November 5, 2026 | Houston, Texas
LeVass Ventures and MetroNational co-hosted a Houston session of the Centrale Startup Challenge at Houston’s Memorial City campus. The event brought founders from France’s Centrale engineering schools together with local investors, judges, and mentors for candid conversations about building and growing companies in the U.S.
Participating teams gained practical feedback and connections within Houston’s innovation community. Three startups, Demetis, Soraccel, and Opiris, advanced to the final round.
LeVass Ventures Senior Advisor Dr. Jan E. Odegard facilitated the engagement with MetroNational, connected the program to Houston’s innovation ecosystem, and assembled the local judging and mentoring panel. HexaGroup and Didier Germain organized and brought the Challenge to Houston, with MetroNational generously providing the venue.
“This is ‘Everyone Rows’ in action: people bringing different strengths and pulling together to help founders move forward,” Odegard said.
The event reflects LeVass Ventures’ approach to connecting people, partnerships, and place. By bringing international founders into conversations with experienced local leaders, these collaborations help translate introductions into practical guidance and opportunities for continued engagement.
Thank you to the founders, judges, mentors, and organizing partners who made the Houston session possible. We hope to welcome the teams back to Houston as their companies grow.
