Powered by oil, research universities, cutting-edge medical, and more oil, Houston startups have a particular swagger you won’t find elsewhere
Powered by oil, research universities, cutting-edge medical, and more oil, Houston startups have a particular swagger you won’t find elsewhere. Houston was named after former General Sam Houston, the first President of the Republic of Texas. Much like the man, the city is huge, sprawling, boisterous, contradictory, and somewhat crude at times.
The largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in America, Houston leveraged their port on the Gulf of Mexico into a railroad powerhouse, primarily used to ship cotton, bringing business and settlers. When oil was found in Texas, refineries started in Houston, and now the area is one of the most concentrated oil producing areas in the world.
More Fortune 500 companies call Houston home than any other city except New York. Unlike that city to the northeast, Houston has the nickname “Space City” for all the NASA activity. Perhaps due to the port, Houston claims to be the most diverse city in the U.S. That melting pot energy, and concentration of technical expertise at NASA and several local universities, may explain the booming startup scene.
Here are ten startups in Houston set to lift off sooner rather than later:
1. A-76 Technologies
Those who visit Houston for the first time admit surprise at the heat and humidity. What does that mean beside bad hair? Rust. Everywhere, and on everything. At least until you apply Rust Patrol from A-76 Technologies (Aidant Brands). Since they focus on oil and gas and maritime businesses, Houston is the perfect place for them. Since household items suffer from heat and humidity as well, A-76 went commercial with Rust Patrol.
Co-founders Lauren Thompson Miller and Tim Aramill got started fighting the rust and lubrication fight in 2014. Two funding rounds of $2.5 million each, from Southern Funds Group and Houston Angel Network (among others) came in February 2015 and January 2016.
2. Big Delta Systems
Lithium-ion batteries power modern devices ranging from your fitness tracker to your Tesla. Pushing the batteries too hard makes the news when phones burst into flames. Big Delta Systems, spun out of Rice University in August 2014, is developing key components using a breakthrough manufacturing process to lower Li-on battery cost and dramatically improve performance.
Founders Charudatta Galande, Neelam Singh, and Adrian Yao started with $1 million in seed funding, and added another $1 million in the fall of 2015. No guarantees, of course, but if this works your Li-on powered devices, from smart watch to smart phone to electric car, will become much more usable. Big Delta seems to be on the right track, as shown by winning the Goradia Innovation Prize awarded by the Houston Technology Center in October 2016.
3. Decisio Health
For patients in a hospital, getting the right information really is a matter of life or death. Decisio Health’s Clinical Intelligence Platform was designed for the clinical care team by doctors working in critical care. Decisio’s software watches the stream of clinical information input by doctors and test and monitoring equipment and display those details on a large screen beside the patient’s bed.
Founder Bryan Haardt and five doctors started their work in April 2013, commercializing technology developed at the University of Texas Health Science Cetner of Houston. The UT Horizon Fund started invested in May 2015 with a convertible note. Unlisted investors…