This digital shopping assistant relocated to Texas last year to focus on the business-friendly market. Courtesy of ModeSens

Former Microsoft engineer Brian Li wanted to help his wife, Jing Leng, a personal shopper, make smart purchases for her clients seeking luxury clothing. The couple found it impractical and time consuming to sift through multiple websites in search of clothing that was the best fit.

Li, now CEO of ModeSens, was inspired in 2015 to develop a personal shopping tool. The name comes from rearranging the French phrase "sens de la mode," which means "fashion sense."

"It started out as something that Brian worked on in his free time. But after they started using it, they realized that other people would find it useful," says Krystle Craycraft, CMO of ModeSens. "Another resource like this does not exist. We are the only company that aggregates information at the product level, presenting information to consumers in a way that is easy to navigate, and all in one place."

Since launching in 2015 in Seattle, the company relocated to Texas last year. Now, headquartered in Dallas, the company is building a large pool of users in major cities throughout Texas. ModeSens sees a growing connection with Houston in terms of customers and fashion retailers.

Li moved the business "because Texas is a good place to do business," Craycraft says. "Many businesses are following the trend of moving to Texas because of the great climate to do business in. We love Texas."

ModeSens, using its database of information, gives luxury fashion shoppers important information about products as they search, making for a more efficient, satisfying purchase. For a given item, ModeSens provides members a list of retailers who have the item in stock, the price comparison across retailers, available colors, designer information, product reviews, special promotions, and more.

You can download the free app, create a free account, and start saving on luxury goods by searching the site or scanning barcodes in the store. As ModeSens specializes in luxury goods, they partner with almost 200 brands such as Neiman Marcus, SAKS, Gucci, Dolce & Gobana, Lane Crawford and other premier designers.

"We connect with clients through several different affiliate networks as well as direct partnerships," says Craycraft. ModeSens partners exclusively with high-end retailers, filling a specific niche for the first time.

Leng, serving as the Fashion Director at ModeSens, works with these retail partners, curating content and promoting their products in a way that helps customers buy confidently.

"The customer is the focus of ModeSens; getting them what they need to make an informed decision is our top priority," says Craycraft. "Other fashion shopping platforms show products from Forever 21 all the way up to luxury brands, but for our customers looking for luxury products, a lot of those stores are just not relevant to them. Sorting through them becomes tedious."

ModeSens puts the answers to at customers' questions at their fingertips, once signed up with a free membership.

With the brand-new release of the barcode scanning feature, customers can have access to the same comparative information while physically in a store, as well as online.

"This is a total game-changer in the industry; there is no one else doing this," says Craycraft.

Using the app, shoppers simply scan the barcode of any of the many retailers who are partnered with ModeSens, revealing detailed information that can guide their purchase.

ModeSens is building an online community of luxury shoppers that can collaborate to find exactly what they are looking for in an authentic way. Through the website, members can upload pictures of the products that they have acquired, write reviews, provide helpful information to others, and ask questions.

"We want this to be a place where anyone can share their thoughts, and photos without feeling too intimidated to contribute," Craycraft says.

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World Cup's 14-mile Green Corridor to leave lasting impact on Houston

Big Win

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee has announced new details about its massive Green Corridor project, including the many improvements that will outlast the iconic sporting event taking place in Houston this summer.

The Green Corridor will be a 14-mile long verdant artery connecting multiple major landmarks in Houston through safe, walkable paths that include shade trees and other improvements. First conceived in 2024 by the Sustainability Subcommittee led by Elizabeth Carlson, it will unite East Downtown, Downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, and Third Ward through a hike and bike trail as well as METRO Rail stops. Though the Green Corridor is beginning its life as a showcase for the city to visitors attending the FIFA World Cup June 14 -July 4, it will remain a permanent installation for Houstonians to travel the city without cars.

Management of the project is being handled by Impact Houston 26, a portion of the Host Committee empowered by the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority’s Sports Authority Foundation to promote long-term benefits to the city after the World Cup. Funding partners include private corporations as well as civic organizations such as the City of Sugar Land and Rice University.

“The Green Corridor reflects what Impact Houston 26 is all about, using the FIFA World Cup as a catalyst to deliver lasting environmental benefits for our city,” Carlson said in a statement. “Through Impact Houston’s pillar on sustainability, we’re able to collaborate with local stakeholders to create not just demonstrations of resilience and innovation but education and engagement in the community, a meaningful legacy long after 2026.”

The corridor will provide access to both Houston Stadium (also known as NRG Stadium) and the FIFA Fan Festival, as well as improve existing paths like the Columbia Tap Trail in Third Ward. These improvements include the installation of shade structures, native plantings, expanding the tree canopy, air quality monitoring devices, and water and bike repair stations.

Impact Houston 26 is also working with local institutions like the Houston Zoo, Greentown Labs, and Discovery Green to install various educational materials along the Green Corridor.

The Green Corridor initiative.Courtesy rendering

Below is a breakdown of other improvements planned or completed as part of the Green Corridor.

  • Downtown Houston Main Street Promenade: Four permanent shade structures, native plants, and expanding the tree canopy by 154% to be implemented by May 2026. Further shade structures and plantings planned for Texas Avenue.
  • East Downtown Management District: Native tree plantings and landscaping in and around the FIFA Fan Festival site to improve first/last mile connectivity around the Green Corridor.
  • Columbia Tap Trail: Installation of 325 solar lights.
  • Stadium Park/Astrodome and TMC/Dryden plus Fannin South Transit Center: Various landscaping and safety enhancements.
  • Midtown Houston: $1.5 million in landscaping and beautification along the Red Line, including over 80 trees, native plantings, water stations, waste receptacles, crosswalk improvements, and public art installations.

The Green Corridor is only one of the World Cup Host Committee's sustainability initiatives. In January, it announced the "New Year, New Hou" program that provides hospitality businesses such as restaurants and hotels with one of three certifications.

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

Houston humanoid robotics startup Persona AI hires new strategy leader

new hire

Houston-based Persona AI, a two-year-old startup that develops robots for heavy industry, has hired an automation and robotics professional as its head of commercial strategy.

In his new position, Michael Perry will focus on building Persona AI’s business development operations, coordinating with strategic partners and helping early adopters of the company’s humanoids. Target customers include offshore platforms, shipyards, steel mills and construction sites.

Perry previously served as vice president of business development at Boston Dynamics, where he led market identification for robotics, and as an executive at DJI. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chinese and government studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

“Now is the perfect time to join Persona AI as we rapidly close the gap between what’s possible in the lab versus what’s driving real commercial value,” Perry says. “Building industry-hardened humanoid hardware and production-deployable AI is only one piece of the puzzle.”

“Getting humanoids into operations for heavy industry will require the systematic commercial and operational work that makes enterprises humanoid-ready and defining the business case, solving the integration challenges, and building the playbook for safe, scalable adoption,” he adds. “That’s what I’m here to build.”

Rice to lead Space Force tech institute under $8.1M agreement

space deal

Rice University has signed an $8.1 million cooperative agreement to lead the U.S. Space Force University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 4 (SSTI).

The new entity will be known as the Center for Advanced Space Sensing Technologies (CASST) at Rice and will focus on developing innovative remote sensing technologies.

“This investment positions Rice at the forefront of the technologies that will define how we see, understand and operate in space,” Amy Dittmar, Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said in a news release. “By bringing together advanced remote sensing, AI-driven analysis and cross-institutional expertise, CASST will help transform raw space data into real-time insight and expand the frontiers of scientific discovery.

The news comes shortly after the Texas Space Commission approved a nearly $14.2 million grant for the newly created Center for Space Technologies at Rice.

David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute, will lead CASST. Alexander is also an inaugural member of the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium and he serves on the boards of the Houston Spaceport Development Corporation, SpaceCom and the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture. The team also includes Rice professors and staff Kevin Kelly, Tomasz Tkaczyk, Kenny Evans, Kaden Hazzard, Mark Jernigan and Vinod Veedu, and collaborators from Houston-based Aegis Aerospace, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Santa Barbara and Georgia Institute of Technology.

In addition to bringing new space sensor innovation, the team will also work to miniaturize sensors while developing and implementing low-resource fabrication techniques, according to Rice. The researchers will also utilize AI and machine learning to analyze sensor data.

The U.S. Space Force uses space sensors to provide real-time information about space environments and assess potential threats. CASST is the fourth Space Strategic Technology Institute established by the USSF.

“Rice has helped shape the modern era of space research, and CASST marks a bold step into what comes next,” David Sholl, executive vice president for research at Rice, said in a news release. “As space becomes more contested and more essential to daily life, the ability to rapidly sense, interpret and act on what’s happening beyond Earth is critical. This center brings together the materials, engineering and data science innovations needed to deliver that capability."

The USSF University Consortium works with academic teams to develop breakthrough technologies and speed their transition into real-world applications for the U.S. Space Force.

The recent Rice award is part of $16 million over about three years. The USSF also signed a cooperative agreement with the University of Arizona in February.

The consortium has also helped facilitate several technological and commercial transitions over the last two years, including a $36 million commercial contract awarded to Axiom by Texas A&M University's in-space operations team and a follow-on $6 million contract to Axiom to build on technology developed by the University of Texas.