New energy innovation and coworking spaces open at the Ion

moving in

The Oxy Innovation Center has opened at the Ion and Industrious' coworking space launches soon. Photo courtesy of The Ion

Houston-based Occidental officially opened its new Oxy Innovation Center with a ribbon cutting at the Ion last week.

The opening reflects Oxy and the Ion's "shared commitment to advancing technology and accelerating a lower-carbon future," according to an announcement from the Ion.

Oxy, which was named a corporate partner of the Ion in 2023, now has nearly 6,500 square feet on the fourth floor of the Ion. Rice University and the Rice Real Estate Company announced the lease of the additional space last year, along with agreements with Fathom Fund and Activate.

At the time, the leases brought the Ion's occupancy up to 90 percent.

Additionally, New York-based Industrious plans to launch its coworking space at the Ion on May 8. The company was tapped as the new operator of the Ion’s 86,000-square-foot coworking space in Midtown in January.

Dallas-based Common Desk previously operated the space, which was expanded by 50 percent in 2023 to 86,000 square feet.

CBRE agreed to acquire Industrious in a deal valued at $400 million earlier this year. Industrious also operates another local coworking space is at 1301 McKinney St.

Industrious will host a launch party celebrating the new location Thursday, May 8. Find more information here.


Oxy Innovation Center. Photo via LinkedIn.

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A New York-based nonprofit that provides tech training has announced its opening a location in the Ion. Photo courtesy of the Ion

Ion Houston expands tech workforce development partnership with nonprofit

tech training

Houstonians can now apply to a new, tuition-free program at the Ion to boost their tech skills and knowledge.

Earlier this year the Ion announced New York-based Per Scholas as its workforce development partner. And starting October, Per Scholas will launch its 12- to 15- week technology skills training courses at the innovation hub, the Ion announced this week.

The new operation, known as Per Scholas Houston, is backed by support from from BlackRock Inc. and Comcast NBCUniversal.

Per Scholas Houston will first introduce the nonprofit's IT Support course. The program will give students an opportunity to earn a Google IT Support Professional Certificate and the CompTIA A+ certification. Click here to apply.

“Per Scholas commends the vision and commitment of the City of Houston, Ion, Rice University, and so many others, to catalyze change, grow ideas and innovation, and drive impact. We are thrilled that Per Scholas Houston is now part of the effort,” Plinio Ayala, president and CEO of Per Scholas, says in a statement. “With tremendous investment from Ion, BlackRock, Comcast, our proven skills training will develop technologists to power Houston’s workforce today – and tomorrow–creating a more inclusive and equitable economy. We can’t wait to get started.”

According to the company, more than 80 percent of those who complete Per Scholas training programs find full-time employment within a year of graduating, and about 85 percent of Per Scholas graduates are people of color. Per Scholas has 20 locations in the U.S., including a location in downtown Dallas.

Applicants must be 18 or older to apply and have earned a high school diploma or equivalent and be a U.S. citizen or authorized to work in the U.S., according to Per Scholas's website. They must pass an assessments review before beginning coursework, meet the nonprofit's learner pre-training income criteria and be available to attend classes Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In early May, The Ion announced 10 new tenants that were either relocating or expanding their presence in Houston, bringing the total space leased to 86 percent. Later that month, it added corporate giants Occidental, United Airlines Ventures and Woodside Energy as partners.
Cemvita Factory is working on a pilot plant with Oxy to scale its biotechnology. Photo via OxyLowCarbon.com

Oxy taps Houston startup's carbon negative biotechnology for new pilot plant

sustainability moves

Occidental's venture arm — Oxy Low Carbon Ventures — has announced its plans to construct and operate a one metric ton per month bio-ethylene pilot plant featuring Houston-based Cemvita Factory's technology that biomimics photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into feedstocks.

The new plant will scale the process, which was jointly developed between Cemvita and OLCV, and is expected sometime next year, according to a press release from Oxy.

"Today bio-ethylene is made from bio-ethanol, which is made from sugarcane, which in turn was created by photosynthesizing CO2. Our bio-synthetic process simply requires CO2, water and light to produce bio-ethylene, and that's why it saves a lot of cost and carbon emissions," says Moji Karimi, co-founder and CEO of Cemvita Factory, in the release. "This project is a great example of how Cemvita is applying industrial-strength synthetic biology to help our clients lower their carbon footprint while creating new revenue streams."

Oxy and Cemvita have been working together for a while, and in 2019, OLCV invested an undisclosed amount into the startup. The investment, according to the release, was made to jointly explore how these advances in synthetic biology can be used for sustainability efforts in the bio-manufacturing of OxyChem's products.

"This technology could provide an opportunity to offer a new, non-hydrocarbon-sourced ethylene product to the market, reducing carbon emissions, and in the future benefit our affiliate, OxyChem, which is a large producer and consumer of ethylene in its chlorovinyls business," says Robert Zeller, vice president of technology at OLCV, in a news release.

Moji Karimi founded the company with his sister and Cemvita CTO, Tara, in 2017. The idea was to biomimic photosynthesis to take CO2 and turn it into something else. The first iteration of the technology turned CO2 into sugar — the classic photosynthesis process. Karimi says the idea was to create this process for space, so that astronauts can turn the CO2 they breathe out into a calorie source.

"Nature provided the inspiration," noted Dr. Tara Karimi, co-founder and CTO of Cemvita Factory. "We took a gene from a banana and genetically engineered it into our CO2-utilizing host microorganism. We are now significantly increasing its productivity with the goal to achieve commercial metrics that we have defined alongside OLCV."

A couple weeks ago, Moji Karimi joined the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss growth and challenges Cemvita Factory faced.

"We're defining this new category for application of synthetic biology in heavy industries for decarbonization," he shares on the show. Stream the episode below.

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5+ must-know application deadlines for Houston innovators

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Editor's note: As 2026 ramps up, the Houston innovation scene is looking for the latest groups of innovative startups that'll make an impact. A number of accelerators and competitions have opened applications. Read below to see which might be a good fit for you or your venture. And take careful note of the deadlines. Please note: this article may be updated to include additional information and programs.

Did we miss an accelerator or competition accepting applications? Email innoeditor@innovationmap.com for editorial consideration.

2026 HCC Business Plan Competition

Deadline: Jan. 26

Details: HCC’s annual Business Plan Competition (BPC) is an opportunity for proposed, startup and existing entrepreneurs to develop focused plans to start or grow their businesses. Accepted teams will be announced and training will begin in late February and run through early June, with six free, three-hour training sessions. Advising will be provided to each accepted team. Applicants can apply as a team of up to five persons. Finalists will present to to gudges on May 27, 2026. Last year, $26,000 was awarded in seed money to the top five teams. In-kind prizes were also awarded to all graduating teams including free products, services and memberships, with an estimated in-kind value totaling $147,000. Find more information here.

University of Houston Technology Bridge Innov8 Hub (Spring 2026)

Deadline: Jan . 30

Details: UHTB Innov8 Hub’s immersive, 12-week startup acceleration program designed to help early-stage founders launch and scale their technology startups. Selected participants will gain access to expert mentors and advisors, collaborate with a cohort of peers, and compete for cash prizes during our final pitch event. The cohort begins Feb. 16, 2026. The program culminates in Pitch Day, where participants present their ventures to an audience of investors and partners from across the UH innovation ecosystem. Find more information here.

Rice Business Plan Competition 2026

Deadline: Jan. 31

Details: The Rice Business Plan Competition, hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, gives collegiate entrepreneurs real-world experience to pitch their startups, enhance their business strategy and learn what it takes to launch a successful company. Forty-two teams will compete for more than $1 million in cash, investments and prizes on April 9-11, 2026. Find more information here.

Rice Veterans Business Battle 2026

Deadline: Jan. 31

Details: The Rice Veterans Business Battle is one of the nation’s largest pitch competitions for veteran-led startups, providing founders with mentorship, exposure to investors and the opportunity to compete for non-dilutive cash prizes. The event has led to more than $10 million of investments since it began in 2015. Teams will compete April 8-9, 2026. Find more information here.

TEX-E Fellows Application 2026-2027

Deadline: Feb. 10

Details: The TEX‑E Fellowship is a hands-on program designed for students interested in energy, climate, and entrepreneurship across Texas. It connects participants with industry mentors, startup founders, investors and academic leaders while providing practical, "real-world" experience in customer discovery, business modeling, and energy-transition innovation. Fellows gain access to workshops, real-world projects, and a statewide network shaping the future of energy and climate solutions. Participants must be a student at PVAMU, UH, UT Austin, Rice University, MIT or Texas A&M. Find more information here.

Greentown Go Make 2026

Deadline: March 10

Details: Greentown Go Make 2026 is an open-innovation program with Shell and Technip Energies. The six-month program is advancing industrial decarbonization by accelerating catalytic innovations. Selected startups will gain access to a structured platform to engage leadership from Shell and Technip Energies and explore potential partnership outcomes, including pilots and demonstrations. They’ll also receive networking opportunities, partnership-focused programming, and marketing visibility throughout the program. The cohort will be selected in May. Find more information here.

Houston startups closed $1.75 billion in 2025 VC funding, says report

by the numbers

Going against national trends, Houston-area startups raised 7 percent less venture capital last year than they did in 2024, according to the new PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor report.

The report shows local startups collected $1.75 billion in venture capital in 2025, down from $1.89 billion the previous year.

Houston-based geothermal energy company Fervo Energy received a big chunk of the region’s VC funding last year. Altogether, the startup snagged $562 million in investments, as well as a $60 million extension of an existing loan and $45.6 million in debt financing. The bulk of the 2025 haul was a $462 million Series E round.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Houston-area VC funding totaled $627.68 million. That was a 22 percent drop from $765.03 million during the same period in 2024. Still, the Q4 total was the biggest quarterly total in 2025.

Across the country, startups picked up $339.4 trillion in VC funding last year, a 59 percent increase from $213.2 trillion in 2024, according to the report. Over the last 10 years, only the VC total in 2021 ($358.2 trillion) surpassed the total from 2025.

Nationwide, startups in the artificial intelligence and machine learning sector accounted for the biggest share of VC funding (65.4 percent) in 2025, followed by software-as-a-service (SaaS), big data, manufacturing, life sciences and healthtech, according to the report.

“Despite an overall lack of new fundraising and a liquidity market that did not shape up as hoped in 2025, deal activity has begun a phase of regrowth, with deal count estimates showing increases at each stage, and deal value, though concentrated in a small number of deals, falling just [8 percent] short of the 2021 figure,” the report reads.

Sandbox VR brings new gaming center to Houston's tech-savvy population

Get In The Game

Sandbox VR, a futuristic, full-body virtual reality gaming experience, has announced it will enter the Houston market this month, opening its first local gaming center on January 23.

"Houston's reputation as a hub for innovation and technology makes it a perfect fit for Sandbox VR," said Steve Zhao, CEO and founder of Sandbox VR, in a statement. "The city's diverse, tech-savvy population and strong entertainment culture create an ideal environment for our immersive VR experiences. LOL Entertainment continues to exceed our expectations as a partner, and we're excited to bring our cutting-edge virtual reality gaming to Texas's largest city."

The new gaming center opens Friday, January 23 at 797 Sorella Court in CityCentre.

One of the games that stands out is the Stranger Things: Catalyst game, based on the blockbuster Netflix television series. Groups of one to six players will be dropped into the sinister Hawkins Lab and the mysterious Upside Down to fight Demogorgons and other monsters. The game features Matthew Modine reprising his role as Dr. Martin "Papa" Brenner, who imbues players with psychic powers.

Other games include the supernatural pirate title The Curse of Davy Jones and other Netflix tie-ins based on Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon and Squid Game. Sandbox VR offers fully-immersive group play activities that range from combat to puzzle solving for a variety of age groups.

The opening of Sandbox VR is another part of the expansion of LOL Entertainment, who touts itself as one of the pre-eminent hosts of immersive and gaming experiences in the U.S. Sandbox VR will be their first entry into the Houston market, with another immersive group adventure game, Time Mission, set to open at the the Marq'E Entertainment District later this year.

“Bringing Sandbox VR to CityCentre Houston is a big milestone for LOL Entertainment, for Sandbox VR, and for this market,” said Rob Cooper, CEO of LOL Entertainment. “Houston is a fast-growing, experience-driven city, and we’re excited to give locals and visitors a truly immersive, social gaming destination that you can’t replicate anywhere.”

Presale tickets for the grand opening of Sandbox VR are available here. Standard pricing is $55-$65 per event, but Sandbox VR is running a special for 30 percent off with code OPEN30 for those who purchase before Thursday, January 22. Presale buyers are also entered into a drawing for free Sandbox VR for one year.

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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