Editor’s note:Here’s a roundup of the most-read Houston innovation news stories this weekInnovationMap and its daily newsletter feature Houston tech and startup trend articles including new startups from Houston innovators, can’t miss events and more.
Houston innovators bet on humanoid robots with new startup
Nikolaus Radford, founder of Nauticus Robotics and leading it to an IPO, shares details about his new company, PersonaAI. Image via LinkedIn
For his next move, Houston entrepreneur Nikolaus Radford has founded a new company that aims to bring humanoid robots out of science fiction and into manufacturing environments with what he calls “anti-stealth” capabilities.
Radford, who left his previous company, Nauticus Robotics, in January after overseeing its founding and IPO, told InnovationMap that he began receiving attractive offers from other robotics companies, but none of them felt right for him. But he couldn’t get the idea of developing humanoid robots out of his head.
“Humanoids are the pinnacle of robotics,” Radford says. “They’re what every science fiction writer has always dreamed of.”
“This is the future,” he continues, “and now, in 2022, the age of generative AI, these machines are going to be much more capable, flexible, reprogrammable, and able to reason in real time. This is huge.” Keep reading.
Houston neurodegenerative disease treatment company expands research collaboration with Houston Methodist
Coya Therapeutics announced an expanded research collaboration with Houston Methodist Research Institute and funding from the Johnson Center. Photo courtesy of TMC.edu
A clinical-stage Houston biotechnology company has expanded its collaboration with Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI).
Coya Therapeutics is already established enough to go public in late 2022, but there’s always room to grow. With the help of a new sponsored research agreement, Coya will work on multiple initiatives. Coya is led by co-founder and CEO Howard Berman, who was inspired by his father’s dementia diagnosis.
“I was interested in what I could do for my father,” Berman told the Houston Innovators podcast, explaining that she met with Dr. Stanley Appel, a renowned researcher and neurologist at Houston Methodist who was not only researching treatments to help Berman’s late father, but also showed her that he could halt the progression of ALS. Keep reading.
Why a Houston medical professional stepped into the founding chair and revolutionized the industry
Ayoade Joy Ademuyewo founded Lokum last year to create solutions that better connect medical professionals with healthcare facilities across the country. Photo courtesy of Lokum
Ayoade Joy Ademuyewo says anesthesiology is “the coolest thing in the world,” which is why she became a certified nurse anesthetist.
And that career, which she describes as “the perfect blend of science and art,” led her to found her startup, Lokum.
The Lokum App is a matching engine aimed at matching Ademuyewo’s colleagues with jobs. She explains that prior to this innovation, nurse anesthesia talent typically relied on job boards that were 30 years older than her, or recruitment agencies that put nurses at a disadvantage.
“I didn’t want to use the job board because it was difficult to use, and I thought a lot of other people felt the same way,” she recalls. Keep reading.
3 Houston innovators to watch this week
This week’s roundup of Houston innovators includes Melanie Johnson of Collaborative for Children, Aditya Mohite of Rice University, and Lani Doyle of Cart.com. Photo credit
Each week, I’ll profile a few Houston innovators who have been making headlines recently for their innovative technology, investment activity, or other things. This week’s guests include the leader of a nonprofit showcasing new technologies, a professor at Rice University focusing on solar technology, and an entry-level employee at a fast-growing Houston startup. Keep reading.
