10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for February

WHERE TO BE

Here are over 10 can't-miss events for Houston innovators in February. Photo via Getty Images

From networking meetups to speaker expert speaker summits, February is filled with opportunities for Houston innovators.

Here's a roundup of events you won't want to miss out on so mark your calendars and register accordingly.

Note: This post may be updated to add more events.

February 2 — Pull Up & Pitch Houston

Pull Up & Pitch brings the pitch competition from the “business stage” to your neighborhood, focusing on normalizing business pitching, creating visibility for innovative ideas, supporting small business revitalization, and educating the public on how to ask for and manage finances. It’s a fast-paced, highly entertaining two-round competition where Black & Brown founders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs shoot their shot with a 60-second elevator pitch to access up to $50,000 in grants to grow their businesses.

This event is Friday, February 2, from 10 am to 1 pm at The Cannon West Houston. Click here to register.

February 2 — GROW Climate Connect Mixer

Learn how to get involved with Green Resources and Opportunities Workforce at the Networking Happy Hour, Black History Month event. Connect with like-minded professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Celebrate the rich history and achievements of the Black community during this special month. Don't miss out on this opportunity to expand your network and make meaningful connections.

This event is Friday, February 2, from 6:30 to 8 pm at Chapman & Kirby. Click here to register.

February 6 — Protecting Your Digital Innovations: Safeguarding Strategies

Gain insights into how to best protect your data-driven innovations and software systems from being misappropriated by your competition. Richard Gilly, a high-tech attorneys for RPG Law Group, will be taking a close look at the different strategies for protecting software and other energy industry innovations.

This event is Tuesday, February 6, from 8 to 10 am at the Cannon. Click here to register.

February 6 — Future of Energy Summit

Hear from a panel of Texas energy experts about the work they’re doing to limit growing energy costs' impact on their businesses, utility, and electric grid level. Participants will leave the panel with clear strategies to implement in their own operations. Lunch and an opportunity to network with industry peers will be provided post-panel.

This event is Tuesday, February 6, from 9:15 am to 1 pm at AC Hotel by Marriott Houston Downtown. Click here to register.

February 6 — Women on Boards Luncheon

Kick off 2024 by setting yourself up for a new stage in your career - lending your expertise to public and private companies. Speakers will discuss what to expect, how to get started, and network with other women board members and executive search companies.

This event is Tuesday, February 6, from 11 am to 1 pm at Junior League of Houston. Click here to register.

February 9 — Greater Houston Partnership Annual Meeting

The Greater Houston Partnership's Annual Meeting will set the pace for 2024, convening business and community leaders to celebrate Houston's and the Partnership's work to advance growth and opportunity. The Partnership’s 2024 Annual Meeting will be welcoming incoming board chair Eric Mullins, Chairman and CEO, Lime Rock Resources.

This event is Friday, February 9, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm at Marriott Marquis Houston. Click here to register.

February 13 — Ken Kennedy Institute Lecture: Jeff Dean (Google)

The Ken Kennedy Institute will have Chief Scientist at Google, Inc. — Google DeepMind and Google Research, for a Distinguished Lecture at Rice University. Dean will highlight several exciting trends in the field of AI and machine learning.

This event is Tuesday, February 13, from 4 to 6 pm at Rice University. Click here to register.

February 13 — The Woodlands 1 Year Anniversary Happy Hour

Head to the first year anniversary celebration of The Cannon The Woodlands to network and meet new members, enjoy drinks and snacks, and fun photo opportunities.

This event is Tuesday, February 13, from 3 to 5 pm at The Cannon The Woodlands. Click here to register.

February 19 — Health & MedTech Mingle

Connect with other like-minded innovators and learn more about the Houston Methodist Tech Hub at the Ion while engaging in unique cross-industry collaboration.

This month's featured speakers are:
Ginny Torno, Executive Director, Innovation & IT Clinical, Ancillary, and Research Systems at Houston Methodist
Lindsay Randle, Director of Practice Operations, Virtual Administration at Houston Methodist
Meagan Howard, Manager, Virtual Inpatient Medicine at Houston Methodist

This event is Monday, February 19, from 5 to 6 pm at the Ion. Click here to register.

February 20 — Hydrogen Industry Networking

Enjoy an afternoon of networking with Greentown startups in the hydrogen sector and hearing about the new technologies that will bring a net-zero future. Hear from Greentown startups innovating in the hydrogen space and network with business leaders from various industry sectors.

This event is Tuesday, February 20, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at Greentown Labs. Click here to register.

February 25 — Houston Biggest Business, Tech & Entrepreneur Networking Soiree

Hosted by the Houston Entrepreneurs, Startup & Business Coalition, all tech startups, entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals are invited to this networking event. Make connections with co-founders, partners, coaches or core team members for your start-up, or meet fellow professionals and mingle with makers of great and big ideas.

This event is Sunday, February 25, from 6 to 8:30 pm at Bungalow Heights. Click here to register.

February 27 — Empowerment Through Investment

Greentown Labs and The Ion District are hosting the 4th installment of the Blackstreet: Celebrating Black Innovators event series. Listen in on a panel discussion with African-American investors, and learn about the new Houston Ion District Investor Activation training program for angel investors and early-stage investors.

This event is Tuesday, February 27, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Greentown Houston. Click here to register.

February 28 — Ignite Healthcare's Cocktails & Conversations

To kick off 2024, Cocktails & Conversations will premiere the award winning documentary, Show Her the Money with an expert panel conversation following the premiere. Here are the panelists:

Catherine Gray, the film's producer, Founder of She Angels Investors
Wendy Ryan, Managing Director, Golden Seeds, and featured in the film
Somer Baburek, CEO of HERA Biotech, a San Antonio-based women's health startup and alumni of Ignite's accelerator program

This event is Wednesday, February 28, at 5 pm, at Houston Health Museum's McGovern Theater. Click here to register.

February 28 — CodeLaunch Houston 2024 Startup Competition

CodeLaunch is returning to Houston for the third cohort of its tech startup competition and brings with it an innovation space tradeshow, jam-packed with 30+ exhibits, angels, and investors, who offer the opportunity to network with sources of funding.

This event is Wednesday, February 28, from 4 to 9 pm at Bayou Music Center. Click here to register.

February 29 — Thinking Roadmap- Post Pandemic: Health, Wealth & Tech

Delve into the future of health, wealth, and technology in a post-pandemic world as industry experts discuss the latest trends, insights, and innovations. Network with like-minded individuals and gain valuable knowledge to navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Explore how technology can revolutionize wellness, transform the financial landscape, and drive economic growth.

This event is Thursday, February 29, from 5:30 to 9 pm at the Ion. Click here to register.

Check out this curated list of innovation events in Houston for February. Photo via Getty Images

10 can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for February

where to be

It's time to look at what's on the agenda for February for Houston innovators — from pitch competitions to networking events.

Here's a roundup of events not to miss this month. Mark your calendars and register accordingly.

Note: This post might be updated to add more events.

Feb. 8 — Digital Marketing Luncheon

Join Insperity, a partner of The Cannon, and digital marketing expert, Danny Gavin, at The Cannon Downtown for a lunch and learn.

The event is Wednesday, February 8, at noon, at The Cannon Downtown. Click here to register.

Feb. 9 — Innovation on Tap: Fred Higgs, Engineering at Rice University

Discuss research in the speaker’s engineering lab at Rice University on key Industry 4.0 technologies, namely additive manufacturing.

The event is Thursday, February 9, at 4 pm, at the Ion. Click here to register.

February 10 — Women in Leadership Conference 

The 23rd annual Women in Leadership Conference will be held in-person at Rice University. The conference has been a beacon of inspiration in the Houston community, empowering women to accomplish their career goals. In panel discussions and interactive workshops, attendees hear from leaders across different industries, explore various approaches to leadership, and discuss future opportunities for success.

The event is Friday, February 10, at 8 am, at McNair Hall at Rice University. Click here to register.

Feb. 15 — Real Talk from Real VCs

Join this event for a candid fireside chat on venture capital and its role in supporting and growing innovative startups.

The event is Wednesday, February 15, at 5:30 pm, at the Ion. Click here to register.

Feb. 16 — Engage VC: Lerer Hippeau

Lerer Hippeau is an early-stage venture capital firm founded and operated in New York City. Since 2010, they have invested in entrepreneurs who embody audacity, endurance, and winning mindset – good people with great ideas who aren't afraid to do hard things. Join the HX Venture Fund to hear Caitlin Strandberg, Partner at Lerer Hippeau discuss her perspective on how to build and scale a great company, what early-stage investors are looking for, why Houston, and market trends among other topics.

The event is Thursday, February 16, at 8:30 am, at the Ion. Click here to register.

Feb. 16 — Female Founders and Funders

Calling all rockstar female founders and investors in the Houston area. Mark your calendars for this month's Female Founders and Funders meetup. Coffee and breakfast is provided and the event is free to attend.

The event is Thursday, February 16, at 9 am, at Sesh Coworking. Click here to register.

Feb. 21 — Web3 & HOU: Demystifying the Web3 Space Panel I

Join us to learn more about Web3 and its numerous applications.

The event is Tuesday, February 21, at 6 pm, at the Ion. Click here to register.

Feb. 22 — The Trailblazer’s Guide to Cultivating Authenticity

In this fun and interactive workshop presented by Erica D’Eramo of Two Peirs Consulting, we’ll look at how to foster a leadership style that works for you, even in the absence of role models.

The event is Wednesday, February 22, at 2 pm, at Sesh Coworking. Click here to register.

Feb. 22 — Houston Startup Showcase

The Houston Startup Showcase is a year-long series of monthly pitch competitions. Founders will pitch at the Ion and compete for the grand prize package. Watch the startups pitch their company and see who the judges will name the champion of the Houston Startup Showcase 2023.

The event is Wednesday, February 22, at 6 pm, at the Ion. Click here to register.

Feb. 23 — Navigating Innovation in the Corporate World

Join us for a fireside chat with leaders from Houston's largest employers, including Microsoft and Chevron to discuss how they have navigated successful careers in technology and innovation.

The event is Thursday, February 23, at 11:30 am, at the Ion. Click here to register.

Feb. 27-March 2 — Houston Tech Rodeo

The Houston Tech Rodeo is a conference showcasing the best and brightest of the Houston startup community in the region and beyond by putting investors, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and creative minds in a room to talk about the biggest innovations and the future of tech sandwiched by some happy hours and friendly competition.

The events run Monday, February 27, through Thursday, March 2, at various locations in Houston. Click here to register.

Note: This post might be updated to add more events.


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Texas still ranks as No. 1 in U.S. for inbound moves, but growth dips

by the numbers

Texas continues to be the country’s No. 1 magnet for newcomers from other states, giving a boost to the state’s economy. However, Texas’ appeal weakened in 2024 compared with the previous year, due in large part to spiking home prices.

An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by self-storage platform StorageCafe shows Texas saw net interstate migration of 76,000 people in 2024. Texas’ net interstate migration dropped nearly 50 percent from 2023, according to the analysis. Net migration refers to the number of incoming residents minus the number of outgoing residents.

California remained the top source of newcomers for Texas, sending nearly 77,000 residents to the Lone Star State in 2024, the analysis says. Florida ranked second, followed by New York, Colorado and Illinois.

“These trends reveal Texas’ continued pull from both high-cost coastal markets and other large Sun Belt states, resulting in a mix of affordability-driven and job-driven relocation,” StorageCafe says.

Putting a damper on the influx of new residents: a roughly 124 percent surge in Texas home prices over the past decade, according to StorageCafe.

“While the state remains significantly more affordable than California, its top feeder state, the once-wide pricing gap has narrowed,” says StorageCafe. “For many movers, Texas is still a relative bargain, but no longer an undisputed one.”

Nonetheless, Texas keeps attracting young, highly educated people, which bodes well for the state’s long-term economic outlook, StorageCafe says. More than half of new arrivals to Texas in 2024 held at least a bachelor’s degree, and the age of newcomers averaged 32.

Where are most of these young, highly educated newcomers settling?

Lloyd Potter, former Texas state demographer, tells StorageCafe that population growth in Texas is happening most rapidly in suburban “ring counties” at the expense of slowing growth in urban cores. Ring counties are on the outskirts of major metro areas.

“Many people are moving from urban cores to suburban rings seeking lower costs, newer housing, better schools, and more space,” Potter says. “Typically, a move to a suburban county will be within commuting or hybrid‑commuting distance of major metro economies.”

Artemis II makes historic call to space station with help from Houston Mission Control

History in the making

Still aglow from their triumphant lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts made more history Tuesday, April 7: calling their friends aboard the International Space Station hundreds of thousands of miles away as they headed home from the moon.

It was the first moonship-to-spaceship radio linkup ever. NASA's Apollo crews had no off-the-planet company back in the 1960s and 1970s, the last time humanity set sail for deep space.

"We have been waiting for this like you can’t imagine,” Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman called out.

For Christina Koch on Artemis II and Jessica Meir aboard the space station, it marked a joyous space reunion despite being 230,000 miles (370,000 kilometers) apart. The two teamed up for the world's first all-female spacewalk in 2019 outside the orbiting lab.

Koch told her “astro-sister” that she'd hoped to meet up with her again in space “but I never thought it would be like this — it's amazing.”

“I'm so happy that we are back in space together,” Meir replied, “even if we are a few miles apart.”

Houston's Mission Control arranged the cosmic chitchat between the four lunar travelers and the space station's three NASA and one French residents.

Koch described being awe-struck by not just the beauty of Earth, “but how much blackness there was around it.”

“It just made it even more special. It truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive,” she told the space station crew. “The specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized” when viewing the home planet from the moon.

By late Tuesday afternoon, the Artemis II astronauts had beamed back more than 50 gigabytes' worth of pictures and other data from the previous day's lunar rendezvous, which set a new distance record for humanity. The highlight: an Earthset photo reminiscent of Apollo 8's Earthrise shot from 1968.

"While they are inspirational and, I think, allow all of us to really feel a little bit of what they were feeling, there's also a lot of science hidden inside of those images," said Mission Control's lead lunar scientist Kelsey Young. “The conversations and the science lessons learned are just beginning."

During a debriefing with Young, the astronauts recounted how they spotted a cascade of pinpricks of light on the lunar surface from impacting cosmic debris. The flashes lasted mere milliseconds and coincided by chance with Monday evening's total solar eclipse.

Young said it was too soon to know whether the crew witnessed an actual meteor shower or more random, run-of-the-mill micrometeoroid hits. Either way, there were “audible screams of delight” in the science operations center, she said.

Koch described being awe-struck by not just the beauty of Earth, “but how much blackness there was around it.”

“It just made it even more special. It truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive,” she told the space station crew. “The specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized” when viewing the home planet from the moon.

The first lunar explorers since Apollo 17 in 1972, Wiseman and his crew are aiming for a splashdown off the San Diego coast on Friday to wrap up the nearly 10-day test flight. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha left port Tuesday for the target zone.

It sets the stage for next year's Artemis III, a lunar lander docking demo in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will follow in 2028 with two astronauts attempting to land near the lunar south pole.

As for the Orion capsule’s pesky potty, Mission Control assured the astronauts that no maintenance was required Tuesday. The toilet has been on-and-off limits to the crew ever since last week’s launch, prompting them to rely on a backup bag-and-funnel system for urinating.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told the crew following the lunar flyby Monday night: “We definitely have to fix some of the plumbing” ahead of the next Artemis mission. Engineers suspect a clogged filter in the overboard flushing system.

Aside from the toilet and other relatively minor matters, the mission has gone well, Isaacman noted at a news conference Tuesday, “but I'll breathe easier when we get through reentry and everybody's under chutes and in the water.”

AI-powered Houston startup helps restaurants boost customer loyalty

order up

It’s no secret that restaurant trends move fast and margins run thin. And with the proliferation of platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Easy Cater, customer loyalty is fleeting.

The solution?

How about an AI-powered restaurant technology platform that helps restaurant brands cut back on third-party platforms in favor of driving direct discovery, conversion and loyalty?

Enter Saivory. Founded in 2025 by Stephen Klein, a software investor, and Fajita Pete’s restaurateur Hugh Guill, the Houston-based startup aims to help eateries better understand and activate guest behavior across digital channels as AI increasingly reshapes how consumers discover and engage with brands.

In less than a year, Saivory has partnered with Shipley Do-Nuts and Fajita Pete’s to bring AI-powered ordering to life.

“With Saivory, we were able to answer the question of, ‘what if the ordering process could be reduced to a single step, where customers simply tell us what they want and AI takes care of the rest?’” Klein tells InnovationMap.

The Houston-based startup made such an immediate impact that it was selected as a semi-finalist during Start-Up Alley at MURTEC, the restaurant industry’s leading technology conference, which took place last month in Las Vegas.

“Houston is a great hub for technology innovation, and we were proud to represent the city at MURTEC this year,” says Klein. “We didn’t win, but we were able to talk about some of the work that we have existing in the market for clients right now and a little bit about what we’re working on in the future.”

In the current restaurant technology ecosystem, the third-party aggregators own the customer attention that brings volume to restaurants, while also taking big commissions and having control over the end relationships with the customer.

That can often make it difficult for restaurants to grow loyalty and repeat business from customers. Saivory aims to level the playing field for restaurants, helping them stay more connected to their customers.

Take Saivory’s recent application with Shipley’s Do-Nuts, for example.

Saivory powered the donut giant’s AI-ordering and launched Shipley's website and mobile app to support its over 300 locations in Texas alone.

Shipley’s new AI-powered assistant helps users create personalized order recommendations based on individual or group preferences. And unlike standard chatbox features, the new assistant makes custom recommendations based on multiple customer factors, including budgetary habits, individual flavor preferences and order size. It can also be used for large catering orders.

“They're seeing more traffic to the site and they're seeing when customers use our AI-enabled flows,” Klein says. “And they're seeing higher basket sizes, bigger tickets, by about 25 percent.”

Klein says Saivory’s technology helps strengthen first-party digital relationships, reduce friction and cart abandonment, improve average order value, and delivers personalized, efficient experiences.

“It’s a win-win: the customer gets the right order quickly, while the restaurant gets a bigger margin,” he adds.

Additionally, the technology makes it easier for restaurants to share rewards, loyalty and discounts, ultimately growing more direct traffic and making restaurants less reliant on third-party delivery apps.

Next up for Saivory is adding new components to its platform to enhance the relationship between restaurant and customer, as well as technology around making it easier for restaurants to get found on Google.

“A lot of people are still searching for the best donuts near me,” Klein says. “Or what’s the best Mexican food near me? Customers will increasingly move to AI, where they’re going to ask where they should eat dinner and expect it to just order them dinner. They will eventually expect the technology to know how to do that. So that’s what we’re driving at.”

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