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Luxe rideshare service with EV evolution plans expands Houston-area coverage to two suburbs

on a roll

Alto, which plans an imminent evolution into electric vehicles, has expanded its service in the Houston area. Photo courtesy of Alto

Some big news for outside-the-Loop ridesharing users: Luxury rideshare company Alto, which currently operates in Inner Loop and Greater Houston, will expand its current service areas to The Woodlands and Spring.

Woodlands and Spring residents who’ve used Alto in Houston can look forward to the service in December and join a waitlist now. Importantly, new users who register now will receive the first three months of Alto membership completely free. (Be sure to check the site for important details.) Memberships run $12.95 per month, or $119 for annual or family memberships. The company promises unlocked fares that are 30-50 percent lower than usually promoted.

Founded in 2018 and launched in Houston in 2020, Alto elevates basic ridesharing with a fleet of company-owned, clearly branded, 5-star crash rated luxury SUVs. For safety, cloud-based cameras capture both interior and exterior videos of the ride. The company has previously announced its plans to evolve its fleet into being completely electric.

Choosy customers can select their preferred ride “vibe” — meaning an upbeat or chill music choice and even level of conversation with the driver — via the app. Vehicles are appointed with chargers, drinks, and even upscale scents (no smelly trips here).

In effort to create a more consistent customer-service based experience, Alto drivers aren’t contractors or side-hustlers but rather employees who receive benefits. A major benefit: Alto doesn’t put time restrictions on departures, meaning users who are running late don’t have to frantically message the driver.

As those who’ve used Alto are familiar, Alto drivers are professional and personable (without being overbearing) and tend to drive much slower and conservatively — something that should be considered for those behind schedule. Importantly, Alto builds 10 to 15-minute pick up windows to adjust for demand and cleaning between rides.

As for the new area users: consider this a chance to cruise Market Street in The Woodlands or Old Town Spring in regal rideshare style.

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

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Energy sector AI spending is set to soar to $13B, report says

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Get ready for a massive increase in the amount of AI spending by oil and gas companies in the Houston area and around the country.

A new report from professional services firm Deloitte predicts AI will represent 57 percent of IT spending by U.S. oil and gas companies in 2029. That’s up from the estimated share of 23 percent in 2025.

According to the analysis, the amount of AI spending in the oil and gas industry will jump from an estimated $4 billion in 2025 to an estimated $13.4 billion in 2029—an increase of 235 percent.

Almost half of AI spending by U.S. oil and gas companies targets process optimization, according to Deloitte’s analysis of data from market research companies IDC and Gartner. “AI-driven analytics adjust drilling parameters and production rates in real time, improving yield and decision-making,” says the Deloitte report.

Other uses for AI in the oil and gas industry cited by Deloitte include:

  • Integrating infrastructure used by shale producers
  • Monitoring pipelines, drilling platforms, refineries, and other assets
  • Upskilling workers through AI-powered platforms
  • Connecting workers on offshore rigs via high-speed, real-time internet access supplied by satellites
  • Detecting and reporting leaks

The report says a new generation of technology, including AI and real-time analytics, is transforming office and on-site operations at oil and gas companies. The Trump administration’s “focus on AI innovation through supportive policies and investments could further accelerate large-scale adoption and digital transformation,” the report adds.

Chevron and ExxonMobil, the two biggest oil and gas companies based in the Houston area, continue to dive deeper into AI.

Chevron is taking advantage of AI to squeeze more insights from enormous datasets, VentureBeat reported.

“AI is a perfect match for the established, large-scale enterprise with huge datasets—that is exactly the tool we need,” Bill Braun, the company’s now-retired chief information officer, said at a VentureBeat event in May.

Meanwhile, AI enables ExxonMobil to conduct autonomous drilling in the waters off the coast of Guyana. ExxonMobil says its proprietary system improves drilling safety, boosts efficiency, and eliminates repetitive tasks performed by rig workers.

ExxonMobil is also relying on AI to help cut $15 billion in operating costs by 2027.

“There is a concerted effort to make sure that we’re really working hard to apply that new technology … to drive effectiveness and efficiency,” Darren Woods, executive chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, said during a 2024 earnings call.

Houston Innovation Awards winners include Fervo, Eclipse Energy & more

Top Innovators

After weeks of anticipation, the 2025 Houston Innovation Awards winners have been revealed. Finalists, judges, and VIPs from Houston's vibrant innovation community gathered on Nov. 13 at Greentown Labs for the fifth annual event, which is presented by InnovationMap.com.

This year, the Houston Innovation Awards recognized more than 40 finalists, with winners unveiled in 10 categories, including multiple winners from the local energy transition space.

Finalists and winners were determined by our esteemed panel of judges, comprised of 2024 winners who represent various Houston industries, as well as InnovationMap editorial leadership. One winner was determined by the public via an online competition: Startup of the Year.

The program was emceed by Lawson Gow, Head of Houston for Greentown Labs. Sponsors included Houston City College Northwest, Houston Powder Coaters, FLIGHT by Yuengling, and more.

Without further adieu, meet the 2025 Houston Innovation Awards winners:

Minority-founded Business: Mars Materials

Clean chemical manufacturing business Mars Materials is working to convert captured carbon into resources, such as carbon fiber and wastewater treatment chemicals. The company develops and produces its drop-in chemical products in Houston and uses an in-licensed process for the National Renewable Energy Lab to produce acrylonitrile, which is used to produce plastics, synthetic fibers and rubbers. The company reports that it plans to open its first commercial plant in the next 18 months.

Female-founded Business, presented by Houston Powder Coaters: March Biosciences

Houston cell therapy company March Biosciences aims to treat unaddressed challenging cancers, with its MB-105, a CD5-targeted CAR-T cell therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory CD5-positive T-cell lymphoma, currently in Phase 2 clinical trials. The company was founded in 2021 by CEO Sarah Hein, Max Mamonkin and Malcolm Brenner and was born out of the TMC Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics.

Energy Transition Business: Eclipse Energy

Previously known as Gold H2, Eclipse Energy converts end-of-life oil fields into low-cost, sustainable hydrogen sources. It completed its first field trial this summer, which demonstrated subsurface bio-stimulated hydrogen production. According to the company, its technology could yield up to 250 billion kilograms of low-carbon hydrogen.

Health Tech Business: Koda Health

Koda Health has developed an advance care planning platform (ACP) that allows users to document and share their care preferences, goals and advance directives for health systems. The web-based platform guides patients through values-based decisions with interactive tools and generates state-specific, legally compliant documents that integrate seamlessly with electronic health record systems. Last year, the company also added kidney action planning to its suite of services for patients with serious illnesses. In 2025, it announced major partnerships and integrations with Epic, Guidehealth, and others, and raised a $7 million series A.

Deep Tech Business: Persona AI

Persona AI is building modularized humanoid robots that aim to deliver continuous, round-the-clock productivity and skilled labor for "dull, dirty, dangerous, and declining" jobs. The company was founded by Houston entrepreneur Nicolaus Radford, who serves as CEO, along with CTO Jerry Pratt and COO Jide Akinyode. It raised eight figures in pre-seed funding this year and is developing its prototype of a robot-welder for Hyundai's shipbuilding division, which it plans to unveil in 2026.

Scaleup of the Year: Fervo Energy

Houston-based Fervo Energy is working to provide 24/7 carbon-free energy through the development of cost-competitive geothermal power. The company is developing its flagship Cape Station geothermal power project in Utah, which is expected to generate 400 megawatts of clean energy for the grid. The company raised $205.6 million in capital to help finance the project earlier this year and fully contracted the project's capacity with the addition of a major power purchase agreement from Shell.

Incubator/Accelerator of the Year: Greentown Labs

Climatetech incubator Greentown Labs offers its community resources and a network to climate and energy innovation startups looking to grow. The collaborative community offers members state-of-the-art prototyping labs, business resources and access to investors and corporate partners. The co-located incubator was first launched in Boston in 2011 before opening in Houston in 2021.

Startup of the Year (People's Choice): FlowCare

FlowCare is developing a period health platform that integrates smart dispensers, education, and healthcare into one system to make free, high-quality, organic period products more accessible. FlowCare is live at prominent Houston venues, including Discovery Green, Texas Medical Center, The Ion, and, most recently, Space Center Houston, helping make Houston a “period positivity” city.

Mentor of the Year, presented by Houston City College Northwest: Jason Ethier, EnergyTech Nexus

Jason Ethier is the founding partner of EnergyTech Nexus, through which he has mentored numerous startups and Innovation Awards finalists, including Geokiln, Energy AI Solutions, Capwell Services and Corrolytics. He founded Dynamo Micropower in 2011 and served as its president and CEO. He later co-founded Greentown Labs in Massachusetts and helped bring the accelerator to Houston.

2025 Trailblazer Award: Wade Pinder

Wade Pinder, founder of Product Houston, identifies as an "Ecosystem Wayseeker" and is the founder of Product Houston. A former product manager at Blinds.com, he has been deeply engaged in Houston’s startup and innovation scene since 2012. Over the years, he has supported hundreds of founders, product leaders, and community builders across the Houston area. In 2023, he was honored as Mentor of the Year in the Houston Innovation Awards.

SLB partners with renewables company to develop next-gen geothermal systems

geothermal partnership

Houston-based energy technology company SLB and renewable energy company Ormat Technologies have teamed up to fast-track the development and commercialization of advanced geothermal technology.

Their initiative focuses on enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). These systems represent “the next generation of geothermal technology, meant to unlock geothermal energy in regions beyond where conventional geothermal resources exist,” the companies said in a news release.

After co-developing EGS technology, the companies will test it at an existing Ormat facility. Following the pilot project, SLB and Nevada-based Ormat will pursue large-scale EGS commercialization for utilities, data center operators and other customers. Ormat owns, operates, designs, makes and sells geothermal and recovered energy generation (REG) power plants.

“There is an urgent need to meet the growing demand for energy driven by AI and other factors. This requires accelerating the path to clean and reliable energy,” Gavin Rennick, president of new energy at SLB, said in a news release.

Traditional geothermal systems rely on natural hot water or steam reservoirs underground, limiting the use of geothermal technology. EGS projects are designed to create thermal reservoirs in naturally hot rock through which water can circulate, transferring the energy back to the surface for power generation and enabling broader availability of geothermal energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates next-generation geothermal, such as EGS, could provide 90 gigawatts of electricity by 2050.

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