial buildings, offices, and common areas in 255 Assay such as fitness centers, mailrooms, resident rooms, and a business center, which provide residents a place to socialize and work.

Apache Industrial Services, a McCord Development tenant, has already deployed other UV-related products including Airrow 2000 UV-C Air Treatment System, an air filtration and treatment system, Airrowswift 5000, placed in external A/C packages to filtrate air for small buildings.

Hermes and his team at McCord Development are looking forward to incorporating more gadgets as they become available, because of the heightened sanitation standards which they expect will continue even after society enters a new normal post-pandemic world.

"The long term impact will be monumental," says Hermes. "A lot of the current sanitation procedures will be here to stay. However, the pendulum will swing back to normal, but it will be a new normal. It will be important for owners of real estate to provide that extra level of comfort through sanitation."

Temperature checking

Photos via apacheip.com

Apache's Mass Temperature Screening System uses cameras to detect temperature and can scan 5,000 people in 30 minutes with great accuracy, according to the website.

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Houston legacy planning platform secures $2.5M investment, adds to board

fresh funding

Houston-based Paige, a comprehensive life planning and succession software company, has secured a $2.5 million investment to expand the AI-driven tools on its platform.

The funding comes from Alabama-based 22nd State Banking Company, according to a news release. Paige says it will use the funding to expand automation, AI-driven onboarding and self-service tools, as well as add to its sales and customer success teams.

The company was originally founded by CEO Emily Cisek in 2020 as The Postage and rebranded to Paige last year. It helps users navigate and organize end-of-life planning with features like document storage and organization, password management, and funeral and last wishes planning.

“Too many families are left trying to piece together important information during some of the hardest moments of their lives,” Cisek said in the news release. “This investment allows us to accelerate the next phase of growth for Paige by improving the product and expanding support for our members, our financial institution partners and the communities they serve,”

In addition to the funding news, the company also announced that 22nd State Banking CEO and President Steve Smith will join Paige's board of directors.

“We believe banking should be grounded in relationships and built around the real needs of the people and communities we serve. Paige brings something deeply relevant to that mission," Smith added in the release. "It helps families prepare for the future in a practical and meaningful way, and it gives the banking community new pathways to support customers through important life transitions.”

Paige estimates that $124 trillion in assets will change hands through 2048. Yet about 56 percent of Americans do not have an estate plan.

Read more on the topic from Cisek in a recent op-ed here; or listen to InnovationMap's 2021 interview with her here.

Houston digital health platform Koda lands strategic investment

money moves

Houston-based advance care planning platform Koda Health has added another investor to the lineup.

The company secured a strategic investment for an undisclosed amount from UPMC Enterprises, the commercialization arm of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The funding is part of Koda's oversubscribed series A funding round that closed in October, according to a release.

"UPMC Enterprises’ investment is a meaningful signal, not just to Koda, but to the broader market," Dr. Desh Mohan, chief medical officer and co-founder of Koda Health, said in the news release. "It validates that health systems are ready to invest in infrastructure that makes advance care planning work the way it should: proactively, at scale, and with the human support that these conversations require. Having UPMC Enterprises as a strategic investor puts us in a unique position to prove what's possible."

Koda has raised $14 million to date, according to a representative from the company. Its series A round was led by Evidenced, with participation from Mudita Venture Partners, Techstars and the Texas Medical Center last year. At the time, the company said the funding would allow it to scale operations and expand engineering, clinical strategy and customer success. The company described the round as a "pivotal moment," as it had secured investments from influential leaders in the healthcare and venture capital space.

Koda Health, which was born out of the TMC's Biodesign Fellowship in 2020, saw major growth last year, as well, and now supports more than 1 million patients nationwide through partnerships with Cigna Healthcare, Privia Health, Guidehealth, Sentara, UPMC and Memorial Hermann Health System.

The company integrated its end-of-life care planning platform with Dallas-based Guidehealth in April 2025 and with Epic Systems in July 2025. It also won the 2025 Houston Innovation Award in the Health Tech Business category. Read more here.