Jason Ethier and Nada Ahmed hosted the third week of Thunderwatch, discussing key developments and trends shaping the energy transition landscape. This week's Thunderwatch highlighted the complex interplay of tariffs, inflation, and innovation in the energy transition landscape. Here are the highlights: 1.Tariffs and Their Impact: Jason and Nada analyzed the effects of recent tariff announcements on energy and manufacturing, including localization of manufacturing and market volatility. A 25% tariff on automobiles could add around $6,000 to the average car price, which is already hovering at $45,000. 2.EV and Hybrid Sales: They noted the surge in EV and hybrid sales, despite a broader slowdown in car sales, with companies like Hyundai, Kia, Honda, and Ford reporting significant year-on-year growth in their EV and hybrid models. 3. Expectations, and interest rates, which could slow down venture capital deployment. 4.The Two-Speed Energy Transition: They referenced a Bloomberg report on the "two-speed" energy transition, with established technologies like solar, wind, and grid storage continuing to grow, while emerging technologies like hydrogen, CCUS, and nuclear saw a 23% drop in investment last year. 5.Hydrogen's Challenges and Opportunities: Jason and Nada touched on the challenges faced by Syzygy Plasmonics , which recently downsized due to market uncertainty and high inflation. 6. Autonomous Trucks in the Permian Basin: They shared exciting news about Kodiak Robotics' deployment of autonomous trucks in the Permian Basin, marking a significant step forward in automating heavy, carbon-intensive transportation. Watch the full episode (Link in the comments) Stay tuned for next week’s Thunderwatch. Next week this will take place on tuesday. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and join us live for more insights!
Energy Tech Nexus
Climate Technology Product Manufacturing
Houston, Texas 2,640 followers
Thunderlizards aren't born, they are built.
About us
Houston energy and carbontech startup ecosystem builder
- Industry
- Climate Technology Product Manufacturing
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Headquarters
- Houston, Texas
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2022
- Specialties
- Energy Transition, Founders, Carbontech, and Networking
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
808 Travis St
Houston, Texas 77002, US
Employees at Energy Tech Nexus
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Payal Patel
Angel Investor | Startup Advisor | Ecosystem Connector | Climatech and Wellness/Fitness Enthusiast | Future VC Partner
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Jason Ethier
Serial energy entrepreneur | Forbes 30 Under 30 | Identifying and meeting game changing founders | Building connections across energy transition…
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Rozella Haydée White
Coach | Creative | CEO | Empowering Leaders with a Love Ethic
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Nada Ahmed
Climate Tech | Top 50 Women in Tech Award | Board Member | Author & Keynote Speaker
Updates
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Welcome to the ecosystem Houston AI! We are honored to be a partner, and we were thrilled to be part of such a successful launch with our members Kauel, Dsider and ALLY Energy. To many more great events #AIthenexus Juliana Garaizar Katie Mehnert Edmundo Casas C. PhD(c) Sujatha Kumar
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER, FOUNDER, AI STRATEGY & DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION EXECUTIVE - STARTUP ADVISOR | INNOVATION | R&D | PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT
Houston AI has officially launched! Yesterday marked a significant milestone as Houston AI was launched at The Ion, bringing together 250+ Houstonians from industry, academia, government, and the broader community. The collective energy in the room was electrifying, a testament to the incredible AI-driven transformation underway in our city! Our Core Mission: 🔹 Position Houston as a national AI powerhouse – fostering innovation and leadership in AI. 🔹 Upskill the workforce – ensuring that every individual, regardless of background, has access to AI-driven opportunities. 🔹 Accelerate AI-driven startups – bringing together domain experts, investors, government, and corporates to redefine industries and create economic prosperity. Key Insights from the Event: 📌 Lisa Kent, CIO for the City of Houston, highlighted the critical role AI plays in government and employment, emphasizing its transformative impact on our workforce. 📌 Panel Takeaways (moderated by Katie Mehnert) with experts from energy (Jeff Miers), healthcare (Asif Ali, M.D.), space (Montgomery Goforth), technology (Ahsan Yousufzai), and investment (Juliana Garaizar): 🔹 NVIDIA – Leveraging its core strength in simulation to innovate in AI. AI is evolving from basic Gen AI to Agentic AI, with Physical AI as the next frontier. 🔹 AWS – Providing an end-to-end AI infrastructure to scale AI applications across industries, especially energy. 🔹 Healthcare AI – Inclusion is non-negotiable. Case in point: During COVID, certain PPG devices measuring oxygen saturation were less effective on darker skin tones, leading to tragic consequences. Ethical AI demands transparency about limitations. 🔹 Space AI – Edge AI is critical in space applications. AI-powered solutions like “Doctor in a Box” and “Flight Assistant in a Box” are revolutionizing astronaut health and deep-space operations. 🔹 AI Investments – Unprecedented opportunities exist for AI startups in energy, healthcare, and space. Houston, historically a hard-tech innovation hub, now has the potential to create AI unicorns that redefine industries. This is just the beginning! The enthusiasm at The Ion was palpable, and we are only at the start of a massive AI-powered transformation for Houston. We invite YOU to be part of this journey! Join Houston AI, share your expertise, and help shape the future. A huge thank you to co-founders John Rowe, Jonas Georgsson, Katie Mehnert, and Dr. Sanjoy Paul, MBA (Wharton), IEEE Fellow Paul for making this possible! Let’s build Houston’s AI future – together! #HoustonAI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIInnovation #TechForGood #AIStartups #FutureOfWork #Innovation #AIForEveryone
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We’re excited to announce the Energy Tech Market, happening on March 13, 2024, at GreenStreet, HTX, during the CERAWeek Houston 2025! Hosted by Energy Tech Nexus in partnership with techNL and Scale Up Hub Houston, this event will spotlight the Canadian Cohort from the Scale Up Hub Houston program, alongside global energy innovators, industry leaders, and founders. We’ll feature a dynamic lineup of sessions covering: - Offshore Technologies - Carbon Management & Nature-Based Solutions - Industrial Monitoring - Stakeholder Engagement This is more than just an event—it’s a platform to connect, collaborate, and scale energy innovations globally. 📅 Save the date & RSVP Today. Link in the comments ACOA - APECA Energy NL Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada Opportunities New Brunswick: Innovation PEI Invest Nova Scotia #EnergyTechMarket #CERAWeek #ScalingUp #Innovation #EnergyTransition #GlobalLaunchpad #TechNL #ScaleUpHub #CanadianCohort #SUH_Houston #AtlanticGrowth (E), #CroissanceAtlantique (F)
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Join our member Ngu Morcho at this upcoming event at the ION!
I am an Impact Entrepreneur, Ashoka Fellow and US Military veteran. I develop, finance and deliver impact infrastructure projects at the intersection of health, energy and financial equity.
Come join us at The ION in Houston from 19-21 of February, and hear about how the Africa Diaspora in the US can play a more active role in shaping the future of the African continent. #diasporaafricaconference https://lnkd.in/gsZ83zd8
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Thunderwatch: A weekly update 10 March
Thunderwatch: A weekly update 10 March
www.linkedin.com
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#Askusanything : Energy Tech Nexus Members Edmundo Casas C., Sujatha Kumar and Katie Mehnert were part of the Houston AI launch yesterday at the Ion Houston together with Founding Partner Juliana Garaizar and representatives of Amazon Web Services (AWS), NVIDIA, Johnson Space Center, City of Houston and Houston Methodist. What an amazing evening for Houston and AI, thanks for having us Dr. Sanjoy Paul, MBA (Wharton), IEEE Fellow, John Rowe, Jonas Georgsson! Kauel Dsider ALLY Energy
Kauel Thank you so much for the invitation. It is an honor to be present at Houston - AI. At Kauel, we are committed to transforming industries through Artificial Intelligence, particularly in energy, space, and industrial processes. Our AI-powered inspection solutions are redefining energy infrastructure maintenance, enabling predictive analytics and real-time monitoring to enhance safety and efficiency. In space applications, AI-driven computer vision and autonomous systems are opening new frontiers for exploration and resource management. In industrial processes, our technology optimizes operations by integrating intelligent automation and precision decision-making. We are excited to share our vision and exchange knowledge with this incredible AI-driven community. The Best! Katie Mehnert, Juliana Garaizar, Lisa Kent Jonas Georgsson, Dr. Sanjoy Paul, MBA (Wharton), IEEE Fellow, John Rowe
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Energy Tech Nexus reposted this
It was an incredible night! Thanks to all who attended! Thanks to all who helped make the event a resounding success! Houston is ready to be a powerhouse in Age of AI! Jonas Georgsson Katie Mehnert Dr. Sanjoy Paul, MBA (Wharton), IEEE Fellow Montgomery Goforth Asif Ali, M.D. Lisa Kent Jeff Miers Juliana Garaizar Ahsan Yousufzai Jessica Wilson
What a night! Last night was a huge success as we officially launched Houston AI. The energy in the room, the incredible conversations, and the enthusiasm for what’s ahead made it clear—this is just the beginning. A big thank you to everyone who supported, contributed, and celebrated with us. We’re just getting started, and there’s more to come. Stay tuned for an exciting event in March. Keep an eye out for details soon. We can’t wait to continue this journey with all of you.
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ETN is proud to collaborate with Society for Low Carbon Technologies and SPE Northern Emirates Section in yet another great global event Capture and Connect: Unleashing the Future of CCUS, an exclusive #CCUS2025 Conference mixer Society of Petroleum Engineers International American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗦: On March 4th, we are proud to announce that, in collaboration with SPE Northern Emirates Section, we will host a private international mixer in Houston—bringing together influential leaders for high-impact discussions on CCUS and low-carbon solutions, where strategy meets execution. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗖𝗨𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, listed below. Houston provides the perfect setting for forging meaningful connections and accelerating impact. ⏲️ 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄: https://lnkd.in/gai8MhJd 👇 Supporting organizations: • Society of Petroleum Engineers International • American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) • The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) • With additional support from Energy Tech Nexus #CCUS #LowCarbon #Exclusive #EnergyLeadership
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Energy Tech Nexus reposted this
🚀 Future Energies & Investor Summit 2025 at the Ion Houston - What’s on the agenda? 💡 High level Fireside Chat on the shifting Investment Thesis for Renewables by: Eunike Ventures, Energy Innovation Capital, Pickering Energy Partners & Fieldstone Partners 🎯 Key facts that make Houston a top energy transition hub – Sophia Cunningham Vice President at the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) ⚙️ Pitches from Seaborg Technologies, World’s 1st 4th Gen Nuclear SMR’s on vessels (CBO, Rasmus Bjerngaard) Lithium Harvest Breakthrough zero carbon & low cost lithium extraction (CEO, Sune Mathiesen) Kvasir Technologies Converting wood into cost competitive Biocrude (CCO, Ulrik Falkenberg Lending) 🍸 Drinks, Deals & Diplomacy: Network with Houston's top energy executives, VCs, CVC’s PE’s, diplomats & our Minister of Industry, Business & Financial Affairs Morten Bødskov 📩 Coment below, DM or mail (thotou@um.dk) for a personal invitation
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Energy Tech Nexus reposted this
Fantastic launch event for Houston AI tonight! Leaders spearheading AI innovation in our city convened to discuss establishing Houston as a National AI Hub, enhancing the workforce through upskilling initiatives, and empowering AI-driven startups. Katie Mehnert Montgomery Goforth Juliana Garaizar Jeff Miers Asif Ali, M.D. Ashan Yoususfai During the panel discussion, insights were shared on what ChatGPT doesn't know about the experts and their current projects. Exciting times ahead for AI in Houston! #HoustonAI #AIInnovation #TechHub #Upskilling #StartupEmpowerment #i2kai
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