Texas Futures Summit
Join our flagship gathering for those building the future economy brought to you by the Texas Futures Coalition and Palm Venture Studios!
Set against the backdrop of Austin’s rapidly evolving innovation landscape, the Summit brings together investors, founders, policymakers, technologists, and cultural leaders exploring how technology, capital, and creativity are reshaping and transforming the world in our home state of Texas and beyond.
From future computing and energy breakthroughs to human potential and next generation food systems, Texas Futures is setting the stage for the innovators and supporters bringing these ideas to life.
Come see it in action March 12th!
What to Expect:
Engaging panels with leading industry experts
Startup pitch showcase bringing ideas from the frontier
Interact with Innovations at the Science Fair of the Future
Unwind with new friends: entertainment, art, food and drinks
For our third year, we're going bigger than ever. We've built the stage to spotlight the ideas, companies, and leaders bringing incredible solutions to life in our home state of Texas and beyond.
Brought to you by the same team that hosted the Innovation Showcase and the Upwelling, we’re excited to amplify world-changing ideas along our four key
Featured Panels
Feeding the Future: Reimagining Food Systems for Tomorrow with PermanentFarming, LeVert Ventures, EarthOptics and Downland.
Human Potential: Optimizing Our Health Inside and Out featuring Function Health, Vollebak, and VivoBiome.
The Future is Underground: Geothermal in Texas and Beyond with Sage Geosystems, TxGEA, Baker Hughes, and HotRock Consortium
Future Computing: AI, Data Centers, and the New Power Economy featuring Armada and more.
After a full day of high energy sessions and networking we’ll convene attendees for an evening designed to celebrate, connect, and build momentum for what comes next.
Detailed Agenda:
1pm - Doors Open
1:15 - Summit Kickoff
1:30 - Food Systems Panel:
From Dirt to Dollars: The New Economics of Feeding the Future. Join investors, leaders, and innovators to explore how new measurement technology, financial models, and farming methods can align investment returns with better food and life for everyone. Featuring:
- Lars Dyrud: CEO of EarthOptics
- Russ Conser: CEO of Standard Soil, CTO of Pergena Systems
- Karen LeVert: Managing Partner at LeVert Ventures
- Moderated by Jessi Roesch, Founder of Downland2:00 - Startup Pitches Pt 1; Science Fair starts
2:45 - Health and Human Potential Panel:
Human Potential: Optimizing Our Health Inside and Out
This panel explores the intersection of fashion, health, science, and technology, examining how breakthroughs in advanced materials, manufacturing, and performance are redefining human potential for greater longevity, better movement, and a cleaner future.
Featuring:
- Asher Clark: Co-founder and Chief of Design at VivoBarefoot
- Pranitha Patil: Co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Function
- Steve Tidball: Founder & CEO of Vollebak
- Wesley King: Managing Partner at IGC Fund
- Moderated by Daniela Plattner, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Palm Venture Studios3:20 - Geothermal Panel:
The Future is Underground: Geothermal in Texas and Beyond
Featuring:Cindy Taff: CEO & Founder at Sage Geosystems
Dr. Shuvajit Bhattacharya: HotRock Research Consortium lead at UT School of Economic Geology
Ajit Menon: Geothermal & Energy Transition Executive
Moderated by Barry Smitherman, Chairman of TX Geothermal Energy Alliance
4:00 - Future Computing Panel:
Future Computing: AI, Data Centers, and the New Power Economy
Featuring:Prag Mishra, Chief AI Officer of Armada.ai
Tyson Tuttle, Founder and CEO of Circuit, Silicon Labs
Shanna Brownstein, Utility Partnerships at Gridcare.ai
John Pflueger, Research Leader at Dell Technologies
Moderated by Tiffany Wu of McAdams Energy Group
4:45 - Startup Pitches Pt 2
6:00 - Food, Drinks & Celebration
7:30 - Science Fair ends
8:30 - End
Science Fair Showcase Featuring:
Ellysium Racing - Through education, gaming & media initiatives, Ellysium Racing and Racing phenom Ellis Spiezia are inspiring curiosity & critical thinking in the next generation and will showcase the latest innovations in electric motorsports including a VR experience.
Forge Industries - Transforming the global supply of trash into fuel for the future of green cement, steel, and industry.
Helix Earth - Comfort shouldn't cost us our planet, and Helix Earth uses tech developed for NASA to dramatically improve the efficiency of existing HVAC systems.
Planet.Tech is turning the largest source of methane emissions, cow burps, into $800+ in new revenue per cow annually to farmers while also providing $200-$400 in health savings from our health sensor suite. Offsetting 14% of global emissions (GWP20) along the way!
VivoBiome - Revolutionizing footwear with a focus on health and sustainability through 3D scanning and printing.
Cambria Bio - is an AI-native molecular discovery platform showcasing how the next Cambrian explosion starts in Silicon.
e3 Agriculture - Building a new bio-economy for textiles and construction through hemp from their HQ just outside Austin.
PowerGenX - PowerGenX is bringing to market a zero-emission replacement for portable gas & diesel generators using hydrogen fuel cells. Providing light and power to the Science Fair!
OutmoreLiving - Relax on these battery-powered, heated, and stylish furniture started right here at University of Texas at Austin.
Dexmat - Makers of the world's strongest, lightest, and most flexible conductive material.
Pinpoint Irrigation - Live demo of intelligent irrigation to save water, money, and improve plant quality.
ClimateHound - Empowering sustainability in food and beverage and showcasing some tasty beverages and snacks.
Startup Showcase
Allegory: Accelerating Capital for world changers through the first AI-native grant management workspace that learns with you, improves every cycle, and automates search, proposals, and reporting.
Terminus Industrials: U.S.-based advanced manufacturer focused on expanding and accelerating domestic production capacity for large power transformers.
Nanoscale Labs: Creating affordable nanotechnology that solves today’s challenges without creating tomorrow’s problems.
Splight: Splight’s advanced transmission technology delivers 2-3x more firm transmission capacity and increases grid safety and stability by transforming generators, large loads, and batteries into fast-responding reliability assets.
Ennoflow: Building energy-aware edge compute infrastructure
GigaBlue: Gigablue is a marine carbon removal company developing ocean-based systems that harness microalgae to capture and permanently remove atmospheric CO₂ at scale.
Syzygy Plasmonics: Creating Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), methanol, syngas, and hydrogen at lower cost and with dramatically lower emissions. Our light-powered reactors replace traditional, high-emission processes and help you meet strict carbon intensity targets.
Intero Biosystems: Using advanced bioscience to improve preclinical testing by creating the first stem-cell-derived human intestinal organoid containing functioning neurons, blood vessels, muscle, and inner lining of intestine.
Sponsors:
Palm Venture Studios - the only venture studio focused on "second-chance" capital for early-stage startups.
Armada.ai - Enabling AI at the Edge with powerful compute that can be deployed and powered quickly and efficiently.
Orrick - Legal counsel and services for companies at all stages of the corporate life cycle, from startups to public companies, and represents venture capital and private equity firms based around the world in their investments in high-growth companies.
Envest.Earth - a member-driven community accelerating capital into the future economy.
Wilson-Sonsini - For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini has represented technology pioneers associated with virtually every milestone innovation, as well as life sciences trailblazers shaping the future of healthcare.
Summit Photography - Get your free headshots near the speaking area - RSVP now!
GigaBlue - accelerating the ocean’s return to balance, combining science, AI, and nature’s way to secure our planet's future.
CleanTX - Bringing together industry leaders to deploy clean energy technologies and modernize Texas' electric grid.
Siete Foods - Chips from a Mexican-American food brand, with delicious heritage-inspired foods from thoughtfully selected ingredients to bring people together around the table.
Brightside Snacks - Gluten-free, high-fiber, and excellent flavor snacks.
ToGoCo - generously providing compostable cups, plates, and utensils.
TopCup - Providing reusable/recylcable aluminum cups and more.
Partners:
SuperBloom - The world's leading network of Next-Gen Investors & Philanthropists
GreenTown Labs - The world's largest climate tech and energy incubator
Seren Labs - The data platform for the climate frontier
Bottlenecks Institute - A data-driven research organization dedicated to make it easy to find, prioritize, and support the groups working to solve problems across energy, climate, biotech, and AI.
Green Workforce Collaborative - The driving force in Texas green job development, creating a dynamic green workforce through wraparound services, networking opportunities, learning resources and employer support.
Dropbar Talent - Full service, high-velocity talent acquisition services for mission-driven organizations.
ClimateSuccess.earth - Customer success for climate tech solutions
Malagon - Malagon is a branding and design studio for purpose-driven teams in education, health, climate, and social impact. We translate complexity into brands, websites, and storytelling to make it all click.
About Texas Futures
We are Texas' leading force dedicated to supporting the home-grown, market-based solutions driving the future economy to improve life in more sustainable ways.