Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship

What Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship does

Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship (TEX-E) is a Houston-based nonprofit established in 2022 that operates a statewide ecosystem for energy and climate entrepreneurship among university students. The organization is structured around six founding partner universities — MIT, Prairie View A&M University, Rice University, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, and University of Texas at Austin — and delivers a continuum of programming that includes the TEX-E Bootcamp (a three-day immersive workshop taught by MIT Martin Trust Center faculty), the TEX-E Fellowship (a selective annual cohort, with 67 students in the 2026-2027 class and 200+ Fellows to date), the TEX-E Prize pitch competition at CERAWeek, a paid summer internship placement program, and year-round networking events. Underlying infrastructure comprises the Orbit digital community platform, a website-based application and donation system (Stripe), and licensed adoption of MIT's Disciplined Entrepreneurship methodology delivered with MIT instructor involvement.

TEX-E is governed by a five-person operating team and a five-member Board of Directors chaired by David Pruner. The organization is funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and partnerships rather than fees charged to students, who participate at no cost. Named corporate partners include Woodside Energy (a multi-year collaboration anchored in a five-year US$12.5 million Woodside-Rice Decarbonization Accelerator commitment), Chevron (which sponsors internship placements), and Greentown Labs (which hosts the Bootcamp and embeds the Woodside-TEX-E Summer Fellow program). Nonprofit status, reliance on donations, and active fundraising of $600,000 to support the next 30 student entrepreneurs indicate an organization in growth mode with a small operating footprint (8-9 staff) supporting a comparatively large programmatic surface.

Name

Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship

Legal name

Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship

Website

https://tex-e.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship (TEX-E) is a Houston-based nonprofit founded in 2022 that runs a six-university (plus MIT) ecosystem for student energy and climate entrepreneurship, delivering Bootcamp, Fellowship, internships, and the TEX-E Prize competition funded through donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy and Climate Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cohort-Based Courses & Live Bootcamps (MPACALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL), Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) & Learning Portals (EDAFAAAB)

Keywords

• Energy entrepreneurship
• Climate technology
• Startup ecosystem
• University partnerships
• Innovation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: TEX-E raises funds from individual donors, corporate sponsors, and foundations to fund operations and student programming. The organization is actively fundraising $600,000 to support the next 30 student entrepreneurs. Donations are accepted via Stripe on the website and contact is available for stock donations or DAF contributions.
2. Corporate Partnership and Sponsorship: Corporations such as Woodside and Chevron engage with TEX-E through formal collaboration agreements, sponsorships, and funded programs (Summer Fellows, internships). Woodside's collaboration includes a US Summer Internship Program launching in 2026 and a Graduate Development Program starting in 2027, reinforcing Woodside's five-year US$12.5 million commitment to the Woodside-Rice Decarbonization Accelerator.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

TEX-E is a nonprofit ecosystem platform that develops the next generation of energy and climate entrepreneurs by providing free educational programming, selective fellowship cohorts, immersive bootcamps, startup pitch competitions, and paid internship placements to university students across Texas and MIT. The organization connects students with corporate energy partners, investors, and founders through events, mentorship, and networking opportunities. All programming is delivered at no cost to participating students while operations are funded through corporate sponsorships, donations, and foundation grants.

Product overview

TEX-E (Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship) is a unified nonprofit ecosystem that combines educational programming, fellowship opportunities, startup competitions, and internship pathways. The organization offers the TEX-E Bootcamp (a three-day entrepreneurship workshop taught by MIT faculty), the TEX-E Fellowship (targeting 100 startups in 10 years), the TEX-E Prize (a CERAWeek startup competition), and year-round programming including internship placements. These programs work together to provide students with skills training, mentorship, networking, and funding opportunities in energy and climate technology entrepreneurship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TEX-E Bootcamp A three-day immersive entrepreneurship workshop for students interested in energy and climate technology, led by instructors from MIT's Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship. The bootcamp teaches aspiring entrepreneurs how to start energy transition initiatives through hands-on frameworks and real-world challenges, free of charge to enrolled university students.
• TEX-E Fellowship A selective program for top undergraduate and graduate students from TEX-E's founding universities (MIT, Prairie View A&M, Rice, Texas A&M, UT Austin, University of Houston) targeting 100 successful startups in 10 years. Fellows receive VIP event access, MIT Energy Conference travel, discretionary funding for travel and professional development, and Orbit platform membership. The 2026-2027 cohort includes 67 students.
• TEX-E Prize A multi-round startup competition for Texas-based student-founded companies developing innovative technologies to advance energy transition and address climate change. Previous winners received a combined $50,000 in cash prizes. The competition occurs annually at CERAWeek.
• Internship Opportunities Paid internship placement program connecting TEX-E Fellows with startups and energy transition corporations for hands-on summer experience, professional networking, mentorship, and access to funding opportunities. Partners include BiaTech, Capwell Services, Helix Earth, Microsoft, Solidec, and Woodside Energy, with Chevron sponsoring some placements.
• Year-Round Programming Ongoing activities including pitch competitions, career exploration in energy innovation and entrepreneurship, and statewide networking events for students engaged with the TEX-E ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ students reached across 6 universities and MIT since founding in 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Woodside EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026Woodside Energy and TEX-E announced a collaboration to accelerate early-career energy talent development and innovation in Houston. The partnership includes a Woodside-TEX-E Summer Fellow program embedded at Greentown Labs supporting the Woodside-Rice Decarbonization Accelerator, a US Summer Internship Program launching in 2026, and a Graduate Development Program starting in 2027. The collaboration builds on Woodside's existing five-year, US$12.5 million commitment to the Woodside-Rice Decarbonization Accelerator.
• Greentown LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreentown Labs is a co-developer of the TEX-E ecosystem model and hosts the annual TEX-E Bootcamp at its Houston facility. Greentown Labs is a nonprofit climatetech startup accelerator and the largest in the US, providing TEX-E with physical space, startup network access, and industry connections. Bob Harvey, TEX-E Board Member, also serves on Greentown Labs' board.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for EntrepreneurshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship is a co-developer of the TEX-E ecosystem model, providing the entrepreneurship framework (Disciplined Entrepreneurship) and direct instruction at Bootcamp through faculty like Bill Aulet. The center provides Fellows access to Boston ecosystem via MIT Energy Conference.
• University of Texas at AustincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of six founding university partners of TEX-E. UT Austin students are eligible for all TEX-E programs including Fellowship, Bootcamp, internships, and TEX-E Prize. Contributes students, faculty engagement, and institutional resources to the ecosystem.
• Texas A&M UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of six founding university partners of TEX-E. Texas A&M students participate in all TEX-E programs. The university contributes students and faculty to the ecosystem, and hosts campus events and ambassador activities.
• Rice UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of six founding university partners of TEX-E. Rice University is also connected to the Woodside-Rice Decarbonization Accelerator. Rice students participate in Fellowship, Bootcamp, and internship programs.
• University of HoustoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of six founding university partners of TEX-E. University of Houston students are eligible for all TEX-E programming. The university contributes to the ecosystem through student participation and campus ambassador activities.
• Prairie View A&M UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of six founding university partners of TEX-E. Prairie View A&M contributes diverse student talent to the ecosystem, participating in Fellowship, Bootcamp, and other programs.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of six founding university partners of TEX-E. MIT provides faculty instruction for Bootcamp through the Martin Trust Center, hosts Fellows at the MIT Energy Conference, and provides access to Boston's energy innovation ecosystem.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Activate: Fellowship program (formerly Cyclotron Road) for science and engineering entrepreneurs working on climate and hard-tech ventures. Closely comparable cohort-based fellowship model for climate entrepreneurs.
• SURGE: Community and fellowship for energy entrepreneurs focused on climate innovation. Comparable community-led model in clean-energy entrepreneurship.
• Greentown Labs: The largest US climatetech startup accelerator, with a Houston location that hosts the TEX-E Bootcamp and co-developed the TEX-E model. Direct peer in mission and a strategic operating partner.
• Third Derivative: Climate-tech accelerator from RMI focused on scaling climate-aligned startups with corporate partners. Direct peer in climate-tech founder support and corporate partnership engagement.
• New Energy Nexus: Global nonprofit supporting clean-energy entrepreneurs and ecosystems through accelerators and ecosystem programs. Direct peer in nonprofit clean-energy ecosystem-building.
• Elemental Excelerator: Climate-impact accelerator funding and supporting climate startups with a cohort model. Comparable to TEX-E in climate-tech focus and structured cohort engagement.

Regional players

• Energy Foundry: Midwest-based energy-impact accelerator and fund supporting energy entrepreneurs. Comparable energy-focused accelerator model in a different US region.
• Station Houston: Houston-based innovation hub supporting startups and corporate innovation programs. Regional peer anchored in the same Houston ecosystem as TEX-E.

Broad incumbents

• Creative Destruction Lab: Global science-and-technology founder program with cohort-based mentorship across multiple geographies. Comparable structured founder-development model with broader scope than TEX-E.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship: MIT's entrepreneurship center that co-developed TEX-E's ecosystem model and licenses the Disciplined Entrepreneurship methodology. Strategic upstream partner and comparable entrepreneurship-education peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tex-e

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas Exchange for Energy & Climate Entrepreneurship