NOV opens applications for unique energy tech startup pilot program in Houston

calling all innovators

The five-month program establishes a significant relationship between the 20 selected startups and NOV, beginning with paid pilot programs. Photo via NOV.com

Houston-based NOV is launching a new growth-stage startup accelerator focused on the upstream oil and gas industry.

NOV, a provider of oil and gas drilling and production operations equipment, has announced its new NOV Supernova Accelerator in collaboration with VentureBuilder, a consulting firm, investor, and accelerator program operator led by a group of Houston innovators.

Applications to the program are open online, and the deadline to apply is July 7. Specifically, NOV is looking for companies working on solutions in data management and analytics, operational efficiency, HSE monitoring, predictive maintenance, and digital twins.

The five-month program establishes a significant relationship between the 20 selected startups and NOV, beginning with paid pilot programs.

"This is not a traditional startup accelerator. This is often a first-client relationship to help disruptive startups refine product-market fit and creatively solve our pressing enterprise problems," reads the program's website.

Selected startups will have direct access to NOV's team and resources. The program will require companies to spend one week per month in person at NOV headquarters in Houston and will provide support surrounding several themes, including go-to-market strategy, pitch practice, and more.

“The NOV Supernova Accelerator offers a strategic approach where the company collaborates with startups in a vendor-client relationship to address specific business needs," says Billy Grandy, general partner of VentureBuilder.vc, in a statement. "Unlike mergers and acquisitions, the venture client model allows corporations like NOV to quickly test and implement new technologies without committing to an acquisition or risking significant investment.”

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With the appointment, NOV Inc.’s board of directors now has of ten directors, nine of whom are independent members. Photo via Getty Images

NOV appoints former energy transition exec to board

new hire

Houston-headquartered NOV Inc. announced the appointment of a former energy transition executive to its board of directors.

Patricia Martinez was named to NOV’s board, and the appointment is effective as of March 6. She was formerly chief energy transition officer of Enerflex Ltd.

“We are delighted to welcome Patricia Martinez to NOV’s board of directors,” Clay Williams, chairman, president, and CEO of NOV, says in a news release. “Patricia brings extensive industry experience to our board, including growing energy businesses in international markets, and more recently guiding and developing projects within the energy transition ranging from CCUS to hydrogen to biogas. Her deep insights into emerging energy opportunities will help shape NOV’s energy transition strategy.”

Martinez, who also serves as a director of Par Pacific Holdings Inc., holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Universidad Argentina de la Empresa and an MBA from Houston Christian University.

With the appointment, NOV Inc.’s board of directors now has of ten directors, nine of whom are independent members.

Katie Mehnert, founder and CEO of Ally Energy, is featured in an NOV-produced film about DEI in the energy transition. Photo via allyenergy.com

Short film focused on Houston entrepreneur, energy transition ecosystem releases online

dirty nasty people

In a new short film, a Houston energy entrepreneur sets the scene for the energy industry and showcases her passion for an equitable transition for the sector.

"Dirty Nasty People" originally premiered May 18 to the Houston community. Now, the NOV-produced film featuring Katie Mehnert and her company Ally Energy is available for viewing online.

The film, directed by Paul Dufilho, tells Mehnert's story, her passion for energy, and her career, which began at Enron, grew at Shell and BP, and took her to founding a company dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the space. Ally Energy, which was founded in 2014 as Pink Petro, is a community and talent platform for the evolving energy industry.

In the movie, Mehnert introduces the dual challenge the industry is facing — and how DEI is integral to solving it.

“On the one hand, we all need energy — affordable, reliable energy — to keep lives going,” she says in the film. “But we are harming the planet. And ourselves.

"It is complicated — this challenge is very complicated," she continues. "But it’s going to take collaboration, and diversity of thought — diversity of energy form. It’s going to take bringing people into the energy industry, into the fold, looking at this challenge in a different way — but it’s all about working together.”

Houston-based NOV Inc., an international oil and gas industry equipment and tech provider, backed the production of the film which was meant to showcase Ally, Mehnert, and the energy transition ecosystem locally.

"The energy workforce of the future will need to be as large and diverse as the technical solutions that will be needed to offset the effects of Climate Change," writes Dufilho on the website. "This project hopes to put a singular human focus on what is one of the largest issues of our day.

"There are already incredible people inside the industry doing the work of developing better energy solutions, and this project highlights just one of them," he continues. "However, the energy problems of the near future will require the perspectives and know-how of those who have not yet seen themselves as part of the solution. The outsider. The consumer. This project is for them."

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Baker Hughes launches major clean energy initiatives with U.S. military and more

clean team

Energy tech company Baker Hughes announced two major clean energy initiatives this month.

The Houston-based company has teamed up with Dallas-based Frontier Infrastructure to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS), power generation and data center operations in the U.S.

Baker Hughes will supply technology for Frontier’s nearly 100,000-acre CCS hub in Wyoming, which will provide open-access CO2 storage for manufacturers and ethanol producers, as well as future Frontier projects. Frontier has already begun drilling activities at the Wyoming site.

“Baker Hughes is committed to delivering innovative solutions that support increasing energy demand, in part driven by the rapid adoption of AI, while ensuring we continue to enable the decarbonization of the industry,” says Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes.

Additionally, Baker Hughes announced this week that it was selected by the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to develop utility-scale geothermal power plants that would power global U.S. military bases.

Baker Hughes was granted an "awardable," or eligible, status through the CDAO's Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, which aims to accelerate "mission-critical technologies," including AI, machine learning and resilient energy technologies. The potential geothermal plants would provide cost-effective electricity, even during a grid outage.

“The ability of geothermal to provide reliable, secure baseload power makes it an ideal addition to America’s energy mix,” Ajit Menon, vice president of geothermal, oilfield services and equipment at Baker Hughes, said in a news release. “Baker Hughes has been a pioneer in this field for more than 40 years and our unique subsurface-to-surface expertise and advanced technology across the geothermal value chain will help the U.S. military unlock this critical domestic energy source, while simultaneously driving economic growth and energy independence.”

4 Houston inventors named to prestigious national organization

Top Honor

Houston is home to four new senior members of the National Academy of Inventors.

To be eligible to be an NAI Senior Member, candidates must be active faculty, scientists and administrators from NAI member institutions that have demonstrated innovation and produced technologies that have “brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society,” according to the NAI. The members have also succeeded in patents, licensing and commercialization, and educating and mentoring.

The University of Houston announced that three professors were selected to join the prestigious NAI list of senior members. UH now has 39 faculty members on the NAI list.

“We congratulate these three esteemed colleagues on being named NAI Senior Members,” Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president for energy and innovation at UH, said in a news release. “This recognition is a testament to their dedication, research excellence and pursuit of real-world impact by knowledge and technologies. Their achievements continue to elevate the University as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.”

UH’s new senior members include:

Birol Dindoruk, the American Association of Drilling Engineers Endowed Professor of Petroleum Engineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Cullen College of Engineering. He is known for his research in carbon capture and storage, fluid-rock interactions and hydrogen storage. He holds three patents.
Megan Robertson, the Neal R. Amundson professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UH’s Cullen College of Engineering. She is developing new polymers and groundbreaking strategies for recycling and reusing plastics. Robertson currently has three patents and two more patent applications pending.
Francisco Robles Hernandez, a professor of mechanical engineering technology at the UH College of Technology. He holds four patents, and several others are under review. His work focuses on carbon materials, including pioneering work with graphene and designs with steel and aluminum used in automotives and railroads.

“Being named a senior member is both an honor and a responsibility, and I appreciate UH for nurturing an environment where creativity and innovation are not just encouraged but expected,” Dindoruk said. “Ultimately, this milestone is not just about past achievements. It is about future opportunities to innovate, collaborate and make a meaningful impact on both industry and society.”

Allison Post, associate director of electrophysiology research and innovations and manager of innovation partnerships at the Texas Heart Institute at Baylor College of Medicine, also made the list. Post was recognized for her work in biomedical engineering and commitment to advancing cardiovascular care through innovations. Post is the youngest member to be inducted this year.

Other notable Texas honorees include Emma Fan from the University of Texas, Arum Han from Texas A&M and Panos Shiakolas at UT Arlington.

In 2024, Edward Ratner, a computer information systems lecturer in the Department of Information Science Technology at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering, and Omid Veiseh, a bioengineer at Rice University and director of the Biotech Launch Pad, were named NAI fellows.

The Senior Member Induction Ceremony will honor the 2025 class at NAI’s Annual Conference June 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia.

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A version of this story first appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.com.

Houston researcher dives into accessibility of public EV charging stations

EV equity

A Rice University professor wants to redraw the map for the placement of electric vehicle charging stations to level the playing field for access to EV power sources.

Xinwu Qian, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice, is leading research to rethink where EV charging stations should be installed so that they’re convenient for all motorists going about their day-to-day activities.

“Charging an electric vehicle isn’t just about plugging it in and waiting — it takes 30 minutes to an hour even with the fastest charger — therefore, it’s an activity layered with social, economic, and practical implications,” Qian says on Rice’s website. “While we’ve made great strides in EV adoption, the invisible barriers to public charging access remain a significant challenge.”

According to Qian’s research, public charging stations are more commonly located near low-income households, as these residents are less likely to afford or enjoy access to at-home charging. However, these stations are often far from where they conduct everyday activities.

The Rice report explains that, in contrast, public charging stations are geographically farther from affluent suburban areas. However, they often fit more seamlessly into these residents' daily schedules. As a result, low-income communities face an opportunity gap, where public charging may exist in theory but is less practical in reality.

A 2024 study led by Qian analyzed data from over 28,000 public EV charging stations and 5.5 million points across 20 U.S. cities.

“The findings were stark: Income, rather than proximity, was the dominant factor in determining who benefits most from public EV infrastructure,” Qian says.

“Wealthier individuals were more likely to find a charging station at places they frequent, and they also had the flexibility to spend time at those places while charging their vehicles,” he adds. “Meanwhile, lower-income communities struggled to integrate public charging into their routines due to a compounded issue of shorter dwell times and less alignment with daily activities.”

To make matters worse, businesses often target high-income people when they install charging stations, Qian’s research revealed.

“It’s a sad reality,” Qian said. “If we don’t address these systemic issues now, we risk deepening the divide between those who can afford EVs and those who can’t.”

A grant from the National Science Foundation backs Qian’s further research into this subject. He says the public and private sectors must collaborate to address the inequity in access to public charging stations for EVs.

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