‘Most promising’ companies win Rice Alliance Startup Roundup at OTC

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Jeff Falk
713-348-6775
jfalk@rice.edu

‘Most promising’ companies win Rice Alliance Startup Roundup at OTC

HOUSTON – (May 9, 2019) – Ten companies were recognized as “most promising” at the 2019 Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship‘s Startup Roundup May 6 at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.

Credit: 123RF.com/Rice University

More than 50 companies made two-and-a-half-minute business plan proposals to qualified investors and industry representatives attending the OTC, the largest offshore technology conference in the world. The following companies were deemed the most promising:

Cemvita Factory, whose carbon dioxide utilization platform mimics photosynthesis to produce nutrients and pharmaceutics for deep space exploration, as well as industrial chemicals and polymers for energy sustainability.

DarkVision, which makes a new downhole imaging technology that lets oil and gas operators look inside their wells.

Ingu Solutions, whose Pipers technology identifies risks that threaten pipeline performance and safety with zero downtime.

LaserStream, whose laser ID profiling of tubular assets measures wear, corrosion and erosion, which feeds predictive analytics.

LiftETC, formed in 2018 to commercialize a new and transformational artificial lift technology.

Oliasoft, which is digitizing drilling and wells by enabling autonomous well design.

Ondaka, whose asset-visualization technologies help companies earn revenue faster.

Sensorfield, a platform technology that disrupts current remote industrial monitoring with a low-cost, highly customizable plug-and-play wireless hardware and software architecture.

Syzygy Plasmonics, which is developing a new type of chemical reactor for low-cost hydrogen production.

TOKU, whose ILLUMASS Industrial Internet of Things technology is revolutionizing industrial monitoring with simplicity, accuracy and affordability by connecting wireless sensors to mobile apps.

“Every year the quality of companies improves,” said Rice Alliance Managing Director Brad Burke, who announced the winners at the event. “This year we had a diversity of companies, both in offerings as well as maturity. These companies demonstrated the diversity of innovation, talent, investment, potential and success in the energy and clean tech industry.”

This is the fifth year for the Startup Roundup at the OTC. Participating companies held several one-on-one meetings with more than 45 investor groups during office hours. These companies work in diverse areas within the energy sector and stages of development. The event offered an exclusive opportunity for OTC attendees to learn more about these emerging technologies and businesses and enable potential partnerships and investment opportunities.

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About the Rice Alliance
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is Rice University’s nationally recognized initiative devoted to the support of technology commercialization, entrepreneurship education and the launch of technology companies. Since inception in 1999, more than 2,400 early stage companies have presented at the 180-plus programs hosted by the Rice Alliance and raised more than $7.3 billion in funding.