Building Texas’s Next Energy Ventures: Inside TEX-E Bootcamp 2026

87 students. 12 venture teams. 15 companies. One weekend of energy innovation.

From October 2–4, 2026, TEX-E brought together 87 students and Fellows at Greentown Labs Houston for an intensive weekend of entrepreneurship, collaboration, and problem-solving.

With guidance from MIT faculty, industry mentors, entrepreneurs-in-residence, and energy executives, participants transformed real-world energy challenges into 12 venture concepts with the potential to shape the industry’s future.

The weekend demonstrated what happens when emerging talent, academic expertise, and industry leadership come together to tackle some of the energy sector’s most pressing challenges.

Bringing Together the Next Generation of Energy Innovators

Interest in TEX-E Bootcamp continues to demonstrate the enthusiasm among students for energy entrepreneurship. This year’s program attracted 195 applications from 11 universities, bringing together a highly technical and interdisciplinary group of participants.

Students arrived with diverse backgrounds but a shared interest in developing practical solutions for the energy industry.

Their areas of interest reflected the breadth of opportunities in today’s energy landscape. Deep technology, grid infrastructure, and energy storage were among the most popular areas, followed by clean generation, energy efficiency, carbon technology, conventional power, and fuels and mobility.

From Ideas to Ventures in Three Days

TEX-E Bootcamp is designed to move students beyond classroom learning and into the process of building a venture.

Friday: Learning the Foundations

The weekend began with venture-building instruction led by MIT faculty and entrepreneurs-in-residence. Students explored the fundamentals of identifying problems, developing solutions, and building viable business concepts.

Saturday: Learning From Industry

On Saturday, 10 industry mentors worked directly with student teams, offering insights drawn from their experience across energy, technology, startups, and infrastructure.

Students challenged assumptions, refined their ideas, and explored how their solutions could address real market needs.

Sunday: Pitching to Energy Leaders

The weekend culminated in a pitch competition. All 12 teams presented their venture concepts to first-round judges before finalists advanced to present to a panel of senior energy executives.

The experience gave students an opportunity to articulate their ideas, receive direct feedback, and experience the challenges of communicating a business opportunity to potential investors and industry stakeholders.

Industry Leaders Investing in the Next Generation

One of the defining features of TEX-E Bootcamp is the opportunity for students to learn directly from professionals shaping the energy industry.

This year, 15 companies were represented through judging, mentorship, and industry engagement.

Judges included representatives from six major energy organizations: bp, CenterPoint Energy, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and Woodside Energy.

Ten mentors represented organizations including CenterPoint Energy, Dow, GeoKiln, Halo, Invincible, Nanoborne, Pike Robotics, Product Houston, TEX-E, and Westney Consulting.

Students also received support from seven entrepreneurs-in-residence affiliated with MIT’s Martin Trust Center, Rice University, the University of Houston, and Prairie View A&M University.

A highlight of the weekend was a fireside chat with Marty Christensen, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital & Information Officer at CenterPoint Energy, moderated by TEX-E Fellow Jonathan Cummins. Students also heard from Tomeka McLeod of Woodside Energy, who shared insights from her industry experience and encouraged participants to think boldly about the future of energy. Together, these conversations offered students valuable perspectives on innovation, leadership, and the opportunities shaping the energy industry.

The conversation brought industry leadership directly to the full Bootcamp audience, providing perspective on the intersection of technology, innovation, and the future of energy.

12 Teams Tackling Real Energy Challenges

These connections are central to the TEX-E experience, helping students bridge the gap between academic research, industry challenges, and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Throughout the weekend, student teams developed business concepts targeting problems energy operators and other industries face today.

Their ideas spanned five key areas:

Critical Minerals From Waste Brines

Three teams explored new ways to recover valuable materials from industrial waste streams.

• LithWell developed a concept for producing battery-grade lithium from Permian Basin oilfield wastewater using an electrochemical process.
• BrineYield explored recovering lithium and strontium from produced water, converting a waste-management cost into a potential revenue stream.
• Alchemy proposed modular systems to recover lithium and other critical minerals from desalination brine.

Power for Data Centers and the Grid

As AI and data center demand accelerates, three teams focused on electricity infrastructure and innovative power solutions.

• ShipGrid proposed deploying large-scale battery systems to help bitcoin mining facilities transition toward AI computing.
• RetroTherm developed a phase-change cooling solution designed to extend the operating life of overloaded utility transformers.
• SecondWind explored generating renewable power for data centers through roadside wind turbines along Texas highways.

Emissions and Carbon Innovation

Two teams focused on emissions reduction and carbon management.

• 2FOLD proposed converting liquefied natural gas boil-off into hydrogen and carbon black, creating an alternative to flaring.
• The CO2-Ready Unit developed a packaged carbon storage concept for smaller natural gas facilities, potentially enabling participation in federal 45Q tax credits.

Industrial Heat and Energy Efficiency

Two teams explored ways to reduce energy waste and improve efficiency in industrial operations.

• Afterheat developed a ceramic thermal battery concept that captures waste heat from steel furnaces for reuse.
• An emerging venture concept explored using AI with existing motor controllers to optimize pump power consumption and reduce electricity costs.

Water Quality and Infrastructure

Two teams tackled infrastructure resilience and industrial water treatment.

• PipePulseAI combined sensors and AI to identify hidden water-main leaks before major failures occur, beginning with an application in Galveston.
• An emerging venture concept explored advanced graphene oxide–metal-organic framework membranes to remove PFAS from wastewater at Texas semiconductor facilities.

Together, these 12 concepts demonstrate the range of opportunities students see across the energy ecosystem, from traditional energy operations and emerging technologies to water, infrastructure, and industrial efficiency.

More Than a Weekend

While Bootcamp lasts just three days, its impact extends beyond the final pitch.

Students leave with practical exposure to entrepreneurship, new relationships with peers from across Texas and beyond, and connections to professionals who understand what it takes to build and scale new technologies.

For industry partners, the experience provides an opportunity to engage with emerging talent, share real-world challenges, and support the next generation of energy entrepreneurs.

For TEX-E, Bootcamp represents a core part of its mission: connecting universities, industry, and entrepreneurship to advance energy innovation.

Advancing Energy for Every Generation

TEX-E Bootcamp 2026 demonstrated the creativity, technical expertise, and entrepreneurial ambition of the next generation of energy leaders.

With 87 participants, 12 venture concepts, and the engagement of 15 companies, the weekend showcased the power of bringing students and industry together around meaningful challenges.

Thank you to the faculty, mentors, judges, entrepreneurs-in-residence, industry partners, and volunteers who invested their time and expertise in making the weekend possible.

And to the students who spent their weekend learning, building, challenging assumptions, and pitching bold ideas: the future of energy needs your curiosity, creativity, and commitment.

Together, we’re advancing energy for every generation.

Learn more about TEX-E and our Fellowship program at tex-e.org.