NOV's Houston accelerator names inaugural cohort to propel digital transformation in energy

building tech

The NOV Supernova Accelerator will work to cultivate relationships between startups and NOV. Photo via Getty Images

Houston-based Venture Builder VC has kicked off its NOV Supernova Accelerator and named its inaugural cohort.

The program, originally announced earlier this year, focuses on accelerating digital transformation solutions for NOV Inc.'s operations in the upstream oil and gas industry. It will support high-potential startups in driving digital transformation within the energy sector, specifically upstream oil and gas, and last five months and culminate in a demo day where founders will present solutions to industry leaders, potential investors, NOV executives, and other stakeholders.

The NOV Supernova Accelerator will work to cultivate relationships between startups and NOV. They will offer specific companies access to NOV’s corporate R&D teams and business units to test their solutions in an effort to potentially develop long-term partnerships.

“The Supernova Accelerator is a reflection of our commitment to fostering forward-thinking technologies that will drive the future of oil and gas,” Diana Grauer, director of R&D of NOV, says in a news release.

The cohort’s focus will be digital transformation challenges that combine with NOV’s vision and include data management and analytics, operational efficiency, HSE (Health, Safety, and Environmental) monitoring, predictive maintenance, and digital twins.

Startups selected for the program include:

AnyLog, an edge data management platform that replaces proprietary edge projects with a plug-and-play solution that services real-time data directly at the source, eliminating cloud costs, data transfer, and latency issues.
Equipt, an AI-powered self-serve platform that maximizes Asset & Field Service performance, and minimizes downtime and profit leakages.
Geolumina's platform is a solution that leverages data analytics to enhance skills, scale insights, and improve efficiency for subsurface companies.
Gophr acts as the "Priceline" of logistics, using AI to provide instant shipping quotes and optimize dispatch for anything from paper clips to rocket ships.
IoT++ simplifies industrial IoT with a secure, AI-enabled ecosystem of plug-and-play edge devices.
Kiana's hardware-agnostic solution secures people, assets, and locations using existing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, UWB, and cameras, helping energy and manufacturing companies reduce risks and enhance operations.
Novity uses AI and physics models to accurately predict machine faults, helping factory operators minimize downtime by knowing the remaining useful life of their machines.
Promecav is redefining crude oil conditioning with patented technology that slashes water use and energy while reducing toxic exposure for safer, cleaner, and more sustainable oil processing.
RaftMind's enterprise AI solution transforms how businesses manage knowledge. Our advanced platform makes it easier to process data and unlock insights from diverse sources.
Spindletop AI uses edge-based machine learning to make each well an autonomous, self-optimizing unit, cutting costs, emissions, and cloud dependence.
Taikun.ai combines generative AI with SCADA data to create virtual industrial engineers, augmenting human teams for pennies an hour.
Telemetry Insight’s platform utilizes high-resolution accelerometer data to simplify oilfield monitoring and optimize marginal wells for U.S. oil and gas producers via actionable insights.
Visual Logging utilizes fiber optic and computer vision technology to deliver real-time monitoring solutions, significantly enhancing data accuracy by providing precise insights into well casing integrity and flow conditions.

“Each startup brings unique solutions to the table, and we are eager to see how these technologies will evolve with NOV’s support and expertise,” Billy Grandy, general partner of Venture Builder VC, says in the release. “This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to nurturing talent and driving innovation within the energy sector.”

Venture Builder VC is a consulting firm, investor, and accelerator program.

“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,” Grandy previously said about the accelerator program.

The two entities will combine resources and efforts to "drive innovation, accelerate growth and empower young companies." Photo via Pexels

2 Houston organizations team up to drive SaaS innovation within energy sector

howdy, partner

Two entities looking to support software-as-a-service innovation have teamed up on a new resource to meet the energy sector corporate clients' growing technology demands.

MOIC Partners, an energy enterprise software sales support solution provider founded earlier this year, and Venture Builder VC, a consulting firm, investor, and accelerator program operator led by a group of Houston innovators, have announced a new partnership. The two entities will combine resources and efforts to "drive innovation, accelerate growth and empower young companies," per a news release from the organizations.

“Throughout our careers, we’ve encountered various approaches to achieving the broader innovation objectives of Venture Builder VC and, in our judgment, this program truly stands out as a model that has the potential to introduce significant innovation to the energy sector in an abbreviated timeframe,” Dave Levitt of MOIC Partners says in the release.

MOIC Partners provides go-to-market products and services, including MOIC Sales Engine, MOIC Pipeline Grader, MOIC Pricing Engine, Virtual Dave, and MOIC Exit Engine.

Venture Builder VC recently partnered with NOV on a custom accelerator for the energy leader.

“We deliver disruptive solutions to enterprise R&D and innovation leaders by targeting growth-stage startups solving their specific problems," Billy Grandy, founder and general partner of Venture Builder VC, says in the release. "While founder-led models excel in driving change, they often struggle with scalability and change management with corporate customers. Our partnership with MOIC Partners provides essential tools to help small and mid-sized SaaS companies overcome these challenges and achieve sustainable growth.”

———

This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

Ad Placement 300x100

Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

ERCOT braces for record-breaking power demand this summer

hot temps, high demand

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages about 90 percent of the state’s power, is waving a warning flag: The ERCOT grid may set a new record for peak demand this summer.

Based on expectations for a hotter summer this year than last year, ERCOT predicts power demand will hit a peak of more than 92.2 gigawatts this summer — enough power for roughly 18.4 million homes.

“Given the potential for extreme heat combined with significant load growth, ERCOT may surpass its current all-time summer peak,” the organization says in its 2026 summertime forecast.

Further taxing the ERCOT grid are power-hungry data centers and cryptocurrency-mining facilities.

Last year’s peak summer demand for ERCOT reached 83.7 megawatts on Aug. 18, and all-time peak demand of 85.5 gigawatts was recorded on Aug. 10, 2023.

Fortunately, ERCOT believes the grid is in good shape to withstand this summer’s heat: It found a 0.09 percent chance of a grid emergency in June and a 0.21 percent chance in July.

More generation of electricity from solar and wind is helping ERCOT meet stepped-up demand prompted by population growth, and the significant power needs of data centers and cryptocurrency-mining facilities.

About 27 million Texas customers depend on power from ERCOT’s grid.

Texas awards $73M for Houston-area grid resilience project

grid funding

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott announced millions in funding for energy resilience projects around this state this week, with one major project set to impact the greater Houston area.

As part of the Texas Energy Fund's Outside of ERCOT Grant Program, the state announced a roughly $73 million agreement with the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative to replace and upgrade more than 9,000 electric poles and improve other equipment in Montgomery, Liberty and Hardin counties. The agreement is the first for the fund's Outside of ERCOT Grant Program, which supports state projects outside of the state's largest grid.

The multibillion-dollar Texas Energy Fund aims to "finance the construction, maintenance, and modernization of electric facilities across Texas." It was approved by voters in 2023. Other programs within the fund include the:

In-ERCOT Generation Loan Program
Completion Bonus Grant Program
Texas Backup Power Package Program

“The Texas Energy Fund delivers real results for Texans and strengthens the electric systems that families, businesses, and communities depend on,” Abbott said in a news release. “This grant to Sam Houston Electric Cooperative will replace thousands of vulnerable utility poles to better withstand severe weather and ensure a more reliable and resilient grid in East Texas.”

The Houston-area project, nicknamed Steel Anchor, is expected to be completed by June 2031. According to the release from the governor's office, the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s territory is one of the most hurricane-prone service areas in the state. The cooperative serves more than 38,000 Texas consumers

“Over the past decade, Sam Houston EC has strategically replaced poles to improve the strength of its electricity distribution system. This grant will boost the Cooperative’s ongoing grid-hardening and resiliency program,” Doug Turk, CEO of the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative, added in the release.

Following the announcement of the Sam Houston funding, Abbott's office also awarded another $200 million from the Outside of ERCOT Grant Program to upgrade approximately 700 miles of power equipment in Northeast Texas. The equipment is operated by Southwestern Electric Power Company, which serves more than 192,000 Texas consumers. The project will include improvements to 200 circuits, replacing aging copper wire with aluminum alloy conductors and replacing existing utility poles.

Additionally, the state announced its seventh Texas Energy Fund loan agreement for a 570 megawatt natural gas power plant in Sherman, Texas. The 20-year loan of up to $411 million is between the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Rayburn Electric Cooperative and is part of the fund's In-ERCOT Generation Loan Program. Rayburn will build the facility near its existing Rayburn Energy Station 1 in the Texoma region. It will connect to the ERCOT North Load Zone.

“When Texas voters overwhelmingly approved the Texas Energy Fund, they gave us a mandate to secure new, reliable power generation for Texas,” PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson added in a release. “The TxEF is delivering on that promise, and Rayburn Electric Cooperative’s new 570 MW power plant is proof. We are ensuring Texas families and businesses have power they can depend on for years to come.”

Solar manufacturer announces massive new facility in Houston area

coming soon

SEG Solar has announced plans to open a new 1.15 million-square-foot solar module facility in Tomball—its third in the Houston area.

The news comes just weeks after the Houston-based solar manufacturer announced its second facility, which will be located in Cypress. It’s expected to open in August.

The latest 4.6-gigawatt facility in Tomball will include an assembly factory and a warehouse. Construction is slated to wrap in March 2027, with commercial panel production planned to begin in May 2027. Once completed, the facility will bring SEG’s annual U.S. module manufacturing capacity to 10.6 gigawatts, according to a news release from the company, one of the largest totals in the country.

The facility will produce heterojunction technology (HJT) modules, which the company says will add to the number of n-type solar panels made in the U.S. HJT modules are known to be more durable and are well suited for hotter climates.

“Designed to support next-generation HJT technology and FEOC-compliant production, the facility ensures reliable, high-efficiency solar solutions,” Raymond Bailey, sales manager at SEG Solar, said in a LinkedIn post. “ Alongside upstream integration in Indonesia and potential U.S. cell manufacturing, we are strengthening supply chain resilience amid evolving trade policies.”

SEG opened its $60 million, 250,000-square-foot facility in Houston in 2024 to house its production workshops, raw material warehouses, administrative offices, finished goods warehouses, and supporting infrastructure. The continued expansion is part of SEG’s long-term goal of becoming one of the largest 100 percent U.S.-owned module manufacturers.

View All Listings

ENERGYCAPITALHTX EMAILS ARE AWESOME