Members announced major investments in education, energy, healthcare, innovation and infrastructure over the past month. Highlights include more than $525 million raised by Axiom Space, a $357 million solar manufacturing expansion in Humble and new autonomous vehicle activity from Waymo and the Uber-Nuro-Lucid partnership.
Business Moves
Business Expansions & Investments
Axiom Space
Axiom Space has closed an oversubscribed financing round totaling more than $525 million to support its commercial space station and NASA spacesuit work. The funding will advance Axiom Station, planned as a commercial successor platform in low Earth orbit, as well as next-generation spacesuits for NASA’s Artemis program.
ERock
Houston-based ERock, formerly Enchanted Rock, has launched its IPO roadshow with plans to offer about 27.9 million Class A shares at $20 to $23 each and list on the NYSE as “EROC.” The company provides onsite utility-grade power systems and is targeting rising demand from data centers, utilities and industrial customers.
Intuitive Machines
Intuitive Machines expands its Maryland operations with a 69,000-square-foot facility at BWI Tech Park in Linthicum. The site will support spaceflight hardware integration, environmental testing, robotics, mission operations, fabrication and machining, while doubling the company’s local workforce.
TOYO Solar Texas
TOYO Co. plans to invest about $357 million to build a 1.5-gigawatt HJT solar cell manufacturing facility alongside its existing solar module plant in Humble. The expansion is expected to create about 400 full-time jobs and strengthen TOYO’s integrated U.S. solar supply chain.
Real Estate & Development
Aldine ISD
Aldine ISD will begin two major 2023 bond-funded projects: a $104 million Education and Performing Arts Center in late August and a $116 million rebuild of George Washington Carver High School in September. The new districtwide arts center will include 1,800 seats across three venues, plus studios and galleries. Both projects are expected to be complete in July 2028.
City of Katy
The City of Katy is among the partners supporting Legacy Park at Katy Court, a 56-acre nature-forward park and detention project tied to the Legacy Prairie at Katy Court development. The park reflects Katy’s focus on balancing new development with green space, drainage infrastructure and community recreation.
University of Houston
The University of Houston plans to start construction this fall on a $77.5 million Medical Research Building near the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. The 55,000-square-foot facility will support biomedical discovery, clinical research and health care education, with completion expected by summer 2028.
University of St. Thomas
The University of St. Thomas breaks ground on a new Montrose residence hall that will help shift UST toward a more residential campus experience. The five-story, 100,000-square-foot dorm will house about 400 students and include study areas, lounges, a courtyard and a chapel. It is expected to open in fall 2028.
Texas Children’s Hospital
Texas Children’s Hospital expands pediatric critical care capacity with a new buildout in the Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower. The project adds eight pediatric intensive care rooms, increasing that unit’s capacity from 10 to 18 rooms, along with new team communication stations and support spaces.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Calvetti Ferguson
Houston-based Calvetti Ferguson has been acquired by top-20 U.S. accounting firm Cherry Bekaert, expanding the resources and capabilities available to Calvetti’s middle-market clients. The firm serves industries including real estate, energy, private equity, financial services and technology.
Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes has completed its approximately $2.1 billion acquisition of Vantage Group Holdings, a specialty insurance and reinsurance company backed by Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman. The deal supports Howard Hughes’ shift from a primarily real estate-focused company into a more diversified holding company.
Sports & Entertainment
Harris County-Houston Sports Authority
The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority and its Sports Authority Foundation are central to the Mason Park revitalization, which upgraded an East End soccer field ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Through Impact Houston 26, the project added a more sustainable pitch, improved drainage, habitat restoration, shade trees, cooler bench coatings and refreshed amenities.
Houston Astros and Daikin
The Houston Astros has purchased a 0.66-acre property at 1717 Congress near DaikinPark that previously housed the Salvation Army’s Center for Hope. The team plans to use the site for a new parking garage, adding infrastructure around Daikin Park as the Astros continue shaping the area surrounding the ballpark.
Houston Dynamo FC, Shell and Kroger
Houston Dynamo FC has unveiled its Soccer Celebration programming at Shell Energy Stadium, positioning the venue as a major East Downtown gathering place during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Presented by Kroger, the programming will complement the nearby FIFA Fan Festival and extend Houston’s World Cup energy beyond official matches.
Education
Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, Sam Houston State University, Texas A&M University and University of Houston
A new U.S. News & World Report global rankings list recognized 20 Texas universities among more than 2,200 institutions worldwide. The rankings are based largely on research reputation, publications, citations and international collaboration. Recognized institutions include Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Rice University, Sam Houston State University and the University of Houston.
Axiom Space, Rice University and University of Houston
Houston-based Axiom Space expanded its University Alliance to include Rice University and the University of Houston, connecting both schools to a global network focused on microgravity research and commercial innovation in low Earth orbit. The alliance now includes 26 institutions across four continents and strengthens Houston’s role in the commercial space economy.
Houston City College
Houston City College received $17 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the largest philanthropic gift in HCC’s history, to launch Gulf Coast TradeUp Careers. The workforce program will focus on skilled trades and registered apprenticeships, serving more than 1,350 career and technical education students over three years.
Houston ISD
Houston ISD plans to launch a new “Kinder Bridge” grade level between kindergarten and first grade to help students behind in early reading. The program will begin at nine Future 2 campuses and other selected schools, supporting students with low literacy scores, summer birthdays, missed kindergarten experience or parent and teacher referrals.
Rice University
Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy is launching the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, Cyprus, Greece and Israel. The center will support international collaboration on energy security, natural gas, LNG infrastructure, grid reliability, critical infrastructure resilience and emerging technologies.
Energy
CenterPoint Energy
Centerpoint Energy is expanding hurricane-season preparedness through a partnership with Technosylva on an AI-driven platform that models severe weather risks. The tool is designed to help CenterPoint anticipate outages, position crews and resources before storms, and improve restoration planning across its service area.
Google is partnering with American Airlines on the largest publicly announced sustainable aviation fuel certificate agreement between an airline and a single corporate customer. The agreement is expected to reduce nearly 300,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions.
NRG Energy
NRG Energy brings two new natural gas units online at its T.H. Wharton Generating Station in northwest Houston, adding 456 megawatts of dispatchable power to the Texas grid. Backed by a $216 million Texas Energy Fund loan, the expansion can power more than 100,000 homes during peak demand.
Healthcare
Rice University and MD Anderson Cancer Center
Rice University, in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center, reported promising results from the first human trial of AVB-001, an implantable immunotherapy designed to deliver IL-2 near tumors while reducing systemic side effects. The treatment was generally well tolerated, stabilized cancer in half of patients and produced no life-threatening study-related events.
Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine received a grant of up to $17.25 million from Aligning Research to Impact Autism to join the global ARIA IMPACT Network. They will be one of 12 international sites working to accelerate clinical trial readiness for autism therapies and advance precision medicine for autism care.
Innovation
Johnson Space Center
NASA’s Johnson Space Center is slated for a $300 million infrastructure overhaul focused on modernizing aging facilities and expanding spaceflight manufacturing capacity. Planned projects include a 38,000-square-foot Applied Spaceflight Fabrication Facility, a High Bay Fabrication Shop and a new office building, with seven companies shortlisted for potential task orders.
Phillips 66, JPMorgan Chase and Texas Mutual Insurance
The Greater Houston Disaster Alliance is channeling major corporate support into long-term storm recovery, with Phillips 66, JPMorgan Chase and Texas Mutual Insurance Co. among the companies backing the effort. Their support helps fund home repairs, case management, financial assistance and services for residents recovering from severe weather.
University of Houston
The University of Houston’s new ELARA Lab is studying how AI companion bots could help older adults live more independently and stay socially connected. The lab is designing senior-focused AI tools that address disability, isolation, trust and privacy concerns.
Transportation
Nuro AI
Uber, Nuro and Lucid plan to launch a robotaxi service in Houston in 2027 using Lucid Gravity vehicles equipped with Nuro’s autonomous driving technology. Uber will provide the ride-hailing platform and fleet operations support, including a Houston depot and charging facility.
Waymo
Waymo leads under Texas’s new autonomous vehicle registration system, with 577 registered vehicles — the most of any AV company in the state. It is also the only company operating in all four of Texas’s largest cities: Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
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