Activate transforms scientists and engineers into founders, empowering them to reinvent the world by bringing their research to market. In 2024, Activate launched its inaugural Houston cohort, housed at the Ion. The inaugural fellows in the Activate Houston Community are advancing technologies across agriculture, life sciences, chemistry, materials, robotics, built environment, space and aeronautics, and carbon management. Some exciting innovations include removing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water using UV light, tracking crop pollinators using lidar and machine-learning algorithms, inventing a highly dexterous, affordable robotic hand to address labor shortages, and the world’s first high-throughput and low-cost nanomanufacturing system.