Hardtech-focused accelerator program opens applications for inaugural Houston cohort

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Calling all hardtech innovators in Houston. Photo via Getty Images

As of today, Houston innovators can apply for a new-to-Houston program that supports researchers on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Coinciding with Climate Week NYC Activate opened application period for its 2024 cohort. Applications close October 17.

“Climate Week is a premier showcase for innovation, and the opening of Activate applications couldn’t come at a more aligned time,” Activate Executive Managing Director Aimee Rose says in a news release. “It’s the perfect moment for innovators to connect, plan, and gain momentum when they’re most inspired. We’re poised and ready to support the next wave of brilliant scientists driving real change."

Applications are open across Activate's five programs. The two-year, hardtech-focused program was founded in Berkeley, California, in 2015 and expanded to Boston and New York before launching its virtual program, Activate Anywhere. Activate announced its expansion into Houston earlier this year, naming Jeremy Pitts as Houston managing director.

“Activate’s recruitment process is crucial, as it centers around finding scientists directly interested in solving urgent problems,” Pitts says. “Activate fellows are turning their technical breakthroughs into businesses that can help industries like manufacturing, energy, chemicals, computing, and agriculture, to meet their decarbonization and resiliency goals.”

Activate is looking for local and regional early-stage founders — who have raised less than $2 million in funding — who are working on high-impact technology. Each cohort consists of 10 fellows that join the program for two years. The fellows receive a living stipend, connections from Activate's robust network of mentors, and access to a curriculum specific to the program.

While the program is industry agnostic, Activate Houston is likely going to attract energy transition and climate tech companies like Fervo Energy, a Houston-based geothermal tech company, which went through the program in 2018.

The 2024 cohort, which kicks off with this application period, is the first for Activate's new CEO, Cyrus Wadia, who was named to the executive position on September 18. His leadership takes effect next month.

The DOE has deployed funding for direct air capture, events not to miss, and more things to know this week. Photo via Getty Images

3 things to know this week: 2 energy appointments, DOE doubles down on funding, and more

hou knew?

Editor's note: It's a new week — start it strong with three quick things to know in Houston's energy transition ecosystem. The United States Department of Energy doled out some big money last week, two new energy innovation leaders to know, and an event not to miss this week.

DOE grants millions for carbon capture

A handful of direct air capture projects with ties to Houston just received federal funding. Photo via Getty Images

Last week, there were two different DOE funding stories on EnergyCapital — both about federal funding for direct air capture (DAC) projects.

A subsidiary of Houston-based energy company Occidental snagged a roughly $600 million federal grant to establish a hub south of Corpus Christi that’ll remove carbon emissions from the air. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations grant, awarded to Occidental subsidiary 1PointFive, will go toward building the South Texas Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hub. It’ll be located on about 106,000 leased acres within a Kleberg County site at the iconic King Ranch. The hub will comprise 30 individual DAC projects. Read more.

Around the same time, four carbon capture projects with ties to the Houston area were announced to have collectively received more than $10 million in funding from the DOE. Chevron, Fervo Energy, and more were involved in those grants. Read more.

HOU to know in energy transition

Two recent appointments were announced last week. Photos courtesy

Two Houston organizations looking to advance the energy transition named new leaders last week.

Activate named Jeremy Pitts as the Houston managing director this month. The nonprofit, which announced its new Houston program earlier this year, was founded in Berkeley, California, in 2015 to bridge the gap between the federal and public sectors to deploy capital and resources into the innovators creating transformative products. Pitts will lead the program locally, including working with the inaugural cohort, to be determined later this year for 2024. Read more.

After a months-long search, Greentown Labs named its next leader. Kevin Knobloch, who served as chief of staff of the United States Department of Energy in President Barack Obama’s second term, will be CEO of Greentown Labs, effective September 5. In his role, Knobloch will oversee both Greentown locations in Houston and Somerville, Massachusetts, outside of Boston. Read more.

Upcoming events to put on your radar

Plan the rest of your August accordingly.

This week:

August 22 — The 2nd Annual Renewable Energy Leadership Conference, hosted by Rice Business Executive Education, voices from leading renewable energy companies, the DOE, and capital providers will gather to discuss the impact the IRA has had on Houston and beyond, and what to expect going forward.
August 22-23 — SPE Energy Transition Symposium's goal is to deliver a prominent and dedicated energy transition event by collecting and disseminating the knowledge from industry leaders, technical experts, academicians, practitioners, financial community and ESG leaders, and together through collaboration, advance the conversations, technology and exchanges that will move our industry forward.

Later this month:

August 28-30 — Industrial IMMERSIVE Week attracts the most industrial, energy, and engineering tech professionals making investment, strategy and tactical decisions, or building, scaling and executing pioneering XR/3D/Simulations, digital twin, reality capture, edge /spatial computing, AI/ML, connected workforce & IIoT projects within their enterprise.
August 30-31 — Carbon & ESG Strategies Conference, presented by Hart Energy, will highlight carbon capture and storage projects and technologies onshore and offshore, direct air capture, enhanced oil recovery, responsibly sourced gas, renewable natural gas, federal funding challenges and insurance issues, ESG initiatives, regulatory concerns and much more.

Jeremy Pitts has been named the inaugural Houston managing director for Activate. Photo via LinkedIn

Energy entrepreneur tapped to lead new Houston accelerator

at the helm

An organization that promotes early-stage innovation within the hardtech and energy space has named one of the founding entrepreneurs of Greentown Labs as its local Houston lead.

For Activate Houston, the challenge is to focus on finding and supporting innovators within the energy sector.

"There are so many reasons to be excited about the energy transition and overall innovation ecosystem in Houston — the region's leadership in energy and desire to maintain that leadership through the energy transition, the many corporations leading the charge to be part of that change who are speaking with their actions and not just their words, the incredible access to talent, the region's diversity, the list goes on and on," Pitts tells InnovationMap.

"Houston is second to none when it comes to solving hard problems and is a region that knows how to build things and execute on projects at the scale needed to tackle the energy transition," he continues.

Pitts was one of the founders of Greentown Labs, and served in a leadership role for the organization between 2011 and 2015. He moved to Houston from Ohio to take the position, but has previously worked in the Bayou City's energy sector.

"Jeremy is the ideal inaugural managing director for Houston — having built a startup there, co-founding the Greentown Labs community, and demonstrating a strong track record of thoughtful mentorship," Aimee Rose, executive managing director of Activate, tells InnovationMap. "Jeremy will serve as the primary guide for our Houston fellows, helping them navigate the ups and downs facing first-time technical founders, and create and foster community among them. He will also plug Activate into the ecosystem to serve as a synergistic partner to all the other amazing initiatives across Texas."

The program finds local and regional early-stage founders — who have raised less than $2 million in funding — who are working on high-impact technology. Each cohort consists of 10 fellows that join the program for two years. The fellows receive a living stipend, connections from Activate's robust network of mentors, and access to a curriculum specific to the program.

Applications for the inaugural Houston cohort for 2024 will open September 15 and will close sometime in October.

Since its inception, Activate has supported 104 companies and around 146 entrepreneurs associated with those companies. With the addition of Houston, Activate will be able to back 50 individuals a year.

"As an impact-focused organization that focuses on turning talented scientists and technology leaders into product and business leaders, Activate enters the Houston ecosystem with no ulterior motives other than finding the right partners and being part of a community that enables scientists to solve hard problems and help make the world a better place," Pitts says. "I have a deep appreciation for all that Houston can offer having started and run a startup here previously and having experience in both traditional energy and climate tech."

Those interested in learning more can attend the event or find more information online.

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This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

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Geothermal exec on Houston expansion, commercialization and more

Q&A

Challenges in the energy transition often center around two questions: Where will organizations find the resources? And how will projects be financed?

XGS Energy's next-gen closed-loop geothermal well architecture addresses both issues head-on. The California-based company saw massive growth in the Houston market last year and recently completed a 100-meter field demonstration in central Texas, marking a major milestone for its technology's commercialization and potential for scale.

In an interview with EnergyCapital, Axel-Pierre Bois, XGS's Chief Technology Officer, shares what drew him to the geothermal space, why XGS is expanding in Houston and what the company's plans are for the year ahead.

How does XGS Energy's technology address the biggest challenges in geothermal energy?

XGS Energy is developing a geothermal system that decouples geothermal energy from its traditional dependence on water and geology to deliver affordable, clean energy anywhere there is hot rock.

Historically, geothermal resources have been hard to locate, as conventional systems require the overlap of hot rock, porous and permeable geology, and abundant water to produce energy, limiting their potential to a few select hot spots worldwide. Instead of relying on an underground fracture network that drives the geology and water requirements, the base component of XGS’s system is a single well, in which fluid is pumped to a hot rock resource and then returned to the surface through a tube-in-shell design, creating a sealed, closed loop. This allows XGS to produce geothermal energy anywhere where there is hot rock, unlocking terawatt-scale potential in the U.S. alone.

Geothermal systems have also struggled to secure project financing, as many systems have historically faced high levels of unplanned cost risk due to factors including water loss and production uncertainty. XGS’s sealed, closed-loop system ensures that it can provide reliable, predictable electricity throughout its lifespan. XGS also boosts the cost-competitiveness of its system through our major innovation, a proprietary thermally conductive materials system that is installed downhole around each well, increasing the heat transferred to the closed-loop system by 30-50%.

What has drawn you to a career in the geothermal energy space?

I have been in the subsurface industry for over 30 years, developing technical solutions for companies in the fields of geosciences, underground storage, upstream oil and gas, and geothermal heat harvesting to help improve their overall economic, ethical and environmental footprints. In 2009, I founded Curistec, a technology company providing research, engineering and technical services for geomechanics, wellbore integrity, well abandonment, cement design and cement and rock testing. A few years back, Curistec assisted with the Iceland Deep Drilling Project, helping to develop cement formulations for superhot geothermal well applications to enable drilling in high-temperature environments. As I looked toward the future, it became clear that next-generation geothermal technologies would transform the geothermal energy industry and open new markets worldwide. Curistec had been working closely with the XGS Energy team as technology partners for several years, so joining the team directly to help shape the technology development was an exciting opportunity to help develop and deploy a new system to unlock the full terawatt-scale potential of geothermal energy.

Tell us about the 100-meter field demonstration in central Texas completed in 2024 — what all did you and your team learn from the test?

Our 100-meter field demonstration in central Texas marked a significant step in our progress toward deploying geothermal energy in a commercial setting. With this field operation, we successfully demonstrated our ability to mix, pump and place our thermally conductive materials system at a commercial scale, using off-shelf tools and technologies. This was a significant milestone, taking us from theoretical models and laboratory tests to field-scale operations, proving that our novel geothermal system is operationally viable in real-world well conditions.

The completion of the Texas field demonstration advanced XGS into the new wave of geothermal innovators that are putting real steel in the ground. In 2024, we kicked off construction at our commercial-scale demonstration in California and are excited to share updates in the year ahead.

Last year, XGS Energy leased over 10,000 square feet of office space in Memorial City. How has Houston's business community and opportunities benefitted the company?

Houston, the epicenter of the oil and gas industry, has become a hub of energy innovation, offering attractive incentives for growing companies like XGS. The region’s workforce, which is home to some of the best subsurface engineers and operational talent in the energy sector, was a key factor for XGS when we were planning our operational roadmap. This expertise, paired with proximity to our partners in the field services industries, like cementing and drilling, is both apracticaland tactical advantage for XGS.

We’ve built a strong technical and operational team here at XGS, with experience from the oil and gas industry, utilities and power project developers. XGS is planning for continued growth in the Houston area, leveraging the region’s leading engineering and operational workforce and its intensifying interest in supporting the energy transition.

What are XGS Energy's goals for 2025?

In 2024, the XGS Energy team made significant progress toward our goal of providing clean, round-the-clock energy with our solid-state geothermal system. In 2025, XGS Energy will be focused on deploying its geothermal system at a commercial scale, starting with the completion of our full-scale prototype in California. XGS will also continue accelerating our commercial traction, expanding our already robust and highly differentiated geothermal resource evaluation toolkit, advancing our global project pipeline, and growing our team to strengthen our operational capability and capacity.

Environmentalists say Trump's energy order would subvert Endangered Species Act

In The News

Environmental groups concerned about loss of protections for vanishing animals see one of President Donald Trump’s early executive orders as a method of subverting the Endangered Species Act in the name of fossil fuel extraction and corporate interests.

Trump declared an energy emergency via executive order earlier this week amid a promise to “drill, baby, drill.” One section of the order states that the long-standing Endangered Species Act can’t be allowed to serve as an obstacle to energy development.

That language is a pathway to rolling back protections for everything from tiny birds like the golden-cheeked warbler to enormous marine mammals like the North Atlantic right whale, conservation groups said Wednesday. Some vowed to fight the order in court.

The Endangered Species Act has been a hurdle for the development of fossil fuels in the U.S. for decades, and weakening the act would accelerate the decline and potential extinction of numerous endangered species, including whales and sea turtles, said Gib Brogan, a campaign director with conservation group Oceana.

“This executive order, in a lot of ways, is a gift to the oil and gas industry and is being sold as a way to respond to the emergency declaration by President Trump,” Brogan said. “There is no emergency. The species continue to suffer. And this executive order will only accelerate the decline of endangered species in the United States.”

The Endangered Species Act has existed for more than 50 years and is widely credited by scientists and environmentalists with helping save iconic American species such as the bald eagle from extinction. A key section of the act directs federal agencies to work to conserve endangered and threatened species and use their authorities to protect them.

Trump's order declaring a national energy emergency took direct aim at the authority provided by the Endangered Species Act. It orders federal departments to treat energy production as an emergency, which could help expedite approval of energy projects that might otherwise be held up.

The order also convenes a committee to “identify obstacles to domestic energy infrastructure specifically deriving from implementation of the ESA or the Marine Mammal Protection Act,” another landmark conservation law. It states the committee could consider regulatory reforms, including “species listings,” as part of its work.

The Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment on the executive order. The order defines energy mostly as fossil fuels such as crude oil and and coal and does not include renewable energies such as wind power. It also states that energy production is an emergency because “an affordable and reliable domestic supply of energy is a fundamental requirement for the national and economic security of any nation.”

While environmentalists herald the Endangered Species Act as a landmark law, pro-development and free market interests have long criticized it for holding up the building of energy, infrastructure, housing and other projects. Some, including the influential Heartland Institute, applauded Trump's declaration of an energy emergency this week.

Conservatives have also decried the Endangered Species Act as inefficient. It took the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service years to follow the process of potentially delisting the golden-cheeked warbler, a small songbird that breeds only in the forests of central Texas, said Connor Mighell, an attorney with Texas Public Policy Foundation, a free market research institute.

Trump's executive order could help stop the Endangered Species Act from resulting in drawn-out permitting processes and lengthy litigation, said Brent Bennett, energy policy director for Texas Public Policy Foundation.

“We're hoping that can improve some of the permitting processes and remove some of these barriers,” Bennett said.

But the act is critical to maintaining species threatened with extinction, environmentalists said. They cite whales such as the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers less than 400 and is vulnerable to collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear, as an example of an animal that must be protected under the act. The Rice's whale, which numbers even fewer and is vulnerable to disruption from oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, is another prime example, environmentalists said.

The nation's symbol, the bald eagle, is a perfect example of the importance and effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act, said Andrew Bowman, president of the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife.

“President Trump’s election to office did not come with a mandate to deny Americans a clean and healthy environment or destroy decades of conservation successes that have ensured the survival and recovery of some of America’s most iconic species, including the bald eagle, which was newly named our country’s national bird and is only with us today thanks to the Endangered Species Act," Bowman said.

Texas ranks as No. 2 manufacturing hub in U.S., behind only California

by the numbers

Texas ranks among the country’s biggest hubs for manufacturing, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by Chinese manufacturing components supplier YIJIN Hardware, puts Texas at No. 2 among the states when it comes to manufacturing-hub status. California holds the top spot.

YIJIN crunched data from the U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade Administration, and National Association of Manufacturers to analyze manufacturing activity in each state. The study weighed factors such as number of manufacturing establishments, number of manufacturing employees, total value of manufacturing output, total manufacturing exports and manufacturing’s share of a state’s gross domestic product.

Here are Texas’ figures for those categories:

19,526 manufacturing establishments
847,470 manufacturing employees
Total manufacturing output of $292.6 billion
Total manufacturing exports of $291.9 billion
11.3 percent share of state GDP

According to Texas Economic Development & Tourism, the state’s largest manufacturing sectors include automotive, tech, petroleum, chemicals, and food and beverage.

“The Lone Star State is truly a manufacturing powerhouse,” the state agency says.

In an October speech, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott praised the state’s robust manufacturing industry.

“We are proud that Texas is home to a booming manufacturing sector,” he said. “Thanks to our strong manufacturing sector, ‘Made in Texas’ has never been a bigger brand.”

Houston is a cornerstone of Texas’ manufacturing industry. The region produces more than $75 billion worth of goods each year, according to the Greater Houston Partnership. That makes Houston the second-ranked U.S. metro area for manufacturing GDP. The more than 7,000 manufacturing establishments in the area employ over 223,000 people.

“As one of the most important industrial bases in the world, Houston has access to many global markets thanks to its central location within the U.S. and the Americas,” the partnership says.

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