houston-startup
(5)
Solidec
Solidec is a Houston-based climate-tech company spun out of Rice University that builds modular electrolyzers to make essential chemicals - starting with ultra-pure hydrogen peroxide - on-site from just air, water, and electricity. Its porous solid-electrolyte reactor skips the centralized plants, hazardous trucking, and fossil-fuel feedstocks of conventional chemical production, cutting emissions by as much as 90%. Founded in 2023 by Ryan DuChanois, Yang Xia, and Rice professor Haotian Wang, the company raised an oversubscribed $2M pre-seed round and has been backed by Chevron Technology Ventures' Catalyst Program, the Activate Fellowship, and a NASA SBIR award.
Velostics
Velostics is a Houston-based logistics SaaS company building an AI-enabled platform that unifies dock and yard operations. Its software automates 3-way appointment scheduling between shippers, carriers and consignees, digitizes gate check-in, and uses AI voice agents to book, confirm and reschedule loads without manual phone tag. Founded in 2019 by ChaiOne CEO Gaurav Khandelwal, the company helps manufacturers, distributors and 3PLs cut detention, dwell time and freight costs by closing the gap between transportation and distribution.
Applied Carbon
Applied Carbon (formerly Climate Robotics) builds tractor-pulled machines that turn crop residue into biochar in a single pass across the field. The Houston-based startup converts post-harvest plant waste into a stable form of carbon that improves soil health and locks CO2 underground for centuries, selling carbon removal credits to buyers including Microsoft.
Aeromine Technologies, Inc.
Aeromine Technologies builds a motionless, bladeless rooftop wind energy system for commercial and industrial buildings. Its 10-foot units sit along a roof's edge and use vertical airfoils to capture and amplify a building's own airflow, generating electricity silently and without spinning blades. The company says the system can produce up to 50% more energy than a comparable rooftop solar array while using roughly 10% of the roof space, and it is designed to complement, not replace, solar. Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Houston, Aeromine has run pilots with BASF and BMW Group and raised a ~$9M Series A led by Veriten in 2024.
Cheers
Cheers (formerly Thrive+) is a Houston-based alcohol-related health and wellness company built around dihydromyricetin (DHM), a botanical extract studied for supporting the liver and reducing the after-effects of drinking. Founded by Brooks Powell after he encountered DHM research as a Princeton undergraduate, Cheers sells a line of science-backed supplements - Restore, Relief, Hydrate, Protect and Multi - direct-to-consumer, on Amazon, and in tens of thousands of retail locations. The company holds a U.S. patent on its formulation, has served more than a million customers, and frames its mission as helping people enjoy alcohol responsibly while protecting long-term health.