Meet the latest global health tech startups to get an invite to Houston from TMC Innovation. Photo via tmc.edu

Twelve promising health tech startups have been selected for the annual bootcamp at the Texas Medical Center.

TMC's Accelerator for HealthTech selected 12 companies from around the world and across specialties for the opportunity. Following the bootcamp, TMC will move forward a selection of startups to join its accelerator.

"Houston, a thriving hub for innovation, is rapidly becoming the destination of choice for healthtech companies," reads a statement from TMC. "With the Texas Medical Center at its heart, the city offers unparalleled resources, cutting-edge research facilities, and a collaborative spirit that fosters growth. This environment not only attracts startups but also provides them with the necessary tools to navigate the complex landscape of healthcare commercialization."

Through the bootcamp, the participants will engage with advisors and industry experts, refine their business models, prepare for market entry, and have opportunities for collaboration with the TMC's member organizations.

The selected bootcamp companies, according to TMC, include:

  • Alyf, founded in Newport Beach, California, has developed a personalized cardiac care system that brings patients and providers together with real-time, AI-driven insights, enabling them to monitor, track, and improve cardiac health outcomes collaboratively.
  • Seoul, South Korea-based Deepmetrics leverages artificial intelligence to provide ICU smart care services that optimize medical device settings, such as mechanical ventilators, to reduce mortality and shorten the length of stay for critically ill patients worldwide.
  • Equity Quotient, from New York City, is a healthcare intelligence platform that automates compliance and provides actionable insights by aggregating public, private, and first-party data, using proprietary analytics to help leaders address disparities, improve outcomes, and lower care costs.
  • Also from New York City, Ethermed's AI-powered solution streamlines prior authorizations, eliminating up to 90 percent of auths and 70 percent of the labor involved. Ethermed requires no workflow changes, is fully auditable, and offers aligned incentives from a mission-driven, human-focused company.
  • Fibricheck, based in Hasselt, Belgium, transforms ordinary smartphones into regulated digital heart rhythm monitors, offering unparalleled access to cardiovascular diagnostics for patients and streamlined workflows for physicians.
  • Austin-based NearWave has developed a non-invasive, AI-powered handheld imaging device that can predict breast cancer therapy response within seven days.
  • Pragmaclin, founded in Newfoundland, Canada, developed a cutting-edge PRIMS (Parkinson’s Remote Interactive Management System) that leverages depth cameras and machine learning to monitor and assess Parkinson’s Disease symptoms, offering healthcare professionals remote and in-clinic insights to enhance treatment decisions.
  • Somnair, a Baltimore, Maryland, company, is developing a non-invasive neurostimulation oral appliance for treating obstructive sleep apnea, offering a sleek, retainer-sized device that provides an effective alternative to CPAP or invasive surgery for millions of patients.
  • Vancouver, Canada-headquartered Total Flow Medical is developing solutions to enhance the quality of care and life for patients requiring the use of a heart-lung machine during surgery or life support.
  • Tympulse, hailing from Dublin, Ireland, is commercializing TympanoColl, an innovative and disruptive solution for eardrum (Tympanic Membrane) repair in an outpatient setting through the ear canal.
  • Perth, Australia-based Vital Trace is developing a continuous lactate monitor for real-time, accurate detection of fetal distress.
  • New York City's WorkUp is a healthcare-specific talent pipeline management platform that connects students with tailored resources for their clinical career journey, providing personalized support as their needs evolve.
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Houston clocks in as one of the hardest working cities in America

Ranking It

Houston and its residents are proving their tenacity as some of the hardest working Americans in 2026, so says a new study.

WalletHub's annual "Hardest-Working Cities in America (2026)" report ranked Houston the 37th most hardworking city nationwide. H-town last appeared as the 28th most industrious American city in 2025, but it still remains among the top 50.

The personal finance website evaluated 116 U.S. cities based on 11 key indicators across "direct" and "indirect" work factors, such as an individual's average workweek hours, average commute times, employment rates, and more.

The U.S. cities that comprised the top five include Cheyenne, Wyoming (No. 1); Anchorage, Alaska (No. 2); Washington, D.C. (No. 2); Sioux Falls, South Dakota (No. 4); and Irving, Texas (No. 5). Dallas and Austin also earned a spot among the top 10, landing as No. 7 and No. 10, respectively.

Based on the report's findings, Houston has the No. 31-best "direct work factors" ranking in the nation, which analyzed residents' average workweek hours, employment rates, the share of households where no adults work, the share of workers leaving vacation time unused, the share of "engaged" workers, and the rate of "idle youth" (residents aged 16-24 that are not in school nor have a job).

However, Houston lagged behind in the "indirect work factors" ranking, landing at No. 77 out of all 116 cities in the report. "Indirect" work factors that were considered include residents' average commute times, the share of workers with multiple jobs, the share of residents who participate in local groups or organizations, annual volunteer hours, and residents' average leisure time spent per day.

Based on data from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), WalletHub said the average American employee works hundreds of more hours than workers residing in "several other industrialized nations."

"The typical American puts in 1,796 hours per year – 179 more than in Japan, 284 more than in the U.K., and 465 more than in Germany," the report's author wrote. "In recent years, the rise of remote work has, in some cases, extended work hours even further."

WalletHub also tracked the nation's lowest and highest employment rates based on the largest city in each state from 2009 to 2024.

ranking

Source: WalletHub

Other Texas cities that earned spots on the list include Fort Worth (No. 13), Corpus Christi (No. 14), Arlington (No. 15), Plano (No. 17), Laredo (No. 22), Garland (No. 24), El Paso (No. 43), Lubbock (No. 46), and San Antonio (No. 61).

Data for this study was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Travel Association, Gallup, Social Science Research Council, and the Corporation for National & Community Service as of January 29, 2026.

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

With boost from Houston, Texas is the No. 1 state for economic development

governor's cup

Texas is on a 14-year winning streak as the top state for attracting job-creating business location and expansion projects.

Once again, Texas has claimed Site Selection magazine’s Governor’s Cup. This year’s honor recognizes the state with the highest number of economic development projects in 2025. Texas landed more than 1,400 projects last year.

Ron Starner, executive vice president of Site Selection, calls Texas “a dynasty in economic development.”

Among metro areas, Houston lands at No. 2 for the most economic development projects secured last year (590), behind No. 1 Chicago and ahead of No. 3 Dallas-Fort Worth.

In praising Houston as a project magnet, Gov. Greg Abbott cites the November announcement by pharmaceutical giant Lilly that it’s building a $6.5 billion manufacturing plant at Houston’s Generation Park.

“Growth in the Greater Houston region is a great benefit to our state’s economy, a major location for foreign direct investment and key industry sectors like energy, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and life sciences,” Abbott tells Site Selection. “Houston is also home to one of the largest concentrations of U.S. headquarters for companies from around the world.”

In 2025, Fortune ranked Houston as the U.S. city with the third-highest number of Fortune 500 headquarters (26).

Texas retained the Governor’s Cup by gaining over 1,400 business location and expansion projects last year, representing more than $75 billion in capital investments and producing more than 42,000 new jobs.

Site Selection says Texas’ project count for 2025 handily beat second-place Illinois (680 projects) and third-place Ohio (467 projects). Texas’ number for 2025 represented 18% of all qualifying U.S. projects tracked by Site Selection.

“You can see that we are on a trajectory to ensure our economic diversification is going to inoculate us in good times, as well as bad times, to ensure our economy is still going to grow, still create new jobs, prosperity, and opportunities for Texans going forward,” Abbott says.

Houston e-commerce giant Cart.com raises $180M, surpasses $1B in funding

fresh funding

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify information about Cart.com's investors.

Houston-based commerce and logistics platform Cart.com has raised $180 million in growth capital from private equity firm Springcoast Partners, pushing the startup past the $1 billion funding mark since its founding in 2020.

Cart.com says it will use the capital to scale its logistics network, expand AI capabilities and develop workflow automation tools.

“This investment will strengthen our balance sheet and provide us with the flexibility to accelerate our strategic priorities,” Omair Tariq, CEO of Cart.com, said in a news release. “We’ve built a platform that combines commerce software with a scaled logistics network, and we’re just getting started.”

In conjunction with the funding, Springcoast executive-in-residence Russell Klein has been appointed to Cart.com’s board of directors. Before joining Springcoast, he was chief commercial officer at Austin-based Commerce.com (Nasdaq: CMRC). Klein co-led Commerce.com’s IPO, led the company’s mergers-and-acquisitions strategy and played a key role in several funding rounds.

“The team at Cart.com has demonstrated excellence in their ability to scale efficiently while continuing to innovate,” Klein said. “I’m excited to join the board and support the company as it expands its AI-driven capabilities, deepens enterprise relationships, and further strengthens its position as a category-defining commerce and fulfillment platform.”

Before this funding round, Cart.com had raised $872 million in venture capital and reached a valuation of about $1.6 billion, according to CB Insights. With the new funding, the startup has collected over $1 billion in just six years.