HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwired - May 20, 2014) -  Tomorrow, leading energy executives and investors in early stage technology will gather in Houston for another SURGE Day. SURGE Day is the culmination of the three-month SURGE Accelerator program in which 11 companies pitch their businesses to an audience of 500+.

New to the SURGE Day program this year is a series of guest speakers addressing where innovation is happening in different sectors of energy. These speakers will feature Christopher Robart, Partner at PacWest Consulting, Brett Perlman, Former Commissioner of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Arshad Matin, CEO of Paradigm Software, and Rebecca Taylor, Venture Principal for Deep Water and Materials at Shell Technology Ventures.

"SURGE Day has become the industry flagship event championing early-stage innovation aimed at solving the world's energy problems," says Kirk Coburn, Founder and Managing Director of SURGE. "We are also hosting SURGE Rush again today that is an afternoon of private meetings between executives of large energy companies and startups that are venture-funded."

Companies presenting at SURGE Day incorporate technologies addressing seismic imaging and data processing, collection of ocean data using drones, operational excellence in the field, grid frequency regulation, and other solutions developed for oil and gas and electric utilities.

SURGE invests in 11-12 startups annually and hosts the companies for a three-month boot camp in the spring in which companies connect with mentors, capital, and customers.

About SURGE

SURGE is the leading seed fund and mentor-driven accelerator that identifies, invests in, and enables entrepreneurs who are solving the world's energy problems using technology. SURGE is ranked in the top ten accelerators in the US. Portfolio companies have raised over $25M in funding and created more than 150 jobs since May 2012. Based in Houston, Texas, "The Energy Capital of the World," SURGE identifies leaders, validates business models, raises capital, and connects startups to customers and the global energy ecosystem. SURGE has recruited over 150 of the world's top scientists, engineers, executives, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and angel investors to serve as mentors.