UH tech bridge bound

Houston energy transition company announces move into new facility

At the UH Tech Bridge, Zenith aims to accelerate its research and development of novel gas and liquid filters, according to UH, to help reduce the cost of clean hydrogen. Photo by Natalie Harms

A Houston-area startup that is purifying water and chemicals with a innovative technology has announced its new office on the University of Houston's campus.

Missouri city-based Zenith Purification develops sorbents and polymeric membranes that can be used for carbon dioxide removal, hydrogen and natural gas purification, and water purification. According to the company, its processes are cost effective and offer a more efficient way to remove contaminants from water.

At the UH Tech Bridge, Zenith also aims to accelerate its research and development of novel gas and liquid filters, according to UH, to help reduce the cost of clean hydrogen.

“We are excited to embark on a new journey with the latest addition to our vibrant community, Zenith Purification LLC,” Darayle Canada, program director, startup development operations at UH Technology Bridge, said in a statement. “With their visionary team and cutting-edge technologies, they are poised to make a significant impact in the market. Their membership at the UH Technology Bridge will provide them with a supportive ecosystem, mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities to accelerate their growth.”

Zenith was founded in 2021 by Jian J. Zou in 2021. Zou has been granted three patents for his work in polymeric membrane synthesis and process development, which are the bases of the company. In July, Zenith was awarded its first research grant from the Department of Energy.

The UH Tech Bridge focuses on providing research and development space to UH-affiliated startups and entrepreneurs. The 15-building complex and its 31,000 square feet of incubator space houses more than 20 small companies and startups that provide internship and learning opportunities for UH students, along with several federally funded research centers and institutes.

In August the Tech Bridge announced that it would be partnering up with the UH Texas Gulf Coast Small Business Development Center to launch a new, collaborative program that will help innovators and entrepreneurs develop a pitch or commercialization plan. And in March it received a $2.875 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. to establish The Deck Innovation & Coworking Center.

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A View From HETI

Base Power, founded by Justin Lopas and Zach Dell, has closed one of the largest venture capital deals of the year. Photo courtesy Base Power.

Austin-based startup Base Power, which offers battery-supported energy in the Houston area and other regions, has raised $1 billion in series C funding—making it one of the largest venture capital deals this year in the U.S.

VC firm Addition led the $1 billion round. All of Base Power’s existing major investors also participated, including Trust Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, Thrive Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Altimeter, StepStone Group, 137 Ventures, Terrain, Waybury Capital, and entrepreneur Elad Gil. New investors include Ribbit Capital, Google-backed CapitalG, Spark Capital, Bond, Lowercarbon Capital, Avenir Growth Capital, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Positive Sum and 1789 Capital Management.

Coupled with the new $1 billion round, Base Power has hauled in more than $1.27 billion in funding since it was founded in 2023.

Base Power supplies power to homeowners and the electric grid through a distributed storage network.

“The chance to reinvent our power system comes once in a generation,” Zach Dell, co-founder and CEO of Base Power, said in a news release. “The challenge ahead requires the best engineers and operators to solve it, and we’re scaling the team to make our abundant energy future a reality.”

Zach Dell is the son of Austin billionaire and Houston native Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Round Rock-based Dell Technologies.

In less than two years, Base Power has developed more than 100 megawatt-hours of battery-enabled storage capacity. One megawatt-hour represents one hour of energy use at a rate of one million watts.

Base Power recently expanded its service to the city of Houston. It already was delivering energy to several other communities in the Houston area. To serve the Houston region, the startup has opened an office in Katy.

The startup also serves the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin markets. At some point, Base Power plans to launch a nationwide expansion.

To meet current and future demand, Base Power is building its first energy storage and power electronics factory at the former downtown Austin site of the Austin American-Statesman’s printing presses.

“We’re building domestic manufacturing capacity for fixing the grid,” Justin Lopas, co-founder and chief operating officer of Base Power, added in the release. “The only way to add capacity to the grid is [by] physically deploying hardware, and we need to make that here in the U.S. ... This factory in Austin is our first, and we’re already planning for our second.”

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