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40+ teams to pitch at annual CERAWeek clean energy competition

energy venture day

Houston-based HEXASpec took home the top TEX-E prize and $25,000 at last year's Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition. Photo courtesy TEX-E.

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI), the Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy (TEX-E) and the Ion have named the 30-plus energy ventures and teams that will pitch at the 2026 Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during CERAWeek this month.

The selected ventures are "driving efficiency and advancements toward the energy transition," according to the Rice Alliance. Each will each present a 3.5-minute pitch before a network of investors and industry partners during CERAWeek's Agora program on Wednesday, March 25, from noon-5:30 p.m.

The competition is divided up into the TEX-E university track, in which Texas student-led energy startups compete for $50,000 in cash prizes, and the industry ventures track.

Teams competing in the TEX-E Prize track include:

  • GOES
  • Quantum Power System
  • Quas
  • Resonant Thermal Systems
  • Srijan

The industry track is subdivided into three additional tracks, spanning materials to clean energy and will feature 37 companies. A group of expert judges will name the top three companies from each industry track. The winner of the CERAWeek competition will also have the chance to advance and compete for the $1 million investment prize at the Startup World Cup in November 2026.

Teams come from around the world, including several Houston-based ventures, such as Agellus Tank Robotics, Capwell Services and Corrolytics.

The full list of companies pitching at CERAWeek includes:

  • Agellus Tank Robotics
  • Airovation Technologies
  • Anax Power
  • Armeta
  • ATS Energy
  • Capwell Services
  • CarbonLume
  • Cogniprise
  • Corrolytics
  • Daphne Technology
  • Gemini Energy
  • Grid8
  • H Quest Vanguard
  • intcom
  • Ionada Canada
  • Junipix
  • Kunin Technologies
  • LAVA Power
  • Licube
  • LNK Energies
  • Maverick X
  • Membravo
  • Mirico
  • Mocean Energy
  • Monitorai
  • OCOchem
  • Oleo
  • Pix Force
  • PolyJoule
  • Power to Hydrogen
  • Sotaog
  • Spotlight
  • Tierra Climate
  • Verdagy
  • Via Separations
  • Vycarb
  • ZettaJoule

Those not attending CERAWeek can catch these companies and more than a dozen others at a pitch preview at the Ion. The free Pitch Preview will be held Tuesday, March 24, from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Click here to register.

Additional companies pitching during the free preview include:

  • Ammobia
  • Arolytics
  • Ayrton Energy
  • ChainWeave
  • Cybereum
  • Energytech
  • ENP Technologies
  • KP Labs
  • Mcatalysis
  • Mitico
  • Mote
  • Nanos
  • New Horizon Oil and Gas
  • Predyct
  • Salem Robotics
  • Toluai

Two Rice University student teams took home top prizes during last year's TEX-E competition, while ventures from New Jersey, Wyoming and Virgina won in their respective industry tracks. See the full list of last year's winners here.

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TEX-E, a Houston-based energy transition nonprofit, has named Sandy Guitar as its executive director. Photo courtesy TEX-E.

TEX-E names Houston VC leader as new executive director

new hire

The Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship (TEX-E) has named Houston venture capital and innovation leader Sandy Guitar as its new executive director.

Guitar succeeds David Pruner, who will move into the board chair role.

Guitar previously served as general partner and managing director at Houston-based VC firm HX Venture Fund and is co-founder of Weathergage Capital. She also sits on the advisory board of Rice University's Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie) and launched the Women Investing in VC in Houston group.

In a LinkedIn post, Guitar shared that she's looking forward to bringing her problem-solving skills to the energy transition.

"Innovating in the energy sector is as significant and intricate a problem as I have ever worked on — one that demands creativity, collaboration, and resourcefulness at every turn," she shared.

"I'm honored to join TEX-E at such a pivotal time in the energy transition," she added in a news release. "Energy and climate innovation is accelerating at the intersection of brilliant minds and bold ideas. I'm excited to help TEX-E amplify that collision between students who think differently and the real-world problems that demand fresh solutions."

According to TEX-E, Guitar will continue to lead the organization's programming that aims to connect student climate entrepreneurs with "industry reality."

"Sandy understands the complexities of the Texas energy ecosystem and brings a forward-looking vision for how related innovation can drive meaningful, lasting impact. She's exactly the leader we need to take TEX-E to the next level and help create the next generation of energy transition innovators," David Baldwin, TEX-E board member, added in the release.

TEX-E was founded in 2022 through partnerships with MIT Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship and Greentown Labs. It works with university students from six schools: Rice University, University of Houston, Prairie View A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University and MIT.

It's known for its student track within the Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition at CERAWeek, which awarded $25,000 to HEXASpec, a Rice University-led team, at the 2025 event. It also hosted its inaugural TEX-E Conference, centered on the theme of Energy & Entrepreneurship: Navigating the Future of Climate Tech, earlier this year.

Gold H2 has completed a successful field test. Photo courtesy of Gold H2

Houston's Gold H2 harvests clean hydrogen and more energy news to know

Trending Topics

Editor's note: There have been exciting developments in the energy transition sector this month, from Gold H2's successful field trial to a Houston leader becoming the first woman to win an international award. Below are the five biggest EnergyCapitalHTX stories from July 1-15, 2025:

Gold H2 harvests clean hydrogen from depleted California reservoirs in first field trial

Houston biotech company Gold H2's proprietary biotechnology has generated hydrogen from depleted oil reservoirs in a California field trial. Photo courtesy Gold H2.

Houston climatech company Gold H2 completed its first field trial that demonstrates subsurface bio-stimulated hydrogen production, which leverages microbiology and existing infrastructure to produce clean hydrogen. The project represented the first-of-its-kind application of Gold H2’s proprietary biotechnology, which generates hydrogen from depleted oil reservoirs, eliminating the need for new drilling, electrolysis or energy-intensive surface facilities. Continue reading.

Greentown Labs adds 6 Texas clean energy startups to Houston incubator

Six companies have joined Greentown Houston, focused on long-duration energy storage systems, 3D solar towers and more. Photo courtesy Greentown Labs.

Greentown Labs announced the six startups to join its Houston community in Q2 of 2025. The companies are among a group of 13 that joined the climatetech incubator, which is co-located in Houston and Boston, in the same time period. The companies that joined the Houston-based lab specialize in a number of clean energy applications, from long-duration energy storage systems to 3D solar towers.Continue reading.

Rice University spinout lands $500K NSF grant to boost chip sustainability

HEXAspec, founded by Tianshu Zhai and Chen-Yang Lin, has been awarded an NSF Partnership for Innovation grant. Photo courtesy of Rice

HEXAspec, a spinout from Rice University's Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, was recently awarded a $500,000 National Science Foundation Partnership for Innovation grant. The team says it will use the funding to continue enhancing semiconductor chips’ thermal conductivity to boost computing power. HEXAspec has developed breakthrough inorganic fillers that allow graphic processing units (GPUs) to use less water and electricity and generate less heat. The technology has major implications for the future of computing with AI sustainably. Continue reading.

Oxy's Vicki Hollub becomes first woman to win prestigious energy award

Oxy CEO Vicki Hollub (center) is the first woman to win WPC Energy's Dewhurst Award. Photo via 1pointfive.com

Vicki Hollub, president and CEO of Houston-based Occidental (Oxy), has become the first woman to win WPC Energy’s prestigious Dewhurst Award. Hollub is the thirteenth recipient of the award, which is considered the highest honor from WPC Energy, a global, non-advocacy, non-political nonprofit organization that promotes the sustainable management of energy and energy products. She is just the fourth U.S. winner since the award launched in 1991. Continue reading.

10+ must-attend Houston energy transition events happening in Q3 2025

Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week returns in September. Photo via GHP

Q3 is here, and with it, a full slate of must-attend events for Houston energy professionals. On the agenda are casual mixers, exciting showcases, week-long happenings, and more. Mark your calendars for these top Houston energy transition events coming up from July to September 2025, and begin registering today. Continue reading.

HEXASpec was founded by Rice Ph.D. candidates Tianshu Zhai and Chen-Yang Lin, who are a part of Lilie’s 2024 Innovation Fellows program. Photo courtesy of Rice

3 Houston sustainability startups score prizes at Rice University pitch competition

seeing green

A group of Rice University student-founded companies shared $100,000 of cash prizes at an annual startup competition — and three of those winning companies are focused on sustainable solutions.

Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge, hosted by Rice earlier this month, named its winners for 2024. HEXASpec, a company that's created a new material to improve heat management for the semiconductor industry, won the top prize and $50,000 cash.

Founded by Rice Ph.D. candidates Tianshu Zhai and Chen-Yang Lin, who are a part of Lilie’s 2024 Innovation Fellows program, HEXASpec is improving efficiency and sustainability within the semiconductor industry, which usually consumes millions of gallons of water used to cool data centers. According to Rice's news release, HEXASpec's "next-generation chip packaging offer 20 times higher thermal conductivity and improved protection performance, cooling the chips faster and reducing the operational surface temperature."

A few other sustainability-focused startups won prizes, too. CoFlux Purification, a company that has a technology that breaks down PFAS using a novel absorbent for chemical-free water, won second place and $25,000, as well as the Audience Choice Award, which came with an additional $2,000.

Solidec, a company that's working on a platform to produce chemicals from captured carbon, and HEXASpec won Outstanding Achievement in Climate Solutions Prizes, which came with $1,000.

The NRLC, open to Rice students, is Lilie's hallmark event. Last year's winner was fashion tech startup, Goldie.

“We are the home of everything entrepreneurship, innovation and research commercialization for the entire Rice student, faculty and alumni communities,” Kyle Judah, executive director at Lilie, says in a news release. “We’re a place for you to immerse yourself in a problem you care about, to experiment, to try and fail and keep trying and trying and trying again amongst a community of fellow rebels, coloring outside the lines of convention."

This year, the competition started with 100 student venture teams before being whittled down to the final five at the championship. The program is supported by Lilie’s mentor team, Frank Liu and the Liu Family Foundation, Rice Business, Rice’s Office of Innovation, and other donors

“The heart and soul of what we’re doing to really take it to the next level with entrepreneurship here at Rice is this fantastic team,” Peter Rodriguez, dean of Rice Business, adds. “And they’re doing an outstanding job every year, reaching further, bringing in more students. My understanding is we had more than 100 teams submit applications. It’s an extraordinarily high number. It tells you a lot about what we have at Rice and what this team has been cooking and making happen here at Rice for a long, long time.”

———

This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

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Houston PE firm makes latest nuclear industry acquisition

nuclear deal

Houston-based private equity firm Pelican Energy Partners has acquired California-based Veridiam for an undisclosed amount in an effort to further increase the firm’s focus on the nuclear energy sector.

Veridiam is a strategic manufacturer that specializes in the precision fabrication of components and assemblies made from exotic metals or advanced alloys for the nuclear, aerospace, defense, space and medical fields.

Following the acquisition, Veridiam will continue to operate under its existing name and will led by its current management team, including CEO Brian Joyal.

“Joining the Pelican platform accelerates our strategic trajectory," Joyal said in a news release. "With Pelican's support, we will accelerate the modernization and expansion of our manufacturing capabilities to meet unprecedented demand across the nuclear, aerospace, defense, and medical sectors. This partnership also enables us to expand our portfolio of mission-critical products and engineered solutions while maintaining the uncompromising quality, precision, and reliability standards that have defined Veridiam for more than 60 years."

Since 2011, Pelican has raised over $1 billion in committed capital and has realized over 15 investments. Currently, Pelican is investing from its fourth fund, which aims to support and advance companies that provide critical services and products to the nuclear power industry.

In 2024, Pelican raised a $450 million fund to invest in nuclear energy services and equipment companies.

The Veridiam deal comes after Pelican has completed several nuclear acquisitions. The PE firm acquired New Hampshire-based Environmental Alternatives Inc., which provides nuclear decontamination services, in April; it acquired Georgia-based WSI Welding Solution in December, which services the nuclear sector.

"Veridiam sits at the center of our investment thesis and reflects the kind of deal Pelican does best," Mike Scott, managing partner and founder of Pelican Energy Partners, added in the news release. "With the right capital and operating support, we see a clear opportunity to strengthen the business, invest in its capabilities, and create long-term value for customers and shareholders."

How Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America is advancing the hydrogen economy

The View from HETI

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America (MHIA), a steering-level member company of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, is leveraging engineering expertise and global capabilities to develop and deploy technologies that will decarbonize existing infrastructure and build the hydrogen economy of the future. The company’s recent investment in Koloma, a Colorado-based geologic hydrogen exploration startup, demonstrates its commitment to breakthrough innovations that can transform how the world produces and uses clean energy.

Traditional hydrogen production methods, whether from natural gas with carbon capture or from electrolysis using renewable electricity, require significant energy inputs and infrastructure investments. Geologic hydrogen represents a potentially transformative alternative: naturally occurring hydrogen deposits that can be extracted from underground reservoirs.

Koloma is pioneering the exploration and commercialization of geologic hydrogen using proprietary technology, unique data sets, and specialized expertise to identify and develop these resources globally. If successful at scale, geologic hydrogen could provide clean, affordable hydrogen without the energy penalty of production.

MHIA’s investment in Koloma joins a syndicate of strategic partners committed to accelerating hydrogen development:

  • Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Bill Gates’ climate investment fund focused on breakthrough technologies
  • Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund: Supporting technologies that enable Amazon’s path to net zero
  • United Airlines’ Sustainable Flight Fund: Investing in solutions for aviation decarbonization

This partnership brings together technology innovation, capital, and potential customers to create the ecosystem needed to move from exploration to commercial deployment.

MHIA’s investment in geologic hydrogen is part of the company’s broader strategy to develop the complete hydrogen value chain:

Production: Beyond geologic hydrogen, MHIA is advancing technologies for hydrogen production from diverse sources, including natural gas with carbon capture and renewable-powered electrolysis.

Infrastructure: The company is developing the compression, storage, and transportation systems needed to move hydrogen from production sites to end users.

End-Use Applications: MHIA’s expertise spans power generation, industrial processes, and transportation applications that can utilize hydrogen as a clean fuel.

Integration: The company is working to integrate hydrogen systems with existing infrastructure, enabling decarbonization without requiring complete infrastructure replacement.

While new technologies like geologic hydrogen offer exciting possibilities, MHIA recognizes that much of the world’s energy infrastructure will continue operating for decades. The company is also investing in technologies that decarbonize existing systems:

  • MHIA is developing and deploying carbon capture systems that can be retrofitted to existing power plants and industrial facilities, allowing them to continue operating while dramatically reducing emissions.
  • The company’s gas turbine technologies can operate on blends of natural gas and hydrogen, enabling progressive decarbonization as hydrogen availability increases.
  • Through advanced controls, materials, and designs, MHIA is improving the efficiency of existing infrastructure—reducing fuel consumption and emissions without requiring replacement.

MHIA’s approach to the energy transition is guided by a clear mission: develop innovative technologies that help achieve a decarbonized society while maintaining energy security and affordability. This mission recognizes several important realities:

Energy Access Matters: Billions of people still lack access to reliable, affordable energy. Solutions must scale globally and work across diverse economic contexts.

Existing Infrastructure Represents Enormous Investment: The world has trillions of dollars invested in energy infrastructure. Solutions that work with this infrastructure can deploy faster than those requiring complete replacement.

Multiple Pathways Are Needed: No single technology will solve the climate challenge. Success requires parallel development of multiple solutions—hydrogen, carbon capture, renewables, nuclear, efficiency, and others.

Speed Matters: Climate change is a time-sensitive challenge. Technologies that can deploy at scale in the 2020s and 2030s matter more than perfect solutions that might be available in the 2040s or 2050s.

From Technology to Impact

MHIA’s investment in Koloma reflects the company’s belief that breakthrough technologies require patient capital, technical expertise, and strategic partnerships to move from concept to commercial reality. Geologic hydrogen has the potential to provide clean, affordable hydrogen at scale—but only if exploration techniques are validated, production methods are proven, and commercial models are demonstrated.

By investing early and providing both capital and technical support, MHIA is helping to accelerate this timeline. If Koloma succeeds, the impact could extend far beyond a single project and could unlock a vast new resource for the global energy transition.

The energy transition requires engineering excellence, patient capital, and willingness to back breakthrough innovations before they’re fully proven. Through HETI member companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Houston is demonstrating the leadership, technical capabilities, and strategic vision needed to build a hydrogen economy that can help decarbonize the world’s energy system.

———

This article originally appeared on the Greater Houston Partnership's Houston Energy Transition Initiative blog. Learn more about MHIA’s energy transition initiatives at MHI Group Sustainability and read the full analysis here.

Energy expert: Houston welcomed the world — can Texas power what's next?

guest column

For a few weeks this summer, Houston welcomed the world.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 showcased our city's ability to host one of the largest international events on the planet. Millions watched from around the globe while hundreds of thousands of visitors experienced firsthand what Houston has become: a world-class destination for business, culture and global events.

But once the final match is played and the visitors return home, a more important question remains: Can Texas build the energy infrastructure needed to power what comes next?

The World Cup wasn't the finish line. It was a glimpse into the future.

That future is being shaped not only by population growth, but also by artificial intelligence, hyperscale data centers, advanced manufacturing, electrification, LNG expansion and continued industrial investment. Together, these forces are creating an unprecedented demand for electricity and placing new expectations on the infrastructure that supports it.

Energy Has Become Economic Infrastructure

For decades, economic development centered around highways, ports, airports and workforce.

Today, another asset has moved to the top of that list: energy infrastructure.

Reliable electricity is no longer simply a utility service. It has become a competitive advantage.

Companies evaluating where to build the next AI campus, manufacturing facility or industrial complex are increasingly asking different questions. How quickly can power be delivered? Is there enough transmission capacity? Can substations support future expansion? Is water infrastructure available? What is the long-term reliability of the local grid?

These questions are becoming just as important as tax incentives and available real estate.

Recent comments from Governor Greg Abbott that future AI developments should provide their own power generation and water illustrate just how dramatically the conversation has evolved. The challenge is no longer limited to meeting today's demand. It is preparing for a future where entirely new industries require unprecedented amounts of electricity while ensuring existing homes and businesses continue to receive reliable, affordable service.

The Next Energy Race Has Already Begun

Texas remains the nation's energy leader, producing more electricity than any other state while continuing to expand natural gas, wind, solar and emerging technologies.

But leadership in the next decade will be measured differently.

Success will depend on how quickly we can expand transmission infrastructure, modernize distribution systems, accelerate interconnection, strengthen grid resilience and support new generation where economic growth is occurring.

The conversation has shifted from producing more electricity to delivering it smarter.

That requires planning years before demand arrives.

Houston Is the Proving Ground

Houston sits at the center of this transformation.

Already recognized as the Energy Capital of the World, the region continues attracting major employers, global headquarters, industrial expansion and technology investment. The Port of Houston continues to grow. Advanced manufacturing is expanding. AI companies are evaluating Texas alongside other national markets.

Every one of these investments depends on reliable infrastructure.

While the World Cup demonstrated Houston's ability to manage a temporary surge of visitors, the more significant challenge lies ahead. Permanent economic growth creates sustained electricity demand that cannot be addressed with temporary solutions.

Meeting that demand will require coordinated investment across generation, transmission, distribution, storage and increasingly, digital technologies capable of forecasting and managing electricity in real time.

Smarter Infrastructure for a Smarter Grid

The future electric grid will look very different from the one that built modern Texas.

Artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, advanced sensors and distributed energy resources will allow operators to anticipate demand, identify equipment failures before they occur and optimize energy delivery across increasingly complex networks.

Infrastructure is no longer simply about building more. It is about building smarter.

At the same time, resilience must remain central to every investment. Texans understand better than most that hurricanes, flooding, winter storms and prolonged heat waves are no longer rare events. Modern infrastructure must not only support growth but also withstand increasingly volatile weather.

Building Beyond the Headlines

The World Cup generated headlines because of what happened on the field.

Its lasting legacy may be what it revealed about the city beyond the stadium.

Houston demonstrated that it can host the world. The next challenge is ensuring it can continue to power one of the fastest-growing economies in North America.

That will require continued investment, thoughtful policy and long-term planning that recognizes energy infrastructure as essential economic infrastructure.

Texas has spent decades leading the world in energy production.

The next opportunity is even greater.

To become the global leader in how energy systems are planned, built and operated for a future defined by artificial intelligence, industrial growth and rapidly evolving consumer demand.

Because the cities that lead tomorrow won't simply generate the most energy.

They'll be the ones best prepared to deliver it where opportunity is growing.

———

Sam Luna is director at BKV Energy, where he oversees brand and go-to-market strategy, customer experience, marketing execution, and more.

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