Developing West Houston district introduces NFT investment opportunity

money moves

The Founders District in West Houston has an NFT investment opportunity. Rendering via foundersdistrict.com

Developers are turning to blockchain technology to help finance a new indoor-outdoor bar at Houston’s Founders District innovation campus.

Under the umbrella of the Powder Keg Collective, the Powder Keg bar is selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to finance construction and operation of its 14,000-square-foot expansion. NFTs, similar to cryptocurrencies, are stored on a blockchain and represent ownership of a unique asset.

The new venue will be at 1300 Brittmoore Rd., near the existing Powder Keg bar and The Cannon West Houston entrepreneurial hub. Aside from catering to everyday patrons, the venue will host community events, festivals, private events, and concerts.

Buyers of the Powder Keg NFTs will be entitled to gain proceeds from the development, and will receive beer discounts, access to VIP events, and other privileges.

“These utility NFTs provide owners with tangible financial value and membership in a real estate club, not empty hype,” Mark Toon, co-owner of the Powder Keg, The Cannon and the Founders District, says in a news release.

“The Powder Keg Collective is another way we’re building community around technology, demystifying it, and bringing together Houstonians — whether they’re investors, NFT collectors, crypto-enthusiasts, or people who just want a stake in their neighborhood bar.”

On the Ethereum blockchain platform, the collective will sell 2,361 tokens ranging in price from $250 to $500,000 each. Tokens can be purchased with cryptocurrencies or U.S. dollars. The venue itself will accept the same two payment methods.

The Powder Keg is planning an expansion. Photo courtesy

The Cannon's new building is 88 percent leased and ready for move in. Courtesy of The Cannon

Photos: The Cannon unveils its 120,000-square-foot startup hub in West Houston

Homecoming

The Cannon is finally getting to move its 150 startups and partners into its 120,000-square-foot campus in West Houston.

The original plan was to open in March, but construction, which began in April 2018, faced a series of setbacks due to weather. Current grand opening celebration plans are expected to be in September.

The flagship building is just the first step developing the campus, which is dubbed the Founders District.

"Our team has worked tirelessly to build this community over the past eighteen months, and we are incredibly proud to see our vision coming to life with the completion of this building," says The Cannon's CEO Lawson Gow in a news release. "The work isn't over though, and The Cannon will continue to grow our network of resources and locations to cater to the needs of Houston's growing entrepreneurial community." (Gow is the son of David Gow, owner of InnovationMap's parent company Gow Media.)

The building is currently 88 percent leased. Cannon Ventures, the company's investor group, will operate out of the new building, as will Capital Factory's Houston outpost. Austin-based Capital Factory, a statewide startup accelerator announced it would have its Houston operations at The Cannon in May. Since then, the company hired two Houston-based employees to run the programming.

According to the release, The Cannon will continue to grow its community relations for a "full suite" of partners. Houston-based investment fund Work America Capital, which led The Cannon's initial fundraising round, will also be joining The Cannon's community in the new building.

"It has been incredible to watch The Cannon's exceptional growth from inception two years ago to the vibrant community they've built today," says Mark Toon, managing partner of Work America Capital, in the release. "We can't wait to see the progress first-hand as The Cannon continues to establish themselves as a leader in building entrepreneurial communities."

The Cannon previously operated out of a 20,000-square-foot adjacent building called "The Waiting Room," which will be torn down and the space will be used as a part of the bigger Founders District plan.

The Cannon's new space will feature:

  • A 16-TV video wall
  • Outdoor courtyard
  • Movie theater
  • Snacks, coffee, and beer
  • Office needs, such as printers, scanners, and mail services
  • Showers
  • 24/7 accessibility
  • Professional and social events are organized on an ongoing basis for the community
  • Private event hosting for both members and non-members

Spacious setting

Courtesy of The Cannon

The Cannon is currently 88 percent leased.

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Rice University lands $14M state grant to open Center for Space Technologies

on a mission

Rice University’s Space Institute soon will be home to the newly created Center for Space Technologies.

On Feb. 17, the Texas Space Commission approved a nearly $14.2 million grant for the Rice project. The Center for Space Technologies will target:

  • Research and development
  • Technology transfer and innovation
  • Statewide partnerships
  • Workforce development training
  • Space-focused education programs

The goal of the new center “is to fulfill an articulated need for research, workforce development, and industry collaboration,” said Kemah communications and marketing executive Gwen Griffin, chair of the commission.

State Rep. Greg Bonnen, a Friendswood Republican, authored the bill that set up the Texas Space Commission.

Since being authorized in 2023, the commission has funded 24 projects, with Rice and Houston-area companies accounting for nearly $75 million in grants to back space-related initiatives.

The grant to Rice brings the TSC's total investment to $150 million, fully committing the entire state appropriation from the Texas Legislature in 2023.

Other local companies that have received grants over the years include Aegis Aerospace, Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines, Starlab Space and Venus Aerospace.

The commission also awarded $7 million to Blue Origin earlier this month. See a list of the 24 awards here.

Waymo self-driving robotaxis have officially launched in Houston

Waymo has arrived

Waymo will begin dispatching its robotaxis in four more cities in Texas and Florida, expanding the territory covered by its fleet of self-driving cars to 10 major U.S. metropolitan markets.

The move into Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, Florida, announced Tuesday, February 24, widens Waymo's early lead in autonomous driving while rival services from Tesla and the Amazon-owned Zoox are still testing their vehicles in only a few U.S. cities.

In contrast, Waymo's robotaxis already provide more than 400,000 weekly trips in the six metropolitan areas where they have been transporting passengers: Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas.

Waymo operates its ride-hailing service through its own app in all the U.S. cities except Atlanta and Austin, where its robotaxis can only be summoned through Uber's ride-hailing service.

The expansion into four more markets marks a significant step toward Waymo's goal to surpass 1 million weekly paid trips by the end of 2026. Without identifying where its robotaxis will be available next, Waymo is targeting a list of eight other cities that include Las Vegas, Washington, Detroit and Boston while signaling its first overseas availability is likely to be London.

To help pay for more robotaxis, Waymo recently raised $16 billion as part of the financial infusion that puts the value of the company at $126 billion. The valuation fueled speculation that Waymo may eventually be spun off from its corporate parent Alphabet, where it began as a secret project within Google in 2009.

Although Waymo is opening up in four more cities, its robotaxis initially will only be made available to a limited number of people with its ride-hailing app in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando before the service will be available to all comers in those markets.

Tech giant Apple doubles down on Houston with new production facility

coming soon

Tech giant Apple announced that it will double the size of its Houston manufacturing footprint as it brings production of its Mac mini to the U.S. for the first time.

The company plans to begin production of its compact desktop computer at a new factory at Apple’s Houston manufacturing site later this year. The move is expected to create thousands of jobs in the Houston area, according to Apple.

Last year, the Cupertino, California-based company announced it would open a 250,000-square-foot factory to produce servers for its data centers in the Houston area. The facility was originally slated to open in 2026, but Apple reports it began production ahead of schedule in 2025.

The addition of the Mac mini operations at the site will bring the footprint to about 500,000 square feet, the Houston Chronicle reports. The New York Times previously reported that Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn would be involved in the Houston factory.

Apple also announced plans to open a 20,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston later this year. The project is currently under construction and will "provide hands-on training in advanced manufacturing techniques to students, supplier employees, and American businesses of all sizes," according to the announcement. Apple opened a similar Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit last year.

Apple doubles down on Houston with new production facility, training center Photo courtesy Apple.

“Apple is deeply committed to the future of American manufacturing, and we’re proud to significantly expand our footprint in Houston with the production of Mac mini starting later this year,” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said in the news release. “We began shipping advanced AI servers from Houston ahead of schedule, and we’re excited to accelerate that work even further.”

Apple's Houston expansion is part of a $600 billion commitment the company made to the U.S. in 2025.

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