10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events online in April ​

where to be online

Register for some of these informative online events happening throughout the month of April. Photo by Luis Alvarez/Getty

This month, Houstonians have yet another good batch of online innovation events — from Zoom panels to virtual conferences — and you and your tech network need to know about them.

Here's a roundup of virtual events not to miss this month — from workshops and webinars to summits and pitch parties.

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

April 1 — Tax and Accounting for Startups

In Ioogo's free webinar, you will learn:

  • Business entities (sole prop, LLC, and corporation) and the benefits of each
  • Bookkeeping requirements to manage your business and file taxes DIY or hire an accountant - we'll give you tips on the best option for the stage of your business
  • Reports - we'll explain the important ones to pay attention to as a business owner
  • Taxes - we'll discuss filing requirements and important deadlines
The event is on Thursday, April 1, at 10 am. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

April 6 — Accelerating the Energy Transition

Plug and Play is pleased to co-host a signature Deep Dive with DCP Midstream. In this event, DCP Midstream and other industry leaders will review some decarbonization initiatives they have been leading along with industry opportunities in carbon capture, sequestration, and methane leak management. Leading startups with solutions in these areas will present.

The event is on Tuesday, April 6, at 9 am. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

April 6-9 — Rice Business Plan Competition

The competition, entering its 21st year, gives collegiate entrepreneurs real-world experience to pitch their startups, enhance their business strategy and learn what it takes to launch a successful company. Hosted and organized by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship—which is Rice University's internationally-recognized initiative devoted to the support of entrepreneurship—and Rice Business. Over 20 years it has grown from nine teams competing for $10,000 in prize money in 2001, to 42 teams from around the world competing for more than $1.5 million in cash and prizes. For the first time in competition history, the 2021 event will showcase 54 student-led startups.

The competition takes place April 6 to 9. Two events are open to the public — the elevator pitches on Tuesday, April 6, at 4 pm and the final round on on Friday, April 9, at 9 am. It's free and can be accessed live on YouTube. Click here to learnmore.

April 7 — Product Management Ask Me Anything

The product life cycle is complex. From gathering consumer data, to crafting a vision, and the many steps around execution, launch, and satisfaction, a career in product management requires leaders and teams to wear many hats. So, what does it take to be a great product manager? And what should you expect in a product role? Learn the ins and outs of this career with our panel of PMs, who will share their perspectives from a variety of backgrounds and industries at this event hosted by Liu Idea Lab For Innovation And Entrepreneurship (Lilie).

The event is on Wednesday, April 7, from noon to 1 pm. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

April 8 — Inclusion: The Key to Building Strong Startups

Join Greentown Lab's webinar to understand how prioritizing diversity and inclusion can build a stronger, happier, and more successful startup team. Co-hosted by Aleria Research, this online event is geared toward helping companies, regardless of size and maturity, build stronger, more diverse, and ultimately more successful teams.

The event is on Thursday, April 8, from 11 am to noon. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

April 13 — Black in Tech Summit presented by Deloitte

Capital Factory welcomes you to our 3rd Annual Black In Tech Summit. Attendees can look forward to a keynote chat from a serial entrepreneur or investor, insightful discussion sessions, a startup showcase pitch competition, Epic Office Hours, and panels on relevant topics facing the tech ecosystem.

The event is on Tuesday, April 13, from noon to 2:30 pm. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.


April 21 — Aerospace Innovation Accelerator Cohort 1 Launch Event

Celebrate The Ion's Aerospace Innovation Accelerator's Cohort 1, hear from thought leaders on the importance of the Accelerator and the Hub and how both contribute to economic resilience and workforce development, and meet the startups and MBEs selected to participate in the first cohort of the Aerospace Innovation Accelerator.

The event is on Wednesday, April 21, at 1:30 pm. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

April 22 — Greentown Houston Grand Opening Livestream

Welcome Greentown Labs to Houston — attendees will be able to meet startups that are a part of the program, hear from energy and civic leaders, catch the latest Greentown partners, and watch the building's ribbon cutting.

The event is on Thursday, April 22, at 2 pm. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

April 22 — 2021 H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge - Startup Competition

Support student startups in our annual pitch challenge with a chance to win cash prizes. Join Liu Idea Lab For Innovation And Entrepreneurship virtually for the H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge Startup Competition. Rice-affiliated teams – undergrads, grads, and MBAs - are competing for $65k in equity-free seed funding. Watch pitches, network with the Rice entrepreneurship community, and vote for your favorite idea. Attendance is open to Rice students, Rice alumni, and friends of Rice.

The event is on Thursday, April 22, at 6 pm. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

April 29 — EnergyNEXT: Methane Strategies Forum

Today's energy companies are finding methane emissions/leaks big and small with an astounding range of technologies, Satellites, Fixed-wing Planes, Helicopters, Fixed Wing Drones, Quadcopters, Vehicles, and Handheld Devices/Sensors all drive emissions reductions, boost public relations, investor support and corporate ESG goals.

Which technologies and projects will add the most value and usher your energy operations into the next generation?

The event is on Thursday, April 29, at 10 am. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

April 30 — Digital Transformation and Innovation in Renewable Energy: The Texas Edition

Join General Assembly to explore sustainability and how business and tech impact the health of our planet. Hear from experts in clean energy, environmental entrepreneurship, corporate sustainability, and B Corporations who will share their insights into how the industry can impact the environment. In addition, walk away with actionable steps you can take to live and work more sustainably, network with other local professionals interested in ethical business practices, and gain insight into what actions different industries are really doing to be more sustainable.

The event is on Friday, April 30, at 11 am. It's free and can be accessed online. Click here to register.

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5 incubators and accelerators fueling the growth of Houston startups

meet the finalists

Houston is home to numerous accelerators and incubators that support founders in pushing their innovative startups and technologies forward.

As part of our 2025 Houston Innovation Awards, the new Incubator/Accelerator of the Year category honors a local incubator or accelerator that is championing and fueling the growth of Houston startups.

Five incubators and accelerators have been named finalists for the 2025 award. They support startups ranging from hard-tech companies to digital health startups.

Read more about these organizations below. Then join us at the Houston Innovation Awards on Nov. 13 at Greentown Labs, when the winner will be unveiled.

Get your tickets now on sale for this exclusive event celebrating Houston Innovation.

Activate

Hard tech incubator Activate supports scientists in "the outset of their entrepreneurial journey." The Houston hub was introduced last year, and joins others in Boston, New York, and Berkley, California—where Activate is headquartered. It named its second Houston cohort this summer.

This year, the incubator grew to include its largest number of concurrent supported fellows, with 88 companies currently being supported nationally. In total, Activate has supported 296 fellows who have created 236 companies. Those companies have raised over $4 billion in follow-on funding, according to Activate. In Houston, it has supported several Innovation Awards finalists, including Solidec, Bairitone Health and Deep Anchor Solutions. It is led locally by Houston Managing Director Jeremy Pitts.

EnergyTech Nexus

Cleantech startup hub EnergyTech Nexus' mission is to accelerate the energy transition by connecting founders, investors and industrial stakeholders and helping to develop transformative companies, known as "thunderlizards."

The hub was founded in 2023 by CEO Jason Ethier, Juliana Garaizar and Nada Ahmed. It has supported startups including Capwell Services, Resollant, Syzygy Plasmonics, Hertha Metals, EarthEn Energy and Solidec—many of which are current or past Innovation Awards finalists. This year Energy Tech Nexus launched its COPILOT Accelerator, powered by Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). COPILOT partners with Browning the Green Space, a nonprofit that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the clean energy and climatech sectors. Energy Tech Nexus also launched its Liftoff fundraising program, its Investor Program, and a "strategic ecosystem partnership" with Greentown Labs.

Greentown Labs

Climatetech incubator Greentown Labs offers its community resources and a network to climate and energy innovation startups looking to grow. The collaborative community offers members state-of-the-art prototyping labs, business resources and access to investors and corporate partners. The co-located incubator was first launched in Boston in 2011 before opening in Houston in 2021.

Greentown has seen major changes and activity this year. In February, Greentown announced Georgina Campbell Flatter as its new CEO, along with a new Board of Directors. In July, it announced Lawson Gow as its Head of Houston, a "dedicated role to champion the success of Greentown Houston’s startups and lead Greentown’s next chapter of impact in the region," according to Greentown. It has since announced numerous new partnerships, including those with Energy Tech Nexus, Los Angeles-based software development firm Nominal, to launch the new Industrial Center of Excellence; and Houston-based Shoreless, to launch an AI lab onsite. Greentown Houston has supported 175 startups since its launch in 2021, with 45 joining in the last two years. Those startups include the likes of Hertha Metals, RepAir Carbon, Solidec, Eclipse Energy (formerly GoldH2) and many others.

Healthtech Accelerator (TMCi)

The Healthtech Accelerator, formerly TMCx, focuses on clinical partnerships to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. Emerging digital health and medical device startups that join the accelerator are connected with a network of TMC hospitals and seasoned advisors that will prepare them for clinical validation, funding and deployment.

The Healthtech Accelerator is part of Texas Medical Center Innovation, which also offers the TMCi Accelerator for Cancer Therapeutics. The Healthtech Accelerator named its 19th, and latest, cohort of 11 companies last month.

Impact Hub Houston

Impact Hub Houston supports early-stage ventures at various stages of development through innovative programs that address pressing societal issues. The nonprofit organization supports social impact startups through mentorship, connections and training opportunities.

There are more than 110 Impact Hubs globally with 24,000-plus members spanning 69 countries, making it one of the world’s largest communities for accelerating entrepreneurial solutions toward the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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The Houston Innovation Awards program is sponsored by Houston City College Northwest, Houston Powder Coaters, FLIGHT by Yuengling, and more to be announced soon. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact sales@innovationmap.com.



Rice University launches  engineering-led brain science and health institute

brain research

Rice University has announced the creation of a new interdisciplinary center known as the Rice Brain Institute (RBI).

The new hub will aim to use engineering, natural sciences and social sciences to research the brain and reduce the burden of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders.

“The Rice Brain Institute reflects Rice’s strength in collaboration without boundaries,” Rachel Kimbro, dean of the School of Social Sciences, said in a news release. “Our researchers are not only advancing fundamental science but they’re also ensuring that knowledge reaches society in ways that promote human flourishing.”

RBI researchers will work in thematic clusters focusing on neurodegeneration, mental health, brain injury and neurodevelopment. The clusters will work toward goals such as significantly improving key brain health outcomes, reducing mortality and mental health disorders and improving quality of life for patients living with brain injuries and neurodevelopmental disorders, according to Rice.

The institute will focus on “engineering-driven innovation,” rather than traditional neuroscience, to design tools that can measure, model and modulate brain activity based around Rice’s expertise in soft robotics, neuroimaging, data science and artificial intelligence—making it unique among peer organizations, according to Rice.

Additionally, RBI will be structured around three collaborative Rice “pillars”:

  • The Neuroengineering Initiative, launched in 2018, brings together neuroscience, engineering, and related fields experts
  • The Neuroscience Initiative, a new initiative that brings together cell biologists, neurobiologists, biochemists, chemists and physicists to explore fundamental mechanisms of the brain and nervous system
  • The Brain and Society Initiative, also a new initiative, considers brain research within the broader social and policy landscape

Rice’s Neuroengineering Initiative has already garnered more than $78 million in research funding, according to Rice, and has established major partnerships, like the Rice-Houston Methodist Center for Neural Systems Restoration.

“Rice is uniquely equipped to bridge and connect scientific understanding of the brain and behavior sciences with the technologies and policies that shape our world,” Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, added in the news release. “By uniting faculty in neuroengineering, neuroscience and psychological sciences, this interdisciplinary hub embodies the kind of bold, nimble collaboration that allows Rice to turn discovery into societal impact to save lives and enhance human flourishing.”

The formation of the RBI coincides with recent support of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), which landed voter approval earlier this week and aims to make Texas the center for dementia research via brain-health tech. According to the World Economic Forum, brain disorders and mental health disorders cost the global economy an estimated $5 trillion per year and could be as high as $16 trillion by 2030.

“Few areas of research have as direct and profound an impact on human well-being as brain health,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches added in the news release. “As rates of Alzheimer’s, dementia and other neurological diseases rise in our country and around the world, universities have a responsibility to lead the discovery of solutions that preserve memory, movement and quality of life. We all know someone who has been affected by a brain-related health issue, so this research is personal to all of us.”

Texas voters OK $3 billion for new dementia research institute

state funding

Texas voters on Nov. 4 overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that provides $3 billion in state funding over a 10-year span for the newly established Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT).

Thanks to the passage of Proposition 14, Texas now boasts the country’s largest state-funded initiative dedicated to dementia research and prevention, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Up to $300 million in grants will be awarded during the 10-year funding period.

“This is a transformative moment for Texas and for the fight against Alzheimer’s and all other dementia,” said Joanne Pike, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. “Texans have chosen to invest in hope, innovation, and solutions for the millions of families affected by these devastating diseases. With the passage of Proposition 14, Texas is now poised to lead the nation in dementia research and prevention.”

The association says DPRIT will drive scientific breakthroughs, attract top-notch dementia researchers to Texas, and generate thousands of jobs statewide.

An estimated 460,000 Texans are living with dementia, the association says, and more than one million caregivers support them.

DPRIT is modeled after the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Since 2008, the state agency has awarded nearly $4 billion in grants to research organizations for cancer-related academic research, prevention programs, and product development.

An analysis by the McKinsey Health Institute found that investing in brain health initiatives like DPRIT could boost Texas’ GDP by $260 billion. Much of that GDP bump could benefit the Houston area, which is home to dementia-focused organizations such as UTHealth Houston Neurosciences, Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston’s Collaborative Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Program, and the Houston Methodist Research Institute’s John M. O’Quinn Foundation Neurodegenerative Disorders Laboratory.

The Greater Houston Partnership says DPRIT holds the potential “to elevate Texas — particularly Houston — as a hub for brain health research.”

State Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican, is one of DPRIT’s champions. She sponsored legislation this year to create the institute and ask Texas voters to approve the $3 billion in funding.

“By establishing the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, we are positioning our state to lead the charge against one of the most devastating health challenges of our time,” Huffman said in May. “With $3 billion in funding over the next decade, we will drive critical research, develop new strategies for prevention and treatment, and support our health care community.”

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