For those of you who don’t know, the Houston Technology Center (HTC) is a business accelerator that assists Houston-based emerging technology companies within several key sectors: energy, information technology, life sciences, nanotechnology, and NASA/Aerospace technologies. HTC serves as the Gulf Coast Regional Center for the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, helping small to mid-size companies expedite new technology commercialization. If you live outside Houston, you aren’t likely to attend the HTC events, but you could still benefit from the work the organization is doing. The organization is involved with a broad application of technologies that impact our lives beyond the realm of energy consumption. HTC held an event October 10 during which awards were presented in the amount of $250,000 from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF) to three companies that are engaged in emerging technologies: Sunrise Ridge Algae Inc., BetaBatt Inc., and Cormedics Corp.

Sunrise Ridge Algae, Inc., is working to commercialize an algae-to-biofuel technology that converts waste water and waste CO2 to high-value biofuels and animal feeds. (For more information about Sunrise Ridge Algae, Inc., visit its website at www.sunrise-ridge.com.) BetaBatt develops long-lasting, reliable power sources. It has researched and patented a novel 3D energy conversion architecture based on nano-scale porous silicon. The company’s first commercial product has a 12-20 year lifespan and mission-critical reliability. The BetaBattery addresses current issues faced by the medical implant, oil and gas, and remote sensing industries, as well as military and space organizations. (For more information, visit www.betabatt.com.) The third recipient is Cormedics Corp., which develops novel technologies and therapies that selectively treat the entire heart by introducing them into the pericardial space, which surrounds the heart. (For more information, email jmeador@cormedics.net.)

Although the US Gulf Coast is one of the nation’s critical energy centers, business in the region does not focus solely on oil and gas. The medical center in Houston is one of the best in the world, and the aerospace industry is constantly making inroads into the unknown. The diversity in Houston and the surrounding area make this a dynamic region where investment in technology takes place across a very broad spectrum. Fortunately for the three companies that each received a quarter of a million dollars in funding, HTC is enabling the search for answers to move forward. For more information about HTC, contact dcarstens@houstontech.org.