Editor's note:Another week has come and gone, and it's time to round up the top headlines from the past few days. Trending Houston tech and startup news on InnovationMap included top Houston business innovation events to attend, Texas receiving over $3.3 billion in federal funding, and more.
10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for July
Here's your one-stop shop for innovation events in Houston for July. Photo via Getty Images
From networking meetups to educational symposiums, July is chock-full of happenings for Houston innovators.
Here's a roundup of events you won't want want to miss out on so mark your calendars and register accordingly. Continue reading.
Texas secures $3.3B in federal funding to expand broadband internet
The fresh $3.3 billion for Texas will complement the $1.5 billion in state money that Texas lawmakers recently earmarked to improve broadband access. Photo via Getty Images
Texas is receiving over $3.3 billion in federal funding — more than any other state — to expand broadband internet access the state.
Much of that money undoubtedly will be pumped into the Houston metro area, where a little over 180,000 (about 7 percent) of the more than 2.6 million households have no internet access.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced June 26 that the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and U.S. territories will share nearly $42.5 billion in broadband internet funding allocated under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law went on the books in 2021.
“This is a watershed moment for millions of people across America who lack access to a high-speed Internet connection. Access to Internet service is necessary for work, education, healthcare, and more,” Alan Davidson, assistant secretary of commerce for communication and information, says in a news release. Continue reading.
Innovative Houston athleisure startup debuts in Talbots
Houston-based Accel Lifestyle's innovative line of athleisure has made it into Talbots. Photo courtesy of Accel
After a year of planning and behind-the-scenes work, the highly anticipated collaboration between local apparel brand Accel Lifestyle and Talbots has finally come to fruition.
Shoppers can now find Accel Lifestyle apparel — beloved for its eco-friendly, sustainable, antibacterial fabrics sourced made in the USA — on Talbot's website.
This partnership marks the first-ever collaboration for the athleisure brand of Talbots, T by Talbots. By teaming up with Accel Lifestyle, Talbots expands its product offerings and also provides its loyal, forward-thinking, and ethically minded customers with a new clothing option that perfectly fits with their values. Continue reading.
Houston biodesign innovators ready to spin out startup with life-saving vascular tech
A new innovation out of the Texas Medical Center's Biodesign Program is enhancing efficacy of a life-saving aortic aneurysm rupture procedure. Photo via Getty Images
Yes, you can die of a broken heart — although it's not in the hyperbolic way you might be thinking. Fewer than 20 percent of people who have an aortic aneurysm rupture survive the event. But aortic aneurysms can be treated if they’re caught before they burst. A new Houston company is devoted to a novel solution to helping patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).
That company is Taurus Vascular. As part of the current class of the TMC Innovation Biodesign Program, fellows Matthew Kuhn and Melanie Lowther were tasked with creating a biomedical company in a year. The founders started their journey last August. At the end of this month, they'll be kicked out of the nest, Kuhn tells InnovationMap. Taurus is also in Rice University's 2023 cohort of OwlSpark, an ongoing summer program for startups founders from the Rice community.
Kuhn is a biomedical engineer who just scored his forty-fifth patent. The CEO says that he hit it off quickly with his co-founder and COO, Lowther, former director entrepreneurship and innovation at Texas Children’s Hospital. Continue reading.
Houston could be 2nd biggest metro in U.S. by year 2100, new report says
Everyone wants to live here. Photo by Kevin Hernandez on Unsplash
Start spreading the news: Houston will eclipse New York City as the 2nd biggest metro area by the year 2100, a new report predicts.
An analysis by moving services site moveBuddha published June 22 says Houston's population could swell to 31.38 million people in the next 77 years.
Based on current population and migration trends, in fact, America’s three biggest metropolitan areas by 2100 will be Dallas-Fort Worth (No. 1), Houston (No. 2), and Austin (No. 3), replacing New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago as the country’s most populous metros, the report predicts.
Dallas-Fort Worth's population is estimated to grow to 33.91 million, and Austin's is projected to jump to 22.29 million.
"The future of America may lie in Texas," the report's author says. Continue reading.