The Energy Institute is proud to announce the four startups selected for the 2026 UT | TEX‑E Accelerator Program, a three‑month summer accelerator supporting UT Austin student‑led innovations in climate and energy.

This year’s cohort represents a diverse set of technologies and approaches aimed at advancing sustainability, decarbonization, and the future of energy. 

Each team will receive $10,000 in non‑dilutive funding, tailored mentorship, and guidance from an experienced Accelerator Advisory Board as they advance technology development, customer discovery, and commercialization efforts.

Please join us in congratulating the 2026 UT | TEX‑E Accelerator teams:

• TerraCoat (Jake Bendetti, Moiz Ahmed Mahesar, Muhammad Usama: College of Liberal Arts, Cockrell School of Engineering)

  - TerraCoat has designed a unique efficiency-improving product that can change the game for solar profitability. Bifacial solar panels absorb energy on both sides, and increasing ground reflectivity can boost their total energy yield by up to 15 percent. We are the first company to offer a truly durable, reflective ground treatment.

• OmniSpectra (Joseph Schmidt: College of Natural Sciences)

  - OmniSpectra is an NSF-backed early startup developing wearable, non-invasive sensing systems for large power transformers. We turn grid assets into self-aware systems by continuously detecting early-stage material degradation, enabling utilities to shift from reactive maintenance to predictive intervention and significantly reduce failure and wildfire ignition risk. 

• Quas (Aldo Galli: McCombs School of Business)

  - QUAS produces activated carbon from cotton gin waste to treat produced water for Permian Basin operators‚ saving them $0.10/barrel while eliminating tariff exposure from imported Chinese carbon (which costs $3,500-4,500/ton vs. our $1,800-2,200/ton). Operators spend $2B/year on water treatment and recycling in the Permian alone, while 2M+ tons of cotton gin waste sits in the same Texas counties waiting to be disposed. 

• The Coco Core (Gowtham Velu: McCombs School of Business)

  - Coco Core converts coconut husk waste from farms in Tamil Nadu into premium coco coir growing media, sold in the U.S. as a sustainable alternative to peat moss. We solve two linked problems: peat harvesting releases centuries of stored carbon from drained bogs, while Indian coconut farmers burn their husks as waste, polluting the air and losing a potential income stream.

The UT | TEX‑E Accelerator is part of the Texas Exchange for Climate & Energy Entrepreneurship (TEX‑E), a collaboration among The University of Texas at Austin, partner universities across Texas, and innovation leaders Greentown Labs and MIT, focused on strengthening the climate and energy innovation ecosystem in Texas.

We look forward to supporting these teams throughout the summer as they refine their strategies, validate their business models, and prepare for future investor and market opportunities.

TEX-E Fellows

This year-long program connects students from University of Houston, Rice University, UT Austin, Texas A&M University, Prairie View A&M University, and MIT, to the energy and climate innovation ecosystem via exclusive events, industry introductions, tailored programming, and more. 

TEX-E Prize

Each year TEX-E hosts the TEX-E Prize–a pitch competition with cash prize totaling $50,000 for Texas university students working on an energy or climate startup. The Prize is a part of CERAWeek’s Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition, hosted by the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship. 

TEX-E Bootcamps

The TEX-E Bootcamps, held in the Fall and Spring, are premier programming weekend-long events tailored to university students interested in learning more about entrepreneurship, launching successful startups, and the energy transition. The workshops consist of keynote speakers, presentations, and collaborative entrepreneurship projects that are pitched to a panel of industry judges on the final day. UT will provide travel and lodging stipends for UT attendees.

UT | TEX-E Accelerator Program 

The UT | TEX‑E Accelerator Program is offering start-ups in climate and energy led by students from The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) $10,000 in non‑dilutive funding to advance technology development, customer discovery, and commercialization efforts.

The program lasts for three months over the summer, beginning on June 1. Teams meet once each month with an Accelerator Advisory Board with domain expertise to help guide the founders with targeted milestones to help refine strategy, validate the business model and value proposition, and prepare the team for investor‑facing opportunities. 

The program is part of the Texas Exchange for Climate & Energy Entrepreneurship (TEX‑E), a collaboration between UT Austin, partnering universities in Texas and innovation leaders, Greentown Labs and MIT, focused on growing the entrepreneurial energy and climate innovation ecosystem in Texas.