where to be online

Here's what Dallas Startup Week events Houston entrepreneurs should attend

Natalie Harms
Aug 26, 2020, 1:03 pm
Dallas Startup Week has pivoted to online panels and chats. Here's which ones Houston innovators shouldn't miss. Getty Images

While a 4-hour trip up Interstate 45 might, in years prior, could have caused Houston entrepreneurs pause from attending the annual Dallas Startup Week, this year there's no excuse.

DSW is taking place online this year, and there are more than a couple virtual events Houston entrepreneurs need to attend. Here's which virtual events Houstonians should log on to.

Monday - The State of Fundraising in Texas

A panel of Texas-based venture experts will discuss the state of fundraising in Dallas and Texas as a whole. The panel includes:

  • Bryan Chambers, vice president of Accelerator & Investment Fund at Capital Factory
  • Cindy Revol, principal at Perot Jain
  • Laura Baldwin, managing director at Golden Seeds
  • Mike Marcantonio, principal at Live Oak Venture Partners

The virtual panel is at 9 am on Monday, August 31. More information.

Monday - Women Investing in Women

Two Houston women — Leslie Goldman, co-founder and general partner of The Artemis Fund, and Kim Raath, co-founder and CEO of Topl — are taking the virtual stage to discuss women in investing.

The virtual fireside chat is at 11 am on Monday, August 31. More information.

Monday - Innovating in co-working in a COVID-19 world

Trey Bowles and Delanie Majors from The DEC Network will host CEO and founder of Common Desk, Nick Clark, for a discussion on how COVID-19 affected co-working spaces and the entrepreneurs that used to work out of them.

The virtual panel is at 11:30 am on Monday, August 31. More information.

Tuesday - The Future of Marketing Post COVID-19

In 2020, the world changed as we know it. Hear from these marketing leaders about how the landscape will continue to change, and how you can be equipped to market your business during and after a pandemic. Panelists include:
  • Ramon Mendez, co-founder of Brand Army
  • Phil Lockhart, partner & chief digital officer of Credera
  • Michael Pratt, founder of Digital Fight Club
  • Laci McKinney, founder of The People's Voice Creative Agency
  • Jennifer Cho, executive vice president and general manager if Weber Shandwick

The virtual fireside chat is at 3:15 pm on Tuesday, September 1. More information.

Wednesday - Do You Really Know Your Customer: Customer Segmentation is Key to Success

Learn to keys to customer success from a panel of seven businesswomen, including:

  • Tracey Altman, principal, Altman Consulting
  • Sophia Johnson, founder & president at Alpha Business Images
  • Anjie Vichayanonda, founder & CEO of Leg Up Legal
  • Karen Jenkins, senior director and regional sales executive of Capital One
  • Kristy Alballero, co-founder & COO, IOOGO
  • Kristy Alballero is the co-founder and COO of IOOGO
  • Marty McDonald, CEO of Boss Women Media

The virtual fireside chat is at 10:15 am on Wednesday, September 2. More information.

Wednesday - How Smalls Can Win Big with Department of Defense

Learning to win government contracts can be a challenging task, yet millions of startups in the United States are thriving because of them. As a founder, entrepreneur, or just a curious individual, check out this session to learn about the keys to success in government contracting. Panelists include:

  • David Shaw, co-founder and chief commercialization officer at Astrapi
  • Steve Guengerich, senior adviser at the University of Texas at Dallas
  • Dave Copps, CEO of Hypergiant Sensory Sciences
  • Sam Riehn, business development at Long Capture & Contract Management

The virtual fireside chat is at 11 am on Wednesday, September 2. More information.

Thursday - The State of Corporate Venture

A panel of experts from some of the largest corporations in the world discuss how their companies work with and invest in startups. They will discuss ways to engage with them, what kinds of companies they look to invest in, and how investing has changed during a tumultuous 2020.

  • Duane Dankesreiter, senior vice president of Research and Innovation of Dallas Regional Chamber
  • Aman Sharma, partner of Capital One Ventures
  • Marisa Bertha, senior director at New Business Development & 7-Ventures, 7-Eleven
  • Jim Adler, founding managing director at Toyota Ventures

The virtual fireside chat is at 1:05 pm on Thursday, September 3. More information.

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HOUSTON INNOVATORS PODCAST EPISODE 182

Why this Houston innovator is racing to commercialize its unique treatment for neurodegenerative diseases

For Howard Berman, CEO and co-founder of Coya Therapeutics, commercializing his company is personal. Photo courtesy of Coya

When Howard Berman sought out renowned Houston Methodist researcher and neurologist Dr. Stanley Appel, he was looking for treatment for his father, who was suffering from dementia. He wasn't looking for a job, but Dr. Appel had other ideas and asked Berman to meet with him.

"I was interested in what I could do for my dad," Berman says on the Houston Innovators Podcast, explaining how he took the meeting with Dr. Appel, who then presented him with some of his research. "By slide five my jaw had hit the ground.

"He had shown that he could stop the progression in one of his early trials of ALS," Berman says.

Not too long after that meeting, Berman, who founded digital health platform imaware, joined Dr. Appel to lead commercialization of Coya Therapeutics, a biotech startup that raised over $20 million in venture funding before going public a few months ago.

Coya has developed a biologics therapy that prevents further spreading of neurodegenerative diseases by making regulatory T cells functional again. Diseases like ALS, the company's focus right now, prevent T-regs from doing their job in controlling inflammation, and without these cells hard at work, the human body doesn't stand a chance in fighting autoimmune threats.

Berman, as co-founder and CEO, has been at the helm of the company leading it through both the fundraising and IPO processes. Coya's IPO occured in a tough market — only 12 biotech companies went public last year, he explains. To Berman, that just proves how passionate the team was about getting this product to those who need it.

"It really says something for the fortitude and our team to come together to make it happen," he says on the show. "We're able to deliver and execute in a difficult market climate.

"Once you're a public company, you have different expectations," he continues. "But you also have the opportunity to go out and attract additional investors in ways you can't do as a private company."

For Berman, whose father passed away earlier this year, it's a personal motivation that drives him to lead the company — as well as an opportunity to advance the city of Houston.

"The next number of years as we develop this therapeutic regimen for ALS, we have the potential to transform Houston into something more than it is currently," he says. "Our success will be the city's success."

Berman shares more of the Coya Therapeutics story on the podcast, as well as how he sees Houston's potential as an emerging hub for biotech. Listen to the interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.


ALSBiotech hubCoya TherapeuticsHouston MethodistHoward BermanRegulatory T cellsStanley Appelhouston innovators podcast

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hi, tech

Mobile ordering tech company expands to 5 Houston hospitals