5+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for January

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Here's your one-stop shop for innovation events in Houston this month. Photo via Getty Images

Houstonians have the chance to start off the new year with a bang. In this batch of in-person and online innovation events, you can check out five Houston innovation and entrepreneurship events you and your tech network need to know about.

Here's a roundup of events not to miss this month — and this article will be updated as more business and tech events are announced.

January 5 — Business Planning with SCORE

A business plan is an important planning tool for raising startup capital and helping you monitor progress of your business venture. It is a “living” document that should be updated often. The webinar will help you prepare a realistic plan in a very easy way that focuses on answering audience questions rather than fitting into a prescribed format. No business should be started or maintained without a plan. The method presented in the webinar is different from following a traditional template approach which can be sometimes overwhelming and disjointed.

The event is on Wednesday, January 5, at 10 am It's free and happening online. Click here to register.

January 14 —  Innovation, Science Education, and the Enhancement of Americans' Quality of Life

Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy will host a breakfast reception and presentation – Innovation, Science Education, and the Enhancement of Americans' Quality of Life – which will examine the ways in which innovation, science and technology are used in tandem to solve the challenges society faces on both a national and global scale.

The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director of the United States National Science Foundation and a distinguished leader in computer science, engineering and entrepreneurship, is the featured speaker.

The event is on Friday, January 14, at 7:30 am It's free and happening at James A. Baker III Hall, Rice University (6100 Main St.) Click here to register.

January 20 — Ignite Network’s Annual Fire Pitch

Ignite Healthcare Network’s Annual Fire Pitch Competition is returning as an in-person event January 20 at TMC Innovation. The unique accelerator connects female entrepreneurs leading healthcare start-ups with potential customers and investors who advise them on the strengths and weaknesses of their companies. The opportunity for direct feedback from industry experts provides competing health and med-tech companies with long-term benefits in addition to awarded cash prizes. The 2021 eight finalists, selected from a total of 125 applications, will present on January 20th at TMC Innovation. The event is open to the public and tickets are available through the Ignite website.

The event is on Thursday, January 20, at 5 pm. It's free and happening at TMC Innovation (2450 Holcombe Blvd.). Click here to register.

January 24-28 — ShiftEd: Career Camp to Relaunch Your Career

Join General Assembly for a weeklong camp to gain the skills and knowledge that will enable you to fulfill your mission without burning out. The first step to doing work that matters is identifying what ignites passion, purpose, and satisfaction in your career and in you. If you don’t have answers right away, you’re not alone. We often don’t have the time, tools, or guidance to find a clear answer. Finding work that really matters requires — well — work.

The event is on January 24-January 28. It's free and happening online. Click here to register.

(POSTPONED) January 27 — Rice Alliance's 19th Annual Energy Tech Venture Forum 

This event has been postponed to Sept. 15. The original event listing is below.

This event is an opportunity to learn about the latest emerging technologies, meet investors to seek funding, see promising companies, learn about investment opportunities, meet individuals from the energy industry, as well networking and learning opportunities for entrepreneurs, researchers, investment professional and business executives.

The event is jam-packed with quality companies and conversations and is the go-to event of the year to connect with and see where energy is headed. The conference will include industry speakers, investors, and promising startups from throughout the U.S. and beyond.

The event is on Thursday, January 27. It's happening at Jones School of Business, McNair Hall ( Rice University, 6100 Main St.). Click here to register.

January 28 — Greater Houston Partnership's Partnership Week Begins

Annual Meeting kicks off the second annual Partnership Week, a multi-day opportunity to learn more about the Partnership’s work and how members can get involved in our efforts to make Houston even greater. Details on Partnership Week activities are coming soon.

GHP's Partnership Week begins on Friday, January 28. Click here to learn more.

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2 Houston universities among world's best and more innovation news to know

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Editor's note: We're looking back at the biggest Houston business and innovation news from the first half of July. From the world's best universities to innovative cybersecurity staffing, catch up on the top InnovationMap stories from July 1-15 below:

2 Houston universities declared among world’s best in 2026 rankings

Rice is the No. 2 best school in Texas, and No. 119 in the world. Photo via Rice University

Two Houston universities are in a class of their own, earning top spots on a new global ranking of the world's best universities.

Rice University and University of Houston are among the top 1,200 schools included in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Ten more schools across Texas make the list. Continue reading.

Texas cybersecurity co. expands unique train-to-hire model to Houston

San Antonio-based Nukudo is bridging the global cybersecurity talent gap through immersive training and job placement in Houston. Photo via Getty Images

It’s increasingly more difficult to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of proprietary data and information in the ever-changing, ever-evolving digital world. Cyberattacks, including malware, phishing, and ransomware, are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated, posing a consistent threat to a company’s sustainability and bottom line.

To combat that trend, Nukudo, a San Antonio-based cybersecurity workforce development company, is expanding its initiative to bridge the global cybersecurity talent gap through immersive training and job placement to Houston. Continue reading.

Houston hospital performs first fully robotic heart transplant in the U.S.

Dr. Kenneth Liao and a team at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center used a surgical robot to implant a new heart in a 45-year-old male patient. Photo courtesy Baylor College of Medicine.

A team at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, led by Dr. Kenneth Liao, successfully performed the first fully robotic heart transplant in the United States earlier this year, the Houston hospital recently shared.

Liao, a professor and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and circulatory support at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, used a surgical robot to implant a new heart in a 45-year-old male patient through preperitoneal space in the abdomen by making small incisions. Continue reading.

New Houston biotech co. developing capsules for hard-to-treat tumors

Sentinel BioTherapeutics is developing cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) capsules to fight many solid tumors. Photo via Getty Images.

Houston company Sentinel BioTherapeutics has made promising headway in cancer immunotherapy for patients who don’t respond positively to more traditional treatments.

The team sees an opportunity to use cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) capsules to fight many solid tumors for which immunotherapy hasn't been effective in the past. “We plan to develop a pipeline of drugs that way,” Sentinel CEO Rima Chakrabarti says. Continue reading.

Greentown Labs names Lawson Gow as its new Houston leader

Lawson Gow, founder of The Cannon, will lead Greentown Houston. Photo courtesy Greentown Labs.

Greentown Labs has named Lawson Gow as its Head of Houston.

Gow is the founder of The Cannon, a coworking space with seven locations in the Houston area, with additional partner spaces. According to Greentown, Gow will "enhance the founder experience, cultivate strategic partnerships, and accelerate climatetech solutions" in his new role. Continue reading.

Houston space companies land $150M NASA contract for vehicles and robots

space simulations

Houston-based MacLean Engineering and Applied Technology Services LLC, known as METECS, has received a five-year contract from NASA to develop simulations and software services for space-based vehicles and robots, with a maximum value of $150 million.

Two other Houston-area companies, Tietronix Software Inc. and Vedo Systems LLC, were assigned as subcontractors for the award.

"This award is a strong testament to NASA’s continued trust in the quality of our work and their confidence in our ongoing support of the human spaceflight program," John MacLean, president of METECS said in a release.

According to NASA, the awardees are tasked with providing:

  • Simulation and software services for space-based vehicle models and robotic manipulator systems
  • Human biomechanical representations for analysis and development of countermeasure devices
  • Guidance, navigation, and control of space-based vehicles for all flight phases
  • Space-based vehicle on-board computer systems simulations of flight software systems
  • Astronomical object surface interaction simulation of space-based vehicles
  • Graphics support for simulation visualization and engineering analysis
  • Ground-based and onboarding systems to support human-in-the-loop training

The contract is called Simulations and Advanced Software Services II (SASS II), and begins in October. This is the second time METECS has received the SASS award. The first also ran for five years and launched in 2020, according to USASpending.gov.

METECS specializes in simulation, software, robotics and systems analysis. It has previously supported NASA programs, including Orion, EHP, HLS, Lunar Gateway and Artemis. It also serves the energy, agriculture, education and construction sectors.

Tietronix Software has won numerous awards from NASA. Most recently, it won the NASA JSC Exceptional Software Award (2017). Some of its other customers include Houston Independent School District, Baylor College of Medicine, DARPA and Houston Methodist.

Video Systems offers software for implementing human-rated, AI and autonomous systems, as well as engineering services to address the needs of spaceflight and defense. The company has previously worked with NASA and METECS, as well as Axiom Space and defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

The three companies are headquartered near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Greentown Labs names Lawson Gow as its new Houston leader

head of hou

Greentown Labs has named Lawson Gow as its Head of Houston.

Gow is the founder of The Cannon, a coworking space with seven locations in the Houston area, with additional partner spaces. He also recently served as managing partner at Houston-based investment and advisory firm Helium Capital. Gow is the son of David Gow, founder of Energy Capital's parent company, Gow Media.

According to Greentown, Gow will "enhance the founder experience, cultivate strategic partnerships, and accelerate climatetech solutions" in his new role.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join Greentown at this critical moment for the energy transition,” Gow said in a news release. “Greentown has a fantastic track record of supporting entrepreneurs in Houston, Boston, and beyond, and I am eager to keep advancing our mission in the energy transition capital of the world.”

Gow has also held analyst, strategy and advising roles since graduating from Rice University.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lawson to our leadership team,” Georgina Campbell Flatter, CEO of Greentown Labs, added in the release. “Lawson has spent his career building community and championing entrepreneurs, and we look forward to him deepening Greentown’s support of climate and energy startups as our Head of Houston.”

Gow is the latest addition to a series of new hires at Greentown Labs following a leadership shakeup.

Flatter was named as the organization's new CEO in February, replacing Kevin Dutt, Greentown’s interim CEO, who replaced Kevin Knobloch after he announced that he would step down in July 2024 after less than a year in the role.

Greentown also named Naheed Malik its new CFO in January.

Timmeko Moore Love was named the first Houston general manager and senior vice president of Greentown Labs. According to LinkedIn, she left the role in January.

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

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