4 Houston innovators to know this week

who's who

This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Grant Watkins and Keely McEnery of Earn Your Freedom, Richard Seline of the Resilience Manufacturing Hub, and Tim Latimer of Fervo Energy. Photos courtesy

Editor's note: In this week's roundup of Houston innovators to know, I'm introducing you to four local innovators across industries — from financial edtech to geothermal energy — recently making headlines in Houston innovation.

Grant Watkins and Keely McEnery, co-founders of Earn Your Freedom

Grant Watkins and Keely McEnery, co-founders of Earn Your Freedom, join the Houston Innovators Podcast. Photos courtesy of EYF

Houston-based Earn Your Freedom combines edtech, fintech, and gaming, as the co-founders, Grant Watkins and Keely McEnery explain on last week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast.

Both Watkins and McEnery have overcome personal finance obstacles, as they share on the show, and they aren't alone. Sixty-seven percent of Americans are considered financially illiterate, McEnery says, and 60 percent lives paycheck to paycheck.

"It's becoming more and more apparent how financially illiterate our country is," she continues. "It's a different mindset. People could be making $100,000 a year but if they don't know how to manage their money, they're still going to be in a cycle of not being financially free."

EYF's solution is a comprehensive, entertaining way for high school students to learn. And the timing is great, since Texas recently passed a bill about providing financial literacy education in high schools. Read more.

Richard Seline, co-founder and managing director of the Resilience Innovation Hub

A 130,000-square-foot Resilience Manufacturing Hub is coming to the Second Ward. Photo courtesy

Houston will soon have a 130,000-square-foot Resilience Manufacturing Hub that 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. Read more.

Tim Latimer, CEO and co-founder of Fervo Energy

Houston-based Fervo Energy shared the results of its commercial pilot project with Google. Photo via LinkedIn

Houston-based Fervo Energy announced this week that its commercial pilot project has resulted in continuous carbon-free geothermal energy production. The full-scale commercial pilot, Project Red, is in northern Nevada and made possible through a 2021 partnership with Google.

“By applying drilling technology from the oil and gas industry, we have proven that we can produce 24/7 carbon-free energy resources in new geographies across the world," Tim Latimer, Fervo Energy CEO and co-founder, says in a news release. "The incredible results we share today are the product of many years of dedicated work and commitment from Fervo employees and industry partners, especially Google." Read more.

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

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

coming soon

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

This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Richard Seline of the Resilience Innovation Hub, Joy Jones of Code Wiz, and Joseph Powell of the University of Houston. Photos courtesy

3 Houston innovators to know this week

who's who

Editor's note: In this week's roundup of Houston innovators to know, I'm introducing you to three local innovators across industries — from energy transition to resiliency — recently making headlines in Houston innovation.

Richard Seline, co-founder of the Resilience Innovation Hub

Richard Seline joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to explain what all Houston has accomplished within resilience innovation — as well as what's next for the city. Photo courtesy of Richard Seline

For Richard Seline, a major advocate for resilience innovation across Houston and beyond, 2022 was a year of recognizing new technologies and processes — as well as threats — to resiliency.

However, 2023 is the year to implement, he says on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast.

"What really happened in 2022 is the recognition that there are enough technologies, equipment, and data science tools that if you were to deploy all of that more efficiently and effectively, you're going to get a one-to-six better cost benefit. It's kind of a no-brainer," says Seline, co-founder of the Resilience Innovation Hub, a national organization headquartered in Houston. Read more.

Joy Jones, owner of Code Wiz Oak Forest

Joy Jones is opening her Oak Forest location of Code Wiz later this month. Screenshot via Code Wiz

A Houstonian has switched up her career to focus on inspiring and equipping children STEM-focused skills.

Joy Jones, who has worked for a decade in the corporate world, is starting the new year with a new career — this one focused on her passion of providing more STEM programming access to students. In 2021, she came across Code Wiz, a coding school franchise based in Massachusetts with 19 locations across the country, and met with Ruth Agbaji, CEO and "nerd-in-chief" of the company.

“Talking with Ruth and hearing the story of her mission to touch 1 million kids through Code Wiz, I found exactly what I’ve been looking for, a mission that aligned with mine,” says Jones, in a news release. Read more.

Joseph Powell, director of the University of Houston Energy Transition Institute

Former Shell Chief Scientist Joseph Powell has joined UH to lead its new Energy Transition Institute. Photo via uh.edu

The University of Houston has announced the first leader of its Shell-backed Energy Transition Institute.

Joseph Powell has been named the founding director of the institute, which was founded following a $10 million donation from Shell in spring of last year. Powell is the former chief scientist for Shell and member of the National Academy of Engineering, according to a news release from UH.

“What excites me about my new role is the opportunity to work with students, faculty and industry to make a difference on problems that truly matter," Powell says in the release. "Who could pass that up? Imagine the difficulties that arise when you don’t have access to energy. Read more.

Richard Seline joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to explain what all Houston has accomplished within resilience innovation — as well as what's next for the city. Photo courtesy of Richard Seline

Why this Houston innovator believes 2023 will be a year for resiliency innovation implementation

HOUSTON INNOVATORS PODCAST EPISODE 168

For Richard Seline, a major advocate for resilience innovation across Houston and beyond, 2022 was a year of recognizing new technologies and processes — as well as threats — to resiliency.

However, 2023 is the year to implement, he says on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast.

"What really happened in 2022 is the recognition that there are enough technologies, equipment, and data science tools that if you were to deploy all of that more efficiently and effectively, you're going to get a one-to-six better cost benefit. It's kind of a no-brainer," says Seline, co-founder of the Resilience Innovation Hub, a national organization headquartered in Houston.

One big win of 2022 was Houston Community College announcing its Resilience Center of Excellence program, including a 65,000-square-foot, $30 million Resiliency Operations Center, which will be built on a five-acre site HCC’s Northeast campus. The complex is scheduled to open in 2024. The programming, which is supported by JP Morgan Chase, will be dedicated to preparing a resilient workforce.

A prepared workforce is one part of the equation. The other is elevating and supporting new companies and technologies that can have an impact within resiliency, which touches a myriad of industries — sustainability, construction, smart city, communication, and more.

Seline and his collaborators have plans to roll out a program to connect these resiliency innovators with the right funding, network connections, and more. Seline says he doesn't want to create a whole new accelerator program. Rather, he wants to create an organization that connects alumni from existing accelerator and incubators — like MassChallenge, Greentown Labs, gener8tor, and others — to act as an additional network and resource for resiliency.

"The Resilience Venture Lab would be the finishing school, so to speak," he explains, adding that the program can help startup founders find funding, mentors, early customers, and more in an industry vertical the founder might not have considered expanding into before.

After years of resilience innovation rising in need and awareness, Seline says the stars have aligned for execution this year.

"We think that 2023 is the year of implementation," Seline says on the show. "It's all aligning within the resources, the insurance, the incentives, new codes and regulations."

Seline shares more about what all he expects to see in 2023 in terms of resilience innovation in the podcast. Listen to the interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.


HCC is working on a new center focused on resiliency on its Northeast Campus. Image via HCC

Houston college system plans to open $30M resiliency-focused center

to the rescue

Houston’s initiative to protect the city from catastrophes is getting a big boost from Houston Community College.

The college is developing the Resilience Center of Excellence to aid the city’s resilience campaign. At the heart of this project is the 65,000-square-foot, $30 million Resiliency Operations Center, which will be built on a five-acre site HCC’s Northeast campus. The complex is scheduled to open in 2024.

HCC estimates the operations center will train about 3,000 to 4,000 local first responders, including police officers and firefighters, during the first three years of operation. They’ll be instructed to prepare for, manage, and respond to weather, health and manmade hazards such as hurricanes, floods, fires, chemical spills, and winter freezes.

According to The Texas Tribune, the operations center will include flood-simulation features like a 39-foot-wide swift water rescue channel, a 15-foot-deep dive area, and a 100-foot-long “rocky gorge” of boulders.

The college says the first-in-the-nation Resilience Center of Excellence will enable residents, employers, civic organizations, neighborhoods, and small businesses to obtain education and certification aimed at improving resilience efforts.

“Our objective is to protect the well-being of our citizens and our communities and increase economic stability,” Cesar Maldonado, chancellor of HCC, said when the project was announced.

Among the programs under the Resiliency Center of Excellence umbrella will be non-credit courses focusing on public safety and rescue, disaster management, medical triage, and debris removal.

Meanwhile, the basic Resilience 101 program will be available to businesses and community organizations, and the emergency response program is geared toward individuals, families, and neighborhoods.

HCC’s initiative meshes with the City of Houston’s Resilient Houston, a strategy launched in 2020 that’s designed to protect Houston against disasters. As part of this strategy, the city has hired a chief resilience and sustainability officer, Priya Zachariah.

“Every action we take and investment we make should continue to improve our collective ability to withstand the unexpected shocks and disruptions when they arrive — from hurricanes to global pandemics, to extreme heat or extreme cold,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said last year. “The time is now to stop doing things the way we’ve always done them because the threats are too unpredictable.”

In an InnovationMap guest column published in February 2021, Richard Seline, co-founder of the Houston-based Resilience Innovation Hub, wrote that the focus of resilience initiatives should be pre-disaster risk mitigation.

“There is still work to be done from a legislative and governmental perspective, but more and more innovators — especially in Houston — are proving to be essential in creating a better future for the next historic disaster we will face,” Seline wrote.

This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Richard Seline of the Resilience Innovation Hub, Deanna Zhang of Tudor, Pickering, and Holt, and Brad Hauser of Soliton. Courtesy photos

3 Houston innovators to know this week

who's who

Editor's note: In the week's roundup of Houston innovators to know, I'm introducing you to three innovators across industries recently making headlines — from resilience technology to energy innovation.

Richard Seline, co-founder at the Houston-based Resilience Innovation Hub Collaboratory

Richard Seline of Houston-based Resilience Innovation Hub joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss how it's time for the world to see Houston as the resilient city it is. Photo courtesy of ResilientH20

Richard Seline says on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast, that people are exhausted and these feelings are festering into frustration and anger — and calling for change. The things that need to change, Seline says, includes growing investment and innovation in resilience solutions.

"As a fourth generation Houstonian, it's just so hard to see my hometown get hit persistently with a lot of these weather and other type of disasters," Seline says.

These unprecedented disasters — which are of course occurring beyond Houston and Texas — have also sparked a growing interest in change for insurance companies that have lost a trillion dollars on the United States Gulf Coast over the past seven years, Seline says. Something has got to change regarding preparation and damage mitigation. Read more and stream the podcast.

Deanna Zhang, director of energy technology at Houston-based Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

Deanna Zhang of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. writes a response to the energy crisis that occured in Texas in February. Photo courtesy of TPH

Deanna Zhang specializes in energy tech, and what she witnessed from February's winter weather was basically an epic fail caused by a myriad of issues.

"But it's oversimplifying to say that the only solution to preventing another situation like this is continued or increased reliance on the oil and gas industry," she writes in a guest article for InnovationMap. "What last week ultimately demonstrated was the multitude of technology solutions that needs to scale up to provide us with the best energy reliability and availability." Read more.

Brad Hauser, CEO of Soliton

Houston-based Soliton can use its audio pulse technology to erase scars, cellulite, and tattoos. Photo courtesy of Soliton

A Houston company has created a technology that uses sound to make changes in human skin tissue. Soliton, led by Brad Hauser, is using audio pulses to make waves in the med-aesthetic industry. The company, which is licensed from the University of Texas on behalf of MD Anderson, announced that it had received FDA approval earlier this month for its novel and proprietary technology that can reduce the appearance of cellulite.

"The original indication was tattoo removal," Hauser says. "The sound wave can increase in speed whenever it hits a stiffer or denser material. And tattoo ink is denser, stiffer than the surrounding dermis. That allows a shearing effect of the sound wave to disrupt that tattoo ink and help clear tattoos."

According to Hauser, the team then turned to a second application for the technology in the short-term improvement in the appearance of cellulite. With the use of the technology, patients can undergo a relatively pain-free, 40- to 60-minute non-invasive session with no recovery time. Read more.

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NASA awards Houston university $1.2M for diversity in aerospace initiative

future of space

NASA will award the University of Houston $1.2 million toward a collaborative project with some of the biggest players in aerospace to foster diversity in the field.

The funds will go toward UH's Partnership for Inclusivity in Engineering Education and Research for Space, or PIE2RS, which is a collaboration between UH, UH-Clear Lake, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Boeing Company, and the Greater Houston Partnership.

PIE2RS will provide experiential learning opportunities for marginalized students through capstone projects, internships and research opportunities. It will also offer a 10-week paid research experience for 18 students each year, along with professional development workshops and mentoring opportunities.

It will be led by Jerrod A. Henderson, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UH. Karolos Grigoriadis, the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor and chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, will serve as co-principal investigator.

“Our research, as well as the research of leading scholars, has highlighted the challenges underrepresented students face, including isolation, marginalization, racial bias and hostile educational environments,” Henderson said in a statement. “Our goal with PIE2RS is to improve the recruitment and retention of students in aerospace-related STEM disciplines, increase their sense of belonging and broaden their participation through hands-on research and experiential learning opportunities.”

UH professors Olga Bannova, Mariam Manuel and Tian Chen will also work on the project along with collaborator Rick Greer.

The funds come from NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project in partnership with the National Science Foundation’s Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science network, which aim to support diversity in the engineering fields.

UH is one of six universities to receive funding for DEI projects from NASA, totaling $7.2 million. The other institutions include:

  • Alabama A&M University
  • Morgan State University
  • North Carolina A&T University
  • University of Central Florida
  • University of Colorado – Denver

“With these awards, we are continuing to create pathways that increase access and opportunities in STEM for underrepresented and underserved groups,” Keya Briscoe, NASA's MUREP manager, said in a statement. “NASA continues to invest in initiatives that are critical in driving innovation, fostering inclusion, and providing access to the STEM ecosystem for everyone.”

NASA has inked several deals and agreements with Houston ties in recent months.

Space tech company Intuitive Machines (Nasdaq: LUNR, LUNRW) secured its fourth contract with NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, program last month for $116.9 million. The agreement includes six lunar deliveries.

In August, oil giant bp America and NASA agreed to share digital technology and technical expertise to boost U.S. space exploration efforts.

Ken Nguyen, principal technical program manager at bp, explained the unique opportunities behind the deal in a recent episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast.

First-of-its-kind electric jet to fly over greater Houston area

flying evs

An aircraft that's being touted as the first fully electric jet is taking off from Hobby Airport to serve the greater Houston area.

Lilium Jet, which takes off and lands vertically, is making its United States market debut at Houston-area facilities – Houston Hobby Airport, Conroe North Houston Regional Airport, and The Woodlands Heliport Lilium. Houston-based aircraft brokerage EMCJET will house the Lilium Jet at its Galaxy FBO Houston-area facilities at the airports.

“We are excited to transform Galaxy FBO into a cutting-edge hub for the eVTOL innovation,” Jeremy Gee, CEO of Galaxy FBO, says in a news release. "As the future of electric aviation takes flight, this marks a significant step in making Houston a leader in sustainable and efficient transportation solutions. Our team is proud to support Lilium's revolutionary mode of travel that will connect Greater Houston in ways never thought possible."

The Lilium Jet is capable of quickly connecting routes like Houston Hobby Airport to Galveston, Houston Spaceport to College Station, The Woodlands to Galveston, and others. The jet is designed for regional travel with its aerodynamic shape. The ducted electric fans prioritize efficiency and speed during forward flight. The jet’s anticipated initial operating range is roughly 110 miles. Lilium aims for the first piloted flight of the Lilium Jet to occur early in 2025.

“Lilium is serious about expanding in the U.S. and actively progressing towards FAA validation,” Lilium’s Vice President of Commercial Americas Matthew Broffman says in a news release.” As part of our commitment to working with communities across the U.S. and expanding our customer base, we’re excited to showcase our aircraft for the first time in Houston, a city with a proud legacy of aerospace innovation in America.”

The Greater Houston Partnership will also host a discussion with industry leaders on how electric aviation can “revolutionize regional travel” according to a news release.

“Houston is home to the world’s leading aerospace companies, and we’re thrilled to welcome Lilium and this next generation of aviation technology,” says Kevin Tipton, senior director for aerospace and aviation at GHP in a news release. “Together, we’re on the brink of something groundbreaking for our region.”

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This article originally ran on EnergyCapital.

US Latinas are contributing to the Houston economy at a volume worth celebrating

guest column

Hispanic Heritage Month provides an opportunity each year to reflect on the impact Hispanics have made in our culture. Whether we recognize it or not, we experience this impact year-round through our food, sports, business, politics, science, education and the arts. Yet, one of the most important and lasting impacts that isn’t often celebrated is the role the Hispanic community plays in accelerating economic growth.

The recently released U.S. Latina GDP Report, commissioned by Bank of America, reveals a powerful truth: Latinas are a driving force in the U.S. economy, contributing $1.3 trillion to the GDP in 2021.

In fact, Latina economic output has grown over 50 percent in a decade - far outpacing the growth rate of any other segment. Today, the Latina GDP is larger than the entire economy of Florida, and that of every other state except California, New York and Texas.

This rapid rise reflects the resilience, hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of Latinas across the country. Here in Houston, these statistics are evident in the contributions of Latinabusiness owners who are driving our local economy and revitalizing our community.

Known as one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in America, Houston is bolstered by an ever-growing Latino population. With over 2.8 million Hispanic and Latino residents in 2023, the Houston metropolitan area is home to the fourth-largest Hispanic and Latino population in the nation. Latina entrepreneurs are playing a vital role in shaping our economic landscape. About 25 percent of all Latino-owned businesses in Texas are owned by Latinas. To provide perspective, there are more than 11,000 Latino-owned businesses in Houston that are preserving the heritage of our community while fueling economic growth.

When it comes to college education, the number of Latinas with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased 103 percent between 2010 and 2021, while the number of highly-educated non-Hispanic females increased only 38.3 percent. And despite being just 9.3 percent of the U.S. population, Latinas are responsible for 30.2 percent of the U.S. labor force growth since 2010.

Through this increased educational attainment and powerful entrepreneurial mindset, Latinas continue to build thriving businesses that uplift their local communities, propel economic mobility and create generational wealth. They provide valuable services and act as role models, showing the next generation what is possible with dedication and opportunity.

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and the significant role Latinas play in our nation’s economic growth, we applaud the women who are strengthening our city, local communities and beyond.

These women are not just contributing to the economy; they are giving life to it.

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Elizabeth Romero is the managing director of business banking and Central and Southwest Region executive at Bank of America Houston.

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