How this Houston innovator's tech is gearing up to impact EV charging, energy transition

houston innovators podcast episode 172

Ben Jawdat, CEO and founder of Revterra, joins the Houston Innovators Podcast. Photo via LinkedIn

With more and more electric vehicles on the road, existing electrical grid infrastructure needs to be able to keep up. Houston-based Revterra has the technology to help.

"One of the challenges with electric vehicle adoption is we're going to need a lot of charging stations to quickly charge electric cars," Ben Jawdat, CEO and founder of Revterra, says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. "People are familiar with filling their gas tank in a few minutes, so an experience similar to that is what people are looking for."

To charge an EV in ten minutes is about 350 kilowatts of power, and, as Jawdat explains, if several of these charges are happening at the same time, it puts a tremendous strain on the electric grid. Building the infrastructure needed to support this type of charging would be a huge project, but Jawdat says he thought of a more turnkey solution.

Revterra created a kinetic energy storage system that enables rapid EV charging. The technology pulls from the grid, but at a slower, more manageable pace. Revterra's battery acts as an intermediary to store that energy until the consumer is ready to charge.

"It's an energy accumulator and a high-power energy discharger," Jawdat says, explaining that compared to an electrical chemical battery, which could be used to store energy for EVs, kinetic energy can be used more frequently and for faster charging.

Jawdat, who is a trained physicist with a PhD from the University of Houston and worked as a researcher at Rice University, says some of his challenges were receiving early funding and identifying customers willing to deploy his technology.

Last year, Revterra raised $8.5 million in a series A funding round. Norway’s Equinor Ventures led the round, with participation from Houston-based SCF Ventures and At One Ventures. Previously, Revterra raised nearly $500,000 through a combination of angel investments and a National Science Foundation grant.

The funding has gone toward growing Revterra's team, including onboarding three new engineers with some jobs still open, Jawdat says. Additionally, Revterra is building out its new lab space and launching new pilot programs.

Ultimately, Revterra, an inaugural member of Greentown Houston, hopes to be a major player within the energy transition.

"We really want to be an enabling technology in the renewable energy transition," Jawdat says. "One part of that is facilitating the development of large-scale, high-power, fast-charging networks. But, beyond that, we see this technology as a potential solution in other areas related to the clean energy transition."

He shares more about what's next for Revterra on the podcast. Listen to the interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.


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Houston biotech company expands leadership team

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An innovative Houston startup that's working with energy companies to decarbonize their operations has made changes to its C-suite.

Tara Karimi, who co-founded Cemvita with her brother Moji, has transition to the company's chief science officer. Liz Dennett has been hired to Karimi's previous role of CTO. The changes enable Karimi to focus on leading Cemvita's scientific research and development efforts as well as participating in driving innovation within the biotech industry as a whole, according to the company's press release.

"I'm excited to take on the role of chief science officer at Cemvita and what it represents for our company's growth," says Karimi in the release. "As chief science officer, I look forward to shaping policy and driving the conversation around the role of biotechnology in the energy transition."

As CTO, Dennett will lead the development of Cemvita's unique biotech products that tap into microbes to decarbonize operations on energy plants. Most recently, Dennett was vice president of data architecture and data engineering at Wood Mackenzie. She previously worked in tech and sustainability-focused roles at Hess Corp., Biota Technology, and Amazon Web Services.

“Working with biological systems presents a unique challenge but also a unique opportunity," says Dennett in the release. "It’s uniquely difficult to go from benchtop to in-situ reactors or oil wells with microbes and to achieve the kind of incredible results that we’re seeing in the lab. You need to build teams with deep specializations in chemistry, biology, energy systems, and geology.”

Dennett, who has her PhD and Master's from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has served on Cemvita's advisory board for about a year, will report to CEO Moji Karimi directly.

“I know that Tara and Liz are going to make history at Cemvita,” says Moji Karimi in the release. “With 15 years of experience using data-driven approaches to solve pressing energy challenges, Liz brings to bear the kind of creativity and expertise that can quickly and meaningfully advance Cemvita’s impact on the Energy Transition.”

Houston medical device startup names new CEO

now at the helm

Houston-based medical device company Saranas has tapped a veteran of the healthcare industry as its new CEO.

Mike MacKinnon most recently was president and partner at Madison Ventures +, a private equity firm based in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The firm invests in companies in healthcare, real estate, finance, and other sectors.

Before joining Madison Ventures +, MacKinnon was CEO of Zidan Medical, a startup focused on treatment of airway lesions in patients with early stage lung cancer. He served in that role from 2019 to 2023.

Earlier, he was CEO of ROX Medical, a medical device company specializing in minimally invasive vascular therapy for patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure. He held that role from 2018 to 2019. He previously worked at Philips North America, Volcano, AtheroMed, Hansen Medical, Access Closure, and FoxHollow Technologies.

In a news release, Dan Wolterman, chairman of Saranas’ board and former president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System, calls MacKinnon “an accomplished executive with an impressive record of bringing disruptive technology to market, guiding strategy, and driving significant growth.”

Now president and CEO of Nashua, New Hampshire-based medical device company Conformal Medical, James Reinstein was president and CEO of Saranas from 2020 to 2022. Prior to Reinstein, Zaffer Syed held that position from 2017 to 2020. He's still an adviser for the company and recently announced his role as entrepreneur in residence at the Texas Medical Center.

Saranas is working on commercializing its Early Bird Bleed Monitoring System, touted as the first and only system FDA-approved bleeding detection system for procedures involving blood vessels. It is designed to detect bleeds early, enabling physicians to reduce medical risks and potentially avoid costly medical problems.

“Bleeding remains a common issue during and after endovascular procedures and can result in life-threatening complications,” says MacKinnon.

Since being founded in 2013, Saranas has treated over 1,200 patients with its device and has received $29.2 million in funding, according to Crunchbase. This includes a $12.8 million Series B round that Saranas got in 2021 from Chicago-based Baird Capital and Austin-based S3 Ventures.

The Early Bird device was developed at Houston’s Texas Heart Institute. The FDA approved the device in 2019.

Houston expert: How to embrace cognitive diversity in the workplace

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Everyone thinks and processes information in their own unique way. Cognitive diversity refers to these differing styles, perspectives, and problem-solving approaches among individuals in a group. Cognitive diversity, in today’s evolving workplace, is recognized as a valuable asset. Teams that are cognitively diverse can enhance their innovation, creativity and overall performance. The challenge comes with group dynamics when there may be communication barriers, conflicts and biases.

Effective strategies to consider for managing cognitive diversity in the workplace are as follows.

Communicate and take action

Business leaders who recognize and embrace the value of diverse perspectives and cognitive styles are better able to manage any challenges that may arise within the organization. Leaders and managers should communicate the importance of cognitive diversity to their team and encourage employees to share their unique viewpoints and approaches. This also means managers should be aware of their own biases and avoid making assumptions about people in order to create a more inclusive environment.

When a company uses hiring practices that embrace cognitive diversity, brings forth varying perspectives and ways of problem solving. Identifying those who may think differently than others or who may challenge the status quo is many times identifying those who will become the company’s best innovators. Embracing a diverse group of thinkers will help foster a culture of inclusivity, open-mindedness, and innovation.

Encourage collaboration

Collaboration is key to the success of any team. When working together, different cognitive styles can complement each other’s strengths and compensate for any weaknesses. Studies show cognitive diversity within groups can accelerate learning and performance when faced with challenges. In order to get through some of businesses’ most complex situations, there needs to be different perspectives and viewpoints.

For the most innovative thoughts to be heard, people must have the space to raise their hand and speak up, but also, people must actively listen to what the person has to say. Managers should work to create opportunities for collaboration, whether it is building cross-functional teams or other group projects and encourage employees to openly communicate and give feedback to improve the outcome.

Provide training and development

Training and development opportunities focused on cognitive diversity can help employees understand their own communication styles and the communication styles of others. By educating and applying, taking action steps after training will help reduce biases and misunderstandings. Additionally, these trainings can increase empathy, which does not come natural for some, and respect among team members.

Businesses should also evaluate their current company training programs to make certain they are inclusive of different learning styles, such as using infographics for visual learners or having hands-on demonstrations. Another consideration is to incorporate self-paced learning into training and development plans. No matter the type of training, solicit feedback, and take it under consideration to continuously improve how teams can develop their skills. Feedback that is thoughtfully considered and implemented leads to more engaged employees overall.

Manage conflicts

Conflicts are inevitable; however, organizations should set clear expectations and policies for performance and behavior. Unfortunately, conflict can be exacerbated in a diverse environment. Managers should be primed with knowledge on how to resolve conflicts and help facilitate constructive conversations among both parties. Also, managers should know when to reach out for help from their supervisor or human resources.

For business leaders to successfully manage cognitive diversity in the workplace, they must intentionally work to develop a culture that embraces the differences in others. Savvy business leaders will enlist the help of their HR team or outside council, such as a professional employer organization, to ensure their strategies and policies for managing a cognitively diverse workplace are inclusive.

Most importantly, when the company culture embodies a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, the employees tend to have the same values, especially when the expectations are clearly set. As a result, the business will become a more innovative and engaging environment where employees know how to leverage their own strengths and the strengths of others, no matter their cognitive style.

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Fernanda Anzek is managing director of HR services with Insperity, a Houston-based provider of human resources and business performance solutions.
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