Award & Investment Overview
Helix Earth has raised $12 million in Seed 2 funding to scale its HVAC retrofit technology targeting commercial buildings.
The round was led by Veriten and included participation from investors across Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, Houston, and Saudi Arabia, reflecting global demand for scalable energy efficiency solutions.
The company was founded in 2022 by Rawand Rasheed (CEO) and Brad Husick, building on research developed in the lab of Dr. Daniel J. Preston at Rice University and inspired by NASA-related technology.
Helix Earth has also received:
• National Science Foundation Phase II SBIR funding
• U.S. Department of Energy support
• Recognition including SXSW Pitch winner and Cleantech 50 to Watch
The company was incubated at Greentown Labs Houston and supported through Rice’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, where Rasheed participated as an Innovation Fellow.
Strategic Relevance for GAP Leaders
Helix Earth demonstrates a strong stacked capital and ecosystem model:
• University research foundation → venture formation
• Entrepreneurship programming → early validation
• Federal grants → technical development
• Incubation → product-market fit
• Venture capital → scale
For GAP leaders, this reinforces:
• The importance of multi-source capital stacking across stages
• The role of incubators and ecosystem infrastructure in hardware commercialization
• The increasing investor focus on climate tech and energy efficiency
• The value of alumni-led venture participation in scaling university startups
This model reflects a repeatable pathway for translating deep tech research into venture-scale companies.
Innovation & Technology
Helix Earth has developed a system that decouples temperature control from humidity management, allowing each to be optimized independently.
Traditional HVAC systems handle both simultaneously, leading to inefficiencies, excess energy use, and inconsistent indoor air quality.
Key advantages include:
• Reduced energy consumption and operating costs
• Improved indoor air quality and occupant comfort
• Reduced strain on existing HVAC infrastructure
• Retrofit compatibility for existing commercial buildings
The underlying liquid-gas chemistry platform also enables potential expansion into adjacent industrial applications.
Potential Market Applications
Helix Earth – Energy Efficiency & Climate Technology Platform
CEO: Rawand Rasheed
Co-founder: Brad Husick
Research Origin: Dr. Daniel J. Preston (Rice University)
Market Applications
• Commercial HVAC retrofit systems: Reducing energy costs and emissions across office buildings, hospitals, and industrial facilities within the $150 billion HVAC market.
• Built environment optimization: Improving humidity control, air quality, and system performance in aging infrastructure.
• Industrial and environmental systems: Expansion into filtration, pollution scrubbing, and rare earth extraction using the same liquid-gas chemistry platform.
Read the Full Story:
https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/rice-spinoff-helix-earth-raises-12m-tackle-energy-efficiency-commercial-buildings
Related Topics:
climate tech commercialization, energy efficiency innovation, university spinouts, HVAC technology, built environment systems, venture-backed deep tech
