Chris Dupont, CEO of Galen Data, has seen his share of challenges and opportunities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo via galendata.com

For decades, medical device innovation has been improving the way patients are cared for, but only recently are innovators enabling important connectivity applications.

"Most legacy medical devices are not connected to the internet," says Chris DuPont, CEO and founder of Galen Data Inc. "All the new companies that are coming to us — the emerging wearable tech — connectivity is vital in their product roll out."

But with this internet connectivity, adhering to safety regulations adds costly and challenging obstacles for medical device companies. That's where Galen Data comes into play, and the Houston startup is seeing more of a need for its medical device cloud services now more than ever.

"COVID-19 has created all kinds of challenges — and I think in the long run, a lot of opportunities for Galen," DuPont shares on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast. "I think there will be a heightened awareness for the need for connected medical devices."

Galen Data's technology enables better communication between the device, the patient, and the medical provider, and DuPont equates it to being able to have a system similar to a check engine light on your vehicle.

"Wouldn't you want to know if your drug pump was starting to have problems or if the electro mechanical systems were starting to fail?" DuPont asks on the podcast.

The company's technology also provides important medical data and information that can be crucial for detecting trends and predictability.

"There's far greater risk in not having access to certain critical data to that device," DuPont says when asked about the hesitation some people have regarding medical data in terms of privacy.

DuPont shares more about his company's recent growth, his most recent partnership with an Austin-based medical device company, and how he's observed Houston emerging medical device innovation ecosystem evolve over his decades of experience. Listen to the full interview below — or wherever you get your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.


This week's innovators to know include Steve Jennis of Founder's Compass, Denise Hamilton of WatchHerWork, and Chris DuPont of Galen Data. Courtesy photos

3 Houston innovators to know this week

who's who

Editor's note: Houston's innovation ecosystem continues to grow. Last week, a group of startup mentors formed a new program that's a masterclass for aspiring entrepreneurs. Plus, a Houston innovator is writing the book on inclusion while another has a new partnership with a medical device company.

Steve Jennis, co-founder of Founder's Compass

Steve Jennis, along with three other Houston entrepreneurs, have teamed up to create a program based on each of their expertise that provides a launch pad for aspiring startup founders. Photo courtesy of Steve Jennis

Steve Jennis, a founder and mentor within the Houston innovation ecosystem, was thinking about opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs. While there are several accelerators within the ecosystem, they tend to be months-long programs that might require equity.

"A few months ago it struck me that maybe there was a gap in the market between the aspiring entrepreneur," says Jennis, "and the accelerator or incubator program."

Jennis tapped a few of his fellow founder-mentors to create Founder's Compass, an online masterclass for people who have a business idea but don't know what to do next. Read more about the new program.

Denise Hamilton, founder and CEO of WatchHerWork

Denise Hamilton is publishing a book that helps guide Black Lives Matter allies to make changes that will help them change the world. Photo courtesy of WatchHerWork

After developing a long career as a corporate executive, Denise Hamilton was fielding tons of requests to lunch or coffee to "pick her brain." While she loved helping to mentor young businesswomen, it was starting to become exhausting. "Frankly, there weren't enough hours in the day," she says on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast.

So, five years ago, she turned the cameras on and started a library of advice from female executives like herself and created WatchHerWork. The company evolved to more, and now she's focused on diversity and inclusion consulting and leadership — and, amid COVID-19 and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, she's particularly busy now. Stream the episode and read more.

Chris DuPont, CEO of Galen Data

Houston-based Galen Data, led by Chris Dupont, is collaborating with an Austin health device company on a cloud-based platform that monitors vital signs. Photo via galendata.com

Houston-based Galen Data Inc., which has developed a cloud platform for medical devices, and Austin-based Advanced TeleSensors Inc., the creator of the Cardi/o touchless monitor. Together, the two health tech companies are collaborating to take ATS's device and adding Galen Data's cloud technology.

Chris DuPont, co-founder and CEO, has led the company to meet compliance standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA), cybersecurity organizations, and others.

"We knew that our platform would be a great fit for Cardi/o," Chris DuPont, CEO of Galen Data, says. "Speed was critical, accentuated by the COVID-19 crisis. We were well positioned to address ATS' needs, and help those at-risk in the process." Read more about the innovative Texas partnership.

Houston-based Galen Data is collaborating with an Austin health device company on a cloud-based platform that monitors vital signs. Photo via galendata.com

Houston startup teams up with Austin company on medical device amid COVID-19 crisis

texans teaming up

Two Texas companies with NASA roots are joining forces on a technology that can be used to monitor vital signs of seniors or others that are at-risk of contracting COVID-19.

Houston-based Galen Data Inc., which has developed a cloud platform for medical devices, and Austin-based Advanced TeleSensors Inc., the creator of the Cardi/o touchless monitor. Together, the two health tech companies are collaborating to take ATS's device and adding Galen Data's cloud technology.

"We wish we had found Galen Data sooner. We had been building our own cloud for six months, thinking a custom solution would best meet our needs," says Sajol Ghoshal, CEO and president of ATS, in a news release. "Getting up-and-running with them was very easy, and it allowed us to focus on our core competency — which is data-signal processing."

ATS's technology uses radio frequency in its remote, touchless monitoring. The company's founders developed the core technology at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Initially, the technology was intended for assisted living facilities. Now, amid the COVID-19 crisis, monitoring isolated seniors or at-risk patients is even more relevant.

Galen Data, which launched in 2016, also has NASA roots as the founders met as software contractors working on NASA's safety systems. The company has developed and marketed its cloud-based platform for connecting medical devices to the internet, including pacemakers and glucose monitors.

Chris DuPont, co-founder and CEO, has led the company to meet compliance standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA), cybersecurity organizations, and others.

"We knew that our platform would be a great fit for Cardi/o," Chris DuPont, CEO of Galen Data, says. "Speed was critical, accentuated by the COVID-19 crisis. We were well positioned to address ATS' needs, and help those at-risk in the process."

Sajol Ghoshal (left), CEO and president of ATS, and Chris Dupont, (CEO of Galen Data), are bringing together their technologies. Photos courtesy

Human-tissue printing technology, blockchain networks, health care solutions, game-changing software — all this innovation and more is coming out of Houston startups. Courtesy photos

Editor's Picks: Top 10 Houston startup feature stories of 2019

2019 in review

Thousands of startups call Houston home. According to the Greater Houston Partnership's data, the Houston area added 11,700 firms between 2013 to 2018. And, if you consider Crunchbase's tally, at the end of 2018, Houston had over 1,400 tech startups on the investment tracking website's radar.

This past year, InnovationMap featured profiles on dozens of these Houston startups — from blockchain and software companies to startups with solutions in health care and oil and gas. Here are 10 that stood out throughout 2019.

Topl — a blockchain startup connecting every step of the way

Houston-based Topl can track almost anything using its blockchain technology. Getty Images

For Topl, 2019 was a year of laying the groundwork. In a January 2019 article on InnovationMap, Kim Raath, president of the Houston-based blockchain company, explained that Topl's mission originated out of the fact that 60 percent of the world lives on $10 a day — and it's in the poorest regions of the world where it's the hardest to get funding for a new business.

Raath says that in her experience backpacking and volunteering all around the world she learned that banks are too overwhelmed to evaluate these potential businesses. Topl has created a technology where banks can easily generate a report on these entrepreneurs that evaluates and makes a loan or investment recommendation on the business.

"We are a generation that wants a story," she says. "We want an origin, and don't want to be fooled. And, because you might be able to reduce the cost by having this transparency, you might be able to bring down the cost on both sides."

Later that year, the company closed a 20 percent oversubscribed $700,000 seed round. With the money, Topl will be able to grow its platforms, provide better product features, and increase marketing efforts. Topl's customers are drawn to the technology because of the business efficiency the blockchain adds to their supply chain, but they are also excited about how having this technology differentiates them from their competition. Raath says she's interested in growing Topl's ability to do joint marketing campaigns with their customers.

Incentifind — finding green incentives for commercial and residential building

Natalie Goodman founded Incentifind, which connects home builders and commercial developers with green incentives. Courtesy of Incentifind

When asked about the origin story of IncentiFind — a Houston-based startup that connects real estate developers and home builders with green construction incentives — founder Natalie Goodman doesn't mince words.

"We're a complete accident," Goodman tells InnovationMap in an interview in March. "I'm an architect. We didn't set out to have a startup."

IncentiFind's mission is to increase the amount of green developments and construction projects in the U.S. The company is equipped with a massive database of green incentives that are offered by utility, county, city, state and federal agencies. Many home builders or commercial developers don't take advantage of green incentives because they're simply not aware of them, Goodman says. Commercial developers can expect to spend around $1,500 with IncentiFind, while homeowners can expect to spend between $50 and $150.

Lazarus 3D — 3D printed organs to better train surgeons

Lazarus 3D is using 3D printing to help advance surgeons' skills. Photo via laz3d.com

It's pretty standard for surgeons in training to practice complicated surgeries on produce — slicing bananas open and sewing grapes back together. But for a pair of Baylor College of Medicine-educated doctors, that didn't seem like sufficient prep for working with living bodies; fruit surgery was not fruitful enough. In 2014, Drs. Jacques Zaneveld and Smriti Agrawal Zaneveld founded Lazarus3D to build a better training model — and layer by layer, they created models of abs and ribs and even hearts with a 3D printer.

"We adapted pre-existing 3D printing technology in a novel proprietary way that allows us to, overnight, build soft, silicone or hydrogel models of human anatomy," Jacques, who serves as CEO, tells InnovationMap in July. "They can be treated just like real tissue."

This year, the company grew to seven people and aims to expand even more to add to its sales and manufacturing teams. Having been funded mostly by friends and family investors, Lazarus3D plans enter its first equity round to raise $6 million, InnovationMap reported last summer.

Mental Health Match — connecting people to the right therapists

Ryan Schwartz realized online dating was easier than finding a therapist. He created a tool to change that. Courtesy of Mental Health Match

Nearly five years ago, Ryan Schwartz sat in a coffee shop in crisis mode. His mother had just died suddenly and he was struggling to find an appropriate therapist. Across the table, his friend sat making a profile on a dating app. Quickly, her endeavor was complete and she was ready to swipe right, but Schwartz was still on the hunt for mental help.

"In two minutes she could have a profile matching her with a partner potentially for the rest of her life and I was sitting there for hours and hours trying to find a therapist," he told InnovationMap in June. "I thought it should be easier to find a therapist than a life partner. That's what sent me on my journey."

That journey reached a watershed last month when Schwartz launched Mental Health Match, a website designed to pair patients with their ideal therapist. The idea gained traction as Schwartz described it to people he met and found that many said they had experienced similar difficulties in finding the right practitioner for their needs.

Grab — making ordering food at the airport easier

Houston-based Grab makes it so you're waiting in one less line at the airport. Getty Images

Most airport lines are unavoidable, but a Houston startup has cut out at least some of those lines with its mobile ordering app. Houston-based software company Grab was founded by Mark Bergsrud in 2015, who worked in senior leadership roles for almost 20 years at Continental Airlines and then United Airlines, following the merger. For Bergsrud, Grab feels like another major mobile game changer the industry experienced.

"I spent many years thinking about the travel experience and how to make it better and faster," Bergsrud told InnovationMap in July. "This feels like how mobile check in felt. There was a problem customers didn't know they had — check in wasn't that difficult anyway, but to be able to have that control, people love it."

Grab now has a presence in over 37 airports around the world, including Dallas and Austin though, ironically, not yet either of Houston's airports. Expansion is in the works for Grab, which closed a multimillion-dollar Series A round this year — London-based Collinson Group was the sole contributor.

NurseDash — An app that connects nurses to shifts

Houston-based NurseDash is the Uber of staffing nursing shifts in medical facilities. Photo via nursedash.com

Across the country, medical facilities are short on nurses. Agencies play a role in matchmaking nurses to open shifts, but agencies charge a high percentage for placement and lack transparency, says Andy Chen, former CFO for Nobilis Health Corporation. That's why he and Jakob Kohl created their app, NurseDash in 2017. The project manager for the app is in New York, but official headquarters in Houston's Galleria area, where a staff of five works with the team spread out around the world.

Since its debut, NurseDash has attracted 40 facilities in Houston, InnovationMap reported in May, including hospitals, surgery centers, and senior living, and about 400 nurses. Chen says he isn't sure just what to call his technology yet, but compares it to the ride hailing of Uber or Lyft and calls it "a virtual bulletin board."

Syzygy — hydrogen cells battery to minimize natural gas

Trevor Best, CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics, walked away from EarthX $100,000 richer. Photo via LinkedIn

A Houston technology company is doing something that, for many decades, wasn't thought to be possible. Syzygy Plasmonics is creating a hydrogen fuel cell technology that produces a cheaper source of energy that releases fewer carbon emissions. The hydrogen-fueled technology originated out of research done over two decades by two Rice University professors, Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander.

Syzygy's technology, CEO Trevor Best told InnovationMap in August, is structured more like a battery than that of a combustion engine. Inside the technology, there are cells, lights, and mirrors making as bright as possible, which then spurs a reaction that creates energy. It has the potential to be cheaper — it's made with cheaper materials — and, of course, cleaner than traditional fueling technology with fewer carbon emissions released.

This new photocatalytic chemical reactor has the potential to shake up the industrial gas, chemical, and energy industries — something that hasn't gone unnoticed by investors. Syzygy just closed a $5.8 million Series A round, and the funds will allow for Syzygy to continue to develop its technology and grow its team. Best tells InnovationMap that he expects to launch a full-size pilot by the end of 2020 and is already in talks with potential clients who are interested in the technology for industrial purposes.

Volumetric — 3D printed human tissue

Houston researchers are commercializing their organ 3D printing technology. Jordan Miller/Rice University

There may come a time when you or someone you love is in need of a new pair of lungs. Or perhaps it's a liver. It's not a scenario anyone dreams of, but thanks to Houston company Volumetric, you may never end up on a waiting list. Instead, that organ is made to order and 3D printed using a mix of medical plastics and human cells.

And this possibility isn't necessarily in the distant future. On the cover of the May 3 issue of the journal Science, is a contraption that looks a bit like a futuristic beehive. It's a working air sac complete with blood vessels, the beginnings of a technology that is perhaps only a decade from being implanted in humans. And it was crafted on a 3D printer in Jordan Miller's lab at Rice University. Miller and his bioengineering graduate student Bagrat Grigoryan are primed to profit from their inventions.

In 2018, they started Volumetric Inc., a company that sells both the hydrogel solutions used for printing organs like theirs and the printers themselves. Touring Miller's lab in the Houston Medical Center is a visual timeline of his team's progress designing printers. The version being manufactured is a slick little number, small enough to fit under chemical exhaust hoods, but fitted with everything necessary to print living tissues. It's made and sold in cooperation with CellInk, a larger bioprinting company.

"Our technology is based on projection," Miller told InnovationMap in May. Specifically, it's stereolithography, a type of 3D printing that produces the finished product layer-by-layer. Shining colored light of the right intensity turns the polymers into a solid gel.

Voyager — Email-less communication tool for maritime shipping

Voyager, a Houston SaaS company, has received fresh funds to develop its bulk shipping software. Tom Fisk/Pexels

Houston software startup Voyager is making waves in its quest to improve efficiency — and stem billions of dollars in losses — in the maritime bulk-shipping business. Now, it's got some fresh capital to help it achieve that mission.

InnovationMap reported in August that Houston-based Voyager revealed it secured $1.5 million in seed funding from four investors from around the world: Austin-based ATX Venture Partners, Houston- and California-based Blue Bear Capital, New York City-based GreenHawk Capital, and Oman-based Phaze Ventures. Previous investors include Boulder, Colorado-based Techstars and Spring-based Knightsgate Ventures.

With its software-as-a-service offering, Voyager aims to modernize the workflows of operators in the maritime bulk-commodities industry. The company says its technology will become more vital as autonomous shipping and internet- and Internet of Things-enabled cargo vessels grow in popularity. Voyager's technology enables all communication tied to a shipment to be handled via its web dashboard and app, essentially creating a one-stop shop for people who need to track messages about maritime bulk shipments.

"With Voyager, what it allows companies to do is essentially have all of those counter parties working together in a shared environment to manage the voyage together — entirely email free," Matthew Costello, CEO, tells InnovationMap in December.

Galen Data — cloud-based platform for connecting medical devices to the internet

Houston-based Galen Data is growing its clientbase and just formed two new partnerships with medical device companies. Photo via galendata.com

Educated as an engineer, Chris DuPont has stepped outside his professional comfort zone to generate funding for his Houston-based startup, Galen Data Inc. DuPont's pool of technical contacts in Houston is "wide and deep," he says, but his pool of financial contacts had been shallow.

Overcoming obstacles in Houston's business waters, DuPont has raised two rounds of angel funding — he declines to say how much — that have enabled Galen Data to develop and market its cloud-based platform for connecting medical devices to the internet, including pacemakers and glucose monitors. DuPont is the startup's co-founder and CEO.

Galen Data's patent-pending technology lets medical device manufacturers tailor the cloud-based software to their unique needs. DuPont says his company's software is geared toward medical devices that are outside, not inside, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. He declines to divulge how many customers the startup has.

Hatched within Houston-based Tietronix Software Inc., DuPont's previous employer, Galen Data launched in 2016 but didn't roll out its first product until 2018. Galen Data's emergence comes as the market for internet-connected mobile health apps keeps growing. One forecast envisions the global space for mobile health exceeding $94 billion by 2023.

"We want to be at the forefront of that technology curve," DuPont tells InnovationMap in May. "We might be six months early, we might be a year early, but it's starting to happen."

Seven Houston startups are beginning October with fresh funding. Photo by Tim Leviston/Getty Images

These 7 Houston startups closed millions in funding last month

Venture adventures

September was a busy month for several Houston startups. Seven companies closed rounds throughout the month and are now beginning the fourth quarter of 2019 with fresh funds.

InnovationMap has rounded up these seven deals based on previous stories as well as new information. Scroll through to see which Houston startups are catching the eyes — and cashing the checks — of investors.


Galen Data

Houston-based Galen Data is growing its clientbase and just formed two new partnerships with medical device companies. Photo via galendata.com

Texas Halo Fund led a Houston startup's seed round last month. Galen Data, which uses its cloud-based software to connect medical devices, closed a $1 million seed round thanks to the fund's $250,000 investment. Kevin King, one of Texas Halo Fund's managing director, has also been named to the startup's board of directors.

According to the release, the Texas Halo Fund based its decision for the investment "on the large and growing addressable market of connected medical devices, the company's impressive management team, and post revenue status."

Galen Data's emergence comes as the market for internet-connected mobile health apps keeps growing. One forecast envisions the global space for mobile health exceeding $94 billion by 2023.

"We want to be at the forefront of that technology curve," DuPont tells InnovationMap in a previous interview. "We might be six months early, we might be a year early, but it's starting to happen."

Earlier this year, Galen Data formed strategic partnerships with medical device companies. Click here to read more about those.

SurfEllent

Photo via surfellent.com

SurfEllent, an anti-icing coating technology startup founded out of the University of Houston has raised $470,000 in funding. The company won the second place award and a total of $45,000 at the Texas A&M New Ventures competition before receiving an anonymous investment of $350,000 in seed funding. SurfEllent also received two grants: a $50,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant and a $24,999 Small Business Technology Transfer grant.

"Ice is a problem that will exist as long as we live on the earth. It impacts a wide range of things, including aircraft wings and engines, automobiles, buildings and bridges, ships and vessels, and power transmission systems," says SurfEllent Co-Founder Hadi Ghasemi, a Bill D. Cook Associate professor of mechanical engineering at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, says in a news release.

SurfEllent's product can be used in the de-icing of cars and airplane engines.

"The end goal is to improve the quality of human life," Ghasemi says in the release. "This recognition is another proof of the critical need for advanced anti-icing coating technologies and opens opportunities for collaboration with various industries and business partners."

Cemvita Factory

Cemvita Factory

In August, Occidental Petroleum's Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC invested in Houston-based Cemvita Factory, and in September, BHP followed suit. While Cemvita Factory isn't able to disclose how much money its raised through these partnerships, the company confirms it has closed its round of funding.

Cemvita Factory is run by a brother-sister team. Moji and Tara Karimi built the company off of Tara's research into mimicking photosynthesis. The process is able to help reduce energy company's carbon emissions.

"We have an ambitious goal to take one gigaton of CO2 out of the carbon cycle in the next decade and are very excited about being a part of Occidental's journey to become a carbon-neutral company," says Tara, co-founder and chief scientist, in a news release.

The investments will help Cemvita Factory continue to develop its biomimicry technology for oil and gas applications to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more about Cemvita's technology by clicking here.

Sourcewater

oil and gasIt might not be surprising to discover that the energy capital of the world is a hub for energy startups. Getty Images

Houston-based Sourcewater Inc., which specializes in oilfield water intelligence, closed its series A round at $7.2 million. Bison Technologies, Marubeni Corp., and major energy family offices in Houston, Midland, Dallas, and Oklahoma City contributed to the round. The funds will go toward further developing the company's technology.

"For every barrel of oil produced in the Permian Basin there are more than ten barrels of associated water that are sourced, recycled, transported, and disposed of," says Joshua Adler, founding chief executive of Sourcewater, in a news release. "When America became the world's leading energy producer last year, it also became the world's leading water producer, times ten. Water management is now the majority of upstream energy production cost, and water sourcing, recycling and disposal capacity is the primary constraint on America's energy future."

Read more about the raise here.

SEATz

sEATz

Houston startup sEATz has created a platform where fans can order just about anything their stadium has from an app. Much like any other ordering app, once the order is placed, a runner will pick up the food and deliver it to the customer for a small fee and a tip.

The startup is now preparing to scale up from seven venues to 10 before the year is over as well as launching a new version of the app thanks to an oversubscribed near $1.3 million seed round led by Houston-based Valedor Partners. Houston-based Starboard Star Venture Capital also contributed to the round. SEATz has plans to launch its Series A round before the new year.

"We're building enterprise-level, scalable in-seat ordering, delivery, and pick-up software. We'll have all the data and validation we need this fall to really start to push that out," says CEO and co-founder Aaron Knape.

Read more about sEATz's raise by clicking here.

Syzygy

Earlier this year, Trevor Best, CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics, walked away from EarthX $100,000 richer. Now, he has an even bigger check to cash. Photo via LinkedIn

Using research that came out of Rice University, Syzygy Plasmonics has developed a hydrogen fuel cell technology that produces a cheaper source of energy that releases fewer carbon emissions.

The company just closed a $5.8 million Series A round led by MIT's The Engine and Houston-based The GOOSE Society of Texas. Evok Innovations, a previous investor in the company, and angel investors from the Creative Destruction Lab also contributed to the round.

"We're starting to solidify relationships and get customers ready," CEO Trevor Best tells InnovationMap.

Read more about Syzygy's technology by clicking here.

Topl

blockchain

Houston-based Topl can track almost anything using its blockchain technology. Getty Images

Houston-based Topl, a blockchain network with applications across industries, closed a 20 percent oversubscribed $700,000 seed round.

"Every investor that is invested now has focused on both the purpose and the profit, and I'm big on that," Kim Raath, president and co-founder of Topl, says.

The team has built six blockchain platforms that operate on the Topl network — two are live now, and four will go live later this year. The platforms are focused on four different areas: agriculture (tracking food products from the farm to the shelves), mining (diamonds, for instance), sustainability and impact (tracking a program to see how it succeeds), and carbon credits and renewables within the energy industry.

Click here to read more about the raise and what it means to Topl's technology.

From new gigs to growing companies, these three leaders in Houston innovation have exciting things up their sleeves. Courtesy photos

3 Houston innovators to know this week

Who's who

The movers and shakers of Houston's innovation ecosystem have been, well, moving and shaking. From fresh partnerships to new gigs, here are three Houston innovators you need to know this week.

Harvin Moore, president at Houston Exponential

Harvin Moore, who has a 20-year career in tech and innovation, has been named as president of Houston Exponential. Courtesy of HX

There's a new leader at the helm of the city's startup and innovation nonprofit — and he has some familiarity with the innovation ecosystem. Harvin Moore was announced to be the new president of Houston Exponential. Moore, a Houston native, has a 20-year career in tech and startups in Houston. He is a principal at an early-stage investment firm, Frontera Technology Ventures, and before that served as COO for Space Services Holdings Inc. Read more about the appointment here.

Stephane Smith, co-founder and CEO of Integrated Bionics

Stephane Smith wants his company, Integrated Bionics, and its sports tech sensor to be a big win for Houston. Courtesy of Integrated Bionics

It took Stephane Smith and his brother, Yves, a few tries to get a revolutionary sports device that the market actually wanted. Now that they have, their Houston-based company, Integrated Bionics, has its Titan Sensor device being used worldwide — from Zimbabwe and Israel to Brazil and Mexico. Smith spoke with InnovationMap about figuring out the Titan's technology, Houston's challenging venture capital environment, and why he hopes to be one of the city's big wins. Read the full interview here.

Chris DuPont, co-founder and CEO of Galen Data

Houston-based Galen Data is growing its clientbase and just formed two new partnerships with medical device companies. Photo via galendata.com

Educated as an engineer, Chris DuPont has stepped outside his professional comfort zone to generate funding for his Houston-based startup, Galen Data Inc. and has raised two rounds of angel funding that have enabled Galen Data to develop and market its cloud-based platform for connecting medical devices to the internet, including pacemakers and glucose monitors. Now, Galen Data has two new big clients that are taking the company's technology to a new level. Read more about the partnerships here.

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Texas robotics company expands in Houston with service-focused automation technology

order's up

Snazzy sombrero-wearing robots are gliding over to your table, carrying chips, salsa, and drinks, electronic eyes wide open on its interactive screen, ready to serve. The bot, provided by the new Houston franchise branch of RobotLAB Inc., debuted at Johnny Tamales Tex-Mex Cantina in Missouri City last week.

The restaurant's owner, Anil Patel, arranged for a one-month trial rental of the machine. But so far, he tells InnovationMap that he’s pleased with his “no-brainer” decision to add a small food delivery robot, which he says has huge marketing potential.

“I’m a sucker for technology. You look at it, and I think this is the future,” says Patel, who used to work in the health care industry.

That vision is shared by Elad Inbar, founder and CEO of Dallas-based RobotLAB, who in July expanded his company’s Texas franchise operations with the opening of a Houston branch.

“For many years, robots were toys — for geeks. You had to build them yourself, program them yourself,” Inbar says.

Elad Inbar is the founder and CEO of Dallas-based RobotLAB. Photo courtesy of RobotLAB

But the electronics revolution that brought handheld phones to the mainstream inspired Inbar to turn that concept to robotics when he formed RobotLAB in 2007.

“To me, this was completely a wake up call — seeing the market shift, and you know, bringing the opportunity to the mass market,” he says.

The company started by providing small robots to schools, and the company now works with two-thirds of the school districts in the country, Inbar says, touting that it is the "largest, most experienced" robotics company.

Keith Edwards, who owns RobotLAB’s Houston franchise with his brother Daniel, said his office aims to provide 50 robots in its first year of operation. While the use of robots has become more common globally, especially in Asian hotels and restaurants, for American business owners, robots are definitely not a standard decision, Edwards says.

The challenge lies in educating them about how robotics provides a solution for staffing shortages, Edwards says. With the touch of a button, the robot used in Patel’s restaurant can be programmed to sing happy birthday and deliver a dessert, or return dirty dishes back to the kitchen sink.

Through its franchisees, RobotLAB has already set up robots inside numerous restaurants, including eight food delivery models at four Houston locations of revolving sushi bar Kura Sushi.

Wings Over Frisco in the Dallas metro area and entertainment complex AREA 254 in Killeen also use RobotLAB food delivery robots. In August, the Tulsa International Airport introduced, on a trial basis, “Cloi,” another bot from RobotLAB, that guides visitors and has a selfie feature.

RobotLAB provides some 50 types of robots, Inbar says, ranging in function from cleaning, warehouse stacking, to food delivery, with plans and potential for more.

The company also has a presence in the senior living space, with a humanoid life-sized interactive robot named Pepper, that works with residents who suffer from dementia. While no Houston senior communities have yet come on board, Inbar says the company works with assisted living communities in Dallas, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Virginia.

One of RobotLAB's devices specializes in senior care facilities. Photo courtesy of RobotLAB

RobotLAB does not manufacture the robots, but provides the models, which can be purchased or leased. The company partners with manufacturers all over the world to provide the robots.

The cost to purchase a robot outright ranges widely, anywhere from $3,400 for an autonomous vacuum cleaner to $32,000 for a life-sized model, according to the website.

It provides one-on-one service for all aspects of implementation and any repair.

The proof of concept and related costs for the trial run for the Johnny Tamales robot was $2,990, Edwards says, which would apply toward a possible purchase of the $9,500 robot.

The daily labor cost, according to Inbar, for a food delivery robot amounts to about $15 to $17 a day, and for cleaning robots, about $27 a day.

The delivery robots run on a battery charge which lasts which lasts from nine to 13 hours, depending on the model. A cleaning robot does not last as long, but can clean 20,000 square feet on a single charge, Inbar says, and discharge dirty water, charge itself and return to work.

In the coming weeks, Inbar says he plans a demonstration with area firefighters at a training facility in Dallas, to show them bots that can clear debris, fight fires and help perform rescues.

The fastest-growing sector of his business now is the cleaning robot, as the service industry, in particular, struggles with labor challenges, Inbar says. The Houston office just sold its first cleaning robot, Edwards said.

“There is more demand for cleaning automation, simply because people don’t want to do the job anymore,” says Inbar. “We are hearing from everyone, in every market sector, from hotels, to assisted living facilities, to warehouses, you name it, supermarkets — even movie theaters. They can’t find people to clean. Putting that on autopilot, in a way, is the solution."

Edwards and Inbar say RobotLAB’s customized local service and connection provides the missing integration link for many business owners, who are intrigued by robots but may be way of what is involved with the equipment.

“We are basically the car dealership model of robotics,” Inbar says.

Christina Garavaglia, executive director of the Southeast Texas region of the Texas Restaurant Association, says the industry usually adapts cutting-edge technology early on, and robots are no exception.

“One of the primary reasons for this is that technology, hopefully, if it does what it’s intended, provides a lot of efficiency, and can help with some of the very tight margins that all of our restaurants work with,” she says.

Local restaurateurs have generally had positive reactions to robots, she says.

RobotLAB has food delivery robots rolling out in Houston. Photo courtesy of RobotLAB

Eric’s Restaurant at the Hilton University of Houston Hotel was the first Texas restaurant to introduce a robot two years ago, as part of its student training, Garavaglia says, adding that she expects more restaurateurs to come on board.

The industry has “barely scanned the surface” in leveraging the potential for robots to maximize efficiency and create a unique customer experience, she said.

Jim Lewis, president of AREA 254, a 45,000-square-foot entertainment complex in Killeen, purchased three robots from RobotLAB and began using them in January.

The robot keeps the food warm, in its enclosed shelves, and frees up the servers. One robot can carry up to four pizzas, and go from table to table in one trip, directed by a software system activated by the QR code order at the table. And, just as important for Lewis, the robots provide the “fun, cool factor.”

“People love it, and robots put smiles on people’s faces,” Lewis says. “My guess is that it will pick up a lot of steam, especially in the family entertainment space, where buildings are so big. The robot provides a very practical solution to moving food long distances.”

Inbar says his company does not want to replace human labor with his robots, rather enhance it and free up time for humans while filling a labor gap prompted by a shift that began in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

“This is where the challenge is. They need people to move boxes in warehouses, cook, and clean floors, so automation is the solution,” Inbar says.

Garavaglia says restaurant servers may even see their tips increase, as they can engage longer with customers as the robot handles other chores. The gap between the tip and the amount of work done to earn it would close, she explains.

Most high-end restaurants pride themselves on the customer experience, she said, and “that can only be provided by a human person.”

“Feeling a trust, sense of connection, that is really a human trait, a human characteristic. So long as that is the case, human servers and human employees will always be necessary,” she says.

Texas outshines California, takes top spot on new solar energy ranking

report

For the first time, Texas has passed California in the second quarter of 2024 to become the top solar state in the country.

The American Clean Power Association's quarterly market report found that, by adding 3,293 megawatts of new solar year-to-date, Texas has the most utility-scale solar capacity installed, comprising 20 percent of the overall U.S. solar fleet. The American Clean Power Association, which represents over 800 energy storage, wind, utility-scale solar, transmission, and clean hydrogen companies, found that Texas is home to 21,932 megawatts of capacity.

By utilizing clean energy initiatives, Texas included 1.6 gigawatts of new solar, 574 megawatts of storage, and 366 megawatts of onshore wind. With more than 28,000 megawatts, Texas had the highest volume of clean power development capacity in the second quarter. About 163,000 megawatts of capacity overall are in the works throughout the United States. Texas ranks No. 1 for total operating wind capacity and total operating solar capacity, and comes in second for operating storage capacity.

Texas again led in production levels with clean power construction projects nationally, which boasts more than 19,000 megawatts worth of clean power energy currently under construction. With almost 28.3 gigawatts in advanced development or under construction, Texas continues to come in at No.1, as California is next with over 16.4 gigawatts in the state’s project pipeline.

California added more than 1,900 megawatts of new clean power capacity in the second quarter, with its clean energy development behavior leaning more towards adding storage, which amounts to 60 percent of California’s year-to-date clean power installations.

According to the report from SmartAsset, the Lone Star State has the most clean energy capacity at 56,405 megawatts due to its sheer size for solar capacity, but continues to trail states with similar geographic characteristics in overall clean energy prevalence.

Another report published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, says Texas will make up 35 percent of new utility-scale solar capacity in the U.S. this year, followed by California (10 percent) and Florida (6 percent).

While Texas’ solar efforts have shown positive trends, the state ranked No. 38 in a report by WalletHub that determined it was the thirteenth least green state.

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

Houston innovators to know this week

who's who

Editor's note: Every week, I introduce you to a handful of Houston innovators to know recently making headlines with news of innovative technology, investment activity, and more. This week's batch includes an academic researcher, an energy tech leader, and a recently passed Houston innovation champion.

Ken Nguyen, principal technical program manager at bp

Ken Nguyen, principal technical program manager at bp, joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss the company's new partnership with NASA. Photo courtesy of bp

The recently announced partnership between bp and NASA is a match made in Houston. The energy giant, which as its United States headquarters in Houston, entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA to combine resources and efforts with innovation in mind.

"Houston has always been known as the Space City, and we're also known as the Energy Capital of the World, but there hasn't always been collaboration," Ken Nguyen, principal technical program manager at bp, says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. "The challenges that NASA is facing is very similar to the challenges that the oil industry faces — we operate in very harsh environments, safety is the most critical aspect of our operation, and now the economic business model for NASA has changed."

Nguyen explains that while both bp and NASA are navigating similar challenges and changes within their industry, they are going about it in different ways. That's where the opportunity to collaborate comes in. Read more.

Paul Frison, founder of the Houston Technology Center

Paul Frison, the founder of the Houston Technology Center, has died. Photo via dignitymemorial.com

The Houston innovation ecosystem is mourning the loss of one of its early leaders, Paul Frison, who died on September 5. He was 87.

A long-time Houston businessman, Frison founded the Houston Technology Center in 1999 and served as its CEO and president. The organization evolved into Houston Exponential several years ago. Frison remained active within Houston innovation until 2020.

“Paul Frison was a visionary and energetic leader who always presented a positive outlook on what the Houston technology entrepreneurship community could become," Brad Burke, associate vice president for industry and new ventures at Rice University's Office of Innovation, remembers. "He was one of the pioneers in the community who established the Houston Technology Center as one of the early leaders of the Houston ecosystem. I admired how he helped launch the ecosystem and created the platform for many others to build upon.” Read more.

Alamgir Karim, professor at the University of Houston

Alamgir Karim was instrumental in the new discovery. Photo Courtesy of University of Houston Office of Media Relations

A flask of Houston’s rain helped answer a long-running question about the origin of cellular life.

The solution is proposed by two University of Houston scientists, William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical Engineering (UH ChBE) former grad student Aman Agrawal (now a postdoctoral researcher at University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering) and Alamgir Karim, UH Dow Chair and Welch Foundation Professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and director of both the International Polymer & Soft Matter Center and the Materials Engineering Program at UH. They were joined by UChicago PME Dean Emeritus Matthew Tirrell and Nobel Prize-winning biologist Jack Szostak in an article published last week in Scientific Advances. Read more.