Houston biotech co. sees unexpected production growth on sustainable oil

milestone met

Thanks to technology advancements, Cemvita is now capable of generating 500 barrels per day of sustainable oil from carbon waste at its first commercial plant. Photo via cemvita.com

Houston-based biotech company Cemvita has achieved a key production goal five years ahead of schedule.

Thanks to technology advancements, Cemvita is now capable of generating 500 barrels per day of sustainable oil from carbon waste at its first commercial plant. As a result, Cemvita has quadrupled output at the Houston plant. The company had planned to reach this milestone in 2029.

Cemvita, founded in 2017, says this achievement paves the way for increased production capacity, improved operational efficiency, and an elevated advantage in the sustainable oil market.

“What’s so amazing about synthetic biology is that humans are just scratching the surface of what’s possible,” says Moji Karimi, co-founder and CEO of Cemvita. “Our focus on the first principles has allowed us to design and create new biotech more cheaply and faster than ever before.”

The production achievement follows Cemvita’s recent breakthrough in development of a solvent-free extraction bioprocess.

In 2023, United Airlines agreed to buy up to one billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel from Cemvita’s first full-scale plant over the course of 20 years.

Cemvita’s investors include the UAV Sustainable Flight Fund, an investment arm of Chicago-based United; Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, an investment arm of Houston-based energy company Occidental Petroleum; and Japanese equipment and machinery manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

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This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

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Houston VC invests in early stage California biodegradable plastics startup

seed funding

Houston-based venture capital firm First Bight Ventures led a $5 million seed round for Encinitas, California-based startup Algenesis, a developer of biodegradable plastics.

Algenesis bills its patented Soleic technology as the world’s first renewable, high-performance, fully biodegradable, and backyard-compostable polyurethane made from plants and algae. Each year, 25 million tons of hard-to-recycle polyurethane are produced for the footwear, medical, and textile industries. Polyurethane, typically made from petroleum, usually ends up as landfill waste or environmental microplastics.

Algenesis says Soleic can biodegrade in compost within a matter of months and does not contain harmful PFAS chemicals found in other plastics.

Algenesis says the new funding will enable it to expand beyond soft-foam applications, such as midsoles and insoles for footwear, and into injection-molded products such as smartphone cases along with waterproof textiles.

Aside from First Bight Ventures, investors in the seed round are Singapore-based Circulate Capital, India-based MIH Capital, Chesapeake, Virginia-based Diamond Sports Group, and France-based Rhinoshield.

The investment comes on the heels of a $5 million grant Algenesis received from the U.S. Department of Energy to scale up production of biochemicals.

“To save our planet and ourselves, we must move away from petroleum-based plastics and toward bio-based alternatives. Algenesis is clearly at the forefront of making this possible,” says Veronica Wu, founder of First Bight Ventures.

First Bight, which launched in 2022, invests in early-stage startups working on synthetic biology.

“First Bight is investing to bring the best and the brightest — and most promising — synthetic biology startups from around the country to Houston,” Wu said last year.

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What to expect from the 2025 Greentown Labs' Climatetech Summit Houston

where to be

Greentown Labs' Climatetech Summit Houston will take place next Tuesday, Nov. 4, bringing together philanthropists, executives and innovators in the energy transition space.

John Arnold, co-founder and co-chair of Arnold Ventures, will participate in the keynote fireside chat with Greentown CEO Georgina Campbell Flatter. The conversation will explore "top priorities and opportunities in energy innovation today—with a special focus on how these dynamics are playing out in Houston," according to Greentown.

Other highlights will include:

Welcome remarks from Houston Mayor John Whitmire
A course led by TEX-E Executive Director Sandy Guitar
A philanthropy panel featuring Greentown Labs new Head of Philanthropy Stacey Harris
The Energy Jobs of the Future, featuring Sameer Bandhu, GE Vernova’s managing director, ventures and licensing
An Energy-transition Roadmap, featuring Monica Krishnan, Hermann Lebit and Bobby Tudor
What is Climatetech? featuring Kyle Judah, Emerson Denka Wangdi, Laureen Meroueh and Head of Greentown Houston Lawson Gow

Five Greentown Labs startups will also present their pitches at the event. Expect to hear from:

MCatalysis Inc. CEO, President, and Founder Michael D. Irwin. Dallas-based MCatalysis develops novel, high-efficiency industrial microwave processes and catalysts to produce low-cost, clean synthetic fuels and chemicals from waste carbon resources.
Pike Robotics CEO and co-founder Connor Crawford. Austin-based Pike Robotics provides next-gen robotic solutions for in-service inspection of floating roof storage tanks.
Helix Earth CEO and co-founder Rawand Rasheed. Houston-based Helix Earth retrofits commercial HVAC systems to improve energy efficiency.
10DQ CEO Steven Reece. Greentown Boston member 10DQ has developed its Redox Loop Battery, which uses novel, water-based electrolytes to store energy in dense, low-cost, earth-abundant battery materials.
Janta Power CEO Mohammed Njie. Dallas-based Janta Power is developing 3D solar towers.

In addition to the startup pitches, attendees will also be able to meet founders and Greentown members during the afternoon startup showcase. A networking reception at Axelrad Houston follows. A separate ticket offers admission to the showcase and networking event only.

See the full agenda here.

California company launches Tesla Megapack battery project in Houston area

power on

Oakland, California-based Nightpeak Energy announced earlier this month that its 150-megawatt battery storage project in Brazoria County, known as Bocanova Power, is now operating to address Houston’s peak capacity needs.

“This battery storage project will enhance grid reliability in the Alvin area while continuing to support integrating renewable energy,” Cary Perrin, president and CEO of the Northern Brazoria County Chamber of Commerce, said in a news release. “I believe we need energy storage now more than ever for its pivotal role in reducing strain on the grid while meeting fast-growing power demand in Texas and Brazoria County."

The project reached commercial operation in August, according to the release. The project utilizes Tesla's Megapack 2 XL battery storage system, and the facility operates under a long-term power purchase agreement with an undisclosed “investment-grade power purchaser.”

“Bocanova Power demonstrates the speed at which Nightpeak Energy is overcoming complex challenges to energize projects that support America's growing need for affordable, reliable, and secure energy,” Paris Hays, co-founder and CEO/CDO of Nightpeak Energy, added in the news release. “Unprecedented AI data center and manufacturing growth has only accelerated the need for these resources.”

Hays added in the release that the company has plans for more energy infrastructure projects in Texas and in the Western U.S.

Nightpeak Energy develops, owns and operates power plants that support the growing capacity needs of a decarbonized grid. It also owns and operates 240 MW of battery storage and natural gas generation facilities.

The company was founded in 2022 and backed by equity funding of up to $200 million from Dallas-based investment firm Energy Spectrum Capital.

Texas ranks low on most energy-efficient states report

by the numbers

Texas has room to improve when it comes to energy efficiency, recent data from WalletHub shows.

The personal finance website ranked Texas at No. 35 on the latest Most & Least Energy-Efficient States list. Texas improved by one spot on the 2025 report, after coming in at No. 36 last year.

The report measured and ranked the efficiency of auto energy and home energy consumption in the 48 U.S. mainland states based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, National Climatic Data Center, U.S. Energy Information Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation – Federal Highway Administration.

Texas earned an overall score of 50.60. It was ranked No. 27 for home energy efficiency and No. 41 for auto efficiency. By comparison, No. 1-ranked Vermont earned a score of 85.30, ranking No. 2 for home energy and No. 6 for out energy.

The top five overall states included:

No. 1 Vermont
No. 2 California
No. 3 Washington
No. 4 New York
No. 5 Massachusetts

South Dakota earned the top rank for home energy efficiency, and Massachusetts earned the top rank for energy efficiency.

“Energy efficiency doesn’t just help save the planet – it also helps save you money by lowering the amount of electricity, gas, oil or other types of energy you need to consume. While there are some steps you can take to become more energy-efficient on your own, living in the right area can give you a big boost," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. "For example, certain states have much better public transportation systems that minimize your need to drive, at least in big cities. Some places also have better-constructed buildings that retain heat better during the winter or stay cooler during the summer.”

According to the report, some progress is being made in increasing energy efficiency across the country. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects 26 percent of electricity generation in 2026 will come from renewables. A number of them are being developed in the Houston area, including recent announcements like the Pleasure Island Power Collective in Port Arthur.

Still, Houston earned an abysmal ranking on WalletHub's greenest cities in the U.S. report earlier this year, coming in at No. 99 out of 100. Read more here.

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