Originally published by Rice University:
Future of energy tech takes off in Houston at Rice Alliance’s Energy Tech Venture Forum
[Read the original press release →]
HOUSTON – September 30, 2026 – Out of 97 energy technology ventures, UptimeAI was selected by investors as one of the “10 Most Promising Companies” at the 23rd Annual Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum, hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship on September 17, 2026, at Rice University.
An anchor event and co-founder of the 3rd Annual Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, the Energy Tech Venture Forum brought together startups, investors, corporate leaders and industry experts to explore opportunities for investment, pilots and collaboration. The forum welcomed 97 ventures spanning robotics and drones, carbon management, grid deployment and modernization, energy storage, critical minerals, advanced materials and manufacturing, renewable energy, industrial efficiency and more. Together, the participating ventures have raised more than $1 billion in funding.
Ahead of the forum, 675 meetings took place between investors and founders during investor Office Hours, creating opportunities for companies to connect directly with investors and industry leaders. Of the 97 presenting companies, attending investors selected 10 as this year’s Most Promising Companies.
Houston’s strengths in manufacturing, fabrication, energy, logistics and large-scale infrastructure continue to make the region a hub for companies developing technologies to solve mission-critical challenges in the physical world. The Energy Tech Venture Forum builds on those strengths by connecting emerging companies with the capital, expertise and industry relationships that can help move technologies toward real-world deployment.
About UptimeAI
UptimeAI provides AI reasoning agents that help industrial organizations scale operational expertise and make faster, better decisions. By continuously analyzing operational data and applying engineering logic, UptimeAI delivers expert-grade diagnoses and recommendations that improve reliability, safety, and operational performance. The company works with leading industrial organizations across energy, chemicals, and manufacturing to reduce downtime, optimize maintenance, and unlock measurable profitability improvements. For more information, please visit www.uptimeai.com or contact us at [email protected].
About the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is Rice University’s entrepreneurship initiative supporting entrepreneurship education, technology commercialization and the launch and growth of technology companies. Since its founding in 2001, more than 3,500 companies have participated in Rice Alliance programs, collectively raising more than $27.8 billion in capital. The Rice Alliance also leads programming and activation at the Ion, Houston’s innovation hub powered by Rice University, and is launching Houston’s Venture Advantage Platform.
