In its second year, Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week once again proved the strength of Houston’s energy ecosystem and its global significance. Over five days, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and energy leaders gathered from across the world to connect, collaborate, and showcase solutions that will help meet growing energy demand while reducing emissions. 

The week was launched as a unified initiative by Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Halliburton Labs, Greentown Labs, Activate, Digital Wildcatters, and the Houston Energy Transition Initiative with a shared vision: to create a platform that highlights Houston’s role in the future of energy. The goal is to showcase how Houston can meet the world’s growing energy needs while accelerating climate solutions through innovation, entrepreneurship, and cross-sector collaboration.

This year’s event kicked off with a moving tribute to Scott Gale, whose leadership and dedication helped lay the foundation for this growing movement. His passion for building an inclusive, forward-looking energy ecosystem continues to inspire the work being done today.

Throughout the week, attendees experienced a variety of anchor events that reflected the breadth of Houston’s energy innovation. Over 30 events took place from September 15 to 19, featuring more than 145 speakers and showcasing over 289 startups, with an overall attendance of over 3,900 global attendees.  

Anchor events created dynamic opportunities to learn, connect, and spark innovation.

• New Climate Ventures set the stage with Powering the Future: The Grid, Load Growth, and Data Centers, a timely discussion on grid resilience and modernization amid surging demand from AI and data centers. Four leaders in the field explored advanced transmission, storage, and distributed energy solutions, offering insight into how infrastructure must adapt to meet these challenges.
• Activate introduced its 2025 Houston cohort, spotlighting startups advancing breakthrough technologies with the potential to reshape the energy and climate landscape.
• Greentown Labs brought a global perspective with From Local to Global: Helping Climatetech Startups Succeed Internationally. The panel highlighted lessons from an Australian climatetech startup’s U.S. expansion, a startup incubator supporting Nordic ventures, governmental insights from an Australian representative, and flash pitches from entrepreneurs in Norway, Australia, and Houston. The event underscored Houston’s growing role as a global hub for climate solutions and a key destination for venture capital investment.
• The Ion District Open House invited the community into Houston’s innovation hub, offering a passport to explore its five floors of collaborative spaces, showrooms, suites, and interactive experiences. It was a powerful showcase of how the Ion continues to serve as Houston’s headquarters for innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship hosted the 22nd Energy Tech Venture Forum, where industry leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs came together to showcase and explore innovations advancing a more sustainable, reliable, and lower-carbon energy future.
• The week concluded with the Halliburton Labs Finalists Pitch Day, opening with a thoughtful dialogue between former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Veriten CEO Maynard Holt on the policies required to ensure the U.S. maintains its leadership in energy. Standout startups also presented their solutions for accelerating the clean energy transition. The showcase not only celebrated the finalists’ vision and progress but also connected them with the investors and partners who will help scale their impact.

The energy and momentum that carried through every session, panel, and conversation stood out throughout the week. Time and again, one message rose to the surface: real innovation happens when people come together in person. Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week 2025 was not just a series of events — it was a reminder that Houston is at the heart of the global energy conversation, and that the solutions developed here will ripple outward to the world.

Learn more about Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week.

With the second annual Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week approaching, there’s no better way to kick things off than by welcoming the next generation of entrepreneurial talent. Activate proudly welcomed its 2025 Fellowship Cohort, a group of 47 visionary scientists and engineers transforming bold ideas into real-world solutions. These individuals are building tangible solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including sustainability, biomedical, climate, and energy solutions, among others. 

The Activate Fellowship is a two-year immersive experience that empowers scientists and engineers with the skills, networks, infrastructure, and funding they need to become high-impact entrepreneurs who effectively launch startups that address the most pressing global challenges.

This year’s cohort reflects the growing momentum around Houston becoming a hub for energy and climate innovation. Of the 47 fellows, seven will be based in Houston, a testament to the region’s thriving startup ecosystem, talent, and leadership in energy and innovation. These seven entrepreneurs will be building the future right here in Houston, leveraging the city’s industry expertise, infrastructure, and collaborative spirit. 

“Houston’s energy legacy is fueling its rise as a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurial growth,” said Jane Stricker, Senior Vice President of Energy at the Greater Houston Partnership and Executive Director of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative. The Activate Fellows are a clear demonstration of this momentum, choosing Houston as the launchpad for turning groundbreaking research into real-world solutions. Drawn by the region’s strategic location, robust infrastructure, and collaborative community, these visionary entrepreneurs are advancing technologies that address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. As we approach this year’s Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, we are proud to showcase the next generation of leaders who are not only envisioning a sustainable future, they are actively building it.” 

As part of Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, Activate is hosting an event where you can connect directly with the 2025 Fellows, hear their stories, and discover the innovative technologies their companies are driving forward.

Meet them there! https://houstonenergyclimatestartupweek.com/