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."

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

10 Houston billionaires land on Forbes' 2026 list of richest Americans

America's Richest

The richest billionaires in America have a collective worth of $8 trillion in 2026, a staggering $1.4 trillion increase since last year, says Forbes. American billionaires are so wealthy that it now takes an unprecedented $4.4 billion net worth to be considered one of the richest people in the country. And one local billionaire has regained the title as Houston's wealthiest resident.

Oil tycoon Jeffery Hildebrand, 67, now reigns as the No. 1 richest Houstonian, the 9th richest Texan, and the 88th richest person in America for 2026.

The annual Forbes 400 list is a definitive ranking of the wealthiest Americans, using interviews, financial data, and documentation provided by billionaires and their companies. In all, 43 billionaires across Texas made it on the 2026 list, and 10 are based in Houston.

Hildebrand's net worth has surged $4.7 billion since last year, bringing his current net worth to $14.7 billion. He cofounded Hilcorp, one of the largest privately owned oil and natural gas producers in the U.S., in 1990 and served as its CEO until 2018. He still serves as the chairman of the company.

Hildebrand skyrocketed past several other Houston billionaires to claim the top spot citywide: Kinder Morgan chairman Richard Kinder, Toyota mega-dealer Dan Friedkin, and hospitality honcho Tilman Fertitta.

Kinder, 81, was dubbed Houston's richest billionaire in the 2025 Forbes 400 list, whose net worth has increased from $11.1 billion to $12.9 billion in just one year. He is the 11th richest Texan and the 100th richest person in America.

Friedkin, 61, is the third-richest Houstonian and the 102nd richest American with an estimated net worth of $12.9 billion, up from $9.7 billion last year. He most notably owns Gulf States Toyota, which sold $14.5 billion worth of Toyotas in 2025, per Forbes.

The Friedkin family is also in talks to launch a new NHL team in Texas, with Houston and Austin being eyed as potential home bases, CultureMap reports. Bringing a professional hockey team to Houston would be a major boon for the city, which has been without one since the Houston Aeros folded in 2013.

Fertitta, 69, has a net worth of $12.3 billion and is the fourth richest Houstonian and the 110th richest American. Fertitta owns hospitality corporation Fertitta Entertainment and the NBA team Houston Rockets. He most recently purchased the WNBA's Connecticut Sun and plans to relocate them to Houston under the Houston Comets name in 2027. He also keeps himself busy as President Trump's ambassador to Italy.

There's also one new Houston-based billionaire making his debut on the Forbes 400: Houston Texans owner and CEO Cal McNair.

McNair, 64, took over as the principal owner of the NFL team after his late mother, Janice McNair, transferred her principal stake to him in 2024. Janice, who cofounded the Texans with her late husband Bob McNair, passed away in July 2026. She previously had an estimated net worth of $7.3 billion.

Cal McNair ranks as the 218th richest person in America with an estimated net worth of $7.7 billion.

Here's how the rest of Houston's billionaires fared on this year's list:

  • Houston pipeline heir Randa Duncan Williams ranks 124th with an estimated net worth of $11.7 billion. Fellow pipeline heirs Dannine Avara and Milane Frantz tie for 128th nationally. Each has an estimated net worth of $11.6 billion. Scott Duncan ties for No. 137 with an $11.3 billion estimated net worth.
  • Energy exploration chief exec George Bishop of The Woodlands ranks No. 380 with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion. Last year: $4.7 billion.

Texas' richest billionaires
Walmart heiress Alice Walton, 76, who currently leads as the richest woman globally, is also the richest woman in America, the third-wealthiest person in Texas, and the richest Fort Worth resident for 2026.

Walton's net worth has grown by $12 billion since last year, bringing her current net worth to $118 billion. She is the only daughter of late Walmart cofounder Sam Walton, though she focuses her attention on other endeavors like the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Arkansas. Forbes still lists her residence as Fort Worth. Walton is one of only 62 women billionaires on the Forbes 400 list, making up just 16 percent of the total list.

---

This article first appeared on CultureMap.com.

3 Houston children's hospitals ranked best in the nation by U.S. News

Hospital Honor Roll

Houston has many renowned hospitals providing exceptional care, and now three local medical centers have earned national acclaim for their top-notch healthcare for children and adolescents.

Texas Children's Hospital, Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, and Children's Cancer Hospital-MD Anderson Cancer Center are the three local pediatric care centers named in U.S. News and World Report's 2026-2027 Best Children's Hospitals.

Each year, U.S. News surveys over 100 children's hospitals and thousands of pediatric specialists to determine it's Best Children's Hospitals rankings. The winning hospitals excel at various factors such as "clinical outcomes, compliance with established best practices, and level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care."

Out of the 90 total children's hospitals selected across 34 states and Washington, D.C., only six were based in Texas.

"For two decades, U.S. News has helped guide families to top-tier pediatric care," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, in a release. “Finding the right medical team for a rare diagnosis or complex surgery can be overwhelming, and U.S. News’ annual evaluation of the Best Children’s Hospitals provides a clear starting point for parents and referring pediatricians alike."

Texas Children's Hospital reigns as the No. 1 pediatric hospital in the Lone Star State and in the Southwest, and it was the only Texas hospital to be named in U.S. News' national Best Children's Hospitals Honor Roll list for 2026-2027.

Texas Children's also leads as the No. 1 best hospital in the U.S. in two pediatric specialties — Cardiology and Heart Surgery; Diabetes and Endocrinology. It earned top-five acclaim in seven more nationally ranked specialties: Nephrology (No. 2); Pulmonology and Lung Surgery (No. 2); Urology (No. 2); Neurology and Neurosurgery (No. 3); Gastroenterology and GI Surgery (No. 5); Neonatology (No. 5); and Orthopedics (No. 5).

The hospital also ranked as the country's 12th best pediatric cancer hospital, and it's one of the top 50 Best Children's Hospitals for Behavioral Health in the U.S.

Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital is the No. 3 best pediatric hospital in Texas for 2026-2027, and it earned top-50 ranks in seven specialties:

  • No. 12 – Cardiology and Heart Surgery
  • No. 26 – Neonatology
  • No. 28 – Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
  • No. 34 – Neurology and Neurosurgery
  • No. 40 – Orthopedics
  • No. 50 – Nephrology
  • "Top 50" Best Children's Hospitals for Behavioral Health

MD Anderson's Children's Cancer Hospital was unranked in the statewide list of the best pediatric care centers. It ranked as the No. 33 best pediatric cancer hospital in the U.S.

Other high-performing Texas pediatric hospital include Children's Health Dallas, Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin, and Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth.

---

This article first appeared on CultureMap.com.

Houston ranks No. 2 for share of AI talent in professional services

AI surge

Houston’s professional and business services sector—think law, accounting, consulting, and engineering firms—grabs one of the industry’s biggest shares of AI talent.

A report from commercial real estate services giant CBRE ranks Houston No. 2 among the top 50 U.S. and Canadian tech markets for the concentration of AI talent in professional and business services.

Houston’s share of AI talent in professional and business services stands at 26 percent, the report shows. Washington, D.C., tops the list at 31 percent. At 25 percent, Dallas-Fort Worth claims the No. 3 spot.

CBRE based the AI ranking on data from the LinkedIn networking platform.

The company’s researchers tallied 11,709 AI-related tech jobs in Houston. Nationwide, data scientists lead AI-related job growth in the U.S., according to the report.

“AI software and hardware developers are currently the most sought-after tech talent by employers,” the report says.

Houston faces AI talent gap

DoubleTrack, a provider of AI and data consulting, reported in June that Houston faces an AI talent gap.

“The places where businesses say they will adopt AI over the next six months, well ahead of where they are today, are mostly the same places already short on talent: Miami, Houston, and Denver among the metros, South Dakota and South Carolina among the states,” DoubleTrack said.

This labor shortage comes amid Houston’s ascent as an AI hub. For instance, a factory being built here by AI chipmaker NVIDIA and electronics manufacturer Foxconn will produce AI supercomputers and infrastructure systems.

Houston’s place in the sphere of tech talent

Overall, Houston ranks No. 32 in the CBRE report among the top 50 U.S. and Canadian markets for tech talent. The San Francisco Bay Area claims the top spot, with Austin at No. 5 and DFW at No. 8.

CBRE relied on 13 metrics to rank tech talent markets, including concentration of tech talent, tech talent pipeline, and research-and-development investments.

Here are other Houston details from the report:

  • In 2025, Houston’s tech talent workforce numbered 104,080, up 7.3 percent over the past three years.
  • Houston’s average wage for tech talent within the tech industry was $120,216 in 2025, up 13.3 percent over the past three years.
View All Listings