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

WHERE TO BE

Houston innovators — put these August events on your radar. Photo via Getty Images

From networking meet-ups to expert startup showcases, August 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.

August 1 — 7th Annual Summer Science Symposium

The 7th Annual MAPTA Summer Science Symposium will showcase work from research trainees, postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents. The symposium will feature all fields of translational, basic science and clinical research. This two-day in-person event will include both poster and oral presentations.

Keynote Speakers:

Brijesh S. “Billy” Gill, MD, FACS
Corina Rosales, PhD

This event is Thursday, August 1, from 9 am to 4 pm at Houston Methodist Research Institute. Click here to register.

August 1 — Bayou Startup Showcase

The Bayou Startup Showcase is a dynamic celebration of entrepreneurship, spotlighting the newest startups and small businesses from Rice University’s OwlSpark and the University of Houston’s RED Labs accelerators. Attendees can listen to pitches, discover ways to support and grow these businesses, and engage with founders during the showcase.

This event is Thursday, August 1, from 4 to 8 pm at The Ion. Click here to register.

August 8 — 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, August 8, from 7 to 8:30 pm at Second Draught. Click here to register.

August 13 — Software Day at The Ion: An Intro to Central Texas Seed Stage VCs

Software Day is a monthly series driving the support, inspiration, and connections needed to help startups on their path to rapid, sustainable growth. Each month, Software Day will include office hours (by application), a keynote session, and networking.

Speakers include:

  • Eric Engineer, S3 Ventures
  • Rajiv Bala, Clutch Ventures
  • Cat Dizon, Active Capital
  • Mike Marcantonio, LiveOak
  • Moderator: Aziz Gilani, Mercury
This event is Tuesday, August 13, from 3:30 to 7 pm at The Ion. Click here to register.

August 15 — TMC Lunch ‘n’ Launch: Phiogen

This monthly event series hosted by TMC Innovation highlights TMC community companies and provides them with a platform to share their journey, current progress, and future goals. This month the lunch features Phiogen, a specialized phage therapy corporation founded by by Baylor College of Medicine.

This event is Thursday, August 15, from 12 to 1 pm at at TMC Innovation Factory. Click here to register.

August 15 — SPRINT Workforce Forum

This two-day event brings together industry, universities, and government entities to discuss the workforce challenges that arise from the rapidly advancing AI and robotics technologies in the energy sector. It has a special emphasis on inspiring students to become advocates of AI and robotics, enabling them to help the energy industry’s digital transformation.

This event is Thursday, August 15, starting at 12 am at Student Center South and UH Hilton. Click here to register.

August 22 — Transition On Tap

Transition On Tap is Greentown Labs’ monthly networking event devoted to fostering conversations and connections among the climate and energy transition ecosystem in Houston and beyond. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and friends of climatetech are invited to attend, meet colleagues, and discuss solutions.

This event is Thursday, August 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Greentown Houston. Click here to register.

August 23 — 2024 Cardiometabolic Syndrome Conference: A Population Health Crisis

The Cardiometabolic Syndrome Conference is designed to provide attendees with the most contemporary knowledge about the syndrome, including the epidemiology, treatment strategies, and knowledge gaps. There will be a specific focus on high-level discussions that dissect the current shortcomings in the overall management of CMS at the individual and community level and begin to consider new and innovative treatment strategies.

This event is Friday, August 23 from 7 am to 5 pm at The Texas Heart Institute. Click here to register.

August 28 — TMCi Cappuccino Connections

Network with the diverse TMC Innovation Community while enjoying a cup of joe.

This event is Wednesday, August 28, from 8:30 am to 10:30 am at TMC Innovation Factory Lobby. Click here to register.

August 28 — Bayou City Bio Pulse: Pearland

Hear from some of the region’s largest commercial life science manufacturers. This panel discussion will examine the obstacles and potential avenues for the growth of commercial life science firms. Tours of Lonza’s and Millar’s manufacturing facilities will follow the program.

This event is Wednesday, August 28, from 11 am to 2 pm at West Pearland Library. Click here to register.

August 29 — SaaStock Local: Scalability in the Age of AI, Building for Growth in SaaS

Attendees will explore innovative strategies and cutting-edge technologies designed to enhance scalability, ensuring that cloud computing environments remain robust, flexible, and capable of supporting dynamic and complex AI workloads. The session will cover best practices for optimizing resource allocation, managing data efficiently, and maintaining high performance as demand increases.

This event is Thursday, August 29, from 5:30 to 8 pm at The Ion. Click here to register.

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Here's how Houston ranks among the best U.S. cities to start a career

New Horizons

College graduates staying in Houston are in the right place to be, according to a new WalletHub study. Houston has emerged on a new list of the 100 best places in America for starting a career.

Houston ranked 51st out of 182 U.S. cities based on its quality of life and vast opportunities for new college graduates transitioning into the workforce. The study compared each city based on 25 relevant metrics, like the availability of entry-level jobs, each city's annual job growth rate, workforce diversity, median annual income, housing affordability, and others.

Atlanta, Orlando, and Austin respectively comprised the top three best places to start a career.

Houston ranked 48th overall for its quality of life, and appeared No. 51 for its professional opportunities for new college graduates. Whether its starting a new business or entering a high-earning job field, Houston has many more opportunities than the vast majority of other cities on the list.

"The best cities for starting a career not only have a lot of job opportunities but also provide substantial income growth potential and satisfying work conditions," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "It’s also important to consider factors such as how fun a city is to live in or how good of a place it is for raising a family, to ensure life satisfaction outside of your career."

Other Texas hotspots for early career professionals
Austin boasts the best quality of life out of all 182 cities in the report, and the 10th best professional opportunities. The state capital also outperformed all other U.S. cities with the highest monthly average starting salaries for early career workers after being adjusted for the city's cost of living. Austin also offers the 15th highest number of entry level jobs per capita, the report said.

In a separate comparison of the cities with the largest share of residents aged 25 to 34, Austin ranked No. 5 nationally.

"In addition, Austin’s median annual household income is the 10th-highest in the nation, providing strong earning potential for those starting a career or a business," the report said. "Austin is also the sixth best city for singles, offering a vibrant social scene alongside strong career opportunities for young professionals."

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas ranked as the second-best city in Texas for new grads to start a career and 12th nationally. Additional cities that made it into the top 100 best U.S. cities for early career professionals include Plano (No. 32), Irving (No. 42), Fort Worth (No. 64), Amarillo (No. 73), and San Antonio (No. 85).

The top 10 best cities for starting a career are:

  • No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
  • No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
  • No. 3 – Austin, Texas
  • No. 4 – Tampa, Florida
  • No. 5 – Miami, Florida
  • No. 6 – Charleston, South Carolina
  • No. 7 – Pittsburgh
  • No. 8 – Knoxville, Tennessee
  • No. 9 – Salt Lake City, Utah
  • No. 10 – Columbia, South Carolina
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This article first appeared on CultureMap.com.

Persona AI teams with Under Armour to protect next-gen robots

Future Fabrics

Houston-based Persona AI has cemented a partnership with sportswear manufacturer Under Armour to provide materials to protect future robots operating in dangerous conditions.

Through the partnership, Persona AI and Under Armour will launch a research initiative to explore whether advanced performance textiles can improve the durability and resilience of humanoid robots operating in harsh industrial environments.

“This is an opportunity to apply our innovation expertise in a new context,” Kyle Blakely, senior vice president of innovation, design studio, development, and testing at Under Armour, said in a news release. “Robotics presents a fascinating new design challenge, and we aim to play a leading role in shaping performance solutions for these environments. As humanoid systems take on more physically demanding roles, we see real potential to create new market opportunities, and we’re exploring how concepts like thermal management, abrasion resistance, and flexibility translate beyond sport."

Founded in June 2024 by former NASA engineer Nicolaus Radford and former Figure AI CTO Jerry Pratt, Persona AI has quickly risen to be a top name in the development of humanoid robotic systems. Radford previously was the principal investigator at NASA’s Dexterous Robotics Lab before becoming CEO of Nauticus Robotics. While at NASA, he was the chief engineer behind Robotnaut 2, the first humanoid robot on the International Space Station.

Persona AI raised preseed funding to develop humanoid robots designed to operate in shipyards and other industrial sites. The company has inked partnerships with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai Robotic, and Korean manufacturing firm Vazil Company to create and deploy humanoid robots for complex welding tasks in shipyards.

These environments often involve exposure to dangerous chemicals, harsh weather and other potential hazards. The partnership between Persona AI and Under Armour will combine the clothing manufacturer’s development of resilient but flexible materials with the humanoid design of Persona AI.

Though best known for its sportswear, Under Armour produces a wide range of specialist fabrics and clothing, including an entire line used by the U.S. military. The company’s track record of developing high-performance fabrics built to withstand war zones and desert conditions makes it a strong partner in Persona AI’s latest endeavor.

“We chose to work with Under Armour because of their track record of innovation with these types of performance materials,” Radford said. “As we develop humanoids for intense and potentially hazardous environments, this collaboration helps us understand how advanced materials can enhance long-term reliability, thereby informing solutions to better protect workers in the field.”

Waymo suspends robotaxi service in Houston due to weather concerns

Transportation news

Waymo has suspended driverless car services in Houston and other major Texas cities, and in Atlanta, after one of its vehicles was stranded by flooding during heavy rains that will likely also hinder travel in a large swath of the U.S over the holiday weekend.

Severe thunderstorms with large hail and gusty winds were possible Friday, May 22 in Texas and other parts of the Southern and Central Plains, the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters warned of possible flash flooding along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana on Saturday, when rain and thunderstorms were expected across much of the central and eastern U.S.

The Waymo vehicle got stuck during a downpour in Atlanta on Wednesday that flooded streets and even part of a downtown highway. The vehicle was not occupied and was later recovered, the company said in a statement. At least one other Waymo vehicle was waylaid during the storm.

Waymo serves only the city of Atlanta in Georgia, and services Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio in Texas.

The company paused service in Texas “out of an abundance of caution for the forecasted severe weather,” the statement said.

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