Rice Alliance names 10 most promising energy technology companies at its annual forum

Best of the best

These 10 companies are ones to look out for. Getty Images

From fast-charging batteries and hydrogen fuel alternatives to metals recycling and artificial intelligence-driven data tools, energy tech startups have a lot to offer the industry.

After nearly 60 pitches, the Rice Alliance for for Technology and Entrepreneurship named 10 startups to look out for in the energy industry. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the annual Energy and Clean Technology Venture Forum hosted at Rice University on September 11.

Of the 10, five hail from Houston. Check out this year's energy tech startups to look out for.

Sensytec

Fresh off a win from Houston's inaugural MassChallenge Texas cohort, Houston-based Sensytec again scored big. Sesnsytec's technology is known as the "smart concrete" because they've created a device that can be embedded into concrete and monitor its structure in real time. The company was founded out of the University of Houston in 2016 by Ody de la Paz.

Rheidiant

Another Houston-based company, Rheidiant uses industrial Internet of Things to optimize data from the pipelines. As a result, Rheidiant's technology can increase productivity, reduce leaks, quickly respond in emergency situations, and enhance visibility in the field. Rheidiant was founded in 2014 by CEO Murat Ocalan.

Nesh

Houston-based Nesh has created a smart assistant for oil and gas. Using artificial intelligence, Nesh can answer any question from an oil and gas employee to improve their decision-making process and cut down on the time it takes to find solutions. Nesh was founded in 2018 by Sidd Gupta and the company closed its seed round in April.

GBatteries

GBatteries, based in Ottawa, Canada, is changing the lithium battery charging game. With a mission of revolutionizing the electric car industry, GBatteries has created an artificial intelligence-backed technology that can charge a lithium battery to half full in 5 minutes. The company has 10 patents granted and 28 pending and has pilot programs in the works with automotive companies.

HARBO Technologies

Tel Aviv, Israel-based HARBO Technologies bills itself as the fastest and most effective oil spill response system in the world.The company's T-Fence system can be deployed quickly and by a team of as little as two people. HARBO was founded in 2013 by CEO Boaz Ur and has raised three rounds of funding, according to Crunchbase.

Sensorfield

It's not the first time Houston-based Sensorfield has been deemed most promising by the Rice Alliance. The company has created easy to install, wireless devices for monitoring throughout the industrial process. In May, the startup was selected for Chevron Technology Ventures' Catalyst Program.

MolyWorks Materials Corp.

California startup, MolyWorks Materials Corp., is improving the way industrial materials are recycled by building by creating a network of distributed recycling and additive manufacturing. Old metals materials go in, and metallic powder for manufacturing new products come out.

Lilac Solutions

Oakland, California-based Lilac Solutions exists to enhance lithium production as the demand rises with the growth of the electronic vehicles industry. Lilac has created a unique ion exchange technology that can lower the cost of lithium production while increasing the speed. The company is currently operating pilot programs.

Mission Secure

Mission Secure Inc. has created an industrial control system that can protect energy companies from potential cybersecurity threats as well as educate on the process. Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, MSI is venture backed and serving clients in Houston.

Syzygy Plasmonics

Houston-based Syzygy Plasmonics is fresh off a $5.8 million series A funding round it closed in August. The company is creating a hydrogen fuel cell technology that produces a cheaper source of energy that releases fewer carbon emissions. The hydrogen-fueled technology originated out of research done over two decades by two Rice University professors, Naomi Halas and Peter Nordlander. Earlier this summer, the Rice Alliance named Syzygy a most promising startup at the Offshore Technology Conference.

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Houston edtech company closes oversubscribed $3M seed round

fresh funding

Houston-based edtech company TrueLeap Inc. closed an oversubscribed seed round last month.

The $3.3 million round was led by Joe Swinbank Family Limited Partnership, a venture capital firm based in Houston. Gamper Ventures, another Houston firm, also participated with additional strategic partners.

TrueLeap reports that the funding will support the large-scale rollout of its "edge AI, integrated learning systems and last-mile broadband across underserved communities."

“The last mile is where most digital transformation efforts break down,” Sandip Bordoloi, CEO and president of TrueLeap, said in a news release. “TrueLeap was built to operate where bandwidth is limited, power is unreliable, and institutions need real systems—not pilots. This round allows us to scale infrastructure that actually works on the ground.”

True Leap works to address the digital divide in education through its AI-powered education, workforce systems and digital services that are designed for underserved and low-connectivity communities.

The company has created infrastructure in Africa, India and rural America. Just this week, it announced an agreement with the City of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo to deploy a digital twin platform for its public education system that will allow provincial leaders to manage enrollment, staffing, infrastructure and performance with live data.

“What sets TrueLeap apart is their infrastructure mindset,” Joe Swinbank, General Partner at Joe Swinbank Family Limited Partnership, added in the news release. “They are building the physical and digital rails that allow entire ecosystems to function. The convergence of edge compute, connectivity, and services makes this a compelling global infrastructure opportunity.”

TrueLeap was founded by Bordoloi and Sunny Zhang and developed out of Born Global Ventures, a Houston venture studio focused on advancing immigrant-founded technology. It closed an oversubscribed pre-seed in 2024.

Texas space co. takes giant step toward lunar excavator deployment

Out of this world

Lunar exploration and development are currently hampered by the fact that the moon is largely devoid of necessary infrastructure, like spaceports. Such amenities need to be constructed remotely by autonomous vehicles, and making effective devices that can survive the harsh lunar surface long enough to complete construction projects is daunting.

Enter San Antonio-based Astroport Space Technologies. Founded in San Antonio in 2020, the company has become a major part of building plans beyond Earth, via its prototype excavator, and in early February, it completed an important field test of its new lunar excavator.

The new excavator is designed to function with California-based Astrolab's Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover, a highly modular vehicle that will perform a variety of functions on the surface of the moon.

In a recent demo, the Astroport prototype excavator successfully integrated with FLEX and proceeded to dig in a simulated lunar surface. The excavator collected an average of 207 lbs (94kg) of regolith (lunar surface dust) in just 3.5 minutes. It will need that speed to move the estimated 3,723 tons (3,378 tonnes) of regolith needed for a lunar spaceport.

After the successful test, both Astroport and Astrolab expressed confidence that the excavator was ready for deployment. "Leading with this successful excavator demo proves that our technology is no longer theoretical—it is operational," said Sam Ximenes, CEO of Astroport.

"This is the first of many implements in development that will turn Astrolab's FLEX rover into the 'Swiss Army Knife' of lunar construction. To meet the infrastructure needs of the emerging lunar economy, we must build the 'Port' before the 'Ship' arrives. By leveraging the FLEX platform, we are providing the Space Force, NASA, and commercial partners with a 'Shovel-Ready' construction capability to secure the lunar high ground."

"We are excited to provide the mobility backbone for Astroport's groundbreaking construction technology," said Jaret Matthews, CEO of Astrolab, in a release. "Astrolab is dedicated to establishing a viable lunar ecosystem. By combining our FLEX rover's versatility with Astroport's civil engineering expertise, we are delivering the essential capabilities required for a sustainable lunar economy."

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

Houston biotech co. raises $11M to advance ALS drug development

drug money

Houston-based clinical-stage biotechnology company Coya Therapeutics (NASDAQ: COYA) has raised $11.1 million in a private investment round.

India-based pharmaceuticals company Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Inc. led the round with a $10 million investment, according to a news release. New York-based investment firm Greenlight Capital, Coya’s largest institutional shareholder, contributed $1.1 million.

The funding was raised through a definitive securities purchase agreement for the purchase and sale of more than 2.5 million shares of Coya's common stock in a private placement at $4.40 per share.

Coya reports that it plans to use the proceeds to scale up manufacturing of low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2), which is a component of its COYA 302 and will support the commercial readiness of the drug. COYA 302 enhances anti-inflammatory T cell function and suppresses harmful immune activity for treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

The company received FDA acceptance for its investigational new drug application for COYA 302 for treating ALS and FTD this summer. Its ALSTARS Phase 2 clinical trial for ALS treatment launched this fall in the U.S. and Canada and has begun enrolling and dosing patients. Coya CEO Arun Swaminathan said in a letter to investors that the company also plans to advance its clinical programs for the drug for FTD therapy in 2026.

Coya was founded in 2021. The company merged with Nicoya Health Inc. in 2020 and raised $10 million in its series A the same year. It closed its IPO in January 2023 for more than $15 million. Its therapeutics uses innovative work from Houston Methodist's Dr. Stanley H. Appel.

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