Editor's note:Check out this week's roundup of Houston's top innovation news. InnovationMap's Houston Technology and Startup Trends articles included results from the 2024 Rice Business Plan Competition, recent funding from Houston startups, and more.
Houston technology platform raises Series C round backed by Mastercard
After the round, Hello Alice is now valued at $130 million. Photo by Casey Clifford/Hello Alice
Hello Alice, a fintech platform that supports 1.5 million small businesses across the country, has announced a Series C round.
Although the amount raised was not disclosed, Hello Alice reported that the new funding brings the company's valuation to $130 million. Alexandria, Virginia-based QED Investors led the round, with investors including Mastercard, Backstage Capital, Guy Fieri, Golden Seeds, Herbert Growth Partners Fund and How Women Investors. Included were I, LP, Label Limited Partnership, Tyler “Ninja” and Jessica Blevins. Tamera Mowry and Adam Housley, according to a news release from the company.
“We are thrilled to reach the milestone of 1.5 million small businesses using Hello Alice to enhance the American Dream. , we will continue to ensure they have the funding they need to grow,” Hello Alice co-founders Elizabeth Gore and Carolyn Roz said in a news release. “As we conclude our Series C, we welcome Mastercard to our family of investors and continue to express our gratitude to our supporters like QED, How Women Invest, and Guy Fieri.” Keep reading.
Annual Houston Student Startup Competition awards more than $1.5 million in cash and investment prizes
Thirteen of the 42 teams participating in RBPC 2024 received investment funds. Photo courtesy of Rice University
For the 24th time, the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship hosted the Rice Business Plan Competition, awarding more than $1.5 million in investments and cash prizes to top teams.
Announced earlier this year and featuring teams from around the world, 42 of this year's startups took part in the three-day event culminating with a reception on Saturday, April 6th. Companies were divided into his five categories: energy, cleantech; and sustainability. Hard Tech; Life Sciences and Healthcare Solutions. Digital enterprise. Consumer products and services.
RBPC Director Katherine Santamaria said at the awards ceremony: “We are awarding each contestant a $1 million prize. The prize money will serve as the foundational capital to launch a startup.” “This is so many prizes, but the biggest thing our startup will leave behind is the generosity and sense of community from this room. , always ready to support our founders and support our vision for the competition.” Keep reading.
Houston organizations launch collaborative center to accelerate cancer outcomes
Researchers at the new SynthX Center will aim to translate basic research into clinical applications, fine-tuning drug properties and molecules. Photo courtesy of Rice University
Rice University's new Synthesis X Center was officially launched last month, bringing together experts in cancer treatment and chemistry.
The center grew out of what began about seven years ago as an informal meeting between American chemist Han Xiao's research group and other researchers at Baylor College of Medicine's Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. . According to a statement from Rice, the level of cooperation between the two teams has improved significantly in recent years, with monthly meetings now attracting approximately 100 participants across disciplines, disciplines and Houston-based organizations. It is said that they are gathering.
Researchers at the new SynthX Center will aim to translate basic research into clinical applications, fine-tuning drug properties and molecules. We will focus on improving cancer outcomes by considering a range of factors including prevention and detection, immunotherapy, the use of artificial intelligence to accelerate drug discovery and development, and several other topics. . Keep reading.
Early-stage accelerator names Houston's 9th cohort
Global organization generator8tor, in collaboration with Downtown Launchpad, launched its 9th gBETA Houston cohort last month. Photo from Getty Images
In its ninth year, gBETA is incubating five early-stage Houston startups with innovative solutions across skin care, human resources, and more.
Global organization generator8tor, in collaboration with Downtown Launchpad, launched its 9th gBETA Houston cohort last month. Five Houston-based founders were selected for the seven-week, free, stock-free accelerator program, which provided helpful programs, support, and connections with mentors, customers, corporate partners, and investors. .
“We are excited to continue to drive innovation in Houston and are grateful for our collaboration with Downtown Launchpad in launching gBETA Houston’s ninth group,” said Gener8tor’s Vice President of gBETA. Vanessa Huerta said in a statement. Keep reading.
Houston physicist wins $15.5 million grant for high-energy nuclear physics research
According to Rice University, the research is “poised to revolutionize our understanding of fundamental physics.” Photo courtesy of Rice University
A team of Rice University physicists has been awarded a prestigious grant from the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Physics for their work in high-energy nuclear physics and the study of new states of matter.
The five-year, $15.5 million grant will focus on the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), a large general-purpose particle physics detector built on CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC).・The money will be used for the discoveries of astronomy professor Wei Li. European nuclear research institute located in France and Switzerland. The research “is poised to revolutionize our understanding of fundamental physics,” Rice said in a statement.
Li's team will work on developing an ultra-fast silicon timing detector, known as an end-cap timing layer (ETL), to upgrade CMS detectors. ET1 is expected to have a temporal resolution of 30 ps per particle, allowing for more accurate time-of-flight particle identification. Keep reading.
