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

WHERE TO BE

Don't miss these July events — from meetups to hackathons. Photo via Getty Images

From networking meetups to expert speaker summits, July 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.

July 4 — Houston Blockchain Alliance Monthly Meetup

Check out the Houston Blockchain Alliance Monthly Meetup at The Cannon, in partnership with Lucrisma, Event Horizon Capital, and CryptoEQ. This in-person event is a great opportunity to connect with fellow blockchain enthusiasts in the Houston area. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, come and engage in lively discussions, share insights, and network with like-minded individuals.

This event is Thursday, July 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at The Cannon. Click here to register.

July 9 — Software Day at the Ion: An Intro to Central Texas Seed Stage VCs

Over the course of 2-hours, first-time entrepreneurs looking for guidance or seasoned founders needing help tackling tough challenges will have access to a group of curated mentors from the Mercury network and gain insights and guidance tailored to their needs. Speakers on the panel "An Intro to Central Texas Seed Stage VCs” include: Eric Engineer, S3 Ventures; Rajiv Bala, Clutch Ventures; Cat Dizon, Active Capital; Mike Marcantonio, LiveOak; and moderator Aziz Gilani, Mercury.

This event is Tuesday, July 9, from 3:30 to 7 pm at The Ion. Click here to register.

July 9 — Tech+Tequila Talk: The Future of Tokenization and Capital Raising

Guest speaker, Ed Nwokedi, the Founder and CEO of RedSwan CRE Marketplace will unpack the process of converting ownership rights in an asset into digital tokens on a blockchain, how tokenization allows for fractional ownership, and the impact these innovations can have on capital raising and asset management.

This event is Tuesday, July 9, from 8 to 8 pm at Esperson Building. Click here to register.

July 11 — Out in Tech Mixer

Out in Tech Houston provides an inclusive networking space for LGBTQ+ people and allies working in tech. Check out this relaxed, social-mixer event, hosted on the second Thursday of every month.

This event is Thursday, July 11, from 7 to 8:30 pm at Second Draught. Click here to register.

July 15 — 2024 Young Leaders Institute: Renewable Energy and Climate Solutions

Asia Society Texas' Young Leaders Institute (YLI) is a week-long summer program for high school students that promotes global competence, elevates leadership skills, and connects students from across diverse backgrounds and experiences. The Institute invites students to explore some of the most timely, relevant global issues for young leaders today.

This event starts Monday, July 15, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Asia Society Texas Center. Click here to register.

July 17 — Open Project Night at Impact Hub Houston

A chance to work on solutions for some of Houston’s most pressing issues, the theme of this month's meeting will be gender equality. Network and workshop pitching materials with likeminded entrepreneurs.

This event is Wednesday, July 17, from 5:30 to 8 pm at 808 Travis St. Click here to register.

July 18 — First of a Kind (FOAK) Networking Lunch

Inspired by the recent FOAK Roundtable hosted by Deanna Zhang, the Energy Underground team of professionals are diving deep into the world of innovative initiatives. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just dipping your toes into the realm of groundbreaking projects, this lunch is for you. The Energy Underground is a group of professionals in the Greater Houston area that are accelerating the Energy Transition.

This event is Thursday, July 18, from 12 to 1 pm at The Cannon West Houston. Click here to register.

July 20 — FIONA: 5th Annual HACKATHON

Get ready for a day filled with coding challenges, teamwork, and innovation. Whether you're a seasoned coder or just starting out, this event is great for anyone passionate about technology and creativity. Go in person a day of brainstorming, coding, and presenting your projects to a panel of judges. Collaborate with fellow hackers, learn new skills, and showcase your talents.

This event is Saturday, July 20, from 11 am to 2 pm at 15500 Voss Rd. Click here to register.

July 24 — Houston Methodist Clinician Speaker Series

Dr. Desai, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Medical Officer & Chief Quality Officer at Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital, will discuss the plans for Houston Methodist's ninth hospital which is scheduled to open in early 2025.

Agenda:

4:30pm - Arrival & Registration

5:00pm - Presentation by Dr. Desai

5:30pm - Audience discussion

6:00pm - Event concludes

This event is Wednesday, July 24, from 4:30 to 6 pm at The Ion. Click here to register.

July 25 — DivInc Demo Day: Sports Tech Spring 2024

The Spring 2024 Sports Tech Demo Day will be a celebration and showcase of the growth of founders using technology to enhance human performance, fan experience, fantasy sports & betting, future of media, NIL innovation (i.e. Name, Image, Likeness), and stadium & venue innovation.

This event is Thursday, July 25, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at The Ion. Click here to register.

July 30 — Texas Small Business Expo

Texas Small Business Expo is a trade show, educational business to business conference, exhibition & networking event for entrepreneurs, start-ups and anyone who owns a business. Network, build new business relationships, and learn from industry experts on how to enhance your business.

This event is Tuesday, July 30, from 4 to 9 pm at Wakefield Crowbar. Click here to register.


Among this week's top stories is a feature on a Houston-based startup aiming to be the Uber or Lyft of personal trainers. Courtesy of Kanthaka

5 most popular innovation stories in Houston this week

Now trending

Editor's note: Houston saw big shake ups at some major innovation institutions this week, which made for some trending stories. And, per usual, readers enjoyed learning about local entrepreneurs fighting the good fight with their organizations.

Station Houston announces its transition into becoming a nonprofit

Station Houston's stakeholders voted in favor of the organization transitioning to a nonprofit. Station Houston/Facebook

Houston's startup scene just got a little more accessible. Station Houston's stakeholders voted to transition the organization to nonprofit status from the C-corp status it currently holds. The status change is effective January 1, 2019, for the acceleration hub, which is based in downtown Houston. The news was announced to its members in an email sent on December 13. Read the full story here.

Houston entrepreneur creates a network to link up with other blockchain professionals

The Houston Blockchain Alliance aims to connect and educate tech professionals in town. Getty Images

Houstonians traveling around the country might covet other cities for their mountain scapes, beaches, or more mild summers, but Mahesh Sashital envied the fact that other major cities had developed networks and organizations focused on connecting and educating tech professionals. Houston, it seems, was late to the party.

So, he decided to make his own blockchain-focused organization, and a few months ago, he launched the Houston Blockchain Alliance. Read the full story here.

3 Houston energy innovators to know this week

These energy startup leaders are the reason Houston will keep its "energy capital of the world" title. Courtesy images

Houston's known as the energy capital of the world, but it won't stay that way if the city as a whole doesn't work toward innovation. These three professionals started their own companies to improve efficiency and promote ingenuity in their fields. From drones and AI to quicker pipeline data access, this week's three innovators to know are the future of the energy industry. Read the full story here.

TMC Innovation Institute leader leaves the organization

Erik Halvorsen has reportedly left his position at the TMC Innovation Institute. Courtesy of TMC

Erik Halvorsen, director of the Texas Medical Center's Innovation Institute, has left his position, according to multiple reports.

TMC's medical device innovation team lead, Lance Black, was named as the interim replacement for Halvorsen, according to Xconomy. Black has been with TMC for almost two years. Read the full story here.

Get on-demand personal training from Houston-based app

Houston-based Kanthaka is the Uber or Lyft of personal training, and has recently expanded into the Austin market. Courtesy of Kanthaka

As a busy lawyer who traveled heavily for work, Sylvia Kampshoff found her workouts were often overlooked as she went from city to city, a casualty of long hours and a busy schedule. And, even though she did have a membership to a national gym with privileges at any of its locations, she hated the feeling of always being sold something and disliked that both the trainers and managers she worked with took very little interest in her personal needs and fitness goals.

She wanted something that allowed her to exercise with someone on her own schedule, and with people who valued customer service. That's how the idea for Kanthaka was born. Read the full story here.


The Houston Blockchain Alliance aims to connect and educate tech professionals in town. Getty Images

Houston entrepreneur creates a network to link up with other blockchain professionals

New kids on the block

Houstonians traveling around the country might covet other cities for their mountain scapes, beaches, or more mild summers, but Mahesh Sashital envied the fact that other major cities had developed networks and organizations focused on connecting and educating tech professionals. Houston, it seems, was late to the party.

So, he decided to make his own blockchain-focused organization, and a few months ago, he launched the Houston Blockchain Alliance.

Sashital, who is the co-founder of Smarterum, a blockchain news site, works from home and says — every once and a while — he needs some "adult talk time" with his fellow tech professionals.

"I thought that I'd start the Houston Blockchain Alliance so that someone like me, who's already in the industry, can find other people working in the industry," he says. "And for other people interested in blockchain can learn more and get up to speed with the technology."

The Houston Blockchain Alliance's goals are two part: to connect and to educate. The group plans to have an event in February, Sashital says, as well as a citywide blockchain conference in the third or fourth quarters of 2019. Sashital also wants to inform those interested on blockchain news and development by providing educational resources and opportunities.

"We plan on having workshops where people can talk about all sorts of aspects of blockchain — there's so much to talk about," he says. "We can have workshops on legal, accounting, technical, business strategy, and more."

Sashital, who's been a developer for the better part of his life, has a bigger, personal goal for the alliance too. He's worked and lived in Houston for 12 years and he says he's noticed that Houston hasn't yet claimed a reputation for being a tech city. It gets beaten out by cities like Austin, which just was announced to be the home of the new Apple campus. But a decade or so ago, Austin didn't have a tech reputation either. The city positioned itself to be that, and now it's Houston's turn, he says.

"We have a whole bunch of tech workers in Houston — but they are all fragmented across the city. We want to change that perception that Houston's not the place to go if you want to do tech work," Sashital says.

"Hopefully the Houston Blockchain Alliance is a small step in that direction."

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Houston chemist lands $2M NIH grant for cancer treatment research

future of cellular health

A Rice University chemist has landed a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Health for his work that aims to reprogram the genetic code and explore the role certain cells play in causing diseases like cancer and neurological disorders.

The funds were awarded to Han Xiao, the Norman Hackerman-Welch Young Investigator, associate professor of chemistry, from the NIH's Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) program, which supports medically focused laboratories.

Xiao will use the five-year grant to develop noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) with diverse properties to help build proteins, according to a statement from Rice. He and his team will then use the ncAAs to explore the vivo sensors for enzymes involved in posttranslational modifications (PTMs), which play a role in the development of cancers and neurological disorders. Additionally, the team will look to develop a way to detect these enzymes in living organisms in real-time rather than in a lab.

“This innovative approach could revolutionize how we understand and control cellular functions,” Xiao said in the statement.

According to Rice, these developments could have major implications for the way diseases are treated, specifically for epigenetic inhibitors that are used to treat cancer.

Xiao helped lead the charge to launch Rice's new Synthesis X Center this spring. The center, which was born out of informal meetings between Xio's lab and others from the Baylor College of Medicine’s Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Baylor College of Medicine, aims to improve cancer outcomes by turning fundamental research into clinical applications.

They will build upon annual retreats, in which investigators can share unpublished findings, and also plan to host a national conference, the first slated for this fall titled "Synthetic Innovations Towards a Cure for Cancer.”

Houston neighbor ranks as one of America's most livable small cities

mo city

Some Houston suburbs stick out from the rest thanks to their affluent residents, and now Missouri City is getting time in the spotlight, thanks to its new ranking as the No. 77 most livable small city in the country.

The tiny but mighty Houston neighbor, located less than 20 miles southwest of Houston, was among six Texas cities that earned a top-100 ranking in SmartAsset's 2024 " Most Livable Small Cities" report. It compared 281 U.S. cities with populations between 65,000 and 100,000 residents across eight metrics, such as a resident's housing costs as a percentage of household income, the city's average commute times, and the proportions of entertainment, food service, and healthcare establishments.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Missouri City has an estimated population of over 76,000 residents, whose median household income comes out to $97,211. SmartAsset calculated that a Missouri City household's annual housing costs only take up 19.4 percent of that household's income. Additionally, the study found only six percent of the town's population live below the poverty level.

Here's how Missouri City performed in two other metrics in the study:

  • 1.4 percent – The proportion of arts, entertainment, and recreation businesses as a percentage of all businesses
  • 29.9 minutes – Worker's average commute time

But income and housing aren't the only things that make Missouri City one of the most livable small cities in Texas. Residents benefit from its proximity from central Houston, but the town mainly prides itself on its spacious park system, playgrounds, and other recreational activities.

Missouri City, Texas

Missouri City residents have plenty of parkland to enjoy. www.missouricitytx.gov

The Missouri City Parks and Recreation Departmen meticulously maintains 21 parks spanning just over 515 acres of land, an additional 500 acres of undeveloped parkland, and 14.4 miles of trails throughout the town, according to the city's website."Small cities may offer cost benefits for residents looking to stretch their income while enjoying a comfortable – and more spacious – lifestyle," the report's author wrote. "While livability is a subjective concept that may take on different definitions for different people, some elements of a community can come close to being universally beneficial."

Missouri City is also home to Fort Bend Town Square, a massive mixed-use development at the intersection of TX 6 and the Fort Bend Parkway. It offers apartments, shopping, and restaurants, including a rumored location of Trill Burgers.

Other Houston-area cities that earned a spot in the report include

Spring (No. 227) and Baytown (No. 254).The five remaining Texas cities that were among the top 100 most livable small cities in the U.S. include Flower Mound (No. 29), Leander (No. 60), Mansfield (No. 69), Pflugerville (No. 78), and Cedar Park (No. 85).

The top 10 most livable small cities in the U.S. are:

  • No. 1 – Troy, Michigan
  • No. 2 – Rochester Hills, Michigan
  • No. 3 – Eau Claire, Wisconsin
  • No. 4 – Franklin, Tennessee
  • No. 5 – Redmond, Washington
  • No. 6 – Appleton, Wisconsin
  • No. 7 – Apex, North Carolina
  • No. 8 – Plymouth, Minnesota
  • No. 9 – Livonia, Michigan
  • No. 10 – Oshkosh, Wisconsin

The report examined data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 1-year American Community Survey and the 2021 County Business Patterns Survey to determine its rankings.The report and its methodology can be found on

smartasset.com

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

Cart.com's $130M payday, Houston sees VC uptick and more top stories

top stories

Editor's note:Let's roundup the most-read Houston innovation news from the week. Trending Houston tech and startup articles from InnovationMap and its daily newsletter included big startup financing and VC funding, a feature on a Houston startup working on data solutions in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, and more.

Houston e-commerce unicorn secures $130M in financing

Cart.com announced a $25 million series C extension round and $105 million in debt refinancing from investment manager BlackRock. Photo courtesy of Cart.com

Houston-based Cart.com, which operates a multichannel commerce platform, has secured $105 million in debt refinancing from investment manager BlackRock.

The debt refinancing follows a recent $25 million series C extension round, bringing Cart.com’s series C total to $85 million. The scaleup’s valuation now stands at $1.2 billion, making it one of the few $1 billion-plus “unicorns” in the Houston area.

Cart.com says the new term loan facility from BlackRock consolidates its venture debt into one package “at competitive terms.” Those terms weren’t disclosed. Continue reading.

Report: Amid difficult market, Houston sees uptick in VC funding

In the first six months of this year, Houston-area startups attracted $760.55 million in VC funding, which is up 17.7 percent from the same time last year. Photo via Getty Images

Houston-area startups saw a healthy increase in venture capital funding during the first half of 2024 compared with the same period last year, new data shows.

In the first six months of this year, Houston-area startups attracted $760.55 million in VC funding, according to the latest PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor. That’s up 17.7 percent from the $645.99 million collected in the first six months of 2023. Continue reading.

Houston cardiac health startup raises $43 million series B to grow AI-backed platform

Octagos Health has announced a $43 million series B raise that will bring their technology to many more hearts. Image via octagoshealth.com

A Houston-based tech company that has a product line of software solutions for cardiac health has raised funding.

Octagos Health, the parent company of Atlas AI — a software platform for cardiac devices like pacemakers, defibrillators, ambulatory monitors and consumer wearables — has announced a $43 million series B raise that will bring their technology to many more hearts.

Morgan Stanley Investment Capital led the investment, which also included funds from Mucker Capital and other continuing strategic investors. The goal of the raise is to supply funds to accelerate Atlas AI’s growth across the United States and to expand into other areas of care, including ambulatory monitors, consumer wearables, and sleep. Continue reading.

Houston startup taps into tech to provide key data in the wake of Hurricane Beryl

Resilitix AI is contributing to relief efforts of Hurricane Beryl. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

A disaster AI startup based in Houston is using tech to aid in the relief effort of Hurricane Beryl and beyond.

Resilitix AI is an AI-based digital twin for “disaster situational awareness” that has partnered with local organizations to assist in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, a Category 1 storm that hit Houston Sunday, July 7, resulting in power outages for over 2 million Houstonians and other structural and environmental damage. The storm is estimated to have had a $3.3 billion impact.

“Our mission statement is that we want to disrupt disaster impact with intelligence — intelligence of knowing what is going on and emergency teams will have the information so it can provide and identify the areas in need since the information they currently have has significant lag, and the effort they need to go to get that information is significant,” Ali Mostafavi, Resilitix's founder, tells InnovationMap. Continue reading.

Energy giant announces deal retail company to bring EV tech to Houston malls

Two malls in town — The Galleria and Katy Mills Mall — soon see bp's EV charging Gigahubs. Photo via Wikipedia

Two Houston-area malls will be getting bp's electric vehicle charging technology thanks to a new global collaboration.

The global energy company will be bringing its global EV charging business, bp pulse, to 75 shopping facilities across the country thanks to a partnership with Simon Malls. Two malls in town — The Galleria and Katy Mills Mall — soon see bp's EV charging Gigahubs. The company will install and operate the chargers at the two area sites.

The deal aims to deliver over 900 ultra-fast charging bays that will support most make and model of EVs with the first locations opening to the public in early 2026. Other Texas locations include Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, and Austin’s Barton Creek Square. Continue reading.

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