Houston energy, innovation leader dies after hard-fought battle with cancer

'onward'

Scott Gale, executive director for Halliburton Labs, has died, leaving behind a legacy of innovation, collaboration, and curiosity. Photo via Rice University

Houston energy and innovation leader Scott Gale died on September 24 after a years-long fight with cancer. He was 40 years old.

Gale was the inaugural executive director for Halliburton Labs, which launched in 2020. Prior to that role, he lead global strategy initiatives for Halliburton. A Brigham Young University graduate, he received his MBA from Rice University in 2019, where he co-founded the Jones Student Association for Executives. After his graduation, he served on the the Rice Business Alumni Association Board and the Energy Advisory Board for the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator.

"Scott made an impact with his incredible kindness, energy, and talent," Dale Winger, managing director at Halliburton Labs, tells InnovationMap. "Scott was passionate about his family, his friends, his community, and his work. He provided incredible creativity and drive to bring Halliburton Labs to life within Halliburton, and despite a terrible cancer diagnosis, Scott continued to collaborate and build connections that launched the inaugural Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week. Work and play were always fun with Scott. His generosity and dedication to strengthen the Houston innovation ecosystem will be missed, yet his legacy endures.”

Gale was also a voice actor and the co-host of two podcasts: Rice University's Owl Have You Know Podcast, which shares experiences of Rice's business community, and the Curiosity podcast, which explored optimism and curiosity with guests and co-host Brad Rossacci.

"A rebellious optimist at his core, Scott believed we need a biased toward action, a mission focused belief system, and a healthy dose of rebellion for good measure," Rossacci, who serves as creative director at Accenture, says. "Carving his own path in the universe, Scott discovered his life’s work and unceasingly committed himself to helping humanity deepen their curiosity, building connective tissue across society, and advancing the future of energy on the shoulders of the giants who came before him. Ultimately, fulfilling his infinite ambitions and creating an echo that will reverberate in the cosmos for eternity."

One month ago, he stepped away from his role at Halliburton Labs, sharing his cancer journey in a message shared on LinkedIn. In the post, he encouraged his whole community to "go out and live a life that echoes," and ended with "onward," something Gale regularly imparted when he spoke on progress within energy and innovation.

Earlier this month during the Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, which Gale was instrumental in creating but unable to attend due to the progression of his illness, the Energy Tech Nexus awarded its Nexus Community Award to Gale, and his father, Andrew Gale, accepted the award on his behalf.

"He is very focused on the community in Houston and the tech industry," Andrew Gale said about his son when accepting the award, "he feels so honored to be given the opportunity to be able to have an influence."

In addition to his father and his mother, JoAnna, Scott is survived by his wife of 18 years, Nicole, and their four children, as well as his seven siblings — Siara, Shanna, Spencer, Seth, Shalya, Sam, and Shane. In honor of his brother, Sam launched a GoFundMe campaign for his nieces and nephew's education, and donations are currently being accepted.

In his obituary, his family shared something Scott regularly said as he battled his cancer with countless hospital visits and experimental treatments: “I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure if you die, the cancer dies at the same time. That’s not a loss. That’s a draw.”

Earlier this year, he joined the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week and call for collaboration within the ecosystem.


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Introducing: Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, a collaborative initiative that will showcase Houston's ecosystem of energy tech innovators. Photo via Getty Images

Houston organizations team up to bring inaugural climate startup week

mark your calendars

Three organizations are teaming up to put on a week of programming and events focused on energy and climate startups.

Greentown Labs, Halliburton Labs, and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship have announced Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week 2024 taking place September 9 to 13.

“These organizations will execute events that will serve as a launching pad for an Energy and Climate Startup Week in Houston, showcasing the city as a national hub for the energy future,” Brad Burke, executive director of the Rice Alliance, says in the release. “We welcome the community to bring other energy and climate events to the week, which we’ll cross-promote as the dates approach.”

The week will assemble investors, industry leaders, and startups from across the energy industry and from around the world to showcase Houston's growing sustainable, low-carbon energy future.

The initiative is in collaboration with the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, or HETI, an initiative of the Greater Houston Partnership, as well as Activate, Digital Wildcatters, Renewable Energy Alliance Houston, and TEX-E.

“As the energy capital and one of the most diverse cities in the world, Houston stands as a center point for these solutions. The region is welcoming, diverse and has the know-how to play a critical role in building an energy abundant, low-carbon future," Jane Stricker, executive director of HETI and senior vice president at GHP, says in the release. "We welcome all who want to be part of the solution to join for this exciting, inaugural week of events.”

Attendees can expect tech and startup showcases, panels, pitches, discussions, and networking events to be hosted across Houston and at the Ion, Rice's innovation hub in Midtown. More details on the events will be added to the Ion's website as they become available.

“We look forward to the opportunity to highlight talented founders and connect them with investors, industry practitioners and university resources to help accelerate energy innovation,” Dale Winger, managing director of Halliburton Labs, says in the release. “The collaboration to launch Energy and Climate Startup Week reflects how Houston works together to scale solutions."

Halliburton has named its latest cohort. Photo via Getty Images

7 energy startups tapped for Houston incubator program

ready to grow

Seven companies from around the world have been invited to join Halliburton Labs, the company announced today.

Halliburton Labs is an incubator program that helps early-stage energy tech companies through connections, access to facilities, and more.

"We are pleased to welcome these promising energy startups and provide customized support to help them achieve their specific priorities, accelerate commercialization, and increase valuation," says Dale Winger, managing director of the program, in a news release. "Our experienced practitioners and network will help these companies use their time and capital efficiently."

The next Halliburton Labs Finalists Pitch Day, which will feature the ongoing cohort, is planned for Thursday, March 14, in New Orleans in coordination with New Orleans Entrepreneur Week and 3rd Coast Venture Summit. Applications for the program are open until Friday, February 9.

The newest additions to Halliburton Labs are as follows.

One of three Israel-based companies in the cohort, Airovation Technologies is advancing carbon capture and utilization solutions through helping hard-to-abate industries that achieve emissions reduction targets through its proprietary carbon mineralization technology. Through transforming point-source CO2 emissions into circular chemicals and building materials, Airovation is developing a scalable pathway for industrial emitters to decarbonize with multiple revenue streams.

“Industrial emitters are seeking economic ways to decarbonize,” Marat Maayan, founder and CEO at Airovation Technologies, says. “We are excited to accelerate our commercialization in the United States with Halliburton Labs, leveraging their expertise, capabilities and network."

Ayrton Energy, based in Calgary, is developing liquid organic hydrogen carrier storage technology to enable the large-scale, efficient transportation of hydrogen over extended distances without hydrogen loss and pipeline corrosion. This storage technology provides a high-density hydrogen storage medium without the need for cryogenics or high-pressure systems, which differs from the existing technology out there. This improves the safety and efficiency of hydrogen storage while enabling the use of existing fuel infrastructure for transportation, including tanks, transport trucks, and pipelines.

“Our mission is to enable hydrogen adoption by solving the key challenges in hydrogen storage and transportation,” Ayrton CEO Natasha Kostenuk says.

Cache Energy, based out of the University of Illinois Research Park, is developing a new long duration energy storage solution, which scales to interseasonal durations, through a low-cost solid fuel. Once charged, the storage material stores energy at room temperature, with near zero loss in time and can be safely stored and transported anywhere energy is needed.

“We are strong believers of leveraging existing infrastructure and expertise to fast track decarbonization goals,” Arpit Dwivedi, founder and, says CEO of Cache Energy. “We look forward to this collaboration and learning from Halliburton's manufacturing and operational expertise, as we scale our technology.”

From Be'er Sheva City in Israel, CENS develops enhanced dry dispersion technology based on dry-treated carbon nanotubes that enable high energy density, high power, and outstanding cycle performance in Li-ion batteries. The technology is differentiated because it can be applied to any type of lithim-ion battery and its implementation can be seamlessly integrated into the production line.

“Our goal is to develop ground-breaking technologies that will become disruptive technologies to market at a massive scale,” says CEO Moshe Johary. “With the help and vast experience of Halliburton Labs' team, we could achieve advancements in production capabilities while extending our footprint in the market.”

Casper, Wyoming-based Disa Technologies provides solutions to the mining and remediation industries. Disa utilizes patented minerals liberation technology to more efficiently isolate target minerals and mitigate environmental impacts to its users. Disa platforms treat a wide array of critical minerals that are essential to the economy and our way of life.

“We are excited to have Halliburton's support as we scale-up our technology and deliver innovative minerals processing solutions that disrupt industry best practices, enhance global resource utilization, and benefit the environment and the communities we serve," Greyson Buckingham, Disa's CEO and president, says.

Marel Power Solutions, headquartered from Michigan, is innovating electrification through its novel powerstack technology. These materials-efficient, quickly deployable, and scalable power-stacks, encapsulating advanced cooling technology, redefine power conversion in mobility, industrial, and renewables spaces.

“We're thrilled to contribute to global climate sustainability. Our collaboration with Halliburton will accelerate the electrification transition across industries. Marel's technology not only maximizes heat evacuation from densely packed power semiconductors but, more importantly, offers substantial savings in cost, weight, size, and time, making it transformative in the evolving landscape of electrification,” Marel CEO Amrit Vivekanand says.

And lastly, XtraLit is an Israeli company that develops a technology for direct lithium extraction from brines. The technology enables efficient and economically justified processing of brines even with relatively low lithium concentrations. Application of the extraction technology will allow mineral providers to unlock new significant sources of lithium that are critical to meet growing demand.

“Oil and gas industry produced waters might become a substantial resource for lithium production,” says XtraLit CEO, Simon Litsyn. “XtraLit will cooperate with Halliburton on optimization of produced water treatment for further increasing the efficiency of the lithium extraction process.”

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

Halliburton Labs has added three energy tech startups to its program. Photo via Getty Images

Houston energy tech accelerator names 3 startups, announces first out-of-state pitch day

onboarding biz

Halliburton Labs has announced its latest cohort — and revealed details about its next pitch day.

The program, housed at Halliburton's facilities in Houston, added FuelX, LiNa Energy, and Solaires Entreprises to the clean energy accelerator. The companies will receive support from mentors from within Halliburton's workforce and network, as well as go through the accelerator's programming.

“We’re excited to support FuelX, LiNa Energy, and Solaires with the tools they need to achieve their goals,” says Halliburton Labs Managing Director Dale Winger in a news release. “Each participant company receives customized support to enable efficient use of their time and capital by engaging Halliburton’s scaling experience and capabilities.”

The next Halliburton Labs will not take place in Houston. The program is going on the road to host its next Halliburton Labs Finalists Pitch Day on Thursday, September 21, in Denver. The event will be a part of the inaugural Energy Tech Day at Denver Startup Week and will include pitches from innovative, early-stage energy tech companies.

FuelX

FuelX, which has a production plant in the Houston area, manufactures hydrogen storage materials and fuel cell power systems with alane solid state hydrogen fuel.

“Participation in the Halliburton Labs program accelerates our ability to scale to meet existing military and commercial project milestones,” says Greg Jarvie, co-founder and CEO of FuelX.

LiNa Energy

Headquartered in Lancaster, England, LiNa Energy develops and provides low-cost, solid-state sodium batteries.

"LiNa is delighted to be selected for Halliburton Labs – the support and investment will accelerate LiNa's growth on a scale found only in the energy industry,” says Chief Commercial Officer Will Tope. “Halliburton Labs is a cornerstone of our strategy, as we scale up manufacturing to deliver bigger energy storage systems to our partners around the world."

Solaires Entreprises

Solaires Entreprises, based in Victoria, British Columbia, is developing lightweight, flexible, efficient, and transparent solar cells.

“Our company is purpose-driven toward what our technology can achieve: a more affordable and reliable alternative within solar energy and photovoltaics and where renewables become a bigger portion of the world power mix,” says Solaires Co-founder and Chief Science Officer Sahar Sam.

Halliburton Labs has announced the addition of three clean energy tech companies. Photo courtesy of Halliburton

Houston energy innovation incubator adds 3 startups to program

new kids on the block

Halliburton has again added a handful of energy tech startups to its Houston-based incubator.

Three companies — Matrix Sensors, Renew Power Systems, and SunGreenH2 — have joined Halliburton Labs as its newest clean energy participants.

“Companies across the energy landscape are interested in scalable innovations that improve the cost, reliability, and sustainability of energy,” says Managing Director Dale Winger in the news release. “Our tailored program combines expert support, access to a global network, and the physical resources for participants to scale. We’re excited to help these companies accelerate their market traction.”

Halliburton, a provider of energy equipment and services, launched Halliburton Labs in 2020. Last September was the incubator's last cohort addition. The next Halliburton Labs Finalists Pitch Day is Friday, January 27, at the Ion. The event will include pitches from 10 innovative, early-stage energy tech companies. Registration is open for the event.

Here are details, according to Halliburton, about the three new startups at the incubator.

Matrix Sensors

Using a new class of gas-adsorbing materials known as metal-organic frameworks to develop the world’s first quantitative gas sensor on a chip, Matrix Sensors has created a touch-free technology that enables advancements in sensor size, power, cost, and performance to address limitations of current gas sensor technologies, which require manual calibration every six months. The company is based in San Diego, California.

“With Halliburton’s global reach, we can apply our technology to some of the biggest problems facing the energy sector today, including CO2 sensors for energy efficient buildings and methane sensors for leak detection,” says Matrix Sensors CEO Steve Yamamoto in the release.

Renew Power Systems

RPSi, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a clean-tech company that develops hardware and software solutions that enable flexible and sustainable grid infrastructure. RPSi uses power electronics to connect renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, with each other and the grid.

“Our mission is to help change the way the world generates and distributes energy,” says CEO Zach Emond in the release. “With RPSi technology, a diverse range of domestic and global communities will benefit from the acceleration of renewable energy resources that work with new and existing grid infrastructure and improve access to affordable, sustainable, and resilient electricity.”

SunGreenH2

Singapore-based SunGreenH2 builds high-performance hardware for electrolyzer cells, stacks, and systems that increase hydrogen production, decrease energy use, and reduce platinum group metals use. The company supplies hardware components for alkaline and proton-exchange membrane electrolyzers. Its modular, high-efficiency anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer stack, which is being commercialized, uses renewable power to produce low-cost green hydrogen for industries, transport, and energy storage.

“We are excited to unlock the future of green hydrogen production. With the help of Halliburton’s engineering and manufacturing expertise, we plan to commercialize and roll out our product in major international markets,” says Tulika Raj, co-founder and CEO of the company, in the release.

Halliburton Labs has announced its next set of clean energy tech companies. Photo courtesy of Halliburton

Houston cleantech incubator adds 3 startups in its latest cohort

now accelerating

Three climatetech companies will be joining Halliburton Labs, a Houston-based energy transition incubator.

Chemergy, EVA, and Novamera will be joining Halliburton Labs, the company announced last week. The three startups will receive technical support, access to Halliburton's global connections, and more from the program.

“We are excited to help accelerate three innovative companies that emerged from our recent Finalists Pitch Day,” says Dale Winger, managing director of Halliburton Labs, in a news release. “We will work closely with these founders and their teams to achieve strategic, operational, and financial milestones with the most efficient use of their time and capital."

Halliburton Labs launched in the summer of 2020, and now has over a dozen companies working on climatetech solutions in its portfolio. Applications are now open for the next cohort on the Halliburton Labs website and are due by April 22, for the May 20 Finalists Pitch Day.

"In less than two years, we've established productive new relationships with fifteen companies scaling solutions across a breadth of markets to expand our understanding of new value chains,” Winger continues.

Here's a little more about the three new additions to the program.

Chemergy 

Miami-based Chemergy has created a patented HyBrTec process is designed to convert wet organic and plastic wastes into green hydrogen, thereby eliminating the liability and consequences of the wastes by converting them into fuel.

“We see a great opportunity to collaborate with Halliburton Labs' industrial experience to ensure our systems can be installed and operated safely in communities to solve waste disposal issues, improve resiliency and sustainability, and produce cleaner fuel locally,” says Melahn Parker, president of Chemergy.

EVA 

EVA, a New York headquartered company with a presence on four continents, is increasing scalability for the drone industry with its ground infrastructure and operating system solutions that help customers perform inspections, make deliveries, recharge, and monitor remote operations without local manpower.

“The Halliburton Labs ‘scalerator' model comes at the right time for EVA as we accelerate commercialization," says Olivier Le Lann, founder and CEO. "We're excited about the ways Halliburton's global market and industrial expertise will accelerate our trajectory."

Novamera 

Canadian company Novamera has developed proprietary navigation tools and software that enables climate smart, surgical mining and unlocks value in certain mineral deposits found worldwide that are otherwise uneconomic due to their small scale and geometry.

“We are pleased to join Halliburton Labs' accelerator program," says Novamera Co-founder and CEO Dustin Angelo in a news release. "Their engineering expertise and business experience will help us accelerate the development of our technology and scale our business to bring a more sustainable method of mining to the world.”

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10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for August

where to be

School is back in session this month, and a busy slate of Houston business and innovation events follows. This month brings demo days, loads of networking opportunities and a major health symposium. Here’s what not to miss and how to register. Please note: this article may be updated to add more events.

Aug. 4 — CEOs: Build With AI, Exit With a Premium

Join Blue People for this engaging presentation by David Lopez, founder of Summa, at the latest installment of Tech + Tequila Talk. Lopez will discuss AI moves that can multiply a company's value.

This event is Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 5-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Aug. 4 — SEIP Demo Day

The Rice Center for Engineering Leadership will showcase the groundbreaking projects developed by its Summer Engineering Innovation Program at the 2026 Demo Day. Attendees can meet the SEIP participants and partners and hear the teams' final presentations.

This event is Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 6-8 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Aug. 5 — Summer Venture Studio Preview Day

The Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie) will present its inaugural Summer Venture Studio Preview Day this month. Hear from the student founders selected for Lilie's summer cohort, which features teams ranging from the healthcare and artificial intelligence to advanced manufacturing sectors.

This event is Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 4-6 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Aug. 11 — Mercury Fund Day at the Ion: How Legacy Software Giants Are Going AI-First

Don’t miss the latest installment of Mercury Fund Day at the Ion, previously known as Software Day. The recurring monthly event features office hours (by application), a keynote and networking opportunities. This month's topic will feature a working conversation with Senior Director of Growth at Twilio Mustafa Ali, Senior Director of Consumer Product at WhatsApp Zafir Khan, and Founder and CEO of utilITise Salim Gheewalla.

This event is Tuesday, Aug. 11, from 3:30-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Aug. 13 — Pints and Prototypes

TMC Innovation Lab will host its Pints & Prototypes networking event this month. Minneapolis-based Medtronic will support this month's event and has invited guest speakers to share their journey in the medtech scene.

This event is Thursday, Aug. 13, from 4-5:30 p.m. at TMC Innovation Factory. Find more information here.

Aug. 14 — Houston Methodist Cancer Symposium

The 14th Annual Houston Methodist Cancer Symposium will bring together Houston Methodist scientists and physicians from a broad spectrum of fields to discuss everything from innovative translational science to clinical updates. The symposium aims to provide education focused on improving patient care, research collaboration and leading medicine.

This event is Friday, Aug. 14, from 7:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. at Houston Methodist Research Institute. Find more information and register here.

Aug. 14 — Hands-On Workshop: Build Your Own Reusable AI System

Impact Hub Houston and Social Media Breakfast of Houston will host this hands-on workshop on using Smart Card to create a repeatable process users can hand off to AI. Attendees should bring a laptop, an AI tool, and a task that AI could help with. The workshop will focus on working with ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.

This event is Friday, Aug. 14, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Aug. 17-21 — Foundations of Cancer Therapeutics Crash Course

The Gulf Coast Consortia will host a virtual course focused on the commercialization aspects of moving cancer therapeutics toward the market. Presenters represent The University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, the Greater Houston Partnership, TMC Innovation, the University of Houston, Texas Southern University and other major institutions.

This event begins Monday, Aug. 17, at 10 a.m. Register here.

Aug. 20 — Pickle Lab’s Two-Year Anniversary Celebration

Enjoy an evening of open-play pickleball, beats by a live DJ, giveaways and more at the second anniversary celebration of Pickle Lab in the Ion District. Enjoy a free beverage from Second Draught and food for purchase from the Crunchy’s for the Munchies food truck.

This event takes place Thursday, Aug. 20, from 6-9 p.m. at Pickle Lab at the Ion. Register here.

Aug. 20 — SBA Lender Matchmaking Event

Business owners can meet with multiple lenders in scheduled, one-on-one 15-minute sessions during this speed-dating style SBA event. SBA Houston District Office representatives will also be onsite to provide free business advising.

This event takes place Thursday, Aug. 20, from 8:30 a.m.–noon at SBDC Sam Houston State University – The Woodlands Center. Register here.

Aug. 27 — BiteLabs Digital Health and Innovation Summit

TMC Innovation and BiteLabs will host the Digital Health and Innovation Summit, which aims to connect clinicians, founders and investors. The event will include an AI in biotech panel, a healthcare AI ethics panel, a hiring in digital health panel, and pitches from BiteLabs USA HealthTech, AI, and Innovation Fellowship.

This event takes place Thursday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at TMC Innovation Factory. Register here.

Houston nonprofit wins Meta grant to study AI glasses for disabilities

Helping Houston

A grant from Meta will help Easter Seals Greater Houston determine whether wearable AI smart glasses improve accessibility for those with disabilities. The local nonprofit is one organization that received a share of $2 million that Meta allocated in late July.

"Meta is proud to select recipients, including the Easter Seals Greater Houston, based on demonstrated impact, scalability, and relevance to areas where hands-free technology can make the biggest difference," Meta executive Beth Murray said in a request for comment. "It was exciting to receive nearly 500 applications from organizations across the country, and now the real innovation begins here in Houston with the Easter Seals project to understand how different local communities can benefit from AI glasses."

Meta launched its AI Glasses Impact Grant program in January with the goal of delivering nearly $2 million in funds to organizations across the country to see how their Meta AI Glasses could improve people's lives. It selected over 30 recipients from more than 500 applicants.

Easter Seals is using the grant to help pay for its BridgingApps Program, "a community-centered pilot studying how three distinct populations — people with low vision, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and those with cognitive aging – can benefit from AI glasses," Meta says. Easter Seals is part of one of the oldest networks in America for disabilities, delivering disability support, veteran training, and other services. The Greater Houston branch was established in 1947.

Meta AI Glasses integrate AI personal assistance with wearable tech for a hands-free connective experience. While many people use their built-in cameras and social media access to create content, the Impact Grant promotes how the technology might assist people with disabilities as well as innovate in industrial and scientific fields.

Data storage and recall could aid people with memory loss, while interpretative AI facial recognition software may let neurodivergent and developmentally delayed people recognize social cues. The pilot program at Easter Seals will explore some of these possibilities.

Two other Texas organizations received grants. The University of North Texas will also explore disability assistance through Meta AI Glasses, in a school environment rather than in the general public space. Austin software company Embarcadero Technologies will use the glasses to build a remote training platform that can simultaneously mentor five junior workers at once.

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

Houston startup lands $10M to power up electrician staffing platform

money moves

Houston-based Buildforce, which provides a tech-enabled staff platform geared toward electricians and electrical contractors, has raised a $10 million Series A round led by Houston’s Saepio Capital.

Other investors in the round include Blue Heron Capital, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, S3 Ventures and Chicago Ventures.

Buildforce says the funding will help fuel its national expansion and further development of its technology.

The startup, founded in 2019, connects electricians with electrical contractors for commercial and industrial construction projects. Buildforce’s mobile app helps electricians find and carry out work, and a web app helps electrical contractors find and manage electricians.

“This financing is a major milestone in furthering our mission to help people dedicated to a career in the construction trades lead more secure and fulfilling lives,” co-founder and CEO Moody Heard said in a news release.

Buildforce focuses solely on the electrical trade within the construction sector.

Nick Graziano, principal at Blue Heron, says the shortage of electricians is intensifying as demand for electricians accelerates, driven by data center construction, infrastructure development and energy transition initiatives.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the U.S. will need to hire about 80,000 new electricians per year through 2032 to catch up with demand. According to the National Electrical Contractors Association, the U.S. is grappling with a current shortage of 50,000 electricians.

A 2026 economic report from asset manager BlackRock says the electrical trade is expected to be the single fastest-growing employment category in the U.S. labor market over the next 10 years.

“Buildforce is capitalizing on a clear opportunity in America’s generational infrastructure buildout. We believe their mission to use technology to improve lives in the construction space will allow them to make a positive long-term impact on a large and important labor market,” added Jaan Bains, managing partner at Saepio Capital.

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