Google launches new program to serve Houston's minority small business owners

new to hou

The Grow with Google Digital Coaches program has expanded to Houston. Photo via Unsplash

A new Google initiative is expanding its Texas presence this month. The Grow with Google's Digital Coaches program, which has already launched in Austin, has expanded to the Bayou City — making the Lone Star State the only state to have two locations of this entrepreneur-centric tool.

The program aims to provide digital skills training and coaching to Black and LatinX small business owners and create economic opportunity. Houston is one of eight new cities the program has recently expanded into.

"Houston has a vibrant and growing Black and LatinX small business community," says Lucy Pinto, Google's Digital Coach program manager, in a news release. "The Digital Coaches program will provide business owners in these communities with ongoing workshops and hands-on coaching sessions focused on techniques and digital tools to reach new customers, thrive online and grow."

Houston entrepreneur Joy M. Hutton, founder of Joy of Consulting, will serve as the Grow with Google Digital Coach for Houston. Hutton also runs a restaurant-focused consulting business called The Restaurant Girl and founded go GLAM, a beauty on demand platform.

"The Grow with Google team is making an effort to close the gap in resources that Black and LatinX small business owners have not generally had access to — in Houston and beyond," Hutton says in the release. "I live and breathe entrepreneurship, so I'm honored to participate in the Google Digital Coaches program and excited to work with Houston entrepreneurs who are traditionally underrepresented."

Joy M. Hutton will lead Grow with Google in Houston. Photo courtesy

According to the release, the program is expanding with inclusion in mind. This year, the program will grow to 20 mentors.

"As the representative of Houston's 18th District, a diverse and historic district, I know firsthand the importance and positive impact that investing in diverse communities and their residents can have on the entire population," says Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the release. "As Houston continues to prosper and grow, it is critical that we continue to invest in our minority-owned and small businesses to ensure an even brighter economic future for our city."

The program's first free workshop is called Connect with Customers and Manage Your Business Remotely and will be held virtually tomorrow, Friday, November 20, at 5:30 p.m. Moving forward, Grow with Google workshops will be hosted by Hutton on a regular basis, including the following sessions:

    • Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. CDT - Get Your Local Business on Google Search and Maps
    • Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. CDT - Reach Customers Online with Google
    • Dec. 17 at 5 p.m. CDT - Digital Skills for Everyday Tasks

    Both Google as well as local leadership are excited for the opportunities this program will provide Houstonians.

    "As a 'majority-minority' city that is the fourth-largest in the U.S., it is critical that our Black and LatinX business owners have the tools and knowledge to reach new customers, grow their businesses and help continue to make Houston a prosperous, skilled and inclusive city," Mayor Sylvester Turner says in the release. "The city of Houston is appreciative for the opportunity to provide invaluable resources and opportunities to our city's Black and LatinX small business owners."

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    How a Houston startup is taking on corrosion, a costly climate threat

    now streaming

    Corrosion is not something most people think about, but for Houston's industrial backbone pipelines, refineries, chemical plants, and water infrastructure, it is a silent and costly threat. Replacing damaged steel and overusing chemicals adds hundreds of millions of tons of carbon emissions every year. Despite the scale of the problem, corrosion detection has barely changed in decades.

    In a recent episode of the Energy Tech Startups Podcast, Anwar Sadek, founder and CEO of Corrolytics, explained why the traditional approach is not working and how his team is delivering real-time visibility into one of the most overlooked challenges in the energy transition.

    From Lab Insight to Industrial Breakthrough

    Anwar began as a researcher studying how metals degrade and how microbes accelerate corrosion. He quickly noticed a major gap. Companies could detect the presence of microorganisms, but they could not tell whether those microbes were actually causing corrosion or how quickly the damage was happening. Most tests required shipping samples to a lab and waiting months for results, long after conditions inside the asset had changed.

    That gap inspired Corrolytics' breakthrough. The company developed a portable, real-time electrochemical test that measures microbial corrosion activity directly from fluid samples. No invasive probes. No complex lab work. Just the immediate data operators can act on.

    “It is like switching from film to digital photography,” Anwar says. “What used to take months now takes a couple of hours.”

    Why Corrosion Matters in Houston's Energy Transition

    Houston's energy transition is a blend of innovation and practicality. While the world builds new low-carbon systems, the region still depends on existing industrial infrastructure. Keeping those assets safe, efficient, and emission-conscious is essential.

    This is where Corrolytics fits in. Every leak prevented, every pipeline protected, and every unnecessary gallon of biocide avoided reduces emissions and improves operational safety. The company is already seeing interest across oil and gas, petrochemicals, water and wastewater treatment, HVAC, industrial cooling, and biofuels. If fluids move through metal, microbial corrosion can occur, and Corrolytics can detect it.

    Because microbes evolve quickly, slow testing methods simply cannot keep up. “By the time a company gets lab results, the environment has changed completely,” Anwar explains. “You cannot manage what you cannot measure.”

    A Scientist Steps Into the CEO Role

    Anwar did not plan to become a CEO. But through the National Science Foundation's ICorps program, he interviewed more than 300 industry stakeholders. Over 95 percent cited microbial corrosion as a major issue with no effective tool to address it. That validation pushed him to transform his research into a product.

    Since then, Corrolytics has moved from prototype to real-world pilots in Brazil and Houston, with early partners already using the technology and some preparing to invest. Along the way, Anwar learned to lead teams, speak the language of industry, and guide the company through challenges. “When things go wrong, and they do, it is the CEO's job to steady the team,” he says.

    Why Houston

    Relocating to Houston accelerated everything. Customers, partners, advisors, and manufacturing talent are all here. For industrial and energy tech startups, Houston offers an ecosystem built for scale.

    What's Next

    Corrolytics is preparing for broader pilots, commercial partnerships, and team growth as it continues its fundraising efforts. For anyone focused on asset integrity, emissions reduction, or industrial innovation, this is a company to watch.

    Listen to the full conversation with Anwar Sadek on the Energy Tech Startups Podcast to learn more:

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    Energy Tech Startups Podcast is hosted by Jason Ethier and Nada Ahmed. It delves into Houston's pivotal role in the energy transition, spotlighting entrepreneurs and industry leaders shaping a low-carbon future.

    This article originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

    These 50+ Houston scientists rank among world’s most cited

    science stars

    Fifty-one scientists and professors from Houston-area universities and institutions were named among the most cited in the world for their research in medicine, materials sciences and an array of other fields.

    The Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers considers researchers who have authored multiple "Highly Cited Papers" that rank in the top 1percent by citations for their fields in the Web of Science Core Collection. The final list is then determined by other quantitative and qualitative measures by Clarivate's judges to recognize "researchers whose exceptional and community-wide contributions shape the future of science, technology and academia globally."

    This year, 6,868 individual researchers from 60 different countries were named to the list. About 38 percent of the researchers are based in the U.S., with China following in second place at about 20 percent.

    However, the Chinese Academy of Sciences brought in the most entries, with 258 researchers recognized. Harvard University with 170 researchers and Stanford University with 141 rounded out the top 3.

    Looking more locally, the University of Texas at Austin landed among the top 50 institutions for the first time this year, tying for 46th place with the Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota Twin Cities, each with 27 researchers recognized.

    Houston once again had a strong showing on the list, with MD Anderson leading the pack. Below is a list of the Houston-area highly cited researchers and their fields.

    UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

    • Ajani Jaffer (Cross-Field)
    • James P. Allison (Cross-Field)
    • Maria E. Cabanillas (Cross-Field)
    • Boyi Gan (Molecular Biology and Genetics)
    • Maura L. Gillison (Cross-Field)
    • David Hong (Cross-Field)
    • Scott E. Kopetz (Clinical Medicine)
    • Pranavi Koppula (Cross-Field)
    • Guang Lei (Cross-Field)
    • Sattva S. Neelapu (Cross-Field)
    • Padmanee Sharma (Molecular Biology and Genetics)
    • Vivek Subbiah (Clinical Medicine)
    • Jennifer A. Wargo (Molecular Biology and Genetics)
    • William G. Wierda (Clinical Medicine)
    • Ignacio I. Wistuba (Clinical Medicine)
    • Yilei Zhang (Cross-Field)
    • Li Zhuang (Cross-Field)

    Rice University

    • Pulickel M. Ajayan (Materials Science)
    • Pedro J. J. Alvarez (Environment and Ecology)
    • Neva C. Durand (Cross-Field)
    • Menachem Elimelech (Chemistry and Environment and Ecology)
    • Zhiwei Fang (Cross-Field)
    • Naomi J. Halas (Cross-Field)
    • Jun Lou (Materials Science)
    • Aditya D. Mohite (Cross-Field)
    • Peter Nordlander (Cross-Field)
    • Andreas S. Tolias (Cross-Field)
    • James M. Tour (Cross-Field)
    • Robert Vajtai (Cross-Field)
    • Haotian Wang (Chemistry and Materials Science)
    • Zhen-Yu Wu (Cross-Field)

    Baylor College of Medicine

    • Nadim J. Ajami (Cross-Field)
    • Biykem Bozkurt (Clinical Medicine)
    • Hashem B. El-Serag (Clinical Medicine)
    • Matthew J. Ellis (Cross-Field)
    • Richard A. Gibbs (Cross-Field)
    • Peter H. Jones (Pharmacology and Toxicology)
    • Sanjay J. Mathew (Cross-Field)
    • Joseph F. Petrosino (Cross-Field)
    • Fritz J. Sedlazeck (Biology and Biochemistry)
    • James Versalovic (Cross-Field)

    University of Houston

    • Zhifeng Ren (Cross-Field)
    • Yan Yao (Cross-Field)
    • Yufeng Zhao (Cross-Field)
    • UT Health Science Center Houston
    • Hongfang Liu (Cross-Field)
    • Louise D. McCullough (Cross-Field)
    • Claudio Soto (Cross-Field)

    UTMB Galveston

    • Erez Lieberman Aiden (Cross-Field)
    • Pei-Yong Shi (Cross-Field)

    Houston Methodist

    • Eamonn M. M. Quigley (Cross-Field)

    New report shows surge in startup activity in Houston and across Texas

    by the numbers

    Houston and the rest of Texas are experiencing a boom in the creation of startups.

    One barometer of growth in startup activity: The Houston metro area saw a 92 percent rise from 2024 to 2025 in the number of account applications submitted to Bluevine, a banking platform for small businesses.

    New data from Bluevine also shows healthy year-over-year growth in account applications submitted by entrepreneurs in Texas’ three other major metros:

    • 242 percent growth in the San Antonio area
    • 153 percent growth in the Austin area
    • 28 percent growth in Dallas-Fort Worth

    Further evidence of Texas’ uptick in business creation comes from a new state-by-state analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by digital mailbox provider iPostal1.

    From 2019 to 2024, the number of new business applications jumped 60 percent in Texas, according to the iPostal1 analysis. Wyoming tops the list, with a five-year growth rate of 216 percent.

    “The U.S. has no shortage of ambition, but opportunity isn’t spread evenly,” says Jeff Milgram, founder and CEO of iPostal1. “In states like New York, Florida, and Texas, entrepreneurship is booming — people are starting businesses, taking risks, and finding opportunity.”

    “Other states are still catching up,” Milgram adds. “Sometimes it’s access to funding, sometimes local policy, or just the confidence that new ventures will be supported.”

    Women own many of the new businesses sprouting in Texas, according to a new analysis of 2024-25 data from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The analysis, done by SimpleTiger, a marketing agency for software-as-a-service (SaaS), shows Texas ranks eighth for the highest concentration of women entrepreneurs (109 per 1,000 female residents) among all states. That rate is three percent higher than the national average.

    “Women entrepreneurs are no longer a side story in small business growth; they’re a leading indicator of where local economies are expanding next,” SimplyTiger says. “When women-owned business density is high, it usually signals stronger access to customers, networks, and startup pathways that make it easier to launch and keep going.”

    In a December news release, Gov. Greg Abbott highlights Texas’ nation-leading job gains over the past 12 months, driven by employers small and large.

    “From innovative startups to Fortune 500 corporations, job-creating businesses invest with confidence in Texas,” Abbott says. “With our strong and growing workforce, we will continue to expand career and technical training programs for better jobs and bigger paycheck opportunities for more Texans.”

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