Houston energy, innovation leader dies after hard-fought battle with cancer

'onward'

Scott Gale, executive director for Halliburton Labs, has died, leaving behind a legacy of innovation, collaboration, and curiosity. Photo via Rice University

Houston energy and innovation leader Scott Gale died on September 24 after a years-long fight with cancer. He was 40 years old.

Gale was the inaugural executive director for Halliburton Labs, which launched in 2020. Prior to that role, he lead global strategy initiatives for Halliburton. A Brigham Young University graduate, he received his MBA from Rice University in 2019, where he co-founded the Jones Student Association for Executives. After his graduation, he served on the the Rice Business Alumni Association Board and the Energy Advisory Board for the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator.

"Scott made an impact with his incredible kindness, energy, and talent," Dale Winger, managing director at Halliburton Labs, tells InnovationMap. "Scott was passionate about his family, his friends, his community, and his work. He provided incredible creativity and drive to bring Halliburton Labs to life within Halliburton, and despite a terrible cancer diagnosis, Scott continued to collaborate and build connections that launched the inaugural Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week. Work and play were always fun with Scott. His generosity and dedication to strengthen the Houston innovation ecosystem will be missed, yet his legacy endures.”

Gale was also a voice actor and the co-host of two podcasts: Rice University's Owl Have You Know Podcast, which shares experiences of Rice's business community, and the Curiosity podcast, which explored optimism and curiosity with guests and co-host Brad Rossacci.

"A rebellious optimist at his core, Scott believed we need a biased toward action, a mission focused belief system, and a healthy dose of rebellion for good measure," Rossacci, who serves as creative director at Accenture, says. "Carving his own path in the universe, Scott discovered his life’s work and unceasingly committed himself to helping humanity deepen their curiosity, building connective tissue across society, and advancing the future of energy on the shoulders of the giants who came before him. Ultimately, fulfilling his infinite ambitions and creating an echo that will reverberate in the cosmos for eternity."

One month ago, he stepped away from his role at Halliburton Labs, sharing his cancer journey in a message shared on LinkedIn. In the post, he encouraged his whole community to "go out and live a life that echoes," and ended with "onward," something Gale regularly imparted when he spoke on progress within energy and innovation.

Earlier this month during the Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, which Gale was instrumental in creating but unable to attend due to the progression of his illness, the Energy Tech Nexus awarded its Nexus Community Award to Gale, and his father, Andrew Gale, accepted the award on his behalf.

"He is very focused on the community in Houston and the tech industry," Andrew Gale said about his son when accepting the award, "he feels so honored to be given the opportunity to be able to have an influence."

In addition to his father and his mother, JoAnna, Scott is survived by his wife of 18 years, Nicole, and their four children, as well as his seven siblings — Siara, Shanna, Spencer, Seth, Shalya, Sam, and Shane. In honor of his brother, Sam launched a GoFundMe campaign for his nieces and nephew's education, and donations are currently being accepted.

In his obituary, his family shared something Scott regularly said as he battled his cancer with countless hospital visits and experimental treatments: “I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure if you die, the cancer dies at the same time. That’s not a loss. That’s a draw.”

Earlier this year, he joined the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week and call for collaboration within the ecosystem.


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Texas leaders position state to become next global hub for brain health

event recap

Brain Capital: The New Competitive Edge in a Shifting Economy, a two-day meeting held at the TMC3 Collaborative Building on May 21-22, brought together global business and policy leaders to advance brain health initiatives. The event concluded with the announcement of Texas-focused strategies that will be presented at the G7 Summit in Calgary this June, aiming to position the state as a leading hub for brain health research.

According to an analysis by the McKinsey Health Institute, investing in brain health interventions has the potential to generate a $260 billion boost to Texas’ GDP. Brain health conditions are responsible for more than $1 trillion in lost productivity globally, and the costs are expected to increase to nearly $16 trillion by 2030, according to organizers of the event.

The Texas Legislature recently passed legislation to establish the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), which includes a $3 billion investment over 10 years. Leaders at the Brain Capital event announced the launch of an advocacy campaign to foster support for DPRIT, which will appear as a November 2025 ballot measure.

“Our work to deliver better brain health to Texas and the world is only just beginning,” Dr. Jochen Reiser, president of The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and CEO of the UTMB Health System, said in a news release. “Investing in brain capital means protecting our cognitive health, boosting economic growth and securing a future-ready workforce – goals that we believe Texans will rally behind.”

Additionally, the Center for Houston’s Future also announced its goal to make the brain economy a key part of its new plan for the Houston region, called Vision 2050. The Center for Houston’s Future’s goal is to position Houston to become the global leader in the brain economy space, which will serve as a blueprint for other cities

“Houston has a clear track record leading the transition of industry sectors,” David Gow, CEO of the Center for Houston’s Future, said in a news release. “By launching a focused Brain Economy transition plan, Houston can integrate neuroscience, prevention, workforce resilience and cognitive innovation across sectors – preparing businesses and communities for an AI-driven future. Houston has the talent, infrastructure and vision to lead the nation in the next great economic transformation.”

Gow is the founder and chairman of Gow Media, InnovationMap's parent company.

Speakers at the event included executives from Shell Oil Co., scientists from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, professors from Rice University, representatives from D.C.-based UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, and others. Learn more here.

Houston boasts No. 2 biggest population gain in U.S., Census data shows

Boomtown

Houston saw the second-highest population increase in the United States in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The new population report revealed Houston gained 43,217 residents from July 2023 to July 2024, bringing the city's population to 2,390,125.

Houston hung on to its ranking as the fourth largest city in the country and joined 11 other Southern cities that saw the largest numeric population gains in 2024, the report added.

Elsewhere in Texas, Fort Worth is now home to more than 1 million residents, surpassing Austin as the 11th largest city in the U.S. Fort Worth had the fifth-highest numeric increase in population, adding 23,442 residents during that same time frame to bring the city's total population to 1,008,106 residents.

Dallas retained its No. 9 spot on the list of the 15 most populous cities in the U.S. The city gained more than 23,000 residents during the one-year period, bringing its population to 1,326,087 people in 2024.


Austin slipped two spots and now ranks as the 13th largest city after adding more than 13,000 residents to bring the Texas Capital's population to 993,588.

San Antonio gained 23,945 residents — the fourth-highest increase nationwide — and was the only other city besides Houston to have a higher numerical growth rate than Fort Worth during the one-year period.

Fastest-growing U.S. cities
Princeton, a North Texas suburb of Dallas, topped the charts as the No. 1 fastest-growing U.S. city in 2024. The Census Bureau says the city's population has more than doubled in the last five years to more than 37,000 residents.

Fulshear, 34 miles from downtown Houston, has continued its rapid expansion as the second-fastest growing city. The suburb grew nearly 27 percent since the previous year, and its population rose to 54,629 residents as of July 2024.

Five additional Texas cities made the list of fastest-growing U.S. cities:

  • Celina, near Dallas (No. 4) with 18.2 percent growth (51,661 total population)
  • Anna, near Dallas (No. 5) with 14.6 percent growth (31,986 total population)
  • Fate, near Dallas (No. 8) with 11.4 percent growth (27,467 total population)
  • Melissa, near Dallas (No. 11) with 10 percent growth (26,194 total population)
  • Hutto, near Austin (No. 13) with 9.4 percent growth (42,661 total population)

The Austin suburb of Georgetown's growth has continued to slow down since 2023, and it no longer appears in the list of fastest-growing cities. However, it did surpass 100,000 residents in 2024. San Angelo, a small city in West Texas, also surpassed the 100,000-population threshold.

Most populous U.S. cities in 2024
New York City maintained its stronghold as the biggest in America in 2024, boasting a population of nearly 8.5 million residents. Los Angeles and Chicago also retained second and third place, with respective populations of nearly 3.88 million and more than 2.7 million residents.

"Cities in the Northeast that had experienced population declines in 2023 are now experiencing significant population growth, on average," said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. "In fact, cities of all sizes, in all regions, showed faster growth and larger gains than in 2023, except for small cities in the South, whose average population growth rate remained the same."

The 15 populous U.S. cities as of July 1, 2024 were:

  • No. 1 – New York, New York (8.48 million)
  • No. 2 – Los Angeles, California (3.88 million)
  • No. 3 – Chicago, Illinois (2.72 million)
  • No. 4 – Houston, Texas (2.39 million)
  • No. 5 – Phoenix, Arizona (1.67 million)
  • No. 6 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1.57 million)
  • No. 7 – San Antonio, Texas (1.53 million)
  • No. 8 – San Diego, California (1.4 million)
  • No. 9 – Dallas, Texas (1.33 million)
  • No. 10 – Jacksonville, Florida (1 million)
  • No. 11 – Fort Worth, Texas (1 million)
  • No. 12 – San Jose, California (997,368)
  • No. 13 – Austin, Texas (993,588)
  • No. 14 – Charlotte, North Carolina (943,476)
  • No. 15 – Columbus, Ohio (933,263)
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A version of this article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

Houston VC firm closes $21M fund for underrepresented founders

fresh funding

Houston-based South Loop Ventures recently closed its debut fund for more than $21 million, led by investments from Rice Management Company and Chevron Technology Ventures.

The funds will go toward teams with at least one underrepresented founder of color working in the energy, health, space, sports and fintech sectors. Additional investments came from The Great Commission Foundation of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, Texas CapitalBank and others organizations.

According to South Loop Ventures, less than 3 percent of venture capital reaches underrepresented founders of color. Zach Ellis Jr., founder and general partner of South Loop, says the firm wants to address this "billion-dollar blind spot."

"Inequitable distribution of venture capital represents a clear market inefficiency—and market inefficiencies translate into exceptional opportunities," Ellis said in a release.

He added that the firm's location in Houston will help it make an impact.

"Being anchored here gives us front-row access to world-class corporations eager to engage and support innovation from founders with underrepresented voices and perspectives," he added in the release.

Ellis founded South Loop Ventures in 2022. It has funded 13 companies since August 2023 and plans to fund several more this year. Its portfolio includes Houston-based Milkify, a breast milk freeze-drying service; Lokum App, a Houston-founded platform for recruiting certified registered nurse anesthetists; and others.

Ellis' background spans the United States Military, academia, and roles at Rev1 Ventures and PepsiCo’s corporate venture team. He previously told InnovationMap that he was called to invest in founders of color after George Floyd's murder. He says he also realized how much money was being left on the table by overlooking these innovators.

"The mission of South Loop is to become the preeminent source of venture capital dollars for underrepresented, diverse teams nationally to serve as a beacon for the best underrepresented talent and to enable them to be successful through leveraging the unique resources and talent of Houston," he said on the Houston Innovators Podcast in 2024. "A big part of our mission is also to help catalyze Houston as an ecosystem for tech entrepreneurship."

Listen to the full interview with Ellis here. The recent funding news and Ellis were also featured in a profile by TechCrunch earlier this week. Click here to read more.

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