Rice University has unveiled the first architectural renderings of the Rice Nexus, a groundbreaking innovation factory within the Ion that will transform ideas from Rice faculty and students into market-ready technology. Situated in the heart of the 16-acre Ion District, the Rice Nexus will open this fall, offering a dynamic space for collaboration and creativity in technology development.
Created to derisk and accelerate commercialization of new technology, the Rice Nexus also aims to bridge the gap between the university and the world at large by fostering partnerships with key corporate, government, community and venture capital firms, all under one roof within the Ion.
“We believe in the power of innovation to transform lives and shape the future,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. “With the launch of the Rice Nexus at the Ion, we are embarking on a journey to unleash the full potential of Houston’s innovation ecosystem, driving positive change and rapid economic growth."
Spanning 10,000 square feet across two floors in the Ion building, the Rice Nexus offers state-of-the-art prototyping tools, comprehensive entrepreneurial support and essential venture funding to grow and launch Rice hard tech startups. As the front door to Rice in the Ion District, the Nexus will also showcase cutting-edge technologies invented by Rice faculty and students, provide lab space for advanced tech development and free office space for early-stage startups.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Nexus so that our faculty and students can rapidly develop, derisk and deploy solutions into the world by harnessing the full resources and capabilities of the Ion District,” said Paul Cherukuri, Rice’s chief innovation officer. “Houston is a grand city of innovation, and the Nexus at the Ion further amplifies Rice as a global leader in inventing and commercializing world-changing technology at both speed and scale.”
Several Rice startups, including newly established climate tech companies founded by faculty, will incubate at the Rice Nexus. These include Solidec, founded by Haotian Wang; Coflux Purification, co-founded by Rafael Verduzco and Pulickel Ajayan; and DirectH2, founded by Aditya Mohite.
“The critical support provided through the Nexus highlights Rice’s leadership in pioneering essential hard tech development in the middle of the world’s energy capital, revolutionizing the country’s next-generation clean energy and chemical manufacturing technologies while fostering the next generation of innovators in energy sustainability,” said Mohite, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, electrical and computer engineering and materials science and nanoengineering.
Michael Irwin from Hunt Energy Enterprise and founding CEO of DirectH2, shared his enthusiasm and said, “We’re thrilled to be a partner in the Rice Nexus and support Rice’s effort in working towards the clean energy transition.”
For more information about the Rice Nexus at the Ion, please visit the website. All architectural renderings are courtesy of Tramonte Design Studio.