10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events in June

where to be

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

It's fully summer here in Houston, and the city's business community is mixing in networking and conference events with family vacations and time off. Here's a rundown of what all to throw on your calendar for June when it comes to innovation-related events.

This article will be updated as more business and tech events are announced.

June 1 — Houston Veterans In Residence Showcase

Bunker Labs’ Veterans in Residence Showcase is a nationwide event spanning across 23 cities and 3 virtual cohorts, celebrating over 400 veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs launching their startups and businesses from our recent cohort. It gives you a chance to network with local participants. Become part of your local business community and learn how you can get involved by patronizing, investing in, or partnering up with our veterans and military spouse entrepreneurs.

The event is Wednesday, June 1, 6 to 8 pm, at WeWork Jones Hall. Click here to register.

June 1 — SportsTech Meetup + Happy Hour

Join us for a meetup and happy hour to socialize with fellow entrepreneurs and business owners in SportsTech. The event is hosted by Pokatok, a new sports tech startup focused on elevating sports innovation in Houston.

The event is Wednesday, June 1, 4 to 6 pm, at The Cannon Sports. Click here to register.

June 2 — Building a Talent Strong Texas, a Special UpSkill Works forum 

Dr. Harrison Keller, Commissioner of Higher Education, is fresh off the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's release of its Building a Talent Strong Texas plan, which elevates the critical importance of post-secondary education and continued skills development.

The event is Thursday, June 2, noon to 1 pm, online. Click here to register.

June 8 — Carbon to Value Initiative Year 2 Kickoff

Year 2 of the C2V Initiative builds on its successful first year in 2021 that led to partnerships, technology advancement, and industry growth. Join us, together with Fluor Corporation, a leading global engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, as we kick off year 2 of this exciting program, which will connect the selected startups with experts, resources, and programming to help them achieve their commercial and technical milestones!

The event is Wednesday, June 8, 6 to 8 pm, at Greentown Houston. Click here to register.

June 8 — Illuminate Houston: An Innovation Conversation

Illuminate Houston is an event series highlighting business leaders who challenge the way we think about the future. Illuminate Houston features dynamic formats where speakers and attendees discuss trends, technologies and issues that define how we do business. The Partnership welcomes Gaurab Chakrabarti, CEO and Co-founder of Solugen on Wednesday, June 8.

The event is Wednesday, June 8, noon to 1 pm, online. Click here to register.

June 8 — High Performance Institute Information Session

Join The Ion as we hear from High Performance Institute and how we are working to build a partnership for the community.

The event is Wednesday, June 8, 4 to 6 pm, at the Ion. Click here to register.

June 9 — Sip & Socialize, brought to you by partner of The Cannon, Dell for Startups

Enjoy some cocktails from partner of The Cannon, Dell for Startups, and learn more about the upcoming pitch competition on June 29th.

The event is Thursday, June 9, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, at The Powder Keg (1300 Brittmoore Rd). Click here to register.

June 16 — Transition On Tap: In Partnership with The Veterans Advanced Energy Project

Greentown Houston is hosting a special Transition On Tap in partnership with The Veterans Advanced Energy Project. Some of America's best talent joined the military to serve and deploy to combat in a time of national crisis. Now those same veterans are entering the energy transition for their next tour of duty. While the climate crisis is a call to serve, the energy transition is also a massive economic opportunity these young leaders are running towards. Learn from the panel of experienced professionals and meet other like-minded individuals passionate about the energy transition.

The event is Thursday, June 16, 5 to 8 pm, at Greentown Labs Houston (4200 San Jacinto St). Click here to register.

June 20-22 — 6th Annual Energy Drone & Robotics Summit

The Energy Drone & Robotics Summit is the largest event in the world for UAVs, Robotics & Data/AI/ML, exclusively focused on the business and technology of unmanned systems, automation and data/AI in energy & industrial operations. Over the last 5 years, it has grown to the most influential gathering of industrial, energy and engineering leaders from around the globe where the key challenges & solutions are addressed for operating drones, satellites, and robotics successfully and managing/making data actionable, from the stars to the sea floor.

The event is Monday-Wednesday, June 20-22, at the Woodlands Marriott. Click here to register.

June 22 — Houston Startup Showcase

The Houston Startup Showcase is a year-long series of monthly pitch competitions. Founders will pitch LIVE AT THE ION and compete for the grand prize package. Watch the startups pitch their company and see who the judges will name the champion of Houston Startup Showcase 2022.

The event is Wednesday, June 22, 2:45 to 5:30 pm, at the Ion. Click here to register.

June 28 — Future of Global Energy: Innovation District Reception and Tour

Day one of the Future of Global Energy Conference Presented by Chevron begins offers a special tour and reception in the heart of Houston's innovation district highlighting some of the key venues that are propelling energy transition forward here in Houston. Attendees will tour Greentown Labs and The Ion.

The event is Thursday, June 2, 2:45 to 5:30 pm, at the Houston Innovation District. Click here to register.

June 28-30 — The Future of Global Energy: Houston’s Role in Leading the Energy Transition Presented by Chevron

To highlight Houston's role in the global energy transition, the Greater Houston Partnership and Center for Houston's Future will host a dynamic three-day conference providing global and national context on the changing energy landscape and highlight Houston's leadership in the global energy transition.

The event is Tuesday-Thursday, June 28-30, and is a hybrid event. Click here to register.

June 29 — Alumni Napier Rice Launch Challenge 2022

Join Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and support Rice University alumni startups at the H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge (NRLC) virtual Championships on Wednesday, June 29. Six alumni finalists will pitch their ventures for the chance to win equity-free funding.

The event is Wednesday, June 29, 6 to 8 pm, online. Click here to register.

June 29 — Panel & Pitch Competition, Sponsored by Dell for Startups

As part of the tour, the Dell for Startups team will be stopping by Houston in partnership with The Cannon to host a Houston Founder Pitch Competition. Eight startups from all across the city will compete for $25,000 worth of prizes is taking place at The Cannon.

The event is Wednesday, June 29, 4 to 7:30 pm, at the Cannon West Houston. Click here to register.

Memorial Park getting ready to deliver a few projects from its 10-year master plan was one of this week's top stories. Courtesy of Memorial Park Conservancy

5 most popular innovation stories in Houston this week

What's Trending

This week was flooded with more than just the tropical disturbance that hit Houston. The city hosted a slew of events — from Plug and Play's Houston Innovation Week and Capital Factory's Texas Startups Roadshow to TMCx's Demo Day and the Low Carbon Energy Summit hosted by KPMG and the Center for Houston's Future.

Spoiler: More events are coming. Stay tuned to our June innovation events guide for the latest.

This week on InnovationMap, we launched our first series of profiles for Pride Month and featured a Texas startup force, Marissa Limsiaco from Tenavox, and we broke the news that Plug and Play will launch its accelerator by end of the year.

Scroll through the stories below to read snippets of the top trending stories in Houston innovation.

Need more than just trending news on Fridays? Subscribe to our daily newsletter that sends fresh stories straight to your inboxes every morning.

Memorial Park Conservancy plans to deliver its first project of its master plan redevelopment next year

Memorial Park Conservancy is gearing up to unveil one if its first projects within its 10-year master plan redevelopment. Photo courtesy of MPC

Memorial Park Conservancy has until 2028 to deliver on its master plan redevelopment project, but if MPC president and CEO Shellye Arnold has anything to say about it, the plan will be completed way ahead of that.

The project is a collaborative effort between MPC, Uptown Houston TIRZ, and Houston Parks and Recreation Department to redevelop the 1,500-acre park. In 2011, a major drought decimated the park and areas saw losses of 50 to even 90 percent of the canopy of trees. Continue reading the story.

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

Check out these conferences, pitch competitions, networking, and more. Getty Images

Summer's here and living isn't necessarily easy — especially when it comes to scheduling. Houston's busting at the seams with networking, panel, and pitch events this month. Continue reading the story.

Houston nonprofit that's upcycling textiles and clothing opens new store

Magpies & Peacocks has prevented over 220,000 pounds of textiles in landfills by upcycling fabrics for new fashion items. The nonprofit now has a new store to keep up with demand. Magpies & Peacocks/Instagram

Magpies & Peacocks, the nation's only nonprofit design house that collects and reuses post consumer textiles, clothing, and accessories, opens their first permanent retail space in Houston on Saturday, June 1. The Co:Lab Marketplace will be located inside the organization's current warehouse space in Houston's East End.

The 6,000-square-foot space holds luxury upcycled sustainable clothing, jewelry, accessories, and home decor, along with partner sustainable and ethical brands. There will also be a bar offering cocktails and coffee, a lounge area, and a capsule gallery featuring the work of local artists. Continue reading the story.

3 TMCx companies have raised funds while completing the Houston accelerator

Three companies in TMCx's current cohort are leaving the program with new funds. Courtesy of TMCx

According to the CDCThe Texas Medical Center's accelerator program is wrapping up its Digital Health cohort this week with the culmination of its TMCx Demo Day, and, while all of the companies have something to celebrate, three have announced that they are leaving the program with fresh funds.

Meru, Roundtrip, and Sani Nudge have raised over $10 million between the three companies. All three will be presenting at the TMCx Digital Health Demo Day on June 6 with the 16 other companies in the cohort. Continue reading the story.

5 things you need to know about Houston's Microsoft- and Intel-backed accelerator program

The inaugural Smart Cities accelerator in Houston will have its cohort create solutions for a set of problems the city faces. Sky Noir Photography by Bill Dickinson/Getty Images

At a Microsoft IoT in Action event in April, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that the city would launch the Ion Smart Cities Accelerator — a program that would task a set of startups and entrepreneurs with creating digital and technical solutions to key problems within Houston.

"As a result of incorporating smart technologies, Houston will have the ability to create a more resilient and mobile-friendly city, and in turn accelerate our city's economic growth and prepare for the needs of 21st Century citizens," Mayor Turner says in a release. Continue reading the story.

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UH lands $3M grant to expand opioid overdose training

Overdose Response

The University of Houston has received a $3 million federal grant to expand its potentially life-saving overdose response training program.

The grant will support the Houston Health Department’s FRONTLINES program that trains first responders in Harris and Fort Bend counties to recognize opioid overdoses and administer the drug naloxone, which can counter the effects of an opioid overdose. The four-year grant comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services, and it builds on eight years of work at UH, according to a release from the university.

As part of the expansion, UH medical, social work and psychology students will now also be able to take part in FRONTLINES’ overdose-response training. Some of the students will also be selected to help train community members, ultimately passing along the life-saving skills throughout Houston.

FRONTLINES is a collaboration with the City of Houston, the Fertitta College of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Recovery Center. It was co-founded by Dr. James Bray, chair of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Houston’s Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, in 2018.

“When someone experiencing an opioid overdose is reached in time, naloxone can save their life,” Bray said in a news release. “We’ve seen the impact this training can have in Houston, and now we have an opportunity to extend that reach across Harris and Fort Bend counties, putting lifesaving knowledge and tools into the hands of more first responders.”

In 2024, around 450 residents of Harris County died from opioid overdoses, according to a Texas Department of State Health Services report. The report found that fentanyl was involved in about three-quarters of the deaths.

In 2025, UH also received a $2.6 million gift from the estate of Dr. William A. Gibson to expand its opioid research and develop a vaccine to help block fentanyl's effectiveness in entering the brain. The vaccine research is part of the Michael C. Gibson Addiction Research Program led by UH professor of psychology Therese Kosten and founding member of the UH Drug Discovery Institute Colin Haile. Read more about the grant and the vaccine’s development here.

Texas public libraries drive billions in economic impact, report finds

Beyond the Stacks

A new statewide study examining the economic impacts of public libraries has revealed they have generated over $3.8 billion in value to local communities — a return of $4.74 for every $1 invested.

The report, "Beyond the Stacks: Measuring the Economic and Community Value of Texas Public Libraries" was conducted by third-party consultancy JBK Economics Group in partnership with the Texas Library Association. About 300 of the total 513 public libraries in Texas participated in a survey for the report.

A major finding from the survey revealed that public libraries create billions in economic value for the communities they serve at a fraction of what it costs to pay employee wages and benefits, operating expenditures, and capital expenditures. About 11,200 jobs were directly and indirectly supported by public libraries, the report found.

The report found its $4.74 to $1 ratio by adding up the total value of the services provided by these institutions (an estimated $2.48 billion), and comparing it to total expenditures ($808.6 million).

"Public libraries had about the same economic footprint as the Texas motion picture and sound recording industry ($2.9 billion in Gross Domestic Product in 2024) or the Texas paper manufacturing industry ($4.0 billion in Gross Domestic Product in 2024)," the report said.

Many Houstonians are already familiar with Houston Public Library's expansive catalog and programming, but there are many more services the library provides that might fly under the radar. A few examples include access to subscription-based research databases and news outlets, and the Library of Things, a collection of cookware and bake ware, musical instruments, craft kits, and other tools or activity materials that are available for cardholders to borrow. Individual branches also provide free Wi-Fi, computer access, and meeting spaces.

Houston-area residents also have access to services at several other local libraries depending on their address, such as the Harris County Public Library, Montgomery County Memorial Library System, or Fort Bend County Libraries, just to name a few.

These are additional services and partnerships that Texas public libraries commonly provide, per the survey results:

  • 93 percent provide voter registration and/or serve as voting locations
  • 84 percent provide partnerships with local social services agencies
  • 82 percent provide job application assistance
  • 68 percent facilitate applications for government benefits
  • 38 percent provide on-site social services
  • 30 percent provide telehealth rooms and/or resources
"Public libraries are practical, welcoming and rooted in the communities they serve — they are unmistakably Texan," said Texas Library Association executive director Shirley Robinson in a press release. "This study puts a dollar value on the opportunities libraries create every day. Whether someone visits a library to apply for a job, access the internet, learn a new skill or simply find a new favorite book, those services create real value for Texans and their communities."

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This article first appeared on CultureMap.com.

Rice University launches new venture fund for university-affiliated startups

startup support

Rice University has launched its new One Giant Leap Ventures Fund I, which will invest in the university’s spinouts and alumni-founded startups.

The early-stage institutional venture fund will function with a hybrid structure that allows for participation from traditional equity investors and philanthropic investors. According to the university, the fund will invest up to $500,000 per Rice-affiliated company.

To be considered eligible for funds, companies must use intellectual property licensed by the university or be led or founded by alumni.

One Giant Leap will draw on support and mentorship from Rice’s pool of 60,000 alumni and aims to create educational opportunities within the investment phases, work with graduate and undergraduate venture students, explore the scaling and commercialization of their ideas, and help investigate all the facets of venture capital.

“Rice alumni bring an extraordinary depth of experience as entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders, and One Giant Leap creates new ways to put that expertise to work for the next generation of Rice innovators,” Stephen Bayer, vice president for development and alumni relations, said in a news release. “It strengthens the connection between our alumni and the university while giving them meaningful opportunities to mentor, advise and support Rice-affiliated companies as they grow.”

The fund held its first close in August and made its first investment into Rice brain health spinout Motif Neurotech. Led by Rice faculty member Jacob Robinson, Motif is working to commercialize a minimally invasive neurostimulator that targets treatment-resistant depression. In May, the FDA approved the company to move forward with its first clinical trial.

“Research produces breakthrough technologies and our academic environment forms outstanding entrepreneurs,” said Adrian Trömel, the fund’s managing director, a Rice alumnus and a startup founder who also serves as Rice’s interim chief innovation officer.

One Giant Leap joins the already long list of Rice-led programs that foster innovation, including the Liu Idea Labs for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Innovation Fellows and Summer Venture Studio, the Rice Alliance’s Business Plan Competition, the Ion District, Woodside Rice Decarbonization Accelerator, Rice Nexus, the Biotech Launchpad and RBL Ventures and its upcoming 200,000 square-foot research lab the Arc.

“With One Giant Leap, I am excited that we are creating a unique structure that brings together traditional investment and philanthropic participation to invest in and help catalyze our startups, engage the deep expertise within the Rice ecosystem and transform those strengths into real-world impact,” Trömel added in the release.

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