R. Rasheed
Helix Earth,
United States
Keywords: air conditioning, space technology, energy savings, building occupant health, climate tech
Summary:
My journey as an entrepreneur is shaped not just by a passion for science and engineering, but by resilience and the pursuit of opportunity. As a Kurd, my family fled persecution in Iraq, and my father’s determination to rebuild our lives in the U.S. paved the way for my own career in engineering. I started my career as a Life Support Systems Engineer at NASA, where I worked on some of the most complex engineering problems in extreme environments. That experience taught me how to break down difficult challenges and design systems that push the boundaries of what’s possible. I then pursued a PhD at Rice University, where my research became the foundation for Helix Earth, a startup I spun out of Rice, where I now serve as CEO. At Helix Earth, we are tackling one of the biggest hidden climate challenges, air conditioning inefficiency. Our breakthrough Helix MICRA™ technology is a retrofit dehumidification system that reduces AC energy consumption by up to 50% while enabling buildings to ventilate, increasing occupant health. We achieve this level of savings by eliminating latent cooling loads arising from humidity in air using our Helix MICRA™ innovations. Eliminating this humidity load addresses a massive inefficiency in air conditioning, which contributes to nearly 4 gigatons of CO₂ emissions annually, or about 4% of global emissions, which is more than the whole of the aviation industry today. Building a deep-tech startup to address global challenges isn’t easy, but I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge. As an immigrant founder, I’ve had to navigate both technical and business challenges to break into a space historically dominated by established players. At Helix Earth, it’s our mission to make energy efficiency radically scalable for not only air conditioning, but also for other heavy industries. We have secured venture funding closing, grant funding from the NSF and the DOE, and have partnered with major HVAC distributors and manufacturers. Our traction to date is proof that sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand, but innovation and new business models alone won’t solve the climate crisis, it takes bold action by passionate, smart, and hardworking people. My goal is not just to build a transformative company but to help inspire and help other climate entrepreneurs, especially those, like me, who came to this country seeking a better future.