Events

Engineering Education and Research Center (EER) – Texas Innovation Center – 2nd Floor, 2.518

Powering the Future: Energy Innovations and Market Trends in Texas and Beyond

Energy innovation is at a crossroads, with Texas playing a key role in shaping the future of sustainable power, investment trends and global energy security. This panel brings together entrepreneurs, industry leaders, investors and researchers to discuss the latest developments in energy storage, renewables, policy shifts and commercialization strategies. Panelists will share insights on how cutting-edge technologies, investment landscapes and evolving regulatory frameworks are driving change in Texas, the U.S. and beyond.

Coffee Club brings together faculty, staff, graduate students and researchers from across campus to talk about translational research projects, disclosed discoveries and emerging technologies. This event is open to all UT Austin faculty, students, researchers and staff.

About the Speakers:

Jimi Adegbohun
Zero Electric

Jimi Adegbohun is an expert in energy storage, electric vehicles (EVs), and self-driving car technology. He has a strong academic background, having earned a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Baylor University, where he conducted important research for today’s automotive and energy industries. Adegbohun has also gained valuable experience working at major companies like General Motors and Rivian. While there, he worked on innovative projects to improve electric vehicles and develop autonomous driving systems. His blend of knowledge and practical experience makes him a key voice in the future of transportation and sustainable energy.

Christy Cardenas
The Iris

Christy Cardenas is the founder and CEO of The Iris, a media and investment firm focused on innovation in AI, robotics, energy and fintech. With 15+ years in venture capital, private equity and investment banking, she has $15B+ in direct transaction and fundraising experience. Christy has managed deep tech VC funds, investing in AI, robotics and energy. Her background includes large-scale energy infrastructure private equity and bulge bracket investment banking, where she managed GW of power development and marquee IPOs. A Texas Hill Country native, she holds degrees from UT Austin and is a CPA.

Jerry Hollister
BBCetc

Jerry Hollister became a co-owner of BBCetc in October 2023, six years after joining BBCetc in late 2017. Jerry leads the customer development efforts at BBCetc and the NSF/DOD/DOE/USDA team that supports clients applying to these four Agencies. He led the 2021 Catalyst Award effort that continues as the Women-CAN program funded by the SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund and leads the Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) Program for NOAA Phase I awardees. He currently serves as a reviewer for NSF, DOE, USDA and NOAA and regularly speaks about SBIR/STTR at several national conferences.

Jerry started his career as a commissioned officer in the US Navy Civil Engineer Corps. Before his honorable discharge, he served as a warranted contracting officer for DOD. Prior to joining BBCetc, Jerry was chief operating officer for Michigan-based Niowave, a developer of superconducting accelerators, where he worked to build the start-up company from 2008-17. During his tenure, Jerry led the Niowave SBIR team, which received over 45 SBIR/STTR awards worth over $20 million. Niowave was named the Department of Energy 2010 SBIR/STTR Small Business of the Year. He remains on the Niowave Board of Directors and was a key contributor to Niowave receiving two Phase III Cooperative Agreements with the National Nuclear Security Administration totaling $28 million. Niowave has also recently signed multiple long-term radioisotope supply agreements that could cumulatively exceed $500 million over the next decade. He earned a B.S. in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan and a certificate in artificial intelligence from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jerry has been in key leadership positions for two companies that have received the Tibbetts Award from the SBA for excellence in SBIR/STTR: Niowave in 2016 and BBCetc in 2020.

Anna Scott
Mithril Minerals

Anna Scott is a scientist, entrepreneur and the CEO of Mithril Minerals, a stealth startup developing low-impact technology to collect critical minerals. A 2022 ‘25 Influential Women in Energy' awardee, she also co-founded Project Canary, an energy data analytics company known for its work addressing methane emissions and climate risk in emissions-intensive industries such as oil and gas.

As a scientist, she’s worked on projects around the world with the Red Cross/Red Crescent’s International Climate Center, NASA, The World Bank and numerous local governments leading field campaigns in Birmingham, Alabama, Nairobi (Kenya) and Baltimore, Maryland. Scott founded the Baltimore Open Air project, a community-based air quality monitoring project that designed, built and deployed air monitors in the Greater Baltimore region.

She received her Ph.D. from the Earth and Planetary Science Department at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins. She also holds a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Chicago, a M.S. in applied mathematics from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and an MAS in earth science from Johns Hopkins University.