Photo courtesy of Isolcork

As temperatures continue to rise and electricity costs follow suit, companies and homeowners are keen on finding ways to cut costs while improving their energy efficiency.

That's whereIsolcork comes in. This top-of-the-line, multi-purpose, cork-based finish is sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, insulating, and durable, both for maintenance and new construction projects.

And the best part is that it's applied to the exterior only, meaning there's no need to pause or rearrange what's happening inside — whether that's manufacturing or everyday life — while the building's envelope is improved.

Isolcork has specialized in sustainable cork for the construction, operational, and maintenance industry since 2010, and is now available for residential use as well. Its products have been commercialized in 14 countries in both Europe and Latin America and used on more than 10,000 projects worldwide, including 25-plus in Arizona and Texas. All Isolcork lab tests have been conducted in U.S. labs under ASTM.

There are two options:

  • Spray cork: A blend of premium granulated cork particles combined with high-grade water-based resins, mineral fillers, stabilizers, and additives. (This video demonstration goes into more detail.)
  • Rubber top: Sprayable waterproofing membrane with rubber and nanoparticles for corrosion protection.

“We have a high standard of quality control for our products, and we manufacture a premium coating solution," says Isolcork manufacturer Pablo Palma. "We buy the best cork from the best producer of cork in the world, which is in the country of Portugal, and we use a unique grain size that we process manually in our manufacturing facility. I can certainly say that making spray cork is like being a master chef with a Michelin-starred restaurant. We are proud of our product, and we will keep it that way for our clients.”

American commercial buildings, especially warehouses, manufacturing, and healthcare facilities, that add Isolcork and meet certain government requirements can also qualify for a tax deduction of up to $5 per square foot, according to Section 179D.

Isolcork maintains a trusted partnership with a specialized tax firm that can build and certify the energy models for commercial buildings under Section 179D tax deduction incentives.

The global green construction is estimated to reach $774 billion by 2030, with a significant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.8 percent from 2022 to 2032.Texas is the second-largest market in the U.S. for these type of products.

“Our success is due to three worldwide trends in the construction industry," says Isolcork's Mario Palma. "First, environmental entities are looking for natural component materials due to environmental requirements. Second, younger generations who care more about the environment are getting into decision-making positions across industries and they prefer natural products. Third, building owners, no matter what view they have, are looking to save energy and money due to the energy cost increase. Our products are 100 percent aligned with these worldwide trends.”

Companies around the world have been discovering the benefits of Isolcork — one recent example is a large manufacturing facility in Dallas. The estimated energy cost savings in heating and cooling will be between 15 and 20 percent for a standard product solution, plus the estimated tax deduction according to estimation could be equivalent to 70 percent of the total cost of the envelope improvement work.

Isolcork has proven so successful that it even holds the honor of being the first Latin American startup to be part of the Center for Innovation Program at the University of Arizona.

“With the estimated North America demand for Isolcork products being so large, the company is looking for locations and financial support of $10 million to build two manufacturing facilities in Texas and Arizona," says Isolcork USA & Canada country manager Emilio R. Armstrong.

Whether you're looking to invest in Isolcork or simply add it to your structure, the benefits of the sustainable product are immense. Learn more about Isolcork here.

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3 Houston innovators who made headlines in May 2025

Innovators to Know

Editor's note: Houston innovators are making waves this month with revolutionary VC funding, big steps towards humanoid robotics, and software that is impacting the agriculture sector. Here are three Houston innovators to know right now.

Zach Ellis, founder and partner of South Loop Ventures

Zach Ellis. Photo via LinkedIn

Zach Ellis Jr., founder and general partner of South Loop Ventures, says the firm wants to address the "billion-dollar blind spot" of inequitable distribution of venture capital to underrepresented founders of color. The Houston-based firm recently closed its debut fund for more than $21 million. Learn more.

Ty Audronis, CEO and founder of Tempest Droneworx

Ty Audronis, CEO and founder of Tempest Droneworx

Ty Audronis, center. Photo via LinkedIn.

Ty Audronis and his company, Tempest Droneworx, made a splash at SXSW Interactive 2025, winning the Best Speed Pitch award at the annual festival. The company is known for it flagship product, Harbinger, a software solution that agnostically gathers data at virtually any scale and presents that data in easy-to-understand visualizations using a video game engine. Audronis says his company won based on its merits and the impact it’s making and will make on the world, beginning with agriculture. Learn more.

Nicolaus Radford, CEO of Persona AI

Nicolaus Radford, founder and CEO of Nauticus RoboticsNicolaus Radford. Image via LinkedIn

Houston-based Persona AI and CEO Nicolaus Radford continue to make steps toward deploying a rugged humanoid robot, and with that comes the expansion of its operations at Houston's Ion. Radford and company will establish a state-of-the-art development center in the prominent corner suite on the first floor of the building, with the expansion slated to begin in June. “We chose the Ion because it’s more than just a building — it’s a thriving innovation ecosystem,” Radford says. Learn more.

Houston university to launch artificial intelligence major, one of first in nation

BS in AI

Rice University announced this month that it plans to introduce a Bachelor of Science in AI in the fall 2025 semester.

The new degree program will be part of the university's department of computer science in the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and is one of only a few like it in the country. It aims to focus on "responsible and interdisciplinary approaches to AI," according to a news release from the university.

“We are in a moment of rapid transformation driven by AI, and Rice is committed to preparing students not just to participate in that future but to shape it responsibly,” Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said in the release. “This new major builds on our strengths in computing and education and is a vital part of our broader vision to lead in ethical AI and deliver real-world solutions across health, sustainability and resilient communities.”

John Greiner, an assistant teaching professor of computer science in Rice's online Master of Computer Science program, will serve as the new program's director. Vicente Ordóñez-Román, an associate professor of computer science, was also instrumental in developing and approving the new major.

Until now, Rice students could study AI through elective courses and an advanced degree. The new bachelor's degree program opens up deeper learning opportunities to undergrads by blending traditional engineering and math requirements with other courses on ethics and philosophy as they relate to AI.

“With the major, we’re really setting out a curriculum that makes sense as a whole,” Greiner said in the release. “We are not simply taking a collection of courses that have been created already and putting a new wrapper around them. We’re actually creating a brand new curriculum. Most of the required courses are brand new courses designed for this major.”

Students in the program will also benefit from resources through Rice’s growing AI ecosystem, like the Ken Kennedy Institute, which focuses on AI solutions and ethical AI. The university also opened its new AI-focused "innovation factory," Rice Nexus, earlier this year.

“We have been building expertise in artificial intelligence,” Ordóñez-Román added in the release. “There are people working here on natural language processing, information retrieval systems for machine learning, more theoretical machine learning, quantum machine learning. We have a lot of expertise in these areas, and I think we’re trying to leverage that strength we’re building.”