where to be
Houston clean energy events announce keynote speakers from Fervo, Phillips 66
Two Houston energy institutions will host their signature events this September and have named industry leaders as their keynote speakers.
The Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum and Greentown Lab's Climatetech Summit kick off Sept. 16. The events are part of Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week and Houston Energy and Climate Week.
The two-day Energy Tech Venture Forum will bring together climatech startups and professionals from around the world to hear pitches, participate in one-on-one office hours and connect with energy innovators.
Sean Maher, chief economist at Phillips 66, will open the forum with a keynote address on the macroeconomic forces shaping the energy industry. Maher also serves as vice president of investor relations at Phillips 66. He previously launched Third Gear Investments, a Houston-based energy investment firm.
Ira Ehrenpreis, founder and managing partner of DBL Partner, which manages more than $1 billion of capital and invests in companies driving social change, will present the keynote on the second day of the forum, Sept. 17. Ehrenpreis is a board member of Tesla and an investor of SpaceX. He will share insights on commercializing breakthrough technologies and what investors are looking for in today's energy innovations.
Applications for the Energy Tech Venture Forum close July 17. Register for the event here.
Fresh off a landmark IPO, Tim Latimer, co-founder and CEO of Houston-based Fervo Energy, will present the keynote at Greentown's Climatetech Summit. Latimer was recently named one of Fast Company's 2026 Visionaries of the Year.
He will be joined by Houston-based SCF Partners' David Baldwin, who will moderate the discussion. The conversation will focus on the timing of Fervo's IPO, what Latimer would have done differently at the early stages of the business, and why the company chose Houston as its headquarters.
The Climatetech Summit will bring together philanthropists, executives and innovators in the energy transition space. Greentown member startups will also present their pitches at the event. Learn more and secure tickets here.