Greentown Houston Agenda

All times are CT.

8:00 AM – CHECK-IN + BREAKFAST

9:00 AM – WELCOME REMARKS

From Greentown Labs CEO Georgina Campbell Flatter, City of Houston Mayor John Whitmire, and Founder & CEO of Decimetrix Alejandro Zotti.

9:20 AM – KEYNOTE

Keynote speakers to be announced soon.

9:50 AM – BOOK LAUNCH: Disciplined Entrepreneurship for Climate and Energy Ventures

Featuring The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship’s Entrepreneur in Residence and the Ecosystem-Builder in Residence Ben Soltoff.

In Disciplined Entrepreneurship for Climate and Energy Ventures: 24 Steps to Build Solutions for People and the Planet, veteran entrepreneur Bill Aulet, climatetech expert Ben Soltoff, and the faculty behind MIT’s esteemed Climate & Energy Ventures course (Tod Hynes, Francis O’Sullivan, and Libby Wayman) deliver a comprehensive discussion of how to bring a climate or energy startup to life. 

The authors will launch this new edition of their bestselling book—the first version focused on climate ventures—at the summit. This session will include an overview of their novel approach to entrepreneurship and a conversation with a Greentown entrepreneur who has leveraged the framework.

10:10 AM – TEX-E AND THE CLIMATE & ENERGY VENTURES COURSE

The Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship (TEX-E) bolsters Texas’s student-entrepreneurship ecosystem for climate and energy startups. TEX-E Executive Director Sandy Guitar will share how the organization is combining learnings from MIT’s Climate & Energy Ventures course with the Houston region’s robust energy industry and stellar academic communities to foster the next generation of climatetech entrepreneurs.

10:15 AM – GREENTOWN LABS STARTUP PITCHES

10:35 AM – BREAK

10:45 AM – WHAT IS CLIMATETECH? HOW HOUSTON’S AMBITIONS CAN GO BEYOND ENERGY INNOVATION

Featuring Executive Director of Rice University’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Kyle Judah, Vice President of Strategic Accounts and Partnerships at Emerson Denka Wangdi, Founder and CEO of Hertha Metals Laureen Meroueh, and Head of Greentown Houston Lawson Gow

Houston is making great strides as the energy-transition capital of the world—but focusing solely on energy innovation leaves countless industries’ worth of opportunities on the table. Head of Greentown Houston Lawson Gow will explore the incubator’s big-tent approach to climatetech—spanning agriculture, buildings, manufacturing, transportation, and resiliency & adaptation—then moderate a conversation with experts who are leading these sectors’ sustainable innovation journeys.

11:30 AM – GREENTOWN LABS STARTUP PITCHES

11:50 AM – HEATED QUESTIONS: FOUNDERS EDITION

In this rapid-answer session, we’ll spotlight two Greentown Labs founders as they reveal the ups and downs of their journey to commercialization. With a room full of supporters who played a part in their success, they’ll share the tools, resources, and programs that helped them thrive—while giving other founders in the room inspiration to keep pushing toward their own next milestone!

12:00 PM – SETTING THE SCENE: GE VERNOVA ON THE ENERGY JOBS OF THE FUTURE

Featuring GE Vernova’s Managing Director, Ventures and Licensing Sameer Bandhu.

GE Vernova is at the forefront of making a lower-carbon future a reality through its power, electrification, and wind businesses—and these new industries are bringing new jobs. This global leader in energy innovation will dive into the biggest opportunity areas for green careers and how climatetech is creating economic prosperity for regions and the people who call them home.

12:10 PM – LESSONS FROM THE SHALE REVOLUTION: AN ENERGY-TRANSITION ROADMAP?

Featuring Breakthrough Energy Breakthrough Fellow Monica Krishnan, Alma Energy Principal Hermann Lebit, and Greentown Labs Board Chair, CEO of Artemis Energy Partners, and Chairman of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative at the Greater Houston Partnership Bobby Tudor; moderated by Professor of Public Affairs at University of Texas at Austin Varun Rai.

In the early 2000s, the United States was increasingly dependent on natural gas and oil imports. Prices were rising. Experts sounded alarms about shortfalls.

Then, a technological innovation: combining fracking with horizontal drilling. This breakthrough ushered in the shale revolution—which created hundreds of thousands of jobs, made the United States a top energy exporter, and helped establish Houston as a worldwide energy center.

In this session, we’ll explore how the success of the shale revolution can serve as a roadmap for the next great chapter of energy: the energy transition. What partnerships, policies, and investment models enabled this technology to scale and become cost-effective? What shortfalls can we learn from, and what communities were left behind? And how can the energy transition be an engine for a similar level of innovation, energy abundance, economic impact, and global leadership—all while tackling climate change?

12:40 PM – GREENTOWN LABS STARTUP PITCHES

1:00 PM – CLOSING REMARKS

From Greentown Labs CEO Georgina Campbell Flatter

1:05 – 2:00 PM – LUNCH

2:00 – 4:30 PM – GREENTOWN LABS CLIMATETECH STARTUP SHOWCASE

The member showcase is your chance to meet the entrepreneurs who are changing the world. Join us to speak with Greentown founders, learn about their climate solutions, and make valuable connections. The showcase will highlight climatetech companies innovating across the key GHG-emitting sectors—electricity, agriculture, buildings, manufacturing, and transportation—and in resiliency and adaptation.

4:30 – 7:30 PM – NETWORKING RECEPTION

Register for the Houston Summit on Nov. 4

Venue Information

Traveling from out of town?

We’re partnering with TripZero to offset your carbon footprint and secure discounted-rate rooms! Book your stay at one of the following hotels, and TripZero will purchase certified carbon offsets to balance out your travel—at no cost to you.

Through the purchase of certified carbon offsets, TripZero funds reforestation and renewable energy projects that remove pollution from the atmosphere. As these projects offset the impact of our travel, they also create lots of benefits for local communities. Interested? Take a moment to watch this project video.