$32M resilience-focused hub to rise in Houston's East End

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The 130,000-square-foot Resilience Manufacturing Hub is coming to the Second Ward. Photo houston.org

A first-of-its-kind manufacturing hub designed to “future proof” residential, commercial, industrial, and public sector infrastructure is coming to Houston.

The 130,000-square-foot Resilience Manufacturing Hub will house functions such as R&D, manufacturing, and assembly for products aimed at improving the resilience of homes, office buildings, warehouses, and other components of the “built environment.”

“We are looking for any product or technology solution that can reduce the impact from the next generation of disasters … by helping people thrive, not just survive, in their own community,” says Richard Seline, co-founder and managing director of the Houston-based Resilience Innovation Hub. The innovation hub is a partner in the manufacturing hub.

Seline says the manufacturing hub, with an estimated price tag of $32 million, will directly employ about 60 people. He expects the facility to either generate or “upskill” about 240 off-site jobs.

The manufacturing hub will be built adjacent to the 300,000-square-foot East End Maker Hub, which is opened in Houston’s Second Ward neighborhood two years ago. Seline says five companies already have expressed interest in being tenants at the manufacturing hub, which is set to open by next summer.

The East End Maker Hub, a public-private endeavor, opened in the summer of 2021. Photo by Natalie Harms/InnovationMap

“We know that the supply chains keep failing over and over again in regard to responding to and rebuilding after disasters. This is a way to address that,” Seline says of the manufacturing hub.

Aside from the innovation hub and East End Maker Hub, partners in the manufacturing venture are the nonprofit Urban Partnerships Community Development Corp. (UPC) and modular construction company VEMAS. UPC is based in Houston, and VEMAS has a Houston office.

“The Resilience Manufacturing Hub is one of four pillars in UPC’s vision for an Invest Houston strategy to grow our economy from within by directly impacting middle-income employment — vital for the 1 million jobs projected as a gap in greater Houston’s long-term competitiveness,” says Patrick Ezzell, president and chairman of UPC and founder of the East End Maker Hub.

The manufacturing hub will work hand in hand with the innovation hub. The innovation hub assesses and addresses risks triggered by climate-produced, manmade, pandemic-related and cybersecurity threats. Hub participants work on innovations aimed at alleviating these risks.

In 2012, the National Academy of Sciences defined resilience as “the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events.” Those events include hurricanes and floods.

The resilience movement got a substantial boost last year thanks to passage of the federal Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act. The law allows for designation of resilience zones in communities that are at high risk of natural disasters and have limited resources. These zones will qualify for federal funding earmarked for resilience efforts.

Harris County scores nearly 98 out of 100 on the National Risk Index, generated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), putting it into the “very high” risk category for natural hazards.

Yet Harris County ekes out a score of 12.73 out of 100 for community resilience, landing it in the “very low” category. This means the county has a poor ability to prepare for natural hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover from disruptions.

Richard Seline is the co-founder and managing director of the Houston-based Resilience Innovation Hub. Photo courtesy

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Six Houston startups — from health tech to aerospace — have moved into the new East End Maker Hub. Image courtesy of East End Maker Hub

New innovation hub grows with the addition of 6 Houston startups

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The East End Maker Hub in Houston's East End District is growing with the recent addition of six startups.

"All of these companies cite the East End Maker Hub's physical innovation infrastructure, customizable spaces, strategic location, and potential collaborators as motivations for moving their operations into the hub," Patrick Ezzell, president of Urban Partnerships Community Development Corp., one of the hub's creators, says in an April 26 news release. "All are in the process of growing their teams and view Houston and, more specifically, the East End as a key resource for human capital heading into the future."

The companies that recently joined the East End Maker Hub are:

  • Alchemy Industrial. The company is a contract manufacturer that uses advanced technologies to develop industrial products for the medical, renewable energy, and drone sectors. Mush Khan, a British-born entrepreneur, established the startup last year.
  • CarbonATM. Led by Frank Zamarron and a group of former NASA engineers, CarbonATM aims to improve monitoring of ambient air quality with a low-cost portable device.
  • Gbowo Inc. This startup, founded in 2020, seeks to help companies reduce the environmental and financial costs of last-mile deliveries through the use of low-speed electrical vehicles. Ganiu Ladejobi is the founder and CEO.
  • Horizon Aeromarine. Established in 2020, the startup develops software and electronics from unmanned aerial and marine vehicles. Laura Sammons and Denver Hopkins are the founders.
  • Parallax 621. Founded by Benjamin Peters and Phillip Lentz, the Parallax 621 tech think tank develops technology based on theoretical physics research.
  • Polyvascular. The startup, established in 2014, makes a polymer-based heart valve for children with congenital heart disease.

The East End Maker Hub, at 6501 Navigation Blvd., is a collaboration between TXRX Labs and Urban Partnerships Community Development that houses crafters, fabricators, and tech manufacturers. TXRX Labs invested $1.25 million in equity to set up the hub. Urban Partnerships Community Development raised $35.75 million in capital to get the project off the ground.

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Houston hypersonic engine company lands investment from deep-tech firm

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Hypersonic engine technology company Venus Aerospace announced an investment for an undisclosed amount from deep-tech investment firm America's Frontier Fund (AFF).

Venus plans to use the funds to advance its VDR2 engine has the potential to support a commercial flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo in under two hours, according to a statement.

"AFF's investment in Venus Aerospace underscores our focus on supporting American companies that are revolutionizing industries of the future," Jordan Blashek, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AFF, said in a news release. "With recent hypersonic advancements from China and Russia, safeguarding American innovation and securing our industrial base has never been more urgent. Venus Aerospace is poised to redefine hypersonic flight and ensure America's continued leadership in aerospace innovation."

Venus plans to integrate components of its RDRE engine into the advanced VDR2 engine, increasing efficiency with air-augmentation technology capable of 2,000 pounds of thrust. This will allow the VDR2 engine to operate at wider ranges of speeds and altitudes. The company plans to ground-test the VDR2 in 2025.

Venus also plans to make history this year by conducting the first atmospheric flight of its RDRE engine, which has applications in the space and defense industries.

"AFF's commitment to pioneering technological advancements aligns seamlessly with our mission to enhance American competitiveness in hypersonics,” Sassie Duggleby, CEO and co-Founder of Venus Aerospace, added in the news release. “Their deep-tech expertise and proven track record in scaling innovative companies will be invaluable as we work to achieve our goals."

Venus Aerospace believes these innovations can “strengthen U.S. leadership in aerospace, defense, and energy innovation."

Venus also aims to use its engine technology to power the Stargazer M4, the world's first Mach 4 reusable commercial aircraft and a prime example of advanced propulsion systems.

The company launched in 2020 and has gained $78.3 million in total investments, according to Pitchbook data.

Houston manufacturer names location of its $193.7 million facility

coming soon

Houston-based manufacturer of high-temperature superconducting wires MetOx International Inc. will build a major production facility in Chatham County, North Carolina, which is expected to create 333 jobs, and invest $193.7 million in the state.

MetOx is a leader in High Temperature Superconducting technology (HTS), which is an advanced power delivery technology that is capable of transmitting extremely high power at low voltage with zero heat generation or energy loss. The technology is assisting in the energy sectors like power transmission, distribution, and grid expansion.

“Establishing our new large-scale manufacturing facility in Chatham County is a pivotal step toward securing a reliable, domestic supply of HTS wire for the development of critical infrastructure in the United States,” Bud Vos, CEO of MetOx, says in a news release. “This facility will not only deliver transformative energy technologies that strengthen our grid and reduce carbon emissions but also create high-paying manufacturing jobs in a community eager to lead in innovation. We are proud to partner with North Carolina to drive forward a resilient energy future built on cutting-edge science and strong local collaboration.”

The new facility is funded in part by an $80 million investment from the United States Department of Energy, which the company announced in October. In September, the company closed $25 million in a series B extension round.

In late 2024, MetOx also announced that it received an undisclosed investment from Hawaii-based Elemental Impact, which is a leading climate-focused investment platform. As a national implementation partner for the EPA's $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, Elemental Impact has received $100 million to deploy later-stage commercialized technologies according to the company.

The funding is expected to advance the expansion of MetOx’s Houston production line and the deployment of its HTS wire, which can make transmission cables up to ten times more efficient than traditional copper cables and will be used at the North Carolina facility.

“Building domestic manufacturing capacity for critical grid technologies is essential for America’s energy future," Danya Hakeem, vice president of Portfolio at Elemental Impact, says in a news release. “MetOx’s expansion in Houston demonstrates how we can simultaneously advance grid modernization and create quality manufacturing jobs. Their technology represents exactly the kind of innovation needed to unlock the next wave of clean energy deployment.”

The project in North Carolina will be facilitated with a Job Development Investment Grant formally awarded to a new company being created by MetOx. In the 12-year term of the grant, economists in the Department of Commerce estimated the project will grow North Carolina’s economy by $987.8 million.

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This article originally was published on our sister site, EnergyCapital.

Houston Nobel Prize nominee earns latest award for public health research

Prized Research

Houston vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez can add one more prize to his shelf.

Hotez — dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics — is no stranger to impressive laurels. In 2022, he was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his low-cost COVID vaccine.

His first big win of 2025 is this year’s Hill Prize, awarded by the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST).

Hotez and his team were selected to receive $500,000 from Lyda Hill Philanthropies to help fund The Texas Virosphere Project. The endeavor was born to help create a predictive disease atlas relating to climate disasters. Because the climate crisis has ushered in changes to the distribution of diseases, including dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Chagas disease, typhus and tick-borne relapsing fever, it’s important to predict outbreaks before they become a menace.

Rice University researchers are collaborating with Hotez and his team on a project that combines climate science and metagenomics to access 3,000 insect genomes. The goal is to aid health departments in controlling disease and informing policy.

The Hill Prize, which is being awarded to six innovators for the first time, thanks to a $10 million commitment from the philanthropic organization, is intended to back ideas that are high-risk and high-reward. Each of the projects was chosen for its potential real-life impact on some of Texas's — and the world’s — most challenging situations. Hotez’s prize is the first Hill Prize to be given in the realm of public health. The additional winners are:

  • Hill Prize in Medicine: Kenneth M. Hargreaves, D.D.S., Ph.D., The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • Hill Prize in Engineering: Joan Frances Brennecke, Ph.D. (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
  • Hill Prize in Biological Sciences: David J. Mangelsdorf, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS), UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Hill Prize in Physical Sciences: James Chelikowsky, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
  • Hill Prize in Technology: Robert De Lorenzo, M.D., EmergenceMed, LLC
Read about other Houston-area researchers recognized by TAMEST here.
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