Houston is home to 26 Fortune 500 companies — the third-highest concentration in the nation. The city has long established itself as a global corporate hub, defined by its strategic access to international markets, deep talent pool, and strong institutional support. As the economy continues to expand, Houston is also emerging as a launchpad for innovative new companies shaping the industries of the future.
Home to more than 1,300 startups, Houston’s innovation ecosystem is redefining industries across the board. The list below spotlights the 10 most valuable startups fueling the city’s growth and entrepreneurial energy.
Funds raised are listed cumulatively, and valuations are listed as based on a company’s last private funding round reflected in Pitchbook, as of October 20, 2025.
10. NXTClean Fuels
Industry: CleanTech
Funds Raised: $88 million
Valuation: $530 million
Founded: 2016
Employees: 10
NXTClean Fuels is building biofuel refineries to produce renewable fuel, helping decarbonize transportation for the future. The company was founded with a vision of clean fuels being delivered at scale to make an impact on greenhouse emissions, using feedstocks like cooking oil and recycled organic materials. Today, it’s developing its first plant in Oregon, which includes 500 acres of wetlands restoration, and is aiming to produce 45,000 barrels a day of sustainable fuels.
9. Homebase
Industry: HR Tech
Funds Raised: $170 million
Valuation: $660 million
Founded: 2013
Employees: 500
Co-headquartered between Houston and San Francisco, Homebase provides employee management software to help manage and optimize timesheets, payroll, and more. The company focuses on helping small businesses operate better, with over 100,000 small businesses and 2 million hourly workers using Homebase.
8.Zolve
Industry: FinTech
Funds Raised: $307 million
Valuation: $800 million
Founded: 2020
Employees: 190
Zolve, part of Houston’s growing FinTech cluster, is an innovative banking platform providing customers access to financial products. The company aims to be more accessible, flexible, and affordable than traditional financial platforms, and has a focus on connecting across borders for their customers and their transactions.
7. Stramsen Biotech
Industry: Life Sciences
Funds Raised: $35 million
Valuation: $807 million
Founded: 2020
Employees: 20
Stramsen Biotech develops plant-based drug therapies to target both infectious and noninfectious diseases, including some of the most pertinent diseases facing society – cancer, diabetes, HIV, kidney disease and neurological issues. Using natural elements, Stramsen is looking to make safer, more effective treatments that rival or surpass traditional pharmaceuticals.
6.Octagos
Industry: Digital Health
Funds Raised: $52 million
Valuation: $843 million
Founded: 2020
Employees: 150
Octagos has developed remote cardiac monitoring software driven by AI to help consolidate patient data in real-time, helping healthcare professionals provide quicker, easier, more accurate care. The company is driven by a desire to improve patient outcomes, stemming from founder Dr. Shanti Bansal’s personal experience with cardiac healthcare.
5.Fervo Energy
Industry: CleanTech
Funds Raised: $1.23 billion
Valuation: $1.4 billion
Founded: 2017
Employees: 190
Fervo Energy is pioneering geothermal energy by combining horizontal drilling and fiber-optic sensing to produce electricity around the clock. Named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies in 2025, Fervo is a posterchild for scaling carbon-free and reliable energy for data centers and other applications. Its Cape Station project in Utah is slated to become the world’s largest enhanced geothermal plant.
4.Cart.com
Industry: E-Commerce & Logistics Tech
Funds Raised: $780 million
Valuation: $1.7 billion
Founded: 2020
Employees: 1,000
Started in Houston in 2020, Cart.com is an ecommerce giant and logistics solutions provider. Following a stint in Austin, Cart.com returned to Houston in late 2023 to better address its talent and scaling needs. Beginning at Houston startup incubator The Cannon, Cart.com found funding solutions through relationships with Houston Angel Network and Mercury Fund. In just three years, Cart.com reached unicorn status.
3.Axiom Space
Industry: SpaceTech
Funds Raised: $717 million
Valuation: $2.1 billion
Founded: 2016
Employees: 230
Axiom Space, one of the biggest players in the new space economy, continues to build Houston’s legacy as the epicenter of human spaceflight. The company, founded in 2016, has ambitious goals of building the first private space station by 2030. Axiom is one of the anchor tenants at the Houston Spaceport, and since 2022 has completed four missions of sending commercial astronauts to the ISS. 2027 is slated to see the first section of the Axiom Station launched into low-earth orbit.
2.Solugen
Industry: CleanTech
Funds Raised: $642 million
Valuation: $2.175 billion
Founded: 2016
Employees: 230
Started during a poker game between UT Southwestern medical students, Solugen is a prominent example of an oncoming synthetic biology boom. Building sustainable solutions for chemical needs, Solugen’s BioForge facilities (two in Texas, one in Minnesota) earned a $213M contract from the Department of Energy for meeting demand for domestic chemical manufacturing and climate imperatives. Founders Sean Hunt and Gaurab Chakrabarti found Houston to be a perfect fit for their operations, with a wealth of chemical engineering talent and scaling potential.
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1.HighRadius
Industry: AI-Driven FinTech
Funds Raised: $485 million
Valuation: $3.2 billion
Founded: 2006
Employees: 3,750
Early adopters of artificial intelligence, HighRadius have been using advanced technology to automate and manage accounts receivable processes for businesses worldwide. After 11 years of working on their product, they raised their first external capital in 2017 and have since neared half a billion dollars in fundraising. The company has global offices in London, Bhubaneswar, Bangalore, Paris, Amsterdam and Hyderabad, but its headquarters remains in Houston’s Westchase District.
Notable mentions with a major Houston office but not headquartered here:
- Gecko Robotics
- Republic
- Amogy
- Dragos
- Cognite
- Nuro
While Houston is proven as a home of established industries including energy, life sciences, manufacturing and aerospace, the region is a promising destination for bringing new ideas to life and giving them ample resources and space to grow. With proven applications across the spectrum of industry, Houston’s startup ecosystem is emerging as a strong fit for bold solutions for tomorrow.
To learn more about these and the rest of the tech and innovation landscape in Houston, read the Partnership’s State of Houston’s Tech and Innovation Landscape report.