Jo-Anne Ting, Vice President of Data Science at DataSeer, presented during the Rice Alliance Energy Venture Day at OTC on August 16

Four energy startups were nominated as “Most Promising” by a virtual audience during the Rice Alliance Energy Venture Day at OTC on August 16, including two based in Houston. 

The event featured 14 companies from across North America and the U.K. Each company had three minutes to pitch, followed by a brief Q&A with panelists made up of investors and energy experts. At the end of each session, attendees were invited to vote on which startups they deemed as “Most Promising.”

Here are the four companies that came out on top: 

DataSeer (Houston, TX)

DataSeer is an AI-powered software company that helps users extract data and seamlessly digitize their industrial diagrams and documents. The startup, which formed earlier this year as a joint venture between Arundo Analytics and Worley, offers a subscription-based SaaS product that offers concurrent licensing.

“DataSeer brings human-level understanding and machine speed to build a scalable knowledge data store of engineering designs,” said Jo-Anne Ting, Vice President of Data Science.

More about DataSeer. 

Alabastron Technologies (Houston, TX)

The Houston-based company offers digital services to help oil producers prevent downtime, optimize production and improve data management. Alabastron also developed a sensor to detect build-up within a pipeline before problematic deposits form. 

“With nearly one million active oil and gas wells in the U.S., this has an extensive market potential both onshore and offshore as it can be easily installed topside,” said presenter Steve Louis. 

More about Alabastron Technologies.

Applied Bioplastics (Austin, TX)

This startup is focused on creating affordable and sustainable plant-based plastic alternatives to reduce petroleum dependency, CO2 emissions and habitat destruction. 

“Plastic is an amazing invention and that’s why even though it’s already everywhere, demand for plastic is still growing faster than the expansion of the human race,” said Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer Alex Blum.

The company said it’s an urgent problem, arguing that plastic production accounted for 1.8 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2015. That number is expected to increase to 6.5 billion metric tons by 2050.

Learn more about Applied Bioplastics. 

American Hydrogen (Tulsa, OK)

“As the world races to decarbonize, hydrogen is well-positioned to play a central role in the energy transition,” said Stephen Brooks, Managing Director of American Hydrogen. “This is especially true in the United States, given its abundance of natural gas distribution infrastructure.”

The startup has developed its own suite of hydrogen generation technologies that utilize modular steam methane reformers (SMR). Brooks said the company offers a fully-integrated solution for developing, implementing and operating hydrogen generation infrastructure by offering engineering design, manufacturing, project and construction management, and commissions and operations. 

Learn more about American Hydrogen.