Plug and Play Sugar Land Batch 4- Expo

​Join us at the Plug and Play Sugar Land Fall Expo 2026 for an exciting afternoon of innovation, technology, and collaboration!

​Plug and Play sits at the center of the global early-stage innovation ecosystem. As the world’s largest innovation platform and a leading early-stage investor—with over 30 unicorns in our portfolio, including PayPal, Honey, N26, and Rappi—we connect high-growth startups with global corporations and academic institutions like CenterPoint Energy, ABM, University of Houston, Sugar Land Office of Economic Development and Tourism, and over 600 other partners worldwide.

​This Fall Expo marks the culmination of our fourth accelerator batch, showcasing 11 groundbreaking startups selected from over 100 top applicants. These ambitious founders are solving critical, real-world challenges across energy, physical AI, robotics, infrastructure, and sustainability.

​Why Attend?

• ​Featured Startup Showcase: Explore cutting-edge technology and meet the founders of our featured Batch 4 startups driving the future of industry. Listen in as our 11 cohort startups take the stage alongside world-class moderators:

  • ​Physical AI: Moderated by Joseph Boccuzzi (Principal 5G/6G End-to-End Systems at NVIDIA)

  • ​Intelligent Infrastructure & Energy: Moderated by Sid Mebarkia (Senior Principal Subsea Pipeline Engineer & Chevron Fellow at Chevron)

  • ​Resilience & Sustainability: Moderated by Maruthi Devarakonda (Director, Research and Technology at Baker Hughes)

• ​UH Student Startup Pitch Competition: Watch emerging student entrepreneurs from the University of Houston pitch their boldest ideas live on stage.

  • ​Meet the UH Student Finalists:

    • ​Detection of Flange Looseness using Robotic Arm

      • ​Founders: Himansu Shaw, Hamdi Ben Amar, Jorge Rangel, Eva Kaissi | Sponsoring Faculty: Prof. G Song

      • ​Developing a robotic, sensor-based system utilizing acoustic transducers and machine learning to detect bolt looseness in subsea flange connections—reducing cost and risk for offshore energy infrastructure.

    • ​FlexHive Energy (Virtual Power Plants)

      • ​Founders: Kristi (Thanh) Duong, Jolene Chen, Yijun Sun | Sponsoring Faculty: Prof. J Shi

      • ​A community-focused Virtual Power Plant coordinating existing assets like battery storage and HVAC systems in Texas public facilities to cut energy costs, strengthen grid resilience, and unlock ERCOT incentives.

    • ​Repurposing Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades

      • ​Founders: Bhupendra Joshi, Erik Pantoja | Sponsoring Faculty: Prof. G Song

      • ​Transforming retired wind turbine blades into load-bearing civil infrastructure components (such as bus shelters and sign structures) with minimal refabrication, diverting landfill waste while lowering construction costs.

    • ​Simu-Life

      • ​Founders: Robert Ozaeta, Ethan Kua, Christina Tran, Seth Smith, Ayla Bouzari

      • ​Building a specialized detection device designed to catch early IV leakages for veterinary patients in pet clinics, with plans to expand into human healthcare in the future.

• ​Network with Corporate & Ecosystem Leaders: Meet face-to-face with investors, corporate executives, university leaders, and fellow innovators.

• ​Discover Next-Gen Tech: Get a first look at emerging solutions transforming energy transition, physical AI, smart infrastructure, and autonomous systems.

​Event Details

• ​Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026

• ​Time: 3:30 PM – 7:00 PM CDT

• ​Location: Brazos Hall | University of Houston at Sugar Land

• ​Address: 14004 University Blvd, Sugar Land, TX 77479