Inaugural Houston challenge names winning team with plastics solution

first place

University of Houston students Sarah Grace Kimberly and Emma Nicholas won UH Energy Transition Institute's inaugural Circular Plastics Challenge. Photo via UH.edu

Dozens of Houston college students tackled circular economy challenges, and two came out on top by winning the top award.

University of Houston’s Energy Transition Institute hosted a challenge for students to address the issue of plastic waste and create a real-world circular economy, as over 60 students participated in the inaugural Circular Plastics Challenge.

Six finalist teams presented their solutions at the 2023 Energy Night hosted by the UH Energy Coalition with final pitches ranging from transportation emissions, renewable packaging and sustainable material, drones to limit excess packaging, and more topics aimed to reduce use.

Sarah Grace Kimberly and Emma Nicholas were the challenge winners. The team proposed using a liquid-based membrane filter inserted into household drains to combat microplastics found in common personal care products, such as makeup and hygiene items. The membrane’s function would act as a magnet, which would attract and capture microplastics from wastewater in showers and sinks. Both juniors from the C.T. Bauer College of Business also won the viewer’s choice award from their peers.

“We wanted to provide a simple solution to a growing problem,” Kimberly says in a news release. “Before we did this project, we didn’t know that microplastics existed, let alone in our makeup. I didn’t know I was basically putting plastic on my face every single day and washing it off into our drains. Because it’s an unseen problem, it’s hard to address.”

UH’s ETI is an academic research institute that focuses on advancing environmentally responsible energy efforts.

“If you look at the wide variety of proposals and approaches, you can see the complexity of the problem and all the different things that society must consider to find solutions,” ETI Founding Executive Director Joe Powell says in the release. “I think circularity in plastics and chemicals is as difficult to address as the net-zero issue within the energy sector, if not more. We have a unique opportunity here to tackle both, and it’s really great to see our students thinking ahead.

Other finalists included Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship seniors Nicolas Einarsson, Bennett Mainini, Arianna Chavarria, and Fernanda Ruelas, who secured second place with their renewable packaging company presentation titled “ShipSafe.”

Reverse Logistics — with team members Hasti Seraji, Farzane Ezzati, and Haowei Yang — earned third place for their consumer-driven reverse logistics approach to recycling packaging.

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Investors from Houston and Boston fuel Greentown with $4M commitment

next era

Greentown Labs, a climatetech incubator with locations in the Houston and Boston areas, has announced it has received funding from a mix of investors.

The $4 million in funding came from both of the Houston and Massachusetts locations. Houston investors included Bobby Tudor, CEO of Artemis Energy Partners and chairman of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative; David Baldwin, co-founder of OpenMinds and TEX-E and partner at SCF Partners; and Rice University. Other investors included MassDevelopment and the City of Somerville.

“The challenges of the energy transition are immense, and the role played by technology incubators like Greentown Labs is essential,” Tudor says in a news release. “We believe this role, which is a partnership between academia, industry, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and governments, is the best way to get to effective, scalable solutions in a time frame that the urgency of the challenge requires. We need all hands on deck, and this partnership between Massachusetts and Texas can be a role model for others.”

According to Greentown, the funding will support its financial position and contribute to preparing the incubator for its next chapter of supporting its its leadership team prepare for Greentown’s next chapter supporting and growing its 575 startups.

“Greentown’s mission aligns closely with the Houston Energy Transition Initiative’s goal of accelerating global solutions to address the dual challenge of meeting growing energy demand globally while also significantly reducing CO2 emissions,” adds Steve Kean, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership.

With the announcement of the funding, Greentown named its board members, including Tudor, who will serve as Greentown Labs Board Chair. The other Houston-based board members are:

David Baldwin, co-founder of OpenMinds and TEX-E; partner atSCF Partners
Bob Harvey, former president and CEO of GHP; board member of TEX-E
Jane Stricker, senior vice president of energy transition and executive director of HETI

“With this new funding, Greentown is poised to expand its impact across its existing ecosystems and support even more climatetech startups,” adds Kevin Dutt, interim CEO of Greentown Labs. “We believe in the essential role entrepreneurship will play in the energy transition and we’re grateful for the support of our partners who share in that belief and our collective commitment to commercializing these technologies as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

According to Greentown, the incubator plans to announce its new CEO in the coming months.

2 Houston companies invest in innovative carbon-converting tech from Rice University

freshly funded

A Canadian company based on tech originating out of Rice University closed an equity financing round of up to $20 million thanks to two Houston-based companies.

NewTech Investment Holdings and Westlake Innovations Inc. led Universal Matter's investment round, which the company expand its graphene-based dispersion capacity technology that can be used for servicing customers and prospective customers in its target markets.

“Our continuing interest at NewTech is to seek out and invest in advanced materials companies having high potential to deliver disruptive technologies and environmental benefits within the cleantech sector,” NewTech Investment Holdings Managing Director Guy Hoffman says in a news release. “Universal Matter stands out with its game-changing graphene manufacturing process for producing high quality products that help reduce the carbon footprint in hard- to-abate sectors, such as cement concrete and bitumen asphalt-based applications.

Universal Matter's Flash Joule Heating process technology — originating out of Rice University's James Tour lab by scientist Duy Luong — can upcycle carbon into fully formulated graphene-based products to enhance the performance and sustainability of major industrial materials, per the company's release. Universal Matter developed the complementary product technologies with its Genable graphene-based dispersions that equate to ease-of-use by fabricators in major global markets that include cement/concrete, bitumen asphalt, industrial coatings, automotive tires, and others.

“Graphene is a material with a number of potential performance and sustainability benefits that could apply across a number of Westlake’s ‘Performance & Essential Materials and Housing & Infrastructure Products’ business lines,” Westlake's Senior Vice President and Managing Director John Chao says in the release. “We look forward to working with Universal Matter and its management team as it moves forward on development and commercialization of its flexible technology.”

This year, Universal Matter participated in the Greentown Go Make program put on by Greentown Labs and Shell. During the program, Universal Matter worked with Shell to identify eight potential collaboration areas across upstream carbon feedstocks, downstream end-use applications for the startup’s graphene, and more.

METRO rolls out electric shuttles for downtown Houston commuters

seeing green

The innovative METRO microtransit program will be expanding to the downtown area, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County announced on Monday.

“Microtransit is a proven solution to get more people where they need to go safely and efficiently,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in a statement. “Connected communities are safer communities, and bringing microtransit to Houston builds on my promise for smart, fiscally-sound infrastructure growth.”

The program started in June 2023 when the city’s nonprofit Evolve Houston partnered with the for-profit Ryde company to offer free shuttle service to residents of Second and Third Ward. The shuttles are all-electric and take riders to bus stops, medical buildings, and grocery stores. Essentially, it works as a traditional ride-share service but focuses on multiple passengers in areas where bus access may involve hazards or other obstacles. Riders access the system through the Ride Circuit app.

So far, the microtransit system has made a positive impact in the wards according to METRO. This has led to the current expansion into the downtown area. The system is not designed to replace the standard bus service, but to help riders navigate to it through areas where bus service is more difficult.

“Integrating microtransit into METRO’s public transit system demonstrates a commitment to finding innovative solutions that meet our customers where they are,” said METRO Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock. “This on-demand service provides a flexible, easier way to reach METRO buses and rail lines and will grow ridership by solving the first- and last-mile challenges that have hindered people’s ability to choose METRO.”

The City of Houston approved a renewal of the microtransit program in July, authorizing Evolve Houston to spend $1.3 million on it. Some, like council member Letitia Plummer, have questioned whether microtransit is really the future for METRO as the service cuts lines such as the University Corridor.

However, the microtransit system serves clear and longstanding needs in Houston. Getting to and from bus stops in the city with its long blocks, spread-out communities, and fickle pedestrian ways can be difficult, especially for poor or disabled riders. While the bus and rail work fine for longer distances, shorter ones can be underserved.

Even in places like downtown where stops are plentiful, movement between them can still involve walks of a mile or more, and may not serve for short trips.

“Our microtransit service is a game-changer for connecting people, and we are thrilled to launch it in downtown Houston,” said Evolve executive director Casey Brown. “The all-electric, on-demand service complements METRO’s existing fixed-route systems while offering a new solution for short trips. This launch marks an important milestone for our service, and we look forward to introducing additional zones in the new year — improving access to public transit and local destinations.”

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

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