HOUSTON INNOVATORS PODCAST EPISODE 85

Houston innovation leader assumes permanent role at the helm of The Ion ahead of opening

Jan E. Odegard joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss the latest at The Ion. Photo courtesy of The Ion

For over a year now, Jan E. Odegard has been leading The Ion as interim executive director, but as of last month, he got to drop the "interim." But for Odegard, very little aside from an update to his LinkedIn profile has changed.

"To me, it wasn't about me or the position — it was about the team and the work we were doing," Odegard says on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast. "I'm as passionate about it now as I was before."

The Ion, a 270,000-square-foot coworking and innovation hub owned and managed by Rice Management Co., is slated to open later this summer and be a convening building for startups, corporations, academic partners, investors, and more.

The project, which broke ground in July of 2019, took a bit of a winding path in one part because of COVID-19 but also because of the challenge of rehabilitating a former department store. The building originally premiered in 1939 as a Sears.

"The decision that we made to not tear it down — that to me speaks power," Odegard says. "It probably would have been cheaper and faster to tear it down and build new, but this actually meant something to Houstonians. I think that nod to history really does speak power."

Odegard says the building represented a feat when it opened — now Houstonians will experience something similar in The Ion as they walk through and witness the evolution of the building as well as the innovation activity the structure will be home to.

"We have been speaking for the last two years, 'let's build on Houston's DNA,'" he says, "well, we've built this building on the DNA. We are truly trying to amplify the connectivity to the history but serving it for the next 40 to 50 years."

Leasing is open for both the traditional office spaces and coworking space. Chevron and Microsoft have both announced their leased space last year. The Ion tapped Savills for leasing as well as Common Desk for coworking, and leasing information is available online.

As far as programing goes, in-person accelerators and events will start rolling out activity in a responsible way factoring in pandemic protocol. But for Odegard, who is already working out of the building with a small team, he says he can't wait for that activity and collisions to begin. It's really about the people for hi,.

"If you go back to our vision of accelerating innovation and connecting communities, that really speaks to me," Odegard says. "We are really about creating that next wave of tech and innovation in our backyard, and then connecting those communities — which I think is maybe the most overlooked DNA here in Houston. That's the people we have — an incredible diversity."

Odegard shares more about The Ion and his career focused on advancing technology on the episode. Listen to the full interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.

Trending News

Building Houston

 
 

This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Gaurab Chakrabarti of Solugen, Sandy Guitar of HX Venture Fund, and Cameron Owen of rBIO. Photos courtesy

Editor's note: In this week's roundup of Houston innovators to know, I'm introducing you to three local innovators across industries — from synthetic biology to venture capital — recently making headlines in Houston innovation.

Gaurab Chakrabarti, the CEO and co-founder of Solugen

Gaurab Chakrabarti shared his entrepreneurial journey on the SXSW stage this year. Photo courtesy of the Greater Houston Partnership

Houston doesn't have too many unicorns — startups valued at $1 billion or more — in its innovation ecosystem, but Solugen, a sustainable chemicals company, is among the elite group. Gaurab Chakrabarti, the CEO and co-founder of the company, joined Houston House by the Greater Houston Partnership, to share his story on the SXSW stage.

“You do make your own luck, but you have to be putting in the work to do it," Chakrabarti says, adding that it's not an easy thing to accomplish. “There are things you can be doing to increase your luck surface area."

He shared several lessons he learned on his founder journey in the discussion. Read more.

Sandy Guitar, managing director of HX Venture Fund

Sandy Guitar shares some lessons learned from the fallout of Silicon Valley Bank. Photo via HXVF

Following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, there's one thing Sandy Guitar can say has changed for Houston innovators: Bank diversification is going to be a must.

“We didn't think we needed one last week, but this week we know we need a resilience plan," she says, explaining that bank diversification is going to be added to "the operational due diligence playbook." Read more.

Cameron Owen, co-founder and CEO of rBIO

San Diego-based rBIO moved to Houston to take advantage of the growing ecosystem of biomanufacturing and synthetic biology. Photo courtesy of rBIO

Founded in San Diego, rBIO recently relocated to Houston and has big plans for settling in the city, says Cameron Owen, the company's co-founder and CEO.

“Companies from California like us and the coastal areas were converging here in Houston and creating this new type of bioeconomy,” he tells InnovationMap.

He shares that Houston wasn't originally on his radar, until it was. A visit turned into a relocation, and it's just the beginning for the biotech startup that's focused on using synthetic biology for pharmaceuticals. Read more.

Trending News