These 7 Houston startups closed millions in funding last month

Venture adventures

Seven Houston startups are beginning October with fresh funding. Photo by Tim Leviston/Getty Images

September was a busy month for several Houston startups. Seven companies closed rounds throughout the month and are now beginning the fourth quarter of 2019 with fresh funds.

InnovationMap has rounded up these seven deals based on previous stories as well as new information. Scroll through to see which Houston startups are catching the eyes — and cashing the checks — of investors.

Galen Data

Houston-based Galen Data is growing its clientbase and just formed two new partnerships with medical device companies. Photo via galendata.com

Texas Halo Fund led a Houston startup's seed round last month. Galen Data, which uses its cloud-based software to connect medical devices, closed a $1 million seed round thanks to the fund's $250,000 investment. Kevin King, one of Texas Halo Fund's managing director, has also been named to the startup's board of directors.

According to the release, the Texas Halo Fund based its decision for the investment "on the large and growing addressable market of connected medical devices, the company's impressive management team, and post revenue status."

Galen Data's emergence comes as the market for internet-connected mobile health apps keeps growing. One forecast envisions the global space for mobile health exceeding $94 billion by 2023.

"We want to be at the forefront of that technology curve," DuPont tells InnovationMap in a previous interview. "We might be six months early, we might be a year early, but it's starting to happen."

Earlier this year, Galen Data formed strategic partnerships with medical device companies. Click here to read more about those.

SurfEllent

Photo via surfellent.com

SurfEllent, an anti-icing coating technology startup founded out of the University of Houston has raised $470,000 in funding. The company won the second place award and a total of $45,000 at the Texas A&M New Ventures competition before receiving an anonymous investment of $350,000 in seed funding. SurfEllent also received two grants: a $50,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant and a $24,999 Small Business Technology Transfer grant.

"Ice is a problem that will exist as long as we live on the earth. It impacts a wide range of things, including aircraft wings and engines, automobiles, buildings and bridges, ships and vessels, and power transmission systems," says SurfEllent Co-Founder Hadi Ghasemi, a Bill D. Cook Associate professor of mechanical engineering at the UH Cullen College of Engineering, says in a news release.

SurfEllent's product can be used in the de-icing of cars and airplane engines.

"The end goal is to improve the quality of human life," Ghasemi says in the release. "This recognition is another proof of the critical need for advanced anti-icing coating technologies and opens opportunities for collaboration with various industries and business partners."

Cemvita Factory

In August, Occidental Petroleum's Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC invested in Houston-based Cemvita Factory, and in September, BHP followed suit. While Cemvita Factory isn't able to disclose how much money its raised through these partnerships, the company confirms it has closed its round of funding.

Cemvita Factory is run by a brother-sister team. Moji and Tara Karimi built the company off of Tara's research into mimicking photosynthesis. The process is able to help reduce energy company's carbon emissions.

"We have an ambitious goal to take one gigaton of CO2 out of the carbon cycle in the next decade and are very excited about being a part of Occidental's journey to become a carbon-neutral company," says Tara, co-founder and chief scientist, in a news release.

The investments will help Cemvita Factory continue to develop its biomimicry technology for oil and gas applications to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions.

Sourcewater

It might not be surprising to discover that the energy capital of the world is a hub for energy startups. Getty Images

Houston-based Sourcewater Inc., which specializes in oilfield water intelligence, closed its series A round at $7.2 million. Bison Technologies, Marubeni Corp., and major energy family offices in Houston, Midland, Dallas, and Oklahoma City contributed to the round. The funds will go toward further developing the company's technology.

"For every barrel of oil produced in the Permian Basin there are more than ten barrels of associated water that are sourced, recycled, transported, and disposed of," says Joshua Adler, founding chief executive of Sourcewater, in a news release. "When America became the world's leading energy producer last year, it also became the world's leading water producer, times ten. Water management is now the majority of upstream energy production cost, and water sourcing, recycling and disposal capacity is the primary constraint on America's energy future."

Read more about the raise here.

SEATz

Houston startup sEATz has created a platform where fans can order just about anything their stadium has from an app. Much like any other ordering app, once the order is placed, a runner will pick up the food and deliver it to the customer for a small fee and a tip.

The startup is now preparing to scale up from seven venues to 10 before the year is over as well as launching a new version of the app thanks to an oversubscribed near $1.3 million seed round led by Houston-based Valedor Partners. Houston-based Starboard Star Venture Capital also contributed to the round. SEATz has plans to launch its Series A round before the new year.

"We're building enterprise-level, scalable in-seat ordering, delivery, and pick-up software. We'll have all the data and validation we need this fall to really start to push that out," says CEO and co-founder Aaron Knape.

Syzygy

Earlier this year, Trevor Best, CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics, walked away from EarthX $100,000 richer. Now, he has an even bigger check to cash. Photo via LinkedIn

Using research that came out of Rice University, Syzygy Plasmonics has developed a hydrogen fuel cell technology that produces a cheaper source of energy that releases fewer carbon emissions.

The company just closed a $5.8 million Series A round led by MIT's The Engine and Houston-based The GOOSE Society of Texas. Evok Innovations, a previous investor in the company, and angel investors from the Creative Destruction Lab also contributed to the round.

"We're starting to solidify relationships and get customers ready," CEO Trevor Best tells InnovationMap.

Topl

Houston-based Topl can track almost anything using its blockchain technology. Getty Images

Houston-based Topl, a blockchain network with applications across industries, closed a 20 percent oversubscribed $700,000 seed round.

"Every investor that is invested now has focused on both the purpose and the profit, and I'm big on that," Kim Raath, president and co-founder of Topl, says.

The team has built six blockchain platforms that operate on the Topl network — two are live now, and four will go live later this year. The platforms are focused on four different areas: agriculture (tracking food products from the farm to the shelves), mining (diamonds, for instance), sustainability and impact (tracking a program to see how it succeeds), and carbon credits and renewables within the energy industry.

Click here to read more about the raise and what it means to Topl's technology.

Houston-based Sourcewater provides energy-water data technology for oil and gas companies. Getty Images

Houston energy services company closes $7.2 million series A round

Money moves

A Houston company has some fresh funds to spark some growth. Sourcewater Inc., which specializes in oilfield water intelligence, has closed its series A round at $7.2 million. Bison Technologies, Marubeni Corp., and major energy family offices in Houston, Midland, Dallas, and Oklahoma City contributed to the round.

Sourcewater's data-driven technology incorporates satellite imagery analytics, government databases, market research, IoT sensors, as well as its own online water marketplace to provide important data to its customers.

"Sourcewater has worked for over five years to become the trusted market intelligence provider at the center of the energy-water nexus," Adler continues.

The funds will go toward further developing the company's technology.

"With this funding we will continue to build the best data science and engineering team in Houston, develop the most timely, complete and accurate data gathering and analysis systems for upstream water and energy markets, and deliver even more value and insight to our customers," Adler says in the release. "Our whole team is grateful that we have been able to earn the trust and respect of so many of the leading companies in our industry, and we are excited to have the resources to serve them even better."

Oklahoma City-based Bison Technologies, which contributed to the round, is among Oklahoma's largest water infrastructure, logistics, and solutions providers.

"Having built the top water midstream, infrastructure and logistics company in Oklahoma, we are well aware of the critical importance of accurate, timely and complete water market data for our business and investment decisions," says CEO North Whipple, in the release. "Sourcewater is without question the innovation leader in the oilfield water data space, and we are excited to support their growth with our strategic capital, expertise and relationships."

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3 Houston incubators and accelerators fueling the growth of local startups

Meet the finalists

It takes a village to launch a business. That's where Houston's network of incubators and accelerators can step in, providing the resources, mentorship and community needed to push a fledgling company forward.

As part of our 2026 Houston Innovation Awards, the Incubator/Accelerator of the Year category honors a local organization that is championing and fueling the growth of Houston startups.

Three incubators and accelerators have been named finalists for the 2026 award. They support startups ranging from hard-tech companies to food and youth concepts.

Read more about these organizations below. The 2026 winners will be announced on InnovationMap.com in mid-November.

Activate

Hard tech incubator Activate supports scientists in "the outset of their entrepreneurial journey." The Houston hub was introduced in 2024, and joins others in Boston, New York, and Berkley, California—where Activate is headquartered. It named its third Houston cohort this summer.

The two-year program graduated its first class of Houston fellows in 2026 and saw its first alumni IPO from Houston-based Fervo Energy, which previously participated in a Berkley cohort. Nationally, it has supported 346 fellows and 276 companies since 2015. Those companies have raised more than $6 billion in follow-on funding, according to Activate. In Houston, it has supported Houston startups like Solidec, FlowCellutions and Orbital Arc. Activate Houston is led by managing director Jeremy Pitts, who co-founded Greentown Labs in Boston. It is based out of the Ion.

Impact Hub Houston

Impact Hub Houston supports early-stage ventures at various stages of development through innovative programs that address pressing societal issues. The nonprofit organization supports social impact startups through mentorship, connections and training opportunities.

There are more than 110 Impact Hubs globally with members spanning 72 countries. Launched in 2018, Impact Hub Houston says its membership tripled by the beginning of 2026. This year brought major milestones for the community, including the launch of its Ideas to Impact Accelerator, which supported 11 founders across the health, education, food systems, civic technology and workforce development sectors. It also received funding from more than 20 international Impact Hubs to develop SYNC, a collaboration platform that 25 Impact Hubs across five continents have committed to pilot. The organization has worked with local startups including Myoviva Health, The Change Lab and INNERVERSE Inc.

MarMo Innovation

Galveston-based business incubator MarMo Innovation is focused on removing barriers to entrepreneurship. It aims to provide affordable space, education, mentorship, market access, connections and real-world opportunities that help entrepreneurs move from idea to launch to sustainable growth. The "industry-agnostic" incubator was founded in 2022 and is led by Executive Director Erica Delgadillo.

This year, the organization moved from primarily serving as a coworking and community space into a more comprehensive entrepreneurial incubator by expanding its MarMo Market, MarMo Market Jr. and Lunch LineUp programs. A major focus for MarMo is food entrepreneurship. It is developing an Incubator Kitchen, which MarMo says will support programs like its Cottage to Commercial Bootcamp and Food Biz 101. The organization also expanded its board this year and says it is diversifying its revenue through memberships, events, markets, equipment and space rentals, sponsorships, grants and new entrepreneurial programming.

Baylor College of Medicine launches VC fund to invest in biotech startups

fresh funding

Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine just unveiled a new venture capital fund that backs early-stage biotech startups—and it’s already made its first investment.

BCM Legacy Fund I, funded by philanthropies, invested an undisclosed amount in Houston biotech startup Nemea Therapeutics. Nemea, a spinout of the Baylor College of Medicine and Germany’s Lead Discovery Center, is developing an oral drug to treat metastatic triple-negative breast cancer that no longer responds to currently available therapies.

This type of aggressive cancer spreads from the breast to other areas of the body, such as the bones, liver, lungs or brain. Roughly 38,000 to 57,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. One study showed about half of patients survive past the one-year mark following diagnosis and about one-third survive two years.

“Baylor College of Medicine’s laboratories produce discoveries with the potential to change patients’ lives, and too many of them stall where academic funding ends and private investment has not yet begun,” Dr. Jakub Tolar, president, CEO and executive dean of the Baylor College of Medicine, said in a press release. “The BCM Legacy Fund fills that gap, giving our scientists a path to advance their discoveries to patients.”

The National Institutes of Health awards more than $36 billion per year for biomedical research in the U.S., Baylor said. But some biomedical discoveries “never leave the starting line because they don’t yet fit the economics of venture capital,” the college said.

“The forefront of a new model”

The BCM Legacy Fund aggregates philanthropic capital from private foundations and donor-advised funds. It then invests in startups so they can move beyond that starting line and into later-stage investment rounds. The Greater Houston Community Foundation is the fund’s philanthropic partner.

“It’s exciting to be on the forefront of a new model for philanthropic capital,” said Houston entrepreneur and investor Burton Hanson, managing partner of the fund.

“Not only do we hope to solve a real problem by advancing these therapies to the patients who need them most, but we also hope this model will inspire others in the city and beyond toward philanthropic creativity and a posture of ‘I sacrifice; we win.’”

The fund expects to invest in about 15 early-stage startups over a five-year span. Baylor declined to divulge the amount of money in the fund and the size of the investment in Nemea.

Nemea’s “world-class chemistry”

Hanson oversees the Baylor fund alongside Chicago investor Steve Lehmann, who led the University of Chicago’s Innovation Fund.

Lehmann said Nemea, the fund’s first portfolio company, “has world-class chemistry, Baylor biology, and patients with no good options. Our job is to fund the experiments that carry it to the next handoff, so that industry and later-stage investors can take it from there.”

Based at Houston’s massive Texas Medical Center, Nemea plans to start clinical trials next year in collaboration with Baylor’s Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center.

Nemea previously received $9 million from the Lead Discovery Center and a $1.6 million grant from Baylor. Last year, the startup said it was seeking $25 million to $30 million in seed and Series A funding.

Debra McCoy of Houston, a former managing director at BlackRock and former partner at Bain & Co., and Paul Thomas, co-founder and CEO of Spring-based benefits manager Luscinia Health, sit on the Baylor fund’s governing board. Dr. Paul Klotman, former president, CEO and executive dean of Baylor, is a senior strategic adviser.

How does the fund find investment targets?

The Baylor Legacy Fund relies on two tools to help unearth early-stage biotech startups:

High-resolution “innovation maps” of research institutions. These maps surface hidden clusters of innovation, identify rising-star researchers and tie pockets of “innovation supply” at Baylor to areas of “innovation demand” in biotech.
AI-enhanced due diligence. AI agents assist with due diligence of early-stage biotech startups. The fund says the platform “distills the frameworks we’ve developed over a decade of teaching and investing into a flexible … diligence environment.”

MD Anderson unveils $3.4B expansion with two new Houston cancer care facilities

major expansion

The cutting edge of cancer-fighting technology and science is getting even sharper after MD Anderson announced last week that it will open two new facilities in the Texas Medical Center within the next five years. Inspiration Tower and Prism will expand MD Anderson’s annual patient load in the TMC to 250,000 annually and will incorporate a variety of new techniques.

The $3.4 billion project will add 2 million square feet to MD Anderson's TMC footprint, bringing its total campus size to 22 million square feet by 2032. Located at the corner of Fannin Street and Holcombe Boulevard, the cancer center says the two new facilities will serve as its new "front door" to the TMC.

“Every detail of these buildings, from the technology to the treatment rooms, was designed around our patients who will receive their care in them and our employees who will work in them. The facilities will serve as a physical representation of hope for the patients and their families who will walk through the doors,” Dr. Jeffrey E. Lee, president ad interim of UT MD Anderson, said in a news release. “Inspiration Tower and Prism are the future of cancer care, and we are grateful for the longstanding support and guidance we’ve received from the UT System Board of Regents to bring these projects to life. These facilities are part of the most impactful capital expansion in UT MD Anderson’s history.”

Prism is especially exciting as it will represent fully half of the linear accelerator treatment in the TMC. Linear accelerator is a radiation treatment that uses magnetically charged fields to deliver targeted external radiation therapy, like shooting cancer with a rail gun. The treatment is safer and has fewer side effects than older radiation treatments.

In addition, Prism will contain 12 MRI machines, four CT scanners, two PET-CT units, 18 radiation vaults and seven radiation simulators. Patient comfort has also been put at a premium with multiple gardens and roof overlooks.

“Every patient we treat deserves an environment that reflects the excellence of the care they receive at UT MD Anderson,” Chris McKee, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at UT MD Anderson, added in the release. “Our new facilities will be innovative, agile, adaptable and beautiful, and they will allow us to care for more patients, more effectively – in an environment that enhances healing and well-being. We are building for our future and for every patient who will be counting on us.”

Prism is slated to open in 2030.

Inspiration Tower will have 25 floors of surgical, diagnostic, and treatment services. At 1.4 million square feet, it’s currently expected to be the largest cancer-specific treatment facility in the United States. The tower will be divided into units for specific types of cancer, making it easy to integrate the advancing research being done all over Houston.

Like Prism, Inspiration Tower is specifically designed to offer comfort and reassurance, with more garden space, terraces, and beautiful scenery to ease patient distress. It is expected to open in 2032.

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