Houston e-commerce platform expands logistics network with acquisition of fulfillment operations arm

M&A move

Cart.com has acquired OceanX, adding two new facilities and expanding its logistics network to enhance efficiency and support high-volume beauty, wellness, and lifestyle brands. Photo courtesy of Cart.com

A Houston e-commerce unicorn has made its latest strategic acquisition.

Cart.com, which operates a multichannel commerce platform, announced that it has acquired Guthy-Renker's wholly-owned fulfillment operations arm OceanX. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Around 200 OceanX employees will be assumed onto the Cart.com team, and the fast-growing company will add two new facilities totaling over 600,000 square feet to its network, expanding to include a West Coast distribution hub in Southern California and its third facility near Columbus, Ohio.

"Acquiring OceanX is part of Cart.com’s strategy to continue to scale our platform and capabilities across industries, leveraging our proprietary technology to improve efficiency and deliver superior results to our clients and their customers,” Omair Tariq, Cart.com founder and CEO, says in a news release. “By deploying our Constellation OMS and WMS software and seasoned operations team across these two new facilities, we will improve order visibility, labor efficiency, shipping costs and customer satisfaction for the benefit of our new clients.”

Cart.com now has 17 omnichannel fulfillment and distribution centers with around 10 million square feet and more than 1,600 team members, according to the company.

With the transition, Guthy-Renker's Co-Founder and Co-Chairman Bill Guthy will serve as a strategic adviser to Cart.com.

The move broadens Cart.com's presence in the high-volume beauty, wellness, and lifestyle industries, and the company now will work with supply chains from numerous brands, including Meaningful Beauty, The Body Firm, Smileactives, and Westmore Beauty.

“Cart.com has built a comprehensive, enterprise-grade logistics network with modern, digital capabilities that offer unparalleled visibility, control and efficiency for our brands,” Rick Odum, CEO of Guthy-Renker, says in the release. “This partnership will marry our own channel and marketing expertise with their track record of driving growth and savings for high-volume, high-SKU brands, supercharging performance across our portfolio.”

Earlier this year Cart.com secured $105 million in debt refinancing from investment manager BlackRock and a $25 million series C extension round.

In April, the company acquired an Amazon partner, Ohio-based Amify, a company that provides optimization and advertising solutions

Houston-based ROGII has acquired a new software to integrate into its platform. Photo via ROGII.com

Houston software provider makes strategic acquisition to expand platform

growing biz

An advanced geosteering, geoscience, and drilling software solutions company based in Houston has announced the acquisition of of a software platform.

ROGII plans to acquire TerraSLS's TLog Mudlog Editor software, which is used to generate vertical, and horizontal striplogs for use by geologists. The acquisition “will significantly enhance ROGII's product offerings by providing operators and clients with unprecedented real-time connectivity to mudlogging data,” according to ROGII. Mudlogging is a process that involves examining the cuttings of rock brought to the surface by the drilling.

“Our acquisition of TLog marks another step forward in our mission to deliver the most advanced, real-time data solutions to the oil and gas industry,” CEO of ROGII Igor B. Uvarov says in a news release. “The integration of TLog’s capabilities into our Solo Cloud platform will revolutionize the way operators and mudlogging service companies interact, making mudlogging a truly real-time process and driving greater efficiency and collaboration.”

One way it works is that ROGII will integrate TLog into its Solo Cloud platform, which will advance mudlogging data. This gathers it all into a real-time data exchange between mudlogging service companies and its operators.

The integration will allow operators to monitor mudlogging activities in real-time, which means a possible faster and more informed decision-making processes. The user will get immediate access to data, which can help enhance collaboration and improve efficiency. In addition, the mudlogging data will be safely stored on Solo Cloud for future analysis and data integration, which assists with maintaining integrity of the data.

“We look forward to investing in further development of TLog, increasing user-friendliness, expanding adoption worldwide, and making it the industry standard, being used by all mudlogging service companies,” Uvarov adds.

------

This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

With the acquisition, Tekmetric is positioned to be the first auto repair technology platform to achieve unicorn status. Screenshot via Tekmetric

Houston software company makes strategic acquisition, aims to claim unicorn status

gearing up

Houston cloud-based shop management system company Tekmetric is joining forces with customer relationship management leader for auto repair shops Shopgenie.

Tekmetric will be positioned to be the first auto repair technology platform to achieve unicorn status.

“This combination sets a new standard for efficiency and customer experience in the industry,” Sunil Patel, founder and CEO of Tekmetric, says in a news release. “At Tekmetric, we are committed to providing shop owners with best-in-class tools to manage and grow their businesses. Similarly, Shopgenie’s ability to solve real-world challenges with intuitive technology has earned it the trust of shop owners nationwide.”

Shopgenie’s CRM and customer experience tools and Tekmetric’s shop management solutions will combine to provide a platform across North America. The collaboration will “empower shop owners to streamline operations, manage communication and build stronger customer relationships—all from a single, unified platform,” according to a news release.

Both companies over the next few months, will begin to integrate features from both platforms into a single unified system with one platform, a single login and one phone number for customer communications.

“Tekmetric’s relentless pursuit of innovation and passion for creating products that make shop owners’ lives easier could not be a more perfect fit for Shopgenie and our customers,” Kieran O’Brien, CEO and co-founder of Shopgenie, adds. “Our combined strengths will create a more complete, powerful platform that sets a new standard for auto repair software solutions.”

With the collaboration, shops will have the continued flexibility to leverage over 70 integrations in Tekmetric’s integration ecosystem, while Shopgenie will continue to build and support integrations with other shop management systems. Tekmetric currently serves more than 8,000 shops nationwide, and Shopgenie has over 2,000 customers.

“Together, we are building an all-in-one platform that empowers shop owners to attract, retain and serve customers more effectively, driving long-term growth,” Patel says.

A Houston company has acquired a data analytics business. Photo via Getty Images

KBR to acquire data analytics co. in $737M deal to better serve national security issues

M&A

Houston-based KBR announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire engineering, data analytics and digital integration company LinQuest Corp., which will add “digital integration capabilities for national security customers” according to a news release. The deal is valued at $737 million.

LinQuest is known for assisting in solving complex technical challenges for national security missions and has supported the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force and other U.S. Department of Defense and intelligence agencies. The company does this through development and integrating advanced technology solutions across space, air dominance and connected battle space missions. Some missions include advanced AI and machine learning capabilities.

KBR is a leader in providing science, engineering and technology solutions to governments and companies worldwide.

“LinQuest is an innovator in national security, space and technology solutions. Their talented people deliver high-end, technically and digitally differentiated services that are complementary to KBR,” Stuart Bradie, KBR president and CEO said in a news release.

KBR’s support for strategic U.S. government clients in terms of the rapidly changing defense and national security sector expect to benefit from the fact that over 74 percent of LinQuest’s 1,500-plus employees already hold security clearances.

“LinQuest is a terrific company, and the revenue synergy opportunities are exciting,” Bradie adds. ”Our values are strongly aligned, and we are delighted to welcome this talented team to the KBR family.”

The transaction, which was approved by both companies' boards, is expected to close either later this year or early next year. Photo courtesy of HPE

Houston-based HPE to acquire cloud infrastructure co. in $14B deal

M&A moves

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is buying Juniper Networks in an all-cash deal valued at about $14 billion, which is anticipated to double HPE's networking business.

Shares of both companies rose before the market open on Wednesday. A Wall Street Journal report about a potential deal saw Juniper's stock surge 22 percent and HPE's stock dip 9 percent before an official announcement was made.

HPE will pay $40 per Juniper share.

Juniper, based in Sunnyvale, California, helps companies access the cloud infrastructure that serves as the foundation of digital and AI strategies.

“This transaction will strengthen HPE’s position at the nexus of accelerating macro-AI trends, expand our total addressable market, and drive further innovation for customers as we help bridge the AI-native and cloud-native worlds, while also generating significant value for shareholders," HPE President and CEO Antonio Neri said late Tuesday in a statement.

Juniper CEO Rami Rahim will lead the combined HPE networking business. He will report to Neri. HPE was spun off from Hewlett-Packard, one of the founding companies of Silicon Valley, in 2015 and is now based in Houston.

The transaction, which was approved by both companies' boards, is expected to close either later this year or early next year. It still needs approval from Juniper shareholders and regulators.

Last March, HPE announced its plans to acquire OpsRamp, a software-as-a-service company with an IT operations management, or ITOM, platform that can monitor, automate, and manage IT infrastructure, cloud resources, and more.

Ara Partners announced this week that it has acquired a majority interest in Houston-based USD Clean Fuels. Image via Getty Images

PE firm acquires Houston renewables fuels infrastructure company

m&a moves

Fresh off its $3 billion fund closure, a Houston private equity firm has made its latest acquisition.

Ara Partners announced this week that it has acquired a majority interest in Houston-based USD Clean Fuels, a developer of logistics infrastructure for renewable fuels. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We have high conviction that the green molecules economy – whether it's renewable fuel feedstocks or biofuels – offers disproportionate opportunity for returns and impact," George Yong, partner and co-head of Infrastructure at Ara Partners, says in a news release. "The USDCF platform is particularly compelling because it combines a best-in-class management team with a portfolio of premiere terminal logistics projects that provide the ideal foundation for a durable and scalable infrastructure business."

Included in the transaction, USDCF has acquired the West Colton Rail Terminal, a biofuels terminal operating in in California. Ara has reportedly committed additional capital to support USDCF's infrastructure footprint expansion.

"We are excited to join forces with Ara Partners to bring critical infrastructure solutions to the rapidly growing North American renewable fuel market, beginning with the West Colton Rail Terminal," Dan Borgen, CEO of USDCF, says in the release. "We are proud to be backed by an investor that is completely focused on enabling an accelerated and economical path to a low-carbon economy."

Ara Partners, which has around $5.6 billion of assets under management, closed its third fund a few weeks ago to the tune of $3 billion. The firm has offices in Houston, Boston and Dublin, Ireland, and focuses on industrial decarbonization.

------

This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

World's largest student startup competition names teams for 2025 Houston event

ready, set, pitch

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship has announced the 42 student-led teams worldwide that will compete in the 25th annual Rice Business Plan Competition this spring.

The highly competitive event, known as one of the world’s largest and richest intercollegiate student startup challenges, will take place April 10–12 at Houston's The Ion. Teams in this year's competition represent 34 universities from four countries, including one team from Rice.

Graduate student-led teams from colleges or universities around the world will present their plans before more than 300 angel, venture capital, and corporate investors to compete for more than $1 million in prizes. Last year, top teams were awarded $1.5 million in investment and cash prizes.

The 2025 invitees include:

  • 3rd-i, University of Miami
  • AG3 Labs, Michigan State University
  • Arcticedge Technologies, University of Waterloo
  • Ark Health, University of Chicago
  • Automatic AI, University of Mississippi and University of New Orleans
  • Bobica Bars, Rowan University
  • Carbon Salary, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Carmine Minerals, California State University, San Bernardino
  • Celal-Mex, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education
  • CELLECT Laboratories, University of Waterloo
  • ECHO Solutions, University of Houston
  • EDUrain, University of Missouri-St. Louis
  • Eutrobac, University of California, Santa Cruz
  • FarmSmart.ai, Louisiana State University
  • Fetal Therapy Technologies, Johns Hopkins University
  • GreenLIB Materials, University of Ottawa
  • Humimic Biosystems, University of Arkansas
  • HydroHaul, Harvard University
  • Intero Biosystems, University of Michigan
  • Interplay, University of Missouri-Kansas City
  • MabLab, Harvard University
  • Microvitality, Tufts University
  • Mito Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Motmot, Michigan State University
  • Mud Rat, University of Connecticut
  • Nanoborne, University of Texas at Austin
  • NerView Surgical, McMaster University
  • NeuroFore, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Novus, Stanford University
  • OAQ, University of Toronto
  • Parthian Baattery Solutions, Columbia University
  • Pattern Materials, Rice University
  • Photon Queue, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • re.solution, RWTH Aachen University
  • Rise Media, Yale University
  • Rivulet, University of Cambridge and Dartmouth College
  • Sabana, Carnegie Mellon University
  • SearchOwl, Case Western Reserve University
  • Six Carbons, Indiana University
  • Songscription, Stanford University
  • Watermarked.ai, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • Xatoms, University of Toronto

This year's group joins more than 868 RBPC alums that have raised more than $6.1 billion in capital with 59 successful exits, according to the Rice Alliance.

Last year, Harvard's MesaQuantum, which was developing accurate and precise chip-scale clocks, took home the biggest sum of $335,000. While not named as a finalist, the team secured the most funding across a few prizes.

Protein Pints, a high-protein, low-sugar ice cream product from Michigan State University, won first place and the $150,000 GOOSE Capital Investment Grand Prize, as well as other prizes, bringing its total to $251,000.

Tesla recalling more than 375,000 vehicles due to power steering issue

Tesla Talk

Tesla is recalling more than 375,000 vehicles due to a power steering issue.

The recall is for certain 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles operating software prior to 2023.38.4, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The printed circuit board for the electronic power steering assist may become overstressed, causing a loss of power steering assist when the vehicle reaches a stop and then accelerates again, the agency said.

The loss of power could required more effort to control the car by drivers, particularly at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla isn't aware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to the condition.

The electric vehicle maker headed by Elon Musk has released a free software update to address the issue.

Letters are expected to be sent to vehicle owners on March 25. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752 or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

Houston space tech companies land $25 million from Texas commission

Out Of This World

Two Houston aerospace companies have collectively received $25 million in grants from the Texas Space Commission.

Starlab Space picked up a $15 million grant, and Intuitive Machines gained a $10 million grant, according to a Space Commission news release.

Starlab Space says the money will help it develop the Systems Integration Lab in Webster, which will feature two components — the main lab and a software verification facility. The integration lab will aid creation of Starlab’s commercial space station.

“To ensure the success of our future space missions, we are starting with state-of-the-art testing facilities that will include the closest approximation to the flight environment as possible and allow us to verify requirements and validate the design of the Starlab space station,” Starlab CEO Tim Kopra said in a news release.

Starlab’s grant comes on top of a $217.5 million award from NASA to help eventually transition activity from the soon-to-be-retired International Space Station to new commercial destinations.

Intuitive Machines is a space exploration, infrastructure and services company. Among its projects are a lunar lander designed to land on the moon and a lunar rover designed for astronauts to travel on the moon’s surface.

The grants come from the Space Commission’s Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund, which recently awarded $47.7 million to Texas companies.

Other recipients were:

  • Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace, which received $8.2 million
  • Brownsville-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which received $7.5 million
  • Van Horn-based Blue Origin, which received $7 million

Gwen Griffin, chair of the commission, says the grants “will support Texas companies as we grow commercial, military, and civil aerospace activity across the state.”

State lawmakers established the commission in 2023, along with the Texas Aerospace Research & Space Economy Consortium, to bolster the state’s space industry.

View All Listings