3 Houston innovators to know who are starting new roles

Who's who

TMC Innovation, Station Houston, and FanReact all made executive hires last week. Courtesy photos

It's been a busy week for Houston innovators. TMC Innovation Institute hired its new director, and Station Houston created a new director position — and filled it too. Plus, FanReact decided to divide and conquer its esports business, which meant a new executive hire.

Tom Luby, director of the TMC Innovation Institute

Tom Luby will run the Texas Medical Center's Innovation Institute. Courtesy of TMC

The Texas Medical Center has been searching for its new director over the past few months, but turns out, their pick was right next door at JLABS @ TMC serving as the site head. Tom Luby took the position, and has big plans to continue the institutes growth ahead of TMC3.

"What I hope to be helpful with is providing an overall strategic vision around TMC Innovation that allows us to scale from what's already been done here," Luby says in an InnovationMap interview.

Before moving to Houston, Luby worked in Boston's booming life sciences ecosystem. While it's not fair to compare Houston and Boston — a city that has had decades of growth in the space — he does note some similarities.

"If you roll the Boston tape back lets say 20 years where Boston was focused on generating a place where life science startups could have a chance to develop and be successful, that's where Houston is," Luby says. "We've gotten to a point where we're starting to see a really good density." Read more from the Tom Luby interview here.

Deanea LeFlore, director of community engagement, partnerships, and education at Station Houston

Deanea LeFlore is Station Houston's new director of community engagement, partnerships, and education. Courtesy of Station Houston

Station Houston hired Deanea LeFlore as director of community engagement, partnerships, and education. Previously, LeFlore served as chief of protocol for the city of Houston and a vice president of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"My passion is promoting Houston as a world-class place to invest, work and live, and I am thrilled to join an organization that embodies this same spirit," says LeFlore in a release. "Station's dedication to accelerating Houston's tech growth through collaboration and innovation compliments my professional experience and I look forward to opening our doors to new partners, expanding programming with our long-time supporters, and introducing Station to a new network of leaders." Read more about Station's new hire here.

Patrick Schneidau, CEO of RanReact

Chris Buckner (left), who has served as FanReact's CEO since its founding in 2014, will be the CEO of Mainline, and Patrick Schneidau has been hired to serve as CEO of FanReact. Photos courtesy

Houston-based FanReact has spun off its esports business as its own company, Mainline. Former FanReact CEO Chris Buckner will take the reins of the new business as CEO, and Patrick Schneidau has been hired as FanReact CEO.

Schneidau has has a long career in Houston's tech scene. He spent 12 years at Houston software company PROS and was on the leadership team when the company went public in 2007. Since he left his position as CMO at PROS, he served as the chair of the Talent Committee for Houston Exponential and serves on the board for InnovationMap.

"The Mainline business has been so successful in recent history, that it just made sense for us to dedicate resources toward building that market," Schneidau says. "The momentum in that market as a whole — and in Mainline specifically — is just too large to ignore and not put 100 percent of Chris' time in." Read more about the spinoff company here.

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Houston lab-test startup seeks $1M for nationwide expansion

Testing Access

Health care industry veteran Jim Gebhart knew there had to be a better way for patients to access lab services, especially those with high health insurance deductibles or no insurance at all.

“This challenge became deeply personal when a close family member developed a serious illness, and we struggled to secure prompt appointments,” Gebhart tells InnovationMap. “It’s incredibly frustrating when a loved one cannot receive timely care simply because of provider shortages or the limited capacity of traditional clinics.”

Driven by the desire to knock down lab-test barriers, Gebhart founded Houston-based TheLabCafe.com in 2024. The platform provides access to low-cost medical tests without requiring patients to carry health insurance. TheLabCafe serves patients in six states: Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Gebhart, the startup’s CEO, says that by the end of March, LabCafe will be offering services in 20 more states and the District of Columbia.

Gebhart has spent more than 30 years in the lab industry. His career includes stints at Austin-based Clinical Pathology Laboratories, Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic Laboratories and Secaucus, New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics.

“Since nearly 80 percent of disease diagnoses rely on laboratory testing, I decided to leverage my background to create a more accessible, self-directed process for individuals to order blood and urine tests on their own terms — when and where they need them,” says Gebhart.

So far, Gebhart is self-funding the startup. But he plans to seek $700,000 to $1 million in outside investments in late 2026 to support the nationwide expansion and the introduction of more services.

TheLabCafe contracts with labs for an array of tests, such as cholesterol, hepatitis, metabolic, testosterone, thyroid and sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests. A cholesterol test obtained through TheLabCafe might cost $29, compared with a typical cost of perhaps $39 to $59 without insurance.

A health care professional reviews every test, both when the test is ordered and when the results are delivered, often within 24 hours. After receiving test results, a patient can schedule a virtual visit with a health care professional to go over the findings and learn potential treatment options.

Gebhart says TheLabCafe particularly benefits uninsured patients, including those in Texas. Among the states, Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents. U.S. Census Bureau data shows 21.6 percent of adults and 13.6 percent of children in Texas lacked health insurance in 2024.

“Uninsured patients often pay the highest prices in the health care system,” Gebhart explains. “We address this by offering straightforward pricing and convenient access to testing without requiring insurance.”

“Our rates are intentionally set to remain affordable, helping individuals take a proactive approach to their health,” he adds. “Regular testing enables people to identify potential health issues early and track their progress as they make lifestyle changes. Ultimately, you can’t measure improvement without data — and laboratory results provide that data.”

Houston geothermal startup secures $97M Series B for next-gen power

fresh funding

Houston-based geothermal energy startup Sage Geosystems has closed its Series B fundraising round and plans to use the money to launch its first commercial next-generation geothermal power generation facility.

Ormat Technologies and Carbon Direct Capital co-led the $97 million round, according to a press release from Sage. Existing investors Exa, Nabors, alfa8, Arch Meredith, Abilene Partners, Cubit Capital and Ignis H2 Energy also participated, as well as new investors SiteGround Capital and The UC Berkeley Foundation’s Climate Solutions Fund.

The new geothermal power generation facility will be located at one of Ormat Technologies' existing power plants. The Nevada-based company has geothermal power projects in the U.S. and numerous other countries around the world. The facility will use Sage’s proprietary pressure geothermal technology, which extracts geothermal heat energy from hot dry rock, an abundant geothermal resource.

“Pressure geothermal is designed to be commercial, scalable and deployable almost anywhere,” Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage Geosystems, said in the news release. “This Series B allows us to prove that at commercial scale, reflecting strong conviction from partners who understand both the urgency of energy demand and the criticality of firm power.”

Sage reports that partnering with the Ormat facility will allow it to market and scale up its pressure geothermal technology at a faster rate.

“This investment builds on the strong foundation we’ve established through our commercial agreement and reinforces Ormat’s commitment to accelerating geothermal development,” Doron Blachar, CEO of Ormat Technologies, added in the release. “Sage’s technical expertise and innovative approach are well aligned with Ormat’s strategy to move faster from concept to commercialization. We’re pleased to take this natural next step in a partnership we believe strongly in.”

In 2024, Sage agreed to deliver up to 150 megawatts of new geothermal baseload power to Meta, the parent company of Facebook. At the time, the companies reported that the project's first phase would aim to be operating in 2027.

The company also raised a $17 million Series A, led by Chesapeake Energy Corp., in 2024.

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

10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events in February

where to be

Editor's note: February may be short, but its event calendar isn’t. From recurring monthly favorites to the return of annual celebrations and summits, here's what not to miss and how to register. Please note: this article may be updated to include additional event listings.

Feb. 2 — Entrepreneurship Roundtable with OPEN

Join founders, builders and innovators as they explore what it takes to create, scale and sustain meaningful ventures. This event, hosted by Open Houston, will be moderated by Faisal Bhutto, president and CEO of Houston-based end-to-end IT and cybersecurity company Alykas.

This event is Monday, Feb. 2, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 3 — Tech+Tequila Talk: Tax Equity: Aligning Incentives for Founders, Investors & Philanthropy

Hear from guest speaker Cesar de la Cerda, founder and CIO of EnvisionVest, at the latest installment of Tech and Tequila Talk. The event will focus on using the tax code as a powerful fundraising tool.

This event takes place Tuesday, Feb. 3, from 5-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 5 — Ion Block Party Mardi Gras

Let the good times roll while networking with potential collaborators, mentors and investors at the Ion. Food and drink will be available, and the Ion will provide drink tickets for one free drink at Second Draught upon check-in.

This event is Thursday, Feb. 5, from 4-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 10 — Mercury Fund Day at the Ion

The Ion and Houston's Mercury Fund will host this special event, previously known as Software Day. The event will feature a panel that dives into how Mercury is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with agentic AI and blockchain. A select group of early-stage software startups will also participate in office hours before the panel. Afterwards, all attendees can network during happy hour at Second Draught.

This event is Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 3:30-7:30 p.m. Register here.

Feb. 11-12 – In-Space Physical AI Workshop

Rice Nexus is bringing together industry leaders, government agencies and academia to explore the cutting edge of AI in space exploration. Matt Ondler, president of Aegis Aerospace, will present the keynote address. Other industry leaders from NASA Johnson Space Center, Intuitive Machines, Microsoft and Rice University and other organizations will participate. The event will close with the Inaugural Space Galette Reception hosted by the Consulate General of France in Houston and the Rice Space Institute.

This event begins Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Ion. Register here.

Feb. 12 — State of the City

Houston First Corporation and the Greater Houston Partnership will host Mayor John Whitmire’s State of the City luncheon. Whitmire will share an update on his administration’s progress since taking office and highlight his top priorities that will continue to elevate Houston and its economy.

This event is Thursday, Feb. 12, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Hilton Americas-Houston. Register here.

Feb. 12 — Positioning Houston as the Brain Capital of the World

David Gow, CEO of the Center for Houston's Future, will present "Positioning Houston as the Brain Capital of the World" at the University of Houston Honors College Leadership Forum. Gow will share how Project Metis aims to establish Houston as a global hub for brain health research, innovation and economic development.

This event is Thursday, Feb. 12, from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at The Junior League of Houston. Register here.

Feb. 13 — From Research to Enterprise: Immigration & Innovation

Innov8 Hub will host an in-person seminar as part of its Startup Resources Series, focused on the intersection of immigration law, entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. The session will feature guest speakers Mario Cantu, Shilpa Ghurye and Vikesh Patel of KM&D PLLC, who will share insights for founders and innovators navigating legal pathways while building and scaling technology-driven ventures.

The event is Friday, Feb. 13, from 1-2 p.m. at the Innovation Center at UH Technology Bridge, Building 4. Register here.

Feb. 18-20 — TMC AI Summit

UTHealth Houston and Texas Children’s Hospital are bringing back the TMC AI Summit for its third year. This event is focused on translating advanced AI innovations into practical, real-world solutions for the biomedical and healthcare industries. It will be broken up into three tracks and will feature poster and oral presentations, workshops and tutorials, industry talks and student research showcases.

The event begins Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Duncan Neurological Research Institute. Register here.

Feb. 26 — Transition on Tap

Greentown Labs’ signature networking event returns in February to foster conversations and connections within Houston's climate and energy transition ecosystem. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, philanthropists and more are invited to attend, meet colleagues, discuss solutions and engage with the growing community.

The event begins Monday, Feb. 26, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Greentown Labs. Register here.

Feb. 26 — NASA Tech Talk

Every fourth Thursday of the month, NASA experts, including longtime engineer Montgomery Goforth, present on technology development challenges NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the larger aerospace community are facing, and how they can be leveraged by Houston’s innovation community. Stick around after for drinks and networking at Second Draught.

This event is Thursday, Feb. 26, from 6-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

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