Overheard: 2024 Houston Innovation Awards finalists share top advice for fellow founders

weighing in

Clockwise from top: Lori-Lee Elliot, Anwar Sadek, Mimi Healy, Ram Prasad, Tatiana Fofanova, Prabhdeep Sekhon, Raisha Smith, and Mitra Miller.

There's a great deal of advice swirling around the world today about how to find success business. Why not take it from mentors and founders with a proven track record, like the finalists for this year's Houston Innovation Awards?

From how to grow your customer base to tips on combating funding gaps and making room for yourself at the table, they shared priceless tokens of advice in their applications for the 2024 awards.

Here's what some of the leading founders and supporters in Houston's Innovation community had to say.

"Just because you don't look like everyone else in there room, or aren't offered a seat at the table, doesn't mean you don't deserve to be there. If anything, it means the world needs you there more."

–Lori-Lee Elliott, Co-Founder and CEO of Dauntless XR, female-founded business finalist

"Don’t shy away from seeking non-traditional forms of funding like grants and non-dilutive capital, especially if VC funding seems out of reach. Surround yourself with mentors who understand your challenges, and be intentional about expanding your network to build strategic connections. Above all, stay confident in your vision, use every opportunity to learn, and never hesitate to give back by helping othersalong the way. Your success not only opens doors for you but for future generations of minority founders."

-Anwar Sadek, CORROLYTICS CEO and co-founder, minority-founded business finalist

"Being an entrepreneur is fun and hard and exhilarating and frustrating and simple and complicated and joyful and exhausting and worth it. Make a plan so you can change your plan because the market changed, because the competition grew, because your data showed something different than what you expected, because you hired or lost a team member, because you raised more money, because you didn't raise enough money. Take the time to make the plan and think about all the ways it could change, so that whenit does, it is not the first time you thought about what to do because it will be too late."

–Mimi Healy, CEO of StimulusBio, mentor of the Year finalist

"My go-to advice for entrepreneurs is to prioritize their health while building their business. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle, but long-term success comes from sustaining your physical and mental well-being. Entrepreneurs need to be at their best to make good decisions, lead effectively, and navigate challenges, so focusing on health isn’t just a luxury—it’s essential.Another key habit I always recommend is setting aside at least one hour a day to actively find new customers. Customer acquisition is the lifeblood of any business, and dedicating this time daily can help you build momentum, create relationships, and discover new opportunities that may have been overlooked."

–Ram Prasad, CEO of Delence, minority-owned business finalist

"Learn to sit on the other side of the table and think about things from the other person's perspective. When seeking funding, this means thinking about the investor's point of view. When selling, it means thinking about the customer's POV. How are you—the founder—helping them win?"

--Mitra Miller, Vice President of Houston Angel Network, mentor of the Year finalist

"Leverage the strength of your community. And as a founder, you are the secret sauce, not the imposter. Building a network of supportive peers and mentors who understand your unique challenges can be a game-changer. At EveryDopeGirl, we've seen how powerful it is when minority founders come together to share resources, insights, and encouragement. Don't hesitate to seek out and participate in events that foster these connections. Remember, your journey is not just about overcoming obstacles, but also about celebrating your successes and the unique perspectives you bring to the table."

-Raisha Smith, founder of EveryDopeGirl, female-founded business finalist

""Focus on your strengths rather than getting caught up in perceived gaps or doubts. Embrace the diversity in your team, just as we’ve done at Gold H2, where 50 percent of our team is female and 80 percent are visible minorities. Diversity brings strength ... Trust yourself, and don’t be afraid to shape your journey in both your career and personal life."

–Prabhdeep Sekhon, CEO of Gold H2, minority-owned business finalist

"Surround yourself with two types of people: the lovers and the fighters. First, surround yourself with people that love you and believe in your vision–they'll be the ones who pick you up when your spirit takes a beating and you feel like giving up. Second, surround yourself with those who you can categorically trust to fight to the bitter end-when life happens, they'll be the ones running the ship andkeeping the dream alive while you sort things out. These will almost never be the same people, so you have to find both."

-Tatiana Fofanova, CEO of Koda Health, female-founded business finalist

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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.

Leading Houston energy ecosystem rebrands for next phase

new look

Houston-based Energytech Nexus has rebranded.

The cleantech founders community will now be known as Energytech Cypher. Organizers say the new name was inspired by the Arabic roots of the word cypher, ṣifr, which is also the root of the word zero.

"A cypher is a key that unlocks what's hidden," Nada Ahmed, co-founder and chief revenue officer of Energytech Cypher, said in a news release. "And zero? Zero is where every transformation begins, the leap from 0 to 1, from idea to reality, from potential to power. We decode the energy transition by connecting the right founders, the right capital, and the right corporate partners at the right time, because the most important journey in energy is the one that takes you from nothing to something."

Energytech Nexus has rebranded to Energytech Cypher.

Co-founder and CEO Jason Ethier says that the name change better reflects the organization's mission.

"The energy transition doesn't have a technology problem. It has a connection problem," Ehtier added in the release. "The right founders exist. The right investors exist. The right partners exist. What's been missing is the infrastructure to bring them together—to decode the complexity, remove the friction, and make sure the best technologies find the markets that need them. That's what this community has always done. Energytech Cypher is the name that finally says it."

Energytech Cypher, previously known as Energytech Nexus, was first launched in 2023 and has grown from a podcast to a 130-member ecosystem. It has supported startups including Capwell Services, Resollant, Syzygy Plasmonics, Hertha Metals, Solidec and many others.

It is known for its flagship programs like the Pilotathon, which connects founders with industry partners for pilot opportunities. The event debuted in 2024.

Energytech Cypher also launched its COPILOT Accelerator last year. The accelerator partners with Browning the Green Space, a nonprofit that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the clean energy and climatech sectors. The inaugural cohort included two Houston-based startups and 12 others from around the U.S.

It also hosts programs like Liftoff, Energy Tech Market, lunch and learns, CEO roundtables, investor workshops and international partnership initiatives.

Last year, Energytech Cypher also announced a new strategic ecosystem partnership with Greentown Labs, aimed at accelerating growth for clean energy startups. It also named its global founding partners, including Houston-based operations such as Chevron Technology Ventures, Collide, Oxy Technology Ventures, and others from around the world.

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

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