As Houston continues to stake its claim as the capital of energy transition, local organizations will launch a new showcase event for climate startups this year.
The inaugural Houston Climate and Energy Startup Week will take place Sept. 9-13. The event is a collaboration between Houston-based Halliburton Labs, climate technology accelerator Greentown Labs and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship.
While details on specific events are not yet available, the anchoring events of the week will be the Rice Alliance’s Energy Tech Venture Forum, a currently undisclosed Greentown Labs event, and Halliburton Labs’ Finalist Pitch Day. Some events will be hosted at the Ion, the innovation hub near Greentown Labs in Midtown.
“From our engineering talent and ingenuity to world-leading universities, brilliant entrepreneurs and corporations to capital and physical assets, there’s no better place in the world to lead the clean energy transition than Houston, and that’s exactly what the Energy and Climate Startup Week will show the world,” Timmeko Moore Love, managing director at Greentown Labs Houston, said in a Rice University press release.
No industry partners have been named yet, but the Climate Week organizers are in discussions and expect to share names by the spring, Halliburton Labs Executive Director Scott Gale told the Houston Business Journal via email. Halliburton Labs is a subsidiary of Houston-based Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL), though the parent company’s participation is not confirmed at this time.
“Houston is a natural convening location for [climate venture capital, industry leaders, and startups] to come together as demonstrated by the many successful events happening throughout the year,” Gale told the HBJ. “The week creates a must-attend series of experiences where attendees can see the most innovative and promising companies and technologies and collide with energy and climate enthusiasts to share ideas and connections that will shape the future of energy.”
The event comes as local organizations look to change Houston’s reputation as a city that is unfriendly to climate technology and the energy transition due to its long history with oil and gas. During Greentown Labs’ 2023 Climate Technology Summit, a report produced by the Texas Climate Technology Collective identified investor perception of the city as a top priority that needs to improve.
The pitch days during the Houston Climate and Energy Startup Week are also opportunities to showcase startups to investors, which is another need that Houston climate business leaders have identified. The TCTC report said that while Houston has plenty of family offices with substantial capital, not enough investors are comfortable investing in emerging climate technologies that are under development locally.
“Giving founders a stage and a compelling audience is a key feature of building a thriving startup community,” Gale said. “While several events this week will include pitch events, we also encourage any interested organizations to convene their networks around events big and small, including meet-ups, networking, office hours, etc. We invite investors and companies from various stages of scale.”
The Houston Climate and Startup Week event is set to take place just before Climate Week NYC, an annual event bringing together business, government, nonprofit and other leaders in the climate space. However, the purpose of Climate Week is to shine a light on Houston’s energy transition leadership and to grow its own climate innovation ecosystem, said Jane Stricker, senior vice president of the Greater Houston Partnership and executive director of the GHP's Houston Energy Transition Initiative.
“Climate Week NYC and other similar events each year are great celebrations established over years of collaboration and effort. Each geography and community bring different skills and focus areas that make each distinctive,” Stricker told the HBJ. “[Houston's] event is a beginning point with a focus on growing our energy and climate innovation ecosystem and putting a spotlight on Houston’s leadership in the energy transition, especially energy and climate innovation. Houston is a hub of opportunity, both for startups looking to develop their solution and those looking to scale their technology for the energy transition.”
Houston Climate and Startup Week has a submission form open on its website for those interested in participating, contributing, or learning more about the week’s events.
