6 finalists compete to be crowned Houston's 2025 Startup of the Year

Cast Your Vote

It's time to vote for Houston's Startup of the Year. Graphic via Gow Media

We're just two weeks away from the 2025 Houston Innovation Awards, and while our expert panel of judges will determine the winners in most categories, one award is up to you.

Voting is now open for our people's choice award: 2025 Startup of the Year. Six exceptional finalists are in the running for the title, and your votes will determine the winner.

From rugged humanoid robots to next-generation sustainable materials, each of these startups is making an impact on the innovation ecosystem in Houston — and beyond.

Read about our Startup of the Year finalists and their missions below, then cast your vote. You can vote once per day through November 12, so make your voice heard.

The winner, along with winners in all other categories, will be revealed live at our event on November 13 at Greentown Labs. Tickets to the 2025 Houston Innovation Awards are available now — get yours today.

Eclipse Energy

Eclipse Energy, previously known as Gold H2, is a climatetech startup converting end-of-life oil fields into low-cost, sustainable hydrogen sources. The company completed its first field trial this summer, which demonstrated subsurface bio-stimulated hydrogen production. Eclipse Energy says Its technology could yield up to 250 billion kilograms of low-carbon hydrogen.

FlowCare

FlowCare is developing a period health platform that integrates smart dispensers, education, and healthcare into one system to make free, high-quality, organic period products more accessible. FlowCare is live at prominent Houston venues, including Discovery Green, Texas Medical Center, The Ion, and, most recently, Space Center Houston, helping make Houston a “period positivity” city.

MyoStep

MyoStep is a next-generation, lightweight, soft exoskeleton developed at University of Houston for children with cerebral palsy. The soft skeleton aims to address motor impairments that impact their ability to participate in physical activities, self-care, and academics, via an affordable, child-friendly solution that empowers mobility and independence.

Persona AI

Persona AI is a humanoid robotics startup that is creating rugged, autonomous robots for skilled, heavy industry work for various "4D" (dull, dirty, dangerous, and declining) jobs. In May, the company announced a memorandum of understanding with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai Robotic, and Vazil Company to create and deploy humanoid robots for complex welding tasks in shipyards. The project will deliver prototype humanoids by the end of 2026.

Rheom Materials

Rheom Materials is a next-generation startup developing biobased materials for a more sustainable future. Its two flagship offerings are Shorai, a sustainable leather alternative that is usable for apparel, accessories, car interiors, and more, and Benree, an alternative to plastic without the carbon footprint.

Solidec

Solidec is a chemical manufacturing company developing autonomous generators that extract molecules from water and air and convert them into pure chemicals and fuels that are free of carbon emissions. The technology eliminates the need for transport, storage, and permitting.

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The Houston Innovation Awards program is sponsored by Houston City College Northwest, Houston Powder Coaters, FLIGHT by Yuengling, and more to be announced soon. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact sales@innovationmap.com.

This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Vibhu Sharma of InnoVent Renewables, Ashley DeWalt of DivInc, and Josh Teekell of SmartAC.com. Photos courtesy

3 Houston innovators to know this week

who's who

Editor's note: Every week, I introduce you to a handful of Houston innovators to know recently making headlines with news of innovative technology, investment activity, and more. This week's batch includes three innovators across sports tech, clean energy, and more.

Vibhu Sharma, founder and CEO of InnoVent Renewables

Vibhu Sharma of InnoVent Renewables joins the Houston Innovators Podcast. Photo via LinkedIn

Vibhu Sharma observed a huge sustainability problem within the automotive industry, and he was tired of no one doing anything about it.

"Globally, humans dispose 1 billion tires every year," Sharma says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. "It's a massive environmental and public health problem because these tires can take hundreds of years to break down, and what they start doing is leaking chemicals into the soil."

Today, 98 percent of all tires end up in landfills, Sharma says, and this waste contributes to a multitude of problems — from mosquito and pest infestation to chemical leaks and fire hazards. That's why he founded InnoVent Renewables, a Houston-based company that uses its proprietary continuous pyrolysis technology to convert waste tires into valuable fuels, steel, and chemicals. Continue reading.

Ashley DeWalt, managing director of DivInc

Ashley DeWalt shares news of DivInc's newest partnership. Photo courtesy of DivInc

DivInc, a Texas-based accelerator focused on uplifting people of color and women founders, is collaborating with the NBA Foundation to provide Black Houston youth with paid internships at tech startups.

Leveraging its expansive portfolio of startups, DivInc will pair 25 Houston-based undergraduate and graduate students (ages 18 to 24) with tech companies the nonprofit has mentored. The 10-week internship program will provide students with professional development workshops and firsthand entrepreneurial experiences. The program also ensures a symbiotic relationship as the startups’ founders gain access to an expanded talent pool and further development opportunities via DivInc.

"We are thrilled to partner with the NBA Foundation to bring this transformative opportunity to life," says Ashley DeWalt, managing director of DivInc. "Together, we are bridging the gap between talent and opportunity, creating meaningful experiences that empower Black youth to lead in their communities and beyond." Continue reading.

​Josh Teekell, founder and CEO of SmartAC.com

\u200bJosh Teekell, founder and CEO of SmartAC.com

Josh Teekell shares news of SmartAC's latest funding. Photo courtesy

Houston-based SmartAC.com, which provides a customer loyalty management platform for contractors, has raised a follow-on round from Mercury Fund and other investors. The dollar amount of the round wasn’t disclosed.

An October filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicates SmartAC.com planned to raise $8.2 million in venture capital. Of that sum, about $4 million had already been raised, the company reported, and nearly $4.2 million remained to be raised.

“Growing a business in the trades is all about customer loyalty, and loyalty is driven by optimizing the customer’s experience,” Josh Teekell, founder and CEO of SmartAC.com, says in a news release. Continue reading.

Vibhu Sharma, founder and CEO of InnoVent Renewables, joins the Houston Innovators Podcast. Photo via LinkedIn

Houston startup's revolutionary automotive recycling tech to begin commercial operations

houston innovators podcast episode 267

Vibhu Sharma observed a huge sustainability problem within the automotive industry, and he was tired of no one doing anything about it.

"Globally, humans dispose 1 billion tires every year," Sharma says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. "It's a massive environmental and public health problem because these tires can take hundreds of years to break down, and what they start doing is leaking chemicals into the soil."

Today, 98 percent of all tires end up in landfills, Sharma says, and this waste contributes to a multitude of problems — from mosquito and pest infestation to chemical leaks and fire hazards. That's why he founded InnoVent Renewables, a Houston-based company that uses its proprietary continuous pyrolysis technology to convert waste tires into valuable fuels, steel, and chemicals.

While the process of pyrolysis — decomposing materials using high heat — isn't new, InnoVent's process has a potential to be uniquely impactful. As Sharma explains on the show, he's targeting areas with an existing supply of waste tires. The company's first plant — located in Monterrey, Mexico — is expected to go online early in the new year, an impressive accomplishment considering Sharma started his company just over a year ago and bootstrapped the business with only a friends and family round of funding.

"It's about 16 months or so from start to commercial operations, which is phenomenal when you consider what it takes to build and operate a chemical or petrochemical facility," Sharma says.

Currently, with the facility close to operations, Sharma is looking to secure customers for the plant's products — which includes diesel, steel, and carbon black — and he doesn't have to look too far out of the automotive industry for his potential customer base. Additionally, the plant should be net zero by day one, since Sharma says he will be using the output to fuel operations.

While the first facility is in Mexico, Sharma says they are already looking at potential secondary locations with Texas at the top of his list. Houston, where Sharma has worked for 26 years, has been a strategic headquarters for InnoVent.

"When it came to doing the research and development, we were able to work with experts in the Houston and Texas areas to test out our idea and validate it," Sharma says. "One thing that gets under appreciated about Houston is how well it's connected to the rest of the world. There are so many direct connections between Houston and Latin America, as well as Europe, Middle East, and Asia."

"I also find that the Houston ecosystem is very supportive of new companies and helping them grow," he adds.

Clockwise from top left: Sean Kelly of Amperon, Dianna Liu of ARIXTechnologies, Matthew Dawson of Elementium Materials, Vibhu Sharma of InnoVent Renewables, Cindy Taff of Sage Geosystems, and Emma Konet of Tierra Climate. Photos courtesy

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 InnoVent Renewables, 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 Sage Geosystems, 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.

Calling all Houstonians — help InnovationMap decide on this year's People's Choice: Startup of the Year winner. Graphic via Gow Media

People's Choice: Pick your startup of the year for the 2024 Houston Innovation Awards

you decide

It's firmly voting season in Houston, and in addition to deciding the nation's next political leaders, the local innovation ecosystem is being called to weigh in on one category for the Houston Innovation Awards.

This year's People's Choice: Startup of the Year voting is officially open online. Read about each company below, then click here to cast your vote. You may vote once per day up until Nov. 8 when the portal closes. The winner will be named at the Nov. 14 event — click here to secure your ticket to see who wins in this and the other dozen categories.

Corrolytics

Founded by CEO Anwar Sadek, this minority-owned startup uses its patented electrochemical technology to detect and monitor corrosion. Unlike others in the market, Corrolytics allows for on-site, real-time, accurate detection of corrosion, helping to safeguard industrial assets and prolong their lifespans.

Last month, Corrolytics, which is also a finalist in the Minority-Founded Business category, was named among the most promising energy tech startups at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship's Energy Tech Venture Forum and won the People's Choice Award. It was part of the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator earlier this year.

What significant milestone(s) has your company reached this year?

We launched our comprehensive in-lab services in Q4 of 2023, generating $100,000 in revenue. By 2024, we tripled our revenue, confirming our early product-market fit while serving four major customers in the energy sector. With the ruggedization and scalable design of our test kit now complete, we’re set to begin field trials in the next quarter. Additionally, Corrolytics has secured a Joint Development Agreement with a leading oil and gas service provider, extending our reach across the global energy market.

What advice do you wish you could tell yourself before you started your company?

Embrace the challenges early on, as they are invaluable learning opportunities. Focus on building a strong network, especially with mentors and industry leaders who can guide you through the unknowns. Lastly, be prepared for the unexpected, stay adaptable and never underestimate the importance of a clear mission that inspires both your team and your customers.

Why did you choose Houston for your company's headquarters and how has your experience been growing a company here?

Houston is the energy capital of the world, providing unparalleled access to major industry players, talent and resources. The city's strong focus on innovation and its thriving clean energy ecosystem has been a perfect fit for Corrolytics. Growing the company here has been an amazing experience—Houston’s vibrant startup community, world-class accelerators like the Rice Alliance, and its strategic location have accelerated our growth and opened doors to invaluable partnerships. Houston truly offers the ideal environment for scaling a cleantech startup like ours and advancing the future of sustainable energy.

FlowCare

FlowCare is focused on addressing menstrual inequity by providing flagship dispensers stocked with free, 100 percent organic pads and tampons for schools and businesses, while raising awareness about the issues that impacks millions.

The startup was founded in January and is led by Founder and CEO Tanu Jain.

What significant milestone(s) has your company reached this year?

Here’s a summary of the significant milestones FlowCare has reached this year:

  • Building a supportive community: We’ve established a vibrant community of FlowCare cheerleaders and advisors who are passionate about our mission.
  • Newsletter Success: Our newsletter, launched just two months ago, now reaches 2,000 people each month with an impressive 50 percent to 60 percent open rate. We’ve also been moved by the personal stories of period struggles shared by our readers.
  • Competition Achievements: We secured fourth place in the Houston Community College Business Plan Competition, winning $1,000 and raising awareness about period product accessibility. FlowCare also earned a top four finish out of 200 participants in the TiE Dallas Global Pitch Competition.
  • Successful Pilot at ION: We’ve commenced a paid pilot with ION, receiving heartfelt text messages from women expressing how FlowCare has positively impacted their day and alleviated embarrassment by providing period products in restrooms."

What advice do you wish you could tell yourself before you started your company?

Expect the journey to be challenging and more time-consuming than anticipated. You’ll face financial struggles and setbacks, but remember to stay patient and resilient. Embrace the journey and find joy in the small victories along the way. Build a network of supportive individuals who believe in your mission and can help you navigate the tough times. You’ll experience self-doubt and imposter syndrome, but remember, even high-profile leaders experience these feelings. Stay focused on your mission and trust in your ability to make a difference.

Why did you choose Houston for your company's headquarters and how has your experience been growing a company here?

I chose Houston for FlowCare’s headquarters because it’s home to me—having grown up here, it felt natural to build my company in a place I know and love. My experience growing the company here has been incredibly positive. Houston boasts a strong and supportive community with a robust network of individuals who are always willing to help. As an entrepreneur, having access to people who are willing to spend time with you, offer guidance, and introduce you to the right connections is invaluable. The local support has been a key factor in keeping us going towards the mission of period equity.

InnoVent Renewables

InnoVent Renewables is a circular economy business that has developed a proprietary net-zero process that converts waste tires, plastics, and biomass into fuels and chemicals. It estimates that it will reduce emissions by 80 million pounds when its production facility is operating.

InnoVent was founded by chemical-engineer-turned-CEO Vibhu Sharma in 2023. It has plans for aggressive growth across North America and Latin America.

What significant milestone(s) has your company reached this year?

We started our business in July 2023, raised a "friends and family" round, which was oversubscribed, and we carry no debt. We went from concept to the commissioning stage in 14 months and will start full commercial operations in Q4 2024.

What advice do you wish you could tell yourself before you started your company?

Always raise more cash than you think you will need. We raised a friends and family round and then had to tap that network again to get some additional funds to account for some add-ons and escalations.

Why did you choose Houston for your company's headquarters and how has your experience been growing a company here?

Houston is a remarkably affordable city with exceptional talent and expertise in engineering, design, renewables, and oil and gas processes. In addition, we were able to tap an excellent and experienced advisory board that has been guiding us. Houston is well connected with the rest of the world, as well as easy access to Monterrey, Mexico, where our tire facility is located.

MendIt

MendIt Inc. was founded in 2019 to help quickly and easily connect users with small businesses and non-profits that can mend and repair clothing sustainably.

It is led by CEO and founder Kaitlyn Allen and was a member of the gBETA Houston accelerator in 2023.

What significant milestone(s) has your company reached this year?

We are finally in the feasibility phase of our (stealth) B2B offering for brands and are excited that the initial results are positive and are pointing to scalability. We are currently in the process of contracting to provide our solution for two initial B2B customers.

What advice do you wish you could tell yourself before you started your company?

Seek product-market fit from the beginning (rather than product-problem fit), and don’t invest so much before that is demonstrated.

Why did you choose Houston for your company's headquarters and how has your experience been growing a company here?

We founded MendIt in Houston because it is our hometown and where we lived. It’s been interesting growing a non-energy-related company because so many of the resources are focused on that sector, and at the same time we get to stand out as the only “tech” startup focused on fashion and textile sustainability.

Passport Journeys

Passport Journeys is a teletherapy app that's specifically designed for mother-daughter pairs. The app launched on Mother's Day 2023 and provides users with personalized therapies, journal opportunities, interactive worksheets and intentional bonding activities.

The company is led by founder and CEO Lacey Tezino.

What significant milestone(s) has your company reached this year?

This year, we’ve achieved several significant milestones: We filed for a trademark to protect our brand, applied for our first NIH SBIR grant to secure funding for our innovative teletherapy app, and launched a nonprofit arm to provide free therapy to those in need, demonstrating our commitment to both innovation and community support.

What advice do you wish you could tell yourself before you started your company?

I would advise myself to secure funding and the sustainability plan for the first five years before leaving the big corporate job.

Why did you choose Houston for your company's headquarters and how has your experience been growing a company here?

We chose Houston for our company’s headquarters due to its vibrant and diverse community, robust health care and tech sectors, and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Growing our company here has been a rewarding experience, marked by strong local partnerships, access to a large talent pool, and a dynamic business environment that fosters innovation and collaboration. The city’s emphasis on healthcare and technology aligns well with our mission, providing a solid foundation for our growth and impact.

TrueLeap

Ed-tech startup TrueLeap Inc. aims to address the global education gap by providing affordable, scalable digital tools to educators in emerging markets through its e-learning platform.

Founded in 2022, it raised $610,000 in a pre-seed round earlier this year, which was over its target of $500,000. It's led by co-founders Sandip Bordoloi, who serves as CEO, and Sunny Zhang, the company's Chief Evangelist. Dario Calogero, founder and CEO of Maya Investments Limited, which led the round, was recently named to the company's board of directors.

True Leap is being developed out of Born Global Ventures, a Houston venture studio focused on advancing immigrant-founded technology, of which Zhang is a founding partner. It serves educators in schools in the United States, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries.

What significant milestone(s) has your company reached this year?

Advancing our mission to make education accessible to underserved communities worldwide, we have reached the following milestones:

1. New country entry into Ghana by partnering with International Business and Opportunity Network (IBON)
2. Expanded implementation in the DRC by partnering with the Catholic School Association
3. New product launch enabled global educators and institutions to create and distribute high-quality content to prepare global talents for success.

What advice do you wish you could tell yourself before you started your company?

Just do it.

Why did you choose Houston for your company's headquarters and how has your experience been growing a company here?

We chose Houston for its diversity and international connections, which align with our mission to expand access to education worldwide. The city's supportive startup scene, access to top talent, and thriving innovation ecosystem have made it an ideal place to grow TrueLeap.

Pick your 2024 Houston Startup of the Year.

Want to work for one of the top startups in Houston? These ones are hiring. Photo via Getty Images

Where to work: These 2024 Houston Innovation Awards finalists are hiring

growing biz

About a third of this year's startup finalists for the Houston Innovation Awards are hiring — from contract positions all the way up to senior-level roles.

The finalists, announced last week, range from the medical to energy to AI-related startups and will be celebrated next month on Thursday, November 14, at the Houston Innovation Awards at TMC Helix Park. Over 50 finalists will be recognized for their achievements across 13 categories, which includes the 2024 Trailblazer Legacy Awards that were announced earlier this month.

Click here to secure your tickets to see which growing startups win.

Let's take a look at where you could land a job at one of Houston's top startups.

Double-digit growth

When submitting their applications for the 2024 Houston Innovation Awards, every startup was asked if it was hiring. Four Houston startups replied that they are growing their teams rapidly.

Houston e-commerce startup Cart.com, one of the city's few $1 billion-plus “unicorns," reported that it is hiring approximately 50 new employees. The company, which focuses on commerce and logistics software development, secured $105 million in debt refinancing from investment manager BlackRock this summer following a $25 million series C extension round that brought Cart.com’s Series C total to $85 million. It currently has about 1,500 employees and 4 offices in three companies since it was founded in 2020, according to its website.

Houston energy tech company Enovate Ai (previously known as Enovate Upstream) reported that it is hiring 10-plus positions. The company, with 35 current employees, helps automate business and operational processes for decarbonization and energy optimization. Its CEO and founder, Camilo Mejia, sat down for an interview with InnovationMap in 2020. Click here to read the Q&A.

Square Robot is hiring about 10 new Houston employees and 15 total between Houston and other markets, according to its application. The advanced robotics company was founded in Boston in 2016 and opened its Houston office in August 2019. It develops submersible robots for the energy industry, specifically for storage tank inspections and eliminating the need for humans to enter dangerous and toxic environments. Last year it reported to be hiring 10 to 30 employees as well, ahead of the 2023 Houston Innovators Award. It currently has 25 Houston employees and about 50 nationally.

InnoVent Renewables LLC is also hiring 15 new employees to be based in Mexico. The company launched last year with its proprietary continuous pyrolysis technology that can convert waste tires, plastics, and biomass into fuels and chemicals. The company scaled up in 2022 and has operations in Pune, India, and Monterrey, Mexico, with plans for aggressive growth across North America and Latin America. It has 20 employees in Mexico and one in Houston currently.

Senior roles

Geothermal energy startup Sage Geosystems reported that it is looking to fill two senior roles in the company. It also said it anticipates further staff growth after its first commercial energy storage facility is commissioned at the end of the year in the San Antonio metro area. The company also recently expanded its partnership with the United States Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit and announced this month that it was selected to conduct geothermal project development initiatives at Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi. It has 12 full-time employees, according to its application.

Steady growth

Other companies reported that they are hiring a handful of new workers, which for some will increase headcount by about 50 percent to 100 percent.

Allterum Therapeutics reported that it is adding six employees to its current team of 13. The biopharmaceutical company that is under the Fannin Partners portfolio of med tech companies was awarded a $12 million product development grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas this spring.

Dauntless XR will add between five and eight employees, according to its application. It currently has four employees. The augmented reality software company, originally founded as Future Sight AR in 2018, recently secured a NASA contract for space weather technology after rebranding and pivoting. The company's CEO, Lori-Lee Elliott, recently sat down with the Houston Innovators Podcast. Click here to hear the interview.

Syzygy Plasmonics is hiring four positions to add to its team of 120. The company was named to Fast Company's energy innovation list earlier this year.

Venus Aerospace is adding five to 10 key hires to its team of 72. Andrew Duggleby founded the company with his wife and CEO Sassie in 2020, before relocating to the Houston Spaceport in 2021. Last year, Venus raised a $20 million series A round, and it successfully ran the first long-duration engine test of their Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, earlier this year.

​Seeking selectively

Other finalists are adding to their teams with a handful of new hires of contract gigs.

​Future roles

Other finalists reported that they are currently not hiring, but had plans to in the near future.

NanoTech Materials Inc., which recently moved to a new facility, is not currently. Hiring but said it plans with new funding during its series B.

Renewable energy startup CLS Wind is not hiring at this time but reported that it plans to when the company closes funding in late 2024.

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Houston founders launch edtech startup, pilot to pinpoint why students are struggling

learning gaps

Early detection. It sounds simple enough: identify a problem before it has the chance to become a bigger one.

But in practice, early detection is much more difficult to navigate, especially in education, when it comes to identifying the reasons behind a student's academic struggles.

That’s why co-founders Alapati “Al” Ware and Estela Montanez launched Progress Report, a Houston-built K-12 learning-intelligence platform designed to go beyond identifying that a student is struggling.

The platform recently began its pilot program with 35 educators and more than 200 students in Texas and Arizona.

“It’s a micro-learning school that works with children with disabilities, primarily dyslexia and nonverbal students,” Ware tells InnovationMap.

The platform is also being used by homeschool parents, home teachers and Houston educators, including those at SWPS College & Career Preparatory Academy, a Houston charter school.

Ware says Progress Report was designed to fill a gap he and Montanez saw in existing edtech. Some platforms cater almost entirely to students, leaving teachers with little insight into if and how a child is learning. Others focus heavily on district data, where “the student is just a number,” leaving teachers to navigate disconnected tools.

“Our goal was [to] focus purely on the teacher because the teacher is the backbone,” Ware says.

Progress Report traces student performance to learning gaps and prerequisite skills, helping educators understand not only where a student is struggling, but what may be causing it.

The platform then helps teachers build individualized instruction for general education students, students with special education and Individualized Education Program (IEP) needs, and Spanish-speaking learners—all within one educator-controlled system.

The goal is to reduce the guesswork and hours of manual work educators can spend developing individualized lesson plans.

Progress Report helps idenitify learning gaps and common roadblocks for each student. Image courtesy Progress Report

For Ware and Montanez, the mission is also personal.

The concept dates back to around 2023, when the co-founders first had to navigate and address their children’s educational needs.

Ware, Progress Report’s CEO and CTO with a background in edtech, built the platform end-to-end after watching his daughter, who had an IEP related to speech, struggle to get the support she needed.

Montanez, the company’s COO, brought another perspective. Her son is on the autism spectrum. She now leads Progress Report’s operations, partnerships and pilot execution while helping carry its focus on bilingual families from Puerto Rico to Houston.

Together, they began researching ways to personalize their children’s learning and help them progress academically. Montanez’s son went on to become an AP student and high school athlete, while Ware’s daughter began reading more than two grade levels above her grade, they tell InnovationMap.

But Progress Report isn’t designed simply to give a struggling student more work.

Take a student who appears to have difficulty with math.

The problem may not actually be math, the founders share. The student could understand the calculations but struggle to comprehend complex words used in a math problem.

Progress Report is designed to trace those performance patterns back to learning gaps, prerequisite skills or other instructional barriers. From there, it can recommend a next instructional step while leaving the educator in control.

The same concept applies to accommodations.

The system can read IEPs, 504 Plans, Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFPs), evaluations and other special education records. Approved IEP goals can then be mapped into the student’s learning graph, while accommodations can carry over into lesson planning and question delivery.

The founders say that approach separates Progress Report from simply adding another artificial intelligence chatbot to a classroom. And still, they believe teachers have to remain at the center.

Teachers, in fact, helped build Progress Report.

The founders began meeting with Houston-area educators months before the pilot. Their feedback helped shape the platform before testing began.

“We’ve been building alongside these educators,” Ware says.

Parents are another piece.

Progress Report can give parents access to their child’s learning record so they can see learning gaps as they develop. Teachers can also see information on work being completed at home when the parent and educator are working together.

After the pilot wraps, Ware and Montanez plan to introduce a $29.99 monthly subscription for homeschool parents, teachers and other educators. They say the price was intentionally kept relatively low to help make the tools more accessible.

They are also exploring ways to work with organizations that could help families who can’t afford the platform.

Moving forward, the goal is considerably bigger.

Over the next five years, Ware and Montanez want Progress Report to become what they describe as a “gold standard” in every state. They know getting there will require building relationships with educators, technology leaders, policymakers and school board members.

For now, they’re starting with a few hundred students and a question that sounds simple but can be remarkably difficult to answer: Why is this student struggling?

If Progress Report works the way its founders envision, teachers and parents will have a clearer answer.

Pioneering cohousing development opens in Houston's historic 2nd Ward

Housing in Hou

An experimental, multi-generational building in the East End is now open and accepting residents. Only 10 of the 33 units remain available at East End Commons, the first project from CoHousing Houston.

Located at 115 Lenox, East End Commons was first conceived in 2017 and is designed to combine the security of home ownership with the community aspect of apartment life, essentially a condominium but with added focus on bringing neighbors together.

Units range from 900-2,000 square feet, offering ample private home space, but with a large Common House area and central courtyard for gatherings, working, and interaction. Large front porches encourage people to spend time outside where they can meet their neighbors, as do extensive foot paths for casual meetings.

"At East End Commons, you know your neighbors before you move in — so you have a network of people and spaces that are immediately there for you," said founding resident Kelli Soika. "We designed for larger shared spaces versus larger personal spaces in order to foster the breakdown of the barriers that lead to loneliness."

Combating loneliness and isolation is certainly necessary. A 2025 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association shows that most Americans feel a sense of societal division and lonely. A loss of "third spaces," where people gather outside the home or work, is a prime factor. East End Commons aims to alleviate some of that disconnectedness.

"I wanted to live in a neighborhood that is imbued with a sense of community above the individual, like we have all experienced in Houston during times of disaster recovery," said Lynn Morstead, one of East End Commons‘ founding residents. "In those instances, such as Hurricane Harvey, we surface from our separateness and come together in new and unexpected ways. With East End Commons, the goal is to translate that notion beyond a set period of time and make it a fixture of everyday life. I call it 'disaster-free neighborliness.'"

East End Commons was designed by Kathleen English of English + Associates. Sustainability is part of the project's design, with amenities such as geothermal heating and cooling exchange HVAC, pre-heated water systems, low-energy use air conditioning and heating, and native landscaping.

Prices for units range from $300,000 to the $900,000s, which can be more than double the home price in the rapidly gentrifying East End. HOA fees not only help maintain communal areas, they also cover shared internet, water, and other communal expenses. Similarly, government of the building is handled democratically via a community board that aims to make decisions by building consensus.

For more information, email info@cohousinghouston.com or call 832-900-2919.

MD Anderson president to retire after nine years, interim successor named

retirement plan

An era is ending at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

On Aug. 26, Dr. Peter WT Pisters announced his plans to retire from his role as president of the comprehensive cancer center. He will work on a smooth transition of leadership with interim president Dr. Jeffrey E. Lee throughout September.

“I first arrived at UT MD Anderson 32 years ago with a passion for doing everything I could to advance our mission to end cancer. Serving as the only faculty member to become president, and now marking nine years in the role, I can say with great pride and gratitude that there is no better place than UT MD Anderson to turn hope into healing for patients and families everywhere,” Pisters said in a news release. “With a timeless strategy, a strong leadership team, unprecedented levels of financial health, and a priceless culture anchored in our deeply held Core Values, now is the right time for me to transition to other opportunities. UT MD Anderson has never been stronger, and its future has never been brighter.”

Pisters assumed the presidency in 2017 and helped launch some of the most cutting-edge new clinics in MD Anderson history. One of those was the James P. Allison Institute, named for the Nobel Laureate scientist who discovered a way to suppress immune response on tumors so that immune cells would attack cancer cells instead. As head of his titular clinic, Allison pioneered several new immunotherapies against cancer.

Pisters also oversaw the creation of the Institute for Data Science in Oncology in 2024, an innovative consortium of scientists dedicated to enhancing single-cell imaging to improve precision in cancer treatments. The institute also brought together teams to use data-driven analytics regarding safety, quality and access.

The UT System Board of Regents praised the leadership and work of Pisters in a statement, wishing him well in the next phase of his career.

“The Board of Regents and I are profoundly grateful to Dr. Pisters for his exceptional presidency over the past nine years and for thoughtfully concluding his service when UT MD Anderson is thriving at its best position of peak performance, strength and impact. We wish him our very best with his retirement and in his next chapter,” Kevin P. Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, added in the release.

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