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

Where to be

Check out these workshops, networking events, pitch events, and other goings on in Houston this month. Getty Images

After what's felt like ages, 2019 has transitioned into a new month. For some, February means pink and red hearts. For Houstonians, it means the start of Rodeo Houston later this month. But, for entrepreneurs, the month yields a flurry of networking and professional events around town.

If you know of innovation-focused events for February, email me at natalie@innovationmap.com with the details.

February 5 - How to Start a Startup with Roberto Moctezuma, founder & CEO of Fractal River

Thinking 2019 is the year you finally turn your business idea into a startup? Station Houston wants to help. It's free to attend this discussion lead by Roberto Moctezuma, the founder and CEO of Houston-based Fractal River, an advisory firm. The talk will focus on identifying problems, determining market needs, learning important metrics, and more.

The event is from 5:30 to 6:30 pm on Tuesday, February 5, at Station Houston (1301 Fannin St., Suite 2440). Learn more here.

February 6 - SaaS Lifecycle Phase 3: Mapping Your Customer Journey

If you've got a SaaS-y startup, this is an event you can't miss. Blair Garrou of Mercury Fund will advise you on your company's sales, growth, and customer success. It's $10 to attend.

The event is from 12:30 to 2 pm on Wednesday, February 6, at Station Houston (1301 Fannin St., Suite 2440). Learn more here.

February 6 - Fruition Technology Labs Lunch n' Learn: Building Your Best Team

One of the main reasons startups fail is because of the people. Fruition Technology will offer their best advice for creating a solid team behind your startup.

The event is from 11:30 am to 1 pm on Wednesday, February 6, at The Cannon (1336 Brittmoore Road). Learn more here.

February 12 - Women Founders Series: Breaking Free of Impostor Syndrome

Calling all female entrepreneurs, women in business, and allies. Hear from a panel of women about their careers — both the ups and downs — and their advice for navigating the male-driven tech industry.

The event is from 11:30 am to 1 pm on Tuesday, February 12, at Station Houston (1301 Fannin St., Suite 2440). Learn more here.

February 12 - Women’s Masters Network Launch Party

Make your goals a reality at this women's professional networking event and launch party. The keynote speaker is Deidre Mathis.

The event is from 6 to 9 pm on Tuesday, February 12, at TXRX Labs (205 Roberts Street). Learn more here.

February 12 - The Global Startup with Innovation Norway

Nine Norwegian startups will pitch potential investors and collaborators at Station Houston's office in order to find for opportunities for international expansion. The Innovation Norway companies that will pitch are: CoreAll, Exebenus, Flapump, Geocap, Hammertech, Oliasoft, Pera, Solution Seeker, and Turbulent Flux.

The event is from 6 to 8 pm on Tuesday, February 12, at Station Houston (1301 Fannin St., Suite 2440). Learn more here.

February 13 - BBL Labs Energy Tech Accelerator Launch Party & Drone Demo

BBL Ventures is introducing BBL Labs, an energy tech accelerator program in partnership with Station Houston. Learn about the new program and network with energy tech professionals.

The event is from 6 to 9 pm on Wednesday, February 13, at Station Houston (1301 Fannin St., Suite 2440). Learn more here.

February 18 - NRLC Workshop: Pretotyping & Prototyping with Kara Palamountain

Figure out if your startup idea or product is needed and possible before you start investing your money and time in it at this workshop at Rice University. Featured speaker, Kara Palamountain, is a professor at the Kellogg School of Management and the president of the Northwestern Global Health Foundation.

The event is from 4 to 5:30 pm on Monday, February 18, at Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (6100 Main St., Cambridge Office Building, Suite 130) Learn more here.

February 20 - Houston Blockchain Alliance Kickoff

New to the innovation scene, Houston Blockchain Alliance, a networking group of blockchain professionals, is celebrating its launch with a free event and panel discussion.

The kickoff celebration takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, February 20, at the Houston CPA Society (777 Post Oak Blvd #500). Learn more here.

February 20 - InfoFluency Lunch n' Learn: Management Analytics for the Founder

If you're a founder who is evaluating or beginning use of a CRM, this one's for you. You'll get a basic understanding of the use of analytics in startup company management by attending the lunch and learn session.

The event is from 11:30 am to 1 pm on Wednesday, February 20, at The Cannon (1336 Brittmoore Road). Learn more here.

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Intuitive Machines lands $9.8M to complete orbital transfer vehicle

space funding

Houston-based Intuitive Machines, which rang the NASDAQ opening bell July 31, has secured a $9.8 million Phase Two government contract for its orbital transfer vehicle.

The contract will push the project through its Critical Design Review phase, which is the final engineering milestone before manufacturing can begin, according to a news release from the company.

Intuitive Machine's orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) is designed to transfer payloads between Earth's orbit and the Moon and is built around the company's Nova-C lander, which has been a part of two successful lunar missions.

“Our OTV is a direct evolution of our lunar surface delivery missions—positioning us to expand into the rapidly growing market for in-space logistics,” Steve Altemus, Intuitive Machines CEO, said in the release. “We’re leveraging our flight-proven technology to operate a mission-ready service that delivers customer payloads across orbits—from Earth to the Moon and beyond.”

The company says the fast, flexible vehicle could be used for orbital servicing, logistics and communications in medium earth orbit, low lunar orbit and a variety of other destinations.

Intuitive Machines expects to begin manufacturing and flight integration as soon as 2026, once the design review is completed.

The non-NASA contract is for an undisclosed government customer, which Intuitive Machines says reinforces its "strategic move to diversify its customer base and deliver orbital capabilities that span commercial, civil, and national security space operations."

The company has received millions from NASA for its lunar rover, lunar lander, science and technology payloads, and communications and navigation services over the years. It also recently landed up to $10 million to help develop an Earth re-entry vehicle and in-space biomanufacturing lab from Texas's Space Exploration and Research Fund.

Earlier this month, the City of Houston agreed to add three acres of commercial space for Intuitive Machines at the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport. Read more here.

Houston tech jobs to grow in 2025 as Texas leads U.S. in new tech employment

by the numbers

Tech employment in the Houston metro area is expected to climb by more than two percent this year, according to a new projection.

CompTIA’s State of the Tech Workforce 2025 report forecasts the Houston area will employ 158,176 tech professionals this year, compared with an estimated 154,905 last year. That would be an increase of 2.1 percent.

These numbers take into account tech workers across all industries, not just those employed in the tech sector. Many of these professionals do work in the tech sector (40 percent), with the remainder (60 percent) employed in other sectors.

Even more impressive than the year-to-year increase is the jump in Houston-area tech employment from 2019 to 2025. During that period, tech employment grew 16.6 percent, according to the report.

The Houston area ranks eighth among major metro areas for the number of tech jobs expected to be added this year (3,271). Dallas rises to No. 1 for the most jobs expected to be added (projection of 13,997 new tech jobs in 2025), with Austin at No. 5 (7,750 new jobs) and San Antonio at No. 21 (1,617 new jobs).

On a state-by-state basis, Texas ranks first for the number of tech workers projected to be added this year (40,051)—up significantly from the 8,181 jobs estimated to be added in 2024—and second for the size of the tech workforce last year (972,747), the report says. The Lone Star State lands at No. 4 for the highest percentage (24 percent) of tech jobs expected to be added from 2025 to 2035.

Backed by a nearly $1.4 billion commitment from the state, the semiconductor industry is helping propel the growth of tech jobs in Houston and throughout Texas.

In 2023, the state launched the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund. The fund provides incentives to encourage semiconductor research, design and manufacturing in Texas. State lawmakers allocated $698.3 million for the fund. Another $660 million in state money will help establish semiconductor research and development centers at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University.

“Texas has the innovation, the infrastructure, and the talent to continue to lead the American resurgence in critical semiconductor manufacturing and the technologies of tomorrow,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a release.

The Houston area is benefiting from the semiconductor boom.

For example, chip manufacturer Nvidia and electronics maker Foxconn plan to build a factory in Houston that will produce AI supercomputers.

Nvidia said in April that the AI supercomputers “are the engines of a new type of data center created for the sole purpose of processing artificial intelligence — AI factories that are the infrastructure powering a new AI industry.”

Meanwhile, tech giant Apple plans to open a 250,000-square-foot factory in Houston that will manufacture servers for its data centers in support of Apple’s AI business. The Houston plant is part of a four-year, $500 million nationwide expansion that Apple unveiled in February.

5 Houston innovators who made headlines in July 2025

Featured Innovators

Editor's note: Local innovators made headlines in July with a first-in-the-U.S. successful health procedure, the discovery of an ancient Mayan tomb, and new leadership roles that will shape Houston's future.

Here are five Houston innovators to know right now.

Dr. Kenneth Liao, Baylor College of Medicine

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. Learn more.

Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase, University of Houston

The Chases. Courtesy of UH

Two University of Houston archaeologists have made scientific history with the discovery of a Mayan king's tomb in Belize.

The UH team led by husband and wife scientists Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase made the discovery at Caracol, the largest Mayan archeological site in Belize. Their work used airborne light detection and ranging technology to uncover previously hidden roadways and structures that have been reclaimed by the jungle. Learn more.

Lawson Gow, Greentown Labs

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

Greentown Labs has added a new leader to its Houston team, naming Lawson Gow as its first Head of Houston.

Gow is the founder of The Cannon, a coworking space with seven locations in the Houston area. He also recently served as managing partner at Houston-based investment and advisory firm Helium Capital. According to Greentown, Gow will "enhance the founder experience, cultivate strategic partnerships, and accelerate climatetech solutions" in his new role. Learn more.

Pothik Chatterjee, Digital Health Institute

Pothik Chatterjee was named executive director of Rice University's and Houston Methodist's Digital Health Institute, effective May 1. Photo courtesy Rice University.

The creation late last year of the Digital Health Institute was a major step into the future for both Rice University and Houston Methodist, for whom the institute is a joint venture. The latest news for the new institute is the appointment of Pothik Chatterjee to the role of executive director.

Chatterjee’s role is to help grow the collaboration between the institutions and find commercial opportunities within the research portfolio. Learn more.

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