Rayo Solar
Company description
Rayo Solar designs and builds self-contained, off-grid sheds and small structures powered by solar (with wind and geothermal also mentioned as options), fully insulated and air-conditioned, meant to serve as home offices, studios, guest spaces, storage, or — notably — emergency shelters during blackouts, all without adding load to the local electrical grid. The pitch is squarely local: the Rio Grande Valley's heat means any usable extra space needs insulation and climate control, and a fully solar-powered structure sidesteps both grid strain and the cost/code complications of running new utility connections. The company took third place and a $10,000 grant at the September 11, 2025 Startup Texas SBIR/STTR Demo Day, a program run by the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) in partnership with UTRGV's Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center (ECC) and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES).
Founder Jose Arturo Mendez has lived in Brownsville for more than 35 years and brings over a decade of construction and engineering experience to the venture. He founded Rayo Solar in May 2025 as a solo, part-time founder, self-funding the business out of his own savings. He's explicit about keeping the product affordable — targeting only about $2,500 in profit per shed — specifically to keep it within reach of the people who need it most.
Founder: Jose Arturo Mendez
Program: 2025 Startup Texas SBIR/STTR Innovation Competition
Website: rayo.solar
Email: artmendez@yahoo.com