A Houston company has seen a spike in sales in their on-demand fitness training sessions, and the startup is adding features to help users stay sane and healthy while stuck inside. Photo courtesy of Kanthaka

Last week, Sylvia Kampshoff saw a spike in her sales — something very uncommon for companies at this time, unless they are selling hand sanitizer, face masks, or toilet paper.

Kampshoff's company isn't providing toiletries though. Houston-based Kanthaka is an on-demand personal trainer tool for users to book one-on-one sessions with fitness experts at their own homes. With the city of Houston announcing that all bars and restaurants close to patrons, fitness studios followed suit. And that for Kanthaka meant a rise in sessions bought in Houston, Austin, Denver, Chicago, or any of the fifteen cities the app has launched in.

While gyms might be closing, "people feel pretty safe about having people come into their home," Kampshoff says, "and on the other hand we are wanting to give more jobs to trainers who have lost their jobs."

Kanthaka now has two people on boarding new fitness professionals on the app, and trainers who are out of work because their gym closed can get in touch with Kanthaka about the opportunity.

This spike in sales is coming mostly from younger users — particularly those in their 20s — but usually, Kanthaka has about a third of its users in the 60 and up age group — a population of people most at-risk from the COVID-19, or coronavirus. With this in mind, Kampshoff started looking into non face-to-face options for people who aren't comfortable with in-home instruction.

Next week, Kampshoff will launch digital sessions on Kanthaka. The sessions will still be one-on-one, but virtual. They won't be any cheaper, but will still provide that individual, undivided attention from a professional trainer. Additionally, Kanthaka will host free group fitness broadcasts online, and some will even factor in kids who are also stuck inside without many options for activities.

In just one week, Kampshoff had to pivot and tap a third-party streaming provider for the new service, something she has been able to do thanks to Sputnik ATX, an Austin-based accelerator Kampshoff is a part of.

"They were the first ones to say, 'Hey you should go virtual,'" Kampshoff says. "We started talking about it for the first time on Friday."

Ultimately, Kampshoff hopes this pivot will allow people access to personal training, as well as provide work for fitness professionals during the uncertain times of the coronavirus outbreak.

Houstonian Lindsay Huelse launched the number one wellness app for women.Photo courtesy of The FITT Cycle

Houston fitness entrepreneur launches health-focused app for women

LET'S GET PHYSICAL

Sticking to a fitness routine can be challenging — what with the myriad exercises, personal trainers, gyms, and apps. Creating a personalized program to fit specific goals, gain confidence, and take control of health concerns is what drove Houstonian Lindsay Huelse to launch a wildly popular female wellness app.

The FITT Cycle (which stands for Fasting, Intervals, and Target Training) app incorporates fitness routines, nutrition plans, accountability, community, and entrepreneurship.

"Historically, fitness apps are great for memberships," Huelse tells CultureMap. "I wanted to create a platform for returning clients where they could have stability and ditch the diets."

Since its launch in December 2019, Huelse says she has seen a membership growth of almost 2,000 percent, noting that there is no other app with The FITT Cycle's features. She calls it a hybrid of My Fitness Pal, the Peloton App, Facebook communities, and more.

"Everything is in one place," she adds.

The app combines exercise and diet to make for a more complete health tracking app than existing technology. Photo courtesy of The FITT Cycle

A retired nurse, Huelse is now a certified nutrition coach and self-proclaimed "queen of carb cycling," a regimen that focuses on alternating daily carbohydrate intake to promote weight loss and overcome weight loss plateaus.

Fitness has always played a role in Huelse's life, both on and off the field. She played soccer competitively throughout high school and college but it wasn't until her pre-nursing track where she became intrigued by nutrition.

"It was something I didn't learn growing up," Huelse adds. "I was fascinated with fueling my body to help it function properly."

Upon graduation, she worked in the intensive care unit before retiring in 2018 from the corporate world of home health and hospice. As a geriatric nurse, she says she enjoyed educating the elderly on manageable ways to change their diet and reduce inflammation, something they're not always willing to do.

"This led me to be passionate about helping women with preventative measures to decrease inflammation and create food freedom," she says.

With multiple features, including carb cycling macros and an in-app nutrition tracker for weight loss success; daily workouts and targeted training for the home or gym; an in-app guide to intermittent fasting with a timer to indicate when the fasting window is complete; a community to keep members accountable; and a library of more than 250 recipes, The FITT Cycle app is truly customizable for your health, wellness, and fitness goals.

"As a woman who used to work out for hours at a time and follow a clean nutrition plan, I was gaining weight but couldn't understand why," she says. "There's a science to reaching your fitness goals and through learning about my clients who have children, are older, or are postmenopausal helped me design the app to show them you don't have to feel fatigued or struggle with losing weight."

Huelse adds that the last diet her clients followed will be the last diet they ever chase.

Every one of Huelse's clients who join The FITT Cycle app has the opportunity to earn a 50 percent commission for anyone they enroll in the app. Huelse says her vision for creating a cycle of entrepreneurship is to give back to her community and to those who helped her on her path to entrepreneurship.

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

From a new, innovative mixed use development to food and fitness startups, here's what lifestyle innovation trended in Houston this year. Courtesy of The MKT

Top 5 Houston innovation lifestyle stories for 2019

2019 in review

Innovation surrounds us, from the B2B startups designing software solutions for huge oil and gas corporations to a fitness app that allows users to safely and efficiently book private trainers.

During 2019, InnovationMap published stories on these startups, burgeoning mixed-use spaces, innovative sustainable stores, and more. Here's which of those stories readers flocked to.

Houston hangover pill startup seen on Shark Tank rebrands following multimillion-dollar raise

On his failed investor attempt on Shark Tank, Brooks Powell couldn't secure a shark investment for $400,000. Now, he just closed on $2.1 million for his startup. Courtesy of Cheers

When Brooks Powell's Houston-based startup got passed over by the investors on Shark Tank last year, he didn't let it deter him. Instead, the Houston entrepreneur buckled down and started seeking investments off the screen.

It paid off, and Cheers (née Thrive+) recently closed a $2.1 million seed round. The round was lead by NextView Ventures, which has the likes of TaskRabbit, threadUP, and Letgo among its portfolio.

With the new investment, Brooks says the company is rebranding from Thrive, its original moniker, to Cheers.

"Thrive+ doesn't really say anything about what we did or who we are about," Powell says. "We knew we needed something fitting for the alcohol industry but at the same time has the connotation of fun, responsibility, and health." Continue reading.

Massive mixed-use project to bring creative office and coworking space to the Houston Heights

The MKT expects to revolutionize the live-work-play model with everything from retail and restaurant to office and coworking space. Courtesy of The MKT

On a stroll or a spin down the Heights Hike and Bike Trail, you might not notice a complete transformation is eminent. The MKT — a mixed-use renovation and build out project — is getting ready to break ground.

The five-building, 200,000-square-foot project will bring 30 retail and restaurant concepts, and 100,000 square feet of office space together along with four acres of green space, parking, and an outdoor venue alongside 1,000 linear feet of the trail between North Shepherd Drive and Herkimer Street. The MKT name comes from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad — later known as the Katy Railroad — that was transformed into the Heights Hike and Bike Trail. Continue reading.

5 Houston lifestyle startups changing the way you live, work, and play

From restaurant finding apps to a healthy food startup — these are the lifestyle startups to watch in Houston. Getty Images

While sometimes it seems like a lot of the Houston innovation landscape is energy and medical tech companies, there are several lifestyle-focused startups that fly under the radar. Whether it's a fizzle cocktail creator — or a cure for a hangover from said fizzy cocktail — these five Houston startups are ones to watch. Continue reading.

Houston nonprofit that's upcycling textiles and clothing opens new store

Magpies & Peacocks has prevented over 220,000 pounds of textiles in landfills by upcycling fabrics for new fashion items. The nonprofit now has a new store to keep up with demand. Magpies & Peacocks/Instagram

Magpies & Peacocks, the nation's only nonprofit design house that collects and reuses post consumer textiles, clothing, and accessories, opens their first permanent retail space in Houston on Saturday, June 1. The Co:Lab Marketplace will be located inside the organization's current warehouse space in Houston's East End.

The 6,000-square-foot space holds luxury upcycled sustainable clothing, jewelry, accessories, and home decor, along with partner sustainable and ethical brands. There will also be a bar offering cocktails and coffee, a lounge area, and a capsule gallery featuring the work of local artists.

Sustainability and avoiding unnecessary waste — coupled with fashion — are the goals of the nonprofit, which is also a part of the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion. Continue reading.

4 fitness-focused Houston startups changing the industry

From what you wear to where you go, here are some Houston fitness startups changing the game. Courtesy of Accel Lifestyle

Houston has developed into a city full of boutique fitness studios and updated parks, and now the city is seeing fitness startups popping up as well. From creating a smell-free fabric to engaging NASA technology into training, these Houston fitness startups are working out innovative ideas into the exercise industry. Continue reading.

Lizzie DeLacy, founder of DeLacy Wellness, launched a new platform called Bodypeace offering wellness and exercise tips through the app. Courtesy of DeLacy Wellness

Houston fitness guru takes her expertise mobile with new app

Fit tech

As time spent on mobile devices stretches longer and attention spans get shorter, a Houstonian thinks she has a solution to combine personal technology and a healthy lifestyle.

Lizzie DeLacy, founder of DeLacy Wellness, has launched a new app called Bodypeace that offers workout sessions, recipes, and tips for a healthier lifestyle, but in a different way than consumers might be used to.

"Rather than focusing on really long sessions, though we have a couple in there, we focus on short 5 minute sessions, so anyone can fit movement into their schedule and lifestyle," DeLacy tells InnovationMap. "Additionally, we break it down by body part focus, because oftentimes people don't know necessarily what exact movement or pose or stretch they might need."

DeLacy worked as a private fitness instructor for years before deciding to create the Bodypeace app to make her coaching and practices accessible to more people. Her goal is to help as many people as possible feel better so they can grow to be the best version of themselves, referring to this concept as "Eventual Energy."

The Bodypeace app, which launched on iTunes and Google Play on July 17, allows users to filter by body part, choosing between an all body session, or focus on a specific spot such as hamstrings, hips, back, shoulders, and more.

"In my experience as a yoga instructor, I saw that these are pain points for a lot of people," says DeLacy.

The app tailors content for the user by asking a series of questions about workout habits, and lifestyle. There is a free trial period for users to explore the app, as well as paid options, $17.99 a month or $119.99 a year.

"The busier people get the less they want to spend time in their cars or pay the fees that are associated with gym memberships, and having the ability to do something from the comfort of your own home or on demand that fits your schedule," says DeLacy. "I think it's really appealing to a lot of people, myself included."

DeLacy shares that many fitness apps out there geared towards getting a six pack or losing weight can be intimidating to those that have never worked out before or have an injury that they're recovering from. She designed her app to be accessible for all fitness levels, ages, and genders.

"The content on Bodypeace is really for the athletes and the 'never-evers' alike," DeLacy tells InnovationMap. "There is a whole group of people that are either new to working out or have never considered it before."

DeLacy founded DeLacy Wellness in 2016, a year after she moved to Houston. DeLacy is a certified yoga instructor and holds a health coaching certification. The company, which is privately funded, has two full-time staff, DeLacy and her partner and COO Jack Martin, two advisory board members, two instructors, and one community contributor.

DeLacy tells InnovationMap that on the community portion of the Bodypeace app, there is a lot of free information available for users to test the content. DeLacy and her team hope to connect wellness content creators and contributors with people who are looking for information to feel and live better.

"We're hoping to create a platform where you're doing movement and you're also going to learn about movement, nutrition, mental health, and other topics dealing with wellness," says DeLacy.


From what you wear to where you go, here are some Houston fitness startups changing the game. Courtesy of Accel Lifestyle

4 fitness-focused Houston startups changing the industry

Business exercise

Houston has developed into a city full of boutique fitness studios and updated parks, and now the city is seeing fitness startups popping up as well. From creating a smell-free fabric to engaging NASA technology into training, these Houston fitness startups are working out innovative ideas into the exercise industry.

Accel Lifestyle

Courtesy of Accel Lifestyle

Megan Eddings tried everything to get the stink out of her husband's workout clothes, but nothing worked completely. With her background in chemistry, she knew there was something she could do to create a fabric that didn't hold on to the bacteria that built up in normal fabrics. So, she got to work. Now, years later, she's finally perfected her product and is ready to launch by summer.

"I never thought it would take this so long to make a T-shirt," Eddings says. "But, if you do it right and in an ethical way, it just takes a little longer."

Eddings says she'll have six different styles of men's and women's shirts to start, and they will be available on the Accel website, which recently got a facelift. Read more about Accel's journey here.

Kanthaka

Courtesy of Kanthaka

Finding a quality personal training session that fits your schedule and location hasn't really been done before Houston-based Kanthaka launched in 2017. Founder Sylvia Kampshoff wanted something that allowed her to exercise with someone on her own schedule, and with people who valued customer service.

The app uses location technology similar to that of ride sharing apps to allow users to book training sessions with certified personal trainers, all of whom are heavily vetted and background checked by Kampshoff and her team.

"Many trainers at gyms or who work privately aren't certified," she says. "And that was important to me, that we have professionals who understand training and the body. And making sure our clients felt safe was a huge priority for me. We interview every trainer personally to ensure they not only meet our standards but also share our goals."

Since launch, Kanthaka has expanded to Austin and is expanding to San Antonio in April and Atlanta in May. The company has secured angel investment and has seen a month over month growth of 10 to 50 percent since the end of 2018. Read more about Kanthaka here.

Muvve

Courtesy of Muvve

What would you get if you crossed a dating app with an event planner focused on creating friendships around fitness? Houston-based Muvve. The app, which was created by Avi Ravishankar and Julian Se, came from the idea that working out, training for a marathon, or just staying active is way better with a buddy.

"Intrinsic motivation is hard to find, especially in individual sports, like running, cycling, or yoga," Ravishankar says. "Whereas, in team sports, like basketball or volleyball, you have the team to train with and motivate you."

The app, which launched in May of 2018, acts like a network for fitness lovers — just like a dating app would connect potential romantic partners. Dating apps, actually, were a big influence on Ravishankar, he says.

"I fell in love with dating apps. It was this mind-blowing idea for me of how many people you can connect with — even if it's not for dating," he says. "The amount of people I have met just through technology always blows my mind. There's so much power in it."

Ravishankar plans on growing the app's user base to 10,000 users by summer. Read more about Muvve here.

Sutaria Training & Fitness

Blake Hobson/ST&F

Sutaria Training & Fitness LLC, a Houston-based personal training company, has a new partnership with NASA that aims to provide exclusive access to astronaut training equipment to clients.

Jay Sutaria, founder and lead trainer, says that the equipment at NASA, called the force plate, shows how much power a client's body is producing in specific areas and how that power drops over time. The data produced by these machines can help trainers customize and tweak workouts for each client to take training a step further.

Sutaria and his partners at NASA recently tested the equipment with the Chinese olympic boxing team to see how it can be applied to workouts at NASA's location in Clear Lake.

"It's exclusive access to the equipment that is not available openly in Houston," says Sutaria. "NASA is a reference for us to become better trainers." Click here to read more about ST&F.

Through the Houston-based Muvve app, fitness fans can meet each other on the app or at curated events around town. Courtesy of Muvve

Houston entrepreneurs aim to connect fitness fiends around the city through a mobile app and curated events

On the Muvve

When Avi Ravishankar decided to train for a marathon in high school, he wanted to find a training buddy. He got lucky, and one found him: his classmate, Julian Se, took on the task.

"Julian decided he was going to train with me — he's a strong personality," Ravishankar says. "We started training, and to this day, we just became best friends from there."

Usually, finding fitness friends and training buddies isn't that easy — especially in a huge, spread out city of Houston. Ravishankar and Se turned their friendship into a business partnership to solve this problem. Houston-based Muvve is a mobile app that's mission is to connect fellow fitness enthusiasts across the city. The two came up with the idea as a way to merge their passions.

"The only idea we had was we wanted to have a startup with running," Ravishankar, co-founder of Muvve, says. "We loved running and tech, so we just wanted to find a way to bridge the gap there."

Ravishankar, a Rice University alumnus, says he took his idea to Owl Spark, an early stage accelerator on campus, and they just started asking people about their pain points when it came to working out.

"The big two things that we found were accountability and motivation," he says. "Out of 100 people, I would say all 100 people said that."

Ravishankar, who worked for six years in engineering at Oxy, says that these pain points are actually pretty inherent to individual sports.

"Intrinsic motivation is hard to find, especially in individual sports, like running, cycling, or yoga," he says. "Whereas, in team sports, like basketball or volleyball, you have the team to train with and motivate you."

The app, which launched in May of 2018, acts like a network for fitness lovers — just like a dating app would connect potential romantic partners. Dating apps, actually, were a big influence on Ravishankar, he says.

"I fell in love with dating apps. It was this mind-blowing idea for me of how many people you can connect with — even if it's not for dating," he says. "The amount of people I have met just through technology always blows my mind. There's so much power in it."

Through his experience as an instructor at Black Swan Yoga, Ravishankar also realized boutique fitness studios needed a place to market their events to a wider audience. This gave Ravishankar an idea of a way to bridge the gap between different fitness studios around town via the app.

"For us the goal is to have all of these events and activities to go and meet like-minded people," he says.

Muvve's goal is to have these managed market events that are curated to ensure quality, rather than the hit or miss aspect of existing platforms.

"For me the curation aspect makes for a better experience," Ravishankar says.

Now, Muvve is focused on growing its user base from 4,500 to 10,000 users by summer. Simultaneously, the company is hoping to launch its first seed round of funding, and then using its funds and its network to launch into Austin by summer.

Ravishankar says finding potential investors has been the most challenging aspect.

"There's no money in Houston for a fitness tech startup," he says. "That space isn't really respected. For me, it's kind of a trickling effect. If there's no money in it, there's no one really to help you because they don't have a vested interest."

While funding has been daunting, Ravishankar says he's had some success in hiring out his team of developers, despite the uphill battle of hiring tech talent in Houston.

"There's hidden talent, but it's not obvious talent," Ravishankar says. "I think that people get discouraged by hiring in Houston because of that."


Muvve is harnessing the power of social media and digital networks to bridge the gap between fitness lovers across the city. Courtesy of Muvve

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CultureMap Emails are Awesome

10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for November

WHERE TO BE

From networking meetups to pitch competitions, November is filled with opportunities for Houston innovators. Here's a roundup of events you won't want to miss out on so mark your calendars and register accordingly.

Note: This post might be updated to add more events.

Featured event: November 14 — Houston Innovation Awards

Celebrate Houston innovation at InnovationMap's 2024 Houston Innovation Awards on November 14 at TMC Helix Park. Click here to read about the finalists. Secure your tickets below.


November 4 - 5 — In-Space Physical AI Workshop

The Rice University Office of Innovation, in partnership with NASA, Purdue University and the Ion District, will host the In-Space Physical AI Workshop. The event will bring together industry leaders, startups, government agencies and researchers to explore the cutting edge of AI in space exploration. Workshop sessions will cover a range of topics in physical AI ⎯ robots or systems that apply AI to autonomously sense, interact with and adapt to their environment using complex computational, sensory and motor abilities to perform challenging real-world tasks.

This event begins Monday, November 4, from 8 am to 8:30 pm at the Ion. Click here to register.

November 6 — Waste to Work: Transforming Waste into Valuable Resources

This event will delve into innovative strategies and technologies that transform waste materials into valuable resources, driving sustainability and economic growth. Topics will include innovative technologies in waste conversion, policy and regulation, economic opportunities in waste management, success stories from around the world, and trends and predictions.

This event is Wednesday, November 6, from 3 to 6 pm at the Cooley University Life Center at UTHealth Houston. Click here to register.

November 7 — Bots & Brews

This event is the fall meetup for the H-town robotics, drones, geospatial, data & AI crowd, hosted by the Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition. Leaders from energy/engineering asset owner/operators, service companies, tech solution providers, startups & investors in the energy and industrial robotics/drone/data & AI community come together to catch up and talk about real-world solutions, projects and deployments.

The event is Thursday, November 7, from 5:30 to 7:45 at The Cannon West. Click here to register.

November 8 — Tech Fest Live

The UH Technology Bridge will be buzzing with students, industry leaders, innovators, and tech enthusiasts as they come together to celebrate the future of technology and innovation. There will be exciting panel discussions, interactive exhibits, and networking opportunities in the fields of digital media, energy, AI and entrepreneurship.

This event is Friday, November 8, from 8 am to 4 pm at UH Technology Bridge. Click here to register.

November 12 — The New Majority Summit

1863 Ventures, a D.C.-based accelerator and venture capital firm, is focused on advancing New Majority entrepreneurs—those historically marginalized or underrepresented—towards greater wealth and success. This immersive program centers on the essential skills and insights needed to transition into becoming an effective CEO.

Throughout the event, registrants will delve into key topics, including the entrepreneurial mindset, understanding one's customer base, establishing scalable processes, financial management strategies, and effective fundraising techniques. Prepare to be inspired and empowered after hearing from 1863 CEO Melissa Bradley, founder & CEO of LAMIK Beauty Kim Roxie, co-founder of Donna's Recipe Gina Woods and more.

This event is Tuesday, November 12, from 8:30 am to 5 pm at the Ensemble Theatre. Click here to register.

November 12 — Software Day at the Ion: Blockchain 2.0: Innovating Across Industries

Software Day is a monthly series driving the support, inspiration, and connections needed to help startups on their path to rapid, sustainable growth. Each month, software day will include office hours (by application), a keynote session, and networking. This software day is moderated by Samantha Lewis, partner at Mercury. Panelists include the former CEO of BBVA Compass, Manolo Sanchez and Ian Epstein, co-CEO ProfitR, global head of capital markets and distribution at republic.

This event is Tuesday, November 12, from 3:30 to 7 pm at the Ion. Click here to register.

November 13 — Envision 2024

Learn how companies in the ecosystem of the largest medical center in the world are addressing challenges head-on, meet some of our entrepreneurs, and network. This event is presented in partnership with Innovate UK and BioInnovation Institute.

This event is Wednesday, November 13, from 1 to 5 pm at TMC Innovation Factory. Click here to register.

November 14 — State of the Texas Medical Center

The Greater Houston Partnership's State of the Texas Medical Center returns. William F. McKeon, President and CEO of the Texas Medical Center, will deliver an annual address, discussing the tremendous progress in discovery and life sciences at the world's largest medical center. New to this year's State of the Texas Medical Center, is a dynamic pitch competition, the TMC Innovation Pitch Tank.

This event is Thursday, November 14, from 11 am to 1:30 pm at Hilton Americas. Click here to register.

November 15 — 2024 ERG Symposium

This event, hosted by Houston Methodist, will include a keynote from Shona Pinnock, VP of DEI for Peloton as well as insights from other local organizations such as HESS, Houston Methodist, TDECU, Greystone and more. These experts will share how ERGS are impacting business goals, enhancing company culture and employee engagement and will provide valuable insights and actionable takeaways to help organizations maximize the effectiveness of ERGs.

This event is Friday, November 15, from 9 am to 1 pm at The Westin Houston Medical Center. Click here to register.

November 19 — A Texas Talk: Reflecting on the Past, Envisioning the Future

Center for Houston’s Future’s signature fall event, Dinner and Conversation presented by Harvey-Cleary, will feature an exciting conversation between two important Texas voices. Stephen Harrigan, the award-winning author of 12 fiction and non-fiction books, will appear in conversation with Sonal Shah, CEO of the Texas Tribune, who has a long record of social impact work across multiple sectors.

This event is Tuesday, November 19, from 6 to 9 pm at the River Oaks Country Club. Click here to register.

November 21 — Visionary Voices: A Fireside Chat with Dan Ammann, President of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions

In this fireside chat, Dan Ammann, president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, will discuss ExxonMobil’s plans in advancing a thoughtful energy transition by delivering the critical energy and products the world needs and reducing their own and others’ greenhouse gas emissions. He’ll talk about Low Carbon Solutions’ transformative projects and investments aimed at bringing lower-emission technologies like hydrogen, lithium, and carbon capture and storage to market, making them accessible to carbon-intensive industries worldwide.

This event is Thursday, November 21, from 8 to 10 am at the Ion. Click here to register.

Overheard: Houston's top energy transition founders explain their biggest challenges

Houston Innovation Awards

From finding funding to navigating the pace of traditional oil and gas company tech adoption, energy transition companies face their fair share of challenges.

This year's Houston Innovation Awards finalists in the Energy Transition category explained what their biggest challenge has been and how they've overcome it. See what they said below, and make sure to secure your tickets to the Nov. 14 event to see which of these finalists win the award.

"The evolving nature of the energy industry presents opportunities to solve some of our industry's greatest challenges. At Amperon we help optimize grid reliability and stability with the power of AI demand forecasting."

Sean Kelly, CEO of Amperon, an AI platform powering the smart grid of the future

"The biggest challenge in leading an energy transition-focused startup has been balancing the urgency for sustainable solutions with the slow pace of change in traditional industries like oil and gas. Many companies are cautious about adopting new technologies, especially when it comes to integrating sustainability initiatives. We overcame this by positioning our solutions not just as environmentally friendly, but as tools that improve safety, efficiency, and cost savings. By aligning our value proposition with their operational goals and demonstrating real, measurable benefits, we were able to gain traction and drive adoption in industries that are traditionally resistant to change."

— Dianna Liu, CEO of ARIXTechnologies, an integrated robotics and data analytics company that delivers inspection services through its robotics platforms

"Scaling up production of hard tech is a major challenge. Thankfully, we recruited top-notch talent with experience in technology scale-up and chemical processes. In addition, we've begun building partnerships with some of the world's largest chemical manufacturers in our space who are excited to be a part of our journey and could rapidly accelerate our go to market strategy. We have significant demand for our product as early as 2025, so partnering with these companies to scale-up will bring our technology to market years ahead of doing it alone."

— Matthew Dawson, CEO of Elementium Materials, a battery technology with liquid electrolyte solutions

"Our pyrolysis reactor is a proprietary design that was developed during Covid. We ran simulations to prove that it works, but it was not easy to test it in a pilot facility, let alone scaling it up. We managed ... to run our pilot plant studies, while working with them remotely. We proved that our reactor worked and produced high quality products. Later, we built our own pilot plant R&D facility to continue running tests and optimizing the process. Then, there was the challenge of scaling it up to commercial size. ... We put together a task force of four different companies to come together to design and build this complex reactor in record time."

— Vibhu Sharma, CEO of InnoVentRenewables, a startup with proprietary continuous pyrolysis technology that converts waste tires, plastics, and biomass into valuable fuels and chemicals

"Energy storage and geothermal power generation are capital-intensive infrastructure projects, requiring investors with a deep commitment and the patience in terms of years to allow the technology to be developed and proven in the field. One challenge is finding that niche of investors with the vision to join our journey. We have succeeded in raising our $30 million series A with these types of investors, whom we’re confident will continue the journey as we scale."

— Cindy Taff, CEO of SageGeosystems, an energy company focused on developing and deploying advanced geothermal technologies to provide reliable power and sustainable energy storage solutions regardless of geography

"The biggest challenge we've faced has been to bring together massive independent power producers on one side who are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into grid infrastructure with multi- national tech giants on the other that don't have experience working much with energy storage. As a startup with only four employees, gaining credibility with these players was critical. We overcame this hurdle by becoming the preeminent thought leader on storage emissions, through publishing white papers, discussing the issues on podcasts, and (more)."

— Emma Konet, CTO of TierraClimate, a software provider that helps grid-scale batteries reduce carbon emissions

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.