Editor's note:Let's roundup the most-read Houston innovation news from the week. Trending Houston tech and startup articles from InnovationMap and its daily newsletter included a Houston innovator's new startup, events not to miss, and more.
Houston innovator bets on humanoid robotics with new startup
Nicolaus Radford, who founded Nauticus Robotics and took it all the way to IPO, shares details of his new company, PersonaAI. Image via LinkedIn
For his next act, Houston entrepreneur Nicolaus Radford has started — in what he describes as an "anti-stealth" capacity — a new company that hopes to bring humanoid robotics out of science fiction novels and into manufacturing floors.
Radford, who saw his last company, Nauticus Robotics, from founding to IPO, left the company in January. He tells InnovationMap that he started receiving some compelling offers at other robotics companies, but none of them felt like a fit. However, he just couldn't get the idea of advancing humanoid robotics out of his head.
"Humanoids are the holy grail of all of robotics," Radford says. "It's what every science fiction writer's always dreamed about.
"It is the future," he continues. "And now with this generative AI moment of 2022 where these machines look a lot more capable, flexible, reprogrammable — they can reason in real time. That's a huge deal." Continue reading.
10+ can't miss Houston business and innovation events for July
Don't miss these July events — from meetups to hackathons. Photo via Getty Images
From networking meetups to expert speaker summits, July is filled with opportunities for Houston innovators.
Here's a roundup of events you won't want to miss out on so mark your calendars and register accordingly. Continue reading.
Houston neurodegenerative company expands research collaboration with Houston Methodist
Coya Therapeutics announced an expanded research collaboration with the Houston Methodist Research Institute, as well as funding from the Johnson Center. Photo via TMC.edu
A clinical-stage Houston biotech company has expanded its collaboration with Houston Methodist Research Institute, or HMRI.
Coya Therapeutics is already sufficiently established to be publicly traded since late 2022, but there’s always room to grow. With the help of a new sponsored research agreement, Coya will work on multiple initiatives. Coya is led by co-founder and CEO Howard Berman, who was inspired by his father’s dementia diagnosis.
"I was interested in what I could do for my dad," Berman said on the Houston Innovators Podcast, explaining that he met with renowned Houston Methodist researcher and neurologist, Dr. Stanley Appel, who showed him that he was not only working on treatments that could help Berman’s now-deceased father, but that he’d been able to stop the progression of ALS. Continue reading.
Why this Houston health care professional jumped in the founder seat to disrupt the industry
Ayoade Joy Ademuyewo founded Lokum last year to create a solution to better connecting medical specialists with health care facilities nationwide. Photo courtesy of Lokum
Ayoade Joy Ademuyewo says that anesthesiology is “the coolest thing in the world.” That’s why she became a certified registered nurse anesthetist.
And that career, which she says is “the perfect blend of science and art,” led to the creation of her startup, Lokum.
Lokum App is a matchmaking engine that aims to connect Ademuyewo’s peers with jobs. She explains that before her innovation, staffing for nurse anesthetists traditionally owed to job boards 30 years older than she was or to recruitment agencies that left them at a disadvantage.
“I didn't want to use that job board because it was sort of difficult to use and I didn't want to use it and a lot of other people felt the same way,” she recalls. Continue reading.
3 Houston innovators to know this week
This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Melanie Johnson of Collaborative for Children, Aditya Mohite of Rice University, Lani Doyle of Cart.com. Photos courtesy
Every week, I introduce you to a handful of Houston innovators to know recently making headlines with news of innovative technology, investment activity, and more. This week's batch includes a nonprofit leader introducing new technologies, a solar tech-focused Rice University professor, and a new hire for a Houston fast-growing startup. Continue reading.