SPE and Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship have announced the winners of the seventh annual Energy Startup Village Competition, part of the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) held on 17 October in San Antonio.
After hosting the event virtually for the past 3 years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition returned to its original in-person format, with leaders from 10 emerging energy technology companies participating.
Pix Force, a computer vision startup from Porto Alegre, Brazil, led by president and cofounder Renato Gomes, was the standout winner, earning both the People’s Choice award with a prize of $3,000 and the Best in Show award of $25,000.
The Rising Star accolades went to two promising startups. Flowmeter specialist Saher Flow Solutions, represented by its chief technology officer, Muhammad Akram Karimi from Towal, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and WellWorth, a Houston-based financial modeling startup led by cofounder and CEO Samra Nawaz. Each received $5,000.
The competition culminated in an award ceremony attended by the 2024 SPE President Terry Palisch. Bryant Mueller, chairperson of the Startup Village Committee, officiated the competition as the master of ceremonies, while Palisch spoke about the importance of innovation and startups in the industry ecosystem before presenting the winners with their awards.
The ATCE Startup Village has been a collaborative effort between SPE and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship since its inception in 2017. With over $385,000 awarded to date, the competition continues to be a central platform for fostering innovation in the upstream oil and gas industry.
For more details about the competition and a full list of participating companies, visit the Startup Village website.