Greentown Labs’ Ecosystem Exchange is founded on two core beliefs: Climate innovation thrives when bold ideas meet supportive ecosystems. And no city or country can do it alone.
This fall, Greentown ran a one-of-a-kind Ecosystem Exchange with Woodside Energy and Equinor that brought seven Australian and Norwegian startups to Houston. The visit coincided with the Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, and the entrepreneurs dove into the Houston ecosystem through pitches, curated meetings, panels, and networking that provided exposure and the opportunity to form and nurture key relationships in the U.S. market.
A Customer-Driven Approach to Market Access
For many startups, the path to scale begins with a conversation—with a potential customer, investor, or strategic partner. That’s precisely what the Ecosystem Exchange facilitates.
Australian startup SpiroPak, which develops a nature-inspired, 3D-structured packing that enables a step change in separation performance, joined the Houston program with three goals in mind: to strengthen its relationship with Woodside, test its market approach outside of Australia, and connect with potential customers for pilot opportunities.
“All three have been easily met,” shared SpiroPak’s CEO Jasper Bouwmeester.
Over the course of one week, SpiroPak and other founders individually reported being able to meet individually with more than 10 global energy and industrial corporations. Startups participated in curated business development sessions, from private pitch events with Woodside and Equinor to Houston leading innovation events such as the Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum, and smaller expert discussions hosted by Austrade, Innovation Norway and Greentown.
“We got valuable meetings with organizations and investors who are now in follow-up discussions,” said Wei-Chi Lee, co-founder and COO of participating startup PHNXX.
The week even culminated with a large pitch and panel discussion event at the Ion, which gathered more than 350 attendees. For some founders, it was the largest audience they had ever presented to.
Corporates as Catalysts for Global Climate Innovation
For Houston’s climate innovation ecosystem, the Ecosystem Exchange illustrated how corporates can play a catalytic role—not just as sponsors or investors, but as connectors that open international markets to early-stage entrepreneurs.
That customer-led model is already paying off. In the weeks following the program, participating startups reported ongoing discussions with several energy majors’ technology scouting teams and early pilot conversations emerging from introductions made in Houston.
Across participants, follow-up meetings were reported with nearly fifteen major energy companies. One Norwegian startup, Installer, even signed a customer agreement during the week.
“In my 10 years in government I’ve never seen a corporate lead a delegation of startups to an international market and put together something like this… Normally it’s governments that do this. It’s the epitome of a customer-driven approach.”
A Week of Collaboration and Momentum
The week’s programming balanced formal engagements with informal networking—reflecting the understanding that lasting partnerships are built through both strategy and shared experiences.
Beyond the structured events, Equinor hosted the delegation at NASA’s Space Center and a Houston Astros game, offering more personal settings for connection. Greentown Houston member company CLS Wind, which participated in last year’s exchange in Norway, also took the group on a sailing trip for a relaxing evening at the end of the week.
“These kinds of things work exceptionally well for building relationships,” Bouwmeester emphasized. “They also help strengthen connections with other companies in the delegation, which is useful back in Perth.”
Peer collaboration also flourished during the week. Bouwmeester highlighted the value of deep discussions with fellow Australian founders, including Nick Lockwood, CEO of Airbridge, noting that shared challenges and insights reinforced the sense of community among startups tackling global energy and climate challenges.
From Exchange to Acceleration
As Greentown continues to expand its cross-border programming, this year’s Australian-Norwegian exchange reinforces an essential insight: international collaboration thrives when driven by market demand and anchored in trusted relationships.
For startups like SpiroPak, these exchanges aren’t just about exposure—they’re about acceleration.
“For early-stage startups like ours, it’s really good to get introductions to big corporates, knowledgeable people on the topic, and the possibility to pitch at various events,” Bouwmeester said.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” another founder reflected.“Gamechanging and accelerated our growth timeline.”
For the global climatetech ecosystem, initiatives like this one showcase what’s possible when innovation, industry, and international collaboration align to scale solutions that matter.
Manon Chappat-Alarcón is Greentown’s Director of Partnerships. Learn about Greentown’s partnerships program and opportunities here.
Interested in running a future Ecosystem Exchange? We want to hear from you.
