Houston startup advances in Chevron's unique business accelerator

scaling up

Currently, methane leak detection requires human evaluation. With this innovative new company's tech, this process can be automated. Photo via Getty Images

A Houston startup that is developing a technology to detect methane leaks has moved on to phase two in Chevron's unique business accelerator.

Aquanta Vision Technologies, a Houston-based climate-tech startup, was selected to participate in the scale-up phase of Chevron Studio, a Houston program that matches entrepreneurs with technologies to turn them into businesses. Aquanta's computer vision software completely automates the identification of methane in optical gas imaging, or OGI. The technology originated from Colorado State University and CSU STRATA Technology Transfer.

Babur Ozden, a tech startup entrepreneur, along with Marcus Martinez, the lead inventor and Dan Zimmerle, co-inventor and director of METEC at CSU Energy Institute, came up with the technology to identify the presence and motion of methane in live video streams. Currently, this process of identifying methane requires a human camera operator to interpret the images. This can often be unreliable in the collection of emissions data.

Babur Ozden is the founder of Aquanta Vision. Photo via LinkedIn

Aquanta’s technology requires no human intervention and is universally compatible with all OGI cameras. Currently, only about 10 percent of the 20.5 million surveys done worldwide use this type of technology as it is extremely expensive to produce. Ozden said he hopes Aquanta will change that model.

“What we are doing — we are democratizing this feature, this capability, independent of the camera make and model,” Ozden tells EnergyCapital.

Aquanta’s software will be downloadable from App stores to the technician’s computers or phones.

“Our goal is to eliminate the absolute reliance of human interpretation and to give operators a chance to make detections faster and more accurately,” Ozden says.

“Our ultimate ambition is to reduce our footprint.” he continues. “Companies like Chevron and other leading players in the oil and gas industry are becoming much more committed (to reducing emissions)."

Aquanta will now test its software under various scenarios and develop an early commercial version of the product. In the next and final phase of the program, the company will begin marketing the technology for commercial use.

The goal of Chevron Studio is to take innovative new technologies out of the labs at universities and to scale them up to commercial ventures. The company takes the intellectual property developed at these labs and provides a platform to match entrepreneurs with the technology. The program provides funding to take the technologies from the very beginning to pilot and field trials. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL, manages Chevron Studio and works closely with the entrepreneurs to guide them through the program.

Gautam Phanse, the strategic relations manager for Chevron Technology Ventures says he was impressed with Ozden’s background as an entrepreneur and in the technology he brought to the table.

“We are looking at experienced entrepreneurs. People who can take an idea and stand on their own and develop it into a business,” he tells EnergyCapital.

Earlier this year, Phanse spoke to InnovationMap about Chevron Studio and its mission to match entrepreneurs with promising technologies coming out of universities and labs. He said the current focus areas for Chevron Studio are: carbon utilization, hydrogen and renewable energy, energy storage systems and solutions for circular economy.

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

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Houston Methodist receives $25M gift, renames department of medicine

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Houston-based nonprofit The Duncan Fund has awarded a $25 million gift to Houston Methodist's department of medicine to establish new endowed fellowships, streamline complex care and bring artificial intelligence into the fold to develop more personalized treatment plans.

In turn, the health care system announced that it will rename the department the Charles W. Duncan Jr. Department of Medicine at Houston Methodist.

“We are deeply appreciative of the Duncan family’s support, which allows us to further programs at the intersection of personalized medicine and preventive health care to benefit our patients,” Dr. Eleftherios Mylonakis, chair of the department and the Charles and Anne Duncan Presidential Distinguished Chair, said in a news release.

The department of medicine is Houston Methodist's largest, and comprises 13 clinical programs, ranging from general medicine to highly specialized care, as well as research and education.

According to Houston Methodist, the latest grant from the Duncan family will:
  • Coordinate complex, multidisciplinary care by hospitalists
  • Implement programs that leverage data and AI to tailor treatments and preventive strategies
  • Establish five endowed fellowships, including a new fellowship for students known as MedTech Innovator

“Our vision is to redefine how care is delivered in our country by creating a national model for true continuity — one that follows the patient across every transition, from home to hospital and back again,” Mylonakis added in the release. “We are also advancing a deeper understanding of health span, shifting from reactive treatment to a proactive, lifelong strategy that maximizes not just how long we live but how well we live.”

The Duncan family has been a longtime supporter of Houston Methodist—and Houston organizations at large. The late Charles Duncan Jr. sat on the system's board for decades, and his son, Charles “Carlos” Duncan III, serves on the Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation Board. Additionally, the family established the Charles and Anne Duncan Scholars Program and endowed chairs in nephrology and endocrinology.

Charles Duncan Jr. is also the namesake behind Rice University's Duncan Residential College and was one of the founders of the Greater Houston Partnership. He served as Secretary of Energy during the Carter Administration.

New York Stock Exchange Texas announces location for Dallas headquarters

NYSE Texas

A location has been chosen for The New York Stock Exchange Texas, the new Dallas-based offshoot of the The New York Stock Exchange in New York.

According to a release, the NYSE Texas has leased 28,000 square-feet of space at Old Parkland, the hospital-turned office space at 3819 Maple Ave. in Oak Lawn, where it will operate as a fully electronic equities exchange headquartered in Dallas. The property is owned by Dallas billionaire Harlan Crowe, who acquired it in 2006.

The NYSE is part of the Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., a global provider of technology and data. It was previously the NYSE Chicago, which will close once the bureau in Texas debuts.

They’ve also named a president to the Texas branch: Bryan Daniel, former chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission. In his new role over the NYSE Texas, Daniel will report to President of NYSE Group Lynn Martin.

Relocating from Chicago to Texas was a response to Texas' pro-business profile, Martin says in a statement.

“As the state with the largest number of NYSE listings, representing over $3.7 trillion in market value for our community, Texas is a market leader in fostering a pro-business atmosphere,” Martin says. “We are delighted to expand our presence in the Lone Star State, which plays a key role in driving our U.S. economy forward.”'

The move comes five months after the Texas Stock Exchange — AKA TXSE — announced plans to launch in Dallas and begin trading in 2026, pending approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Texas Stock Exchange is backed by financial giants such as BlackRock, Citadel Securities, and Charles Schwab.

The NYSE expects the Texas location to open in 2026, where it will operate electronically, with stocks trading across multiple venues regardless of where they are first listed, according to the release.

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

Houston energy giants rank high on new corporate startup activity report

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Eight major players in Houston’s energy industry rank among the world’s top 20 energy companies for corporate startup activity.

The inaugural Corporate Startup Activity Index 2025, published by StartupBlink, ranks global corporations by industry. The eight Houston-area employers fall into the index’s energy and environment category.

Researchers from StartupBlink, an innovation research platform, scored more than 370 companies based on three factors: corporate involvement in startup activity, startup success and ecosystem integration.

The eight Houston-area energy employers that landed in the energy and environment category’s top 20 are:

  • No. 3 BP. Score: 13.547. U.S. headquarters in Houston.
  • No. 5 Saudi Aramco. Score: 7.405. Americas headquarters in Houston.
  • No. 7 Eni. Score: 6.255. Headquarters of Eni U.S. Operating Co. in Houston.
  • No. 8 Shell. Score: 6.217. U.S. headquarters in Houston.
  • No. 11 Occidental Petroleum. Score: 5.347. Global headquarters in Houston.
  • No. 15 Engie. Score: 3.352. North American headquarters in Houston.
  • No. 17 Repsol. Score: 2.980. U.S. headquarters for oil and gas operations in The Woodlands.
  • No. 19 Chevron. Score: 2.017. Global headquarters in Houston.

“Building a startup is hard, and navigating corporate innovation can be just as complex. This ranking is a step toward making the connection between startups and corporations more transparent, enabling startups and corporations to collaborate more effectively for mutual success,” said Eli David Rokah, CEO of StartupBlink.

Salesforce topped the global index with a score of 380.090, followed by Intel, Google, Qualcomm, and Comcast.

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