Editor's note: As several members of Houston's startup and innovation ecosystem — including me — recovers from last week's SXSW Interactive festival, the city's tech and business news booms on. Between self-driving grocery delivery cars to SXSW overheards, here's what trended this week.
Overheard: 5 powerful quotes from Houstonians speaking at SXSW
From advice to observations, these five quotes overheard at SXSW proves Houston had some great spokespeople at the 2019 SXSW Interactive festival. Photos courtesy
Houston had no shortage of representatives at the 2019 SXSW Interactive festival, which took place March 8 to 12 in Austin. Several sat on panels, lead mixers, or even starred in a movie for the film track of the conference.
I had the pleasure of sitting in on a great deal of these events featuring the best and the brightest of Houston's innovation stars, but I realize most did not. To catch you up and rid you of your fear of missing out, check out these five overheard quotes from the fest. Click here to read the full story.
Meet the Houston Methodist executive at the helm of the new innovation-focused initiative
Roberta Schwartz is leading the innovation initiative at Houston Methodist. Courtesy of Houston Methodist
In an effort to be at the forefront of technology in the health care industry, Houston Methodist recently premiered its Center for Innovation, a group of leaders charged with finding new technologies for the hospital system for patients, physicians, and staff. Roberta Schwartz — executive vice president, chief innovation officer, and chief executive officer of Houston Methodist Hospital — is at the helm of the initiative. After 17 years at Houston Methodist, Schwartz says she's seen the evolution of tech and is taking note of where the industry is going. Click here to read the full story.
SXSW panelists: Improving access to funding is key for Houston's continued ecosystem growth
Houston, we have a problem — and it's helping local startups have access to funding. Photo by Zview/Getty Images
A few weeks ago, Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner and Station Houston CEO Gabriella Rowe proclaimed that Houston's up-and-coming innovation ecosystem was no longer up and coming: It had arrived. But what preceded that proclamation was years of figuring out what it was Houston could do to get to this point. Click here to read the full story.
3 Houston innovators to know this week
Across industries, these three founders found a new way of doing things. Images courtesy
This week's innovators to know truly represent the spirit of innovation. All three looked at a traditional way of doing something, and reimagined it — from design to smart technology. Click here to read the full story.
Kroger's autonomous car fleet heads to Houston for a new grocery delivery service
Kroger's self-driving cars are coming to Houston. Courtesy of Kroger
Hold on to your hats, Houston. Autonomous cars are hitting the streets this spring as Kroger rolls out its fleet of self-driving, grocery-delivery cars. Two Houston Kroger locations will have provide the service to four ZIP codes. Kroger, along with California-based robotics company, Nuro, has been operating self-driving cars delivering groceries in Scottsdale. Arizona since August. According to the release, the service has delivered thousands of orders in the self-driving vehicles. Click here to read the full story.