TMCx company receives investment from Houston VC, UH program recognized, and more innovation news

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A TMCx company has raised money in Houston, UH's online program named best in the nation, and more Houston innovation news. Courtesy of TMCx

Houston's innovation ecosystem has seen a busy January so far — the city has claimed a unicorn in High Radius, The Ion has named a series of new execs, and so much more.

Given this influx of news, you might've missed some other Houston innovation headlines, like UH being recognized for its online master's program, recent fundings, and Texas being named a state for female entrepreneurs. Here's a few short stories to catch you up.

Texas Halo Fund invests in TMCx company

Photo via kegg.tech

A medical device company that focuses on keeping its female users in control of their fertility health just received an investment from a Houston venture capital firm.

Texas Halo Fund invested $200K in kegg, a San Francisco-based startup that participated in the Texas Medical Center's TMCx09 cohort. The device is an easy-to-use fertility tracker that easily analyzes cervical fluid to help detect a woman's ovulation up to 7 days in advance. Kegg pairs with a smartphone app to inform and track the user's fertility.

"kegg appeals to us for many reasons. We believe the FemTech space is growing and that women are looking take charge of their fertility. There is an increased desire to have insights into one's health and understanding trends in fertility is a natural progression, says Kyra Doolan, managing Director at Texas Halo Fund, in a news release.

"We've been impressed by the company's CEO Kristina Cahojova and how far she's taken the company with a limited budget. We look forward to seeing the product hit the consumer market."

University of Houston recognized for online graduate program

Photo courtesy of University of Houston

The University of Houston's College of Education's online master's degree programs have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as among the top in the nation.

The college ranked No. 8 for its program in a ranking that factored in student engagement, technology tools, surveys of deans, faculty credentials, and student excellence, according to a news release from UH.

"Our faculty and staff strive to give students a top-notch experience online," says Bob McPherson, dean of the UH College of Education, in the news release. "We work to emphasize high-quality instruction and support while allowing students the flexibility and personalization of an online learning environment."

UH's program tied for No. 8 with six other schools, but it's still a huge step up from last year's ranking of No. 19.

Texas ranks No. 5 for female entrepreneurs

Getty Images

According to a new ranking from Fit Small Business, Texas is the fifth best state for female entrepreneurs. The Lone Star State is holding strong in the top tier but slipped from its No. 1 ranking last year.

"High start-up growth, no corporate income tax, and a moderate cost of living are all big pluses for the state, but how does it do regarding a friendly women's business and safety climate?" the report reads. "Well, sort of 'middle-of-the-road,' by the numbers we sourced."

Each state was evaluated by four equally weighted factors: its general business climate and opportunity, the number of female-owned businesses, economic and financial health, and safety and well-being for women. Texas's startup climate and opportunity, which was weighted by 35 percent in the study, was ranked No. 4. When it came to economic and financial health, weighted at 15 percent, Texas also snagged the No. 4 spot.

Rice Business Plan Competition startup raises $1.1 million

Photo via resonado.com

Resonado, the runner-up at the 2019 Rice Business Plan Competition, has raised $1.1 million in funding for its thinner, better-sounding speaker system technology.

The company was founded by four University of Notre Dame University classmates — Brian Cho, Christian Femrite, Erik Perez-Perez, and Peter Moeckel.

Rice University's OWL Investment contributed to the round.

Fannin Innovation Studio makes strategic hire

Praveen Kudithipudi

Photo via fannininnovation.com

Praveen Kudithipudi has been named as director of business development at Houston-based Fannin Innovation Studio. He supports the licensing of Fannin's portfolio technologies as well as collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and academic partners.

"I am excited to have a wonderful opportunity to work at Fannin," says Kudithipudi in the news release. "Fannin builds successful life sciences startups while helping to catalyze the formation of a thriving and sustainable life sciences entrepreneurship ecosystem in Houston. The opportunity to lead licensing, diligence, and collaboration efforts with academic institutions and biotechnology companies here in Houston is truly a unique opportunity."

Kudithipudi received his medical degree in India and specialized in neuroscience in the United Kingdom. He received his MBA from New York University. Prior to this role, he worked in banking, venture capital, and investments in New York.

"We are excited to have someone with the range of experiences and caliber of Praveen on the team," says Atul Varadhachary, Fannin managing partner, in the release. "In our business, we look for high potential technologies at an early stage. Having someone with both a medical background and Wall Street know-how is invaluable to us as we review opportunities and reach out to prospective development partners."

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9 can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for April

where to be

Two new conferences will launch while another longtime business competition celebrates its 25th anniversary this month in Houston. Plus, there are networking opportunities, family tech events and more.

Here are the Houston business and innovation events you can't miss in April and how to register. Please note: this article might be updated to add more events.

​Ion Block Party: Art Crawl

Network and socialize with other tech enthusiasts and business-minded individuals while taking in the new gallery at Community Artists’ Collective and experiencing the immersive dome at Omnispace360. See work by Joel Zika, who will showcase his digital sculptures through augmented reality screens, and other public art around the Ion while also enjoying food and drink.

This event is Thursday, April 3, from 4-7 p.m. at the Ion. Click here to register.

​CLA Presents: Raising Capital over Happy Hour

Gain a better understanding of the capital-raising process and various funding opportunities at this educational happy hour. Keith Davidson, the market leader for CLA in Dallas and former CFO of ICS, will present.

This event is Thursday, April 10, from 4-6 p.m. at The Cannon. Click here to register.

Rice Business Plan Competition 

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship will host the 25th annual Rice Business Plan Competition this month. Forty-two student-led teams from around the world, including one team from Rice, will present their plans before more than 300 angel, venture capital, and corporate investors to compete for more than $1 million in prizes.

This event is April 10-12. Stream the Elevator Pitch Competition and Final Round here.

RSVF Annual Conference

The Rice Student Venture Fund will host its first-ever Annual Conference to celebrate the university's entrepreneurial spirit and the rising generation of student-led innovation. The conference will include live startup demos, an RSVF fund update, a keynote fireside chat, a builder-investor panel and networking. RSVF welcomes students, alumni, investors, faculty and staff, and innovators and community members of the broader tech scene.

This event is Monday, April 14, from 4-8 p.m. at the Ion. Click here to register.

​TEX-E Conference

TEX-E will host its inaugural conference this month under the theme "Energy & Entrepreneurship: Navigating the Future of Climate Tech." The half-day conference will feature a keynote from Artemis Energy Partners CEO Bobby Tudor as well as panels with other energy and tech leaders from NRG, Microsoft, GE Vernova and TEB Tech.

This event is Tuesday, April 15, from 1-4:30 p.m. at the Ion. Click here to register.

Houston Methodist Leadership Speaker Series 

Hear from Dr. Jonathan Rogg, Chief Quality Officer and Vice President of Operations at Houston Methodist Hospital and a a practicing emergency medicine physician, at the latest Houston Methodist Leadership Speaker Series. Rogg will present "Leadership from the Bedside to the Boardroom."

This event is on Wednesday, April 23, from 4:45-6 p.m. at the Ion. Click here to register.

Ion Family STEAM Day– Let's Build a Tripwire Alarm

STEAM on Demand will host a hands-on, family-friendly engineering lesson for young ones on the Ion Forum Stairs. Kids will learn to create and test their own working alarm system. The event is geared toward those ages 7 to 14.

This event is Sunday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ion. Click here to register.

 Greentown Houston Fourth Anniversary Transition On Tap

Climatetech incubator Greentown Labs will celebrate its fourth anniversary with a special edition of its signature networking event, Transition On Tap. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and friends of climatetech are invited to attend.

This event is Tuesday, April 29, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Greentown Labs. Click here to register.

Integrate Space Technology Into Your Small Biz

The SBA Houston District Office and the UH Technology Bridge will host a collaborative event designed to help small businesses leverage space technology for prototype development. Attendees will also hear from industry experts on resources and gain access free technical engineering assistance to help accelerate their businesses.

This event is Wednesday, April 30, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at UH Technology Bridge Innovation Center. Click here to reserve your spot.

Texas university's innovative 'WaterHub' will dramatically reduce usage by 40%

Sustainable Move

A major advancement in sustainability is coming to one Texas university. A new UT WaterHub at the University of Texas at Austin will be the largest facility of its kind in the U.S. and will transform how the university manages its water resources.

It's designed to work with natural processes instead of against them for water savings of an estimated 40 percent. It's slated for completion in late 2027.

The university has had an active water recovery program since the 1980s. Still, water is becoming an increasing concern in Austin. According to Texas Living Waters, a coalition of conservation groups, Texas loses enough water annually to fill Lady Bird Lake roughly 89 times over.

As Austin continues to expand and face water shortages, the region's water supply faces increased pressure. The UT WaterHub plans to address this challenge by recycling water for campus energy operations, helping preserve water resources for both the university and local communities.

The 9,600-square-foot water treatment facility will use an innovative filtration approach. To reduce reliance on expensive machinery and chemicals, the system uses plants to naturally filter water and gravity to pull it in the direction it needs to go. Used water will be gathered from a new collection point near the Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium and transported to the WaterHub, located in the heart of the engineering district. The facility's design includes a greenhouse viewable to the public, serving as an interactive learning space.

Beyond water conservation, the facility is designed to protect the university against extreme weather events like winter storms. This new initiative will create a reliable backup water supply while decreasing university water usage, and will even reduce wastewater sent to the city by up to 70 percent.

H2O Innovation, UT’s collaborator in this project, specializes in water solutions, helping organizations manage their water efficiently.

"By combining cutting-edge technology with our innovative financing approach, we’re making it easier for organizations to adopt sustainable water practices that benefit both their bottom line and the environment, paving a step forward in water positivity,” said H2O Innovation president and CEO Frédéric Dugré in a press release.

The university expects significant cost savings with this project, since it won't have to spend as much on buying water from the city or paying fees to dispose of used water. Over the next several years, this could add up to millions of dollars.

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A version of this story originally appeared on our sister site, CultureMap Austin.

Texas female-founded companies raised more than $1 billion in 2024, VC data shows

by the numbers

Female-founded companies in Dallas-Fort Worth may rack up more funding deals and more money than those in Houston. However, Bayou City beats DFW in one key category — but just barely.

Data from PitchBook shows that in the past 16 years, female-founded companies in DFW collected $2.7 billion across 488 deals. By comparison, female-founded companies in the Houston area picked up $1.9 billion in VC through 343 deals.

Yet if you do a little math, you find that Houston ekes out an edge over DFW in per-deal values. During the period covered by the PitchBook data, the value of each of the DFW deals averaged $5.53 million. But at $5,54 million, Houston was just $6,572 ahead of DFW for average deal value.

Not surprisingly, the Austin area clobbered Houston and DFW.

During the period covered by the PitchBook data, female-founded companies in the Austin area hauled in $7.5 billion across 1,114 deals. The average value of an Austin deal: more than $6.7 million.

Historically, funding for female-established companies has lagged behind funding for male-established companies. In 2024, female-founded companies accounted for about one-fourth of all VC deals in the U.S., according to PitchBook.

PitchBook noted that in 2024, female-founded companies raised $38.8 billion, up 27 percent from the previous year, but deal count dropped 13.1 percent, meaning more VC for fewer startups. In Texas, female-founded companies brought in $1.3 billion last year via 151 deals. The total raised is the same as 2023, when Texas female founders got $1.3 billion in capital across 190 deals.

“The VC industry is still trying to find solid footing after its peak in 2021. While some progress was made for female founders in 2024, particularly in exit activity, female founders and investors still face an uphill climb,” says Annemarie Donegan, senior research analyst at PitchBook.

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