Editor's note:Another week has come and gone, and it's time to round up the top headlines from the past few days. Trending Houston tech and startup news on InnovationMap included innovators to know, a Q&A with the Greater Houston Partnership's new chair, overheard moments from Venture Houston, and more.
3 Houston innovators to know this week
This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Deanna Zhang of Tudor, Pickering, & Holt Co., Sarma Velamuri of Luminare, and Amy Chronis of Deloitte. Courtesy photos
In the week's roundup of Houston innovators to know, I'm introducing you to three innovators recently making headlines — from health tech founders to the new GHP chair. Click here to continue reading.
Inaugural Houston Venture startup pitch competition names big winners and doles out nearly $1M
Here's what Houston startups won prizes at the inaugural Venture Houston conference. Photo via Getty Images
Just a few months ago, Venture Houston 2021 was just an idea. Now, the two-day conference concluded with over 2,500 registrants and doled out nearly $1 million in cash and investment prizes to startups.
The idea was to bring together startups, investors, corporations, and anyone who cares to advance the Houston tech ecosystem, says Sandy Guitar, managing director at HX Venture Fund, at the closing event. The conference, which was put on by HXVF, the Houston Angel Network, the Rice Alliance, and Houston Exponential, wrapped up with the announcement of nine startups taking home investment or cash prizes.
In its first year, the Venture Houston conference attracted over 266 startup applications, and a group of Houston innovation leaders named 30 semifinalists that pitched on Thursday, February 4. Click here to continue reading.
Houston energy tech incubator names 3 new companies to its program
Halliburton Labs has announced its inaugural cohort of energy tech companies. Photo courtesy of Halliburton
Halliburton's new in-house incubator program that was announced last year has named three new energy tech startups that are moving in.
Halliburton Labs, which originally launched last summer, was established to promote innovation amidst the energy transition. Member startups will have access to the Halliburton facilities, the company's experts, and its network, and will be located in the company's North Houston headquarters.
"We are excited to welcome a strong group of companies who have demonstrated promising innovation and are working to solve important clean energy challenges," says Dale Winger, managing director of Halliburton Labs, in a news release. "We look forward to collaborating with these companies and providing world-class industrial capabilities and expertise to help them achieve further scale."
Three energy tech startups will join Houston-based Nanotech Inc., the first Halliburton Labs startup in the program. Click here to continue reading.
New Greater Houston Partnership chair asks business community to spread the word
Houston, we have a perception problem — but the Greater Houston Partnership's new chair, Amy Chronis, is here to fix it. Photo courtesy Deloitte/AlexandersPortraits.com
If there's one thing Amy Chronis — the Greater Houston Partnership's 2021 chair and the Houston managing partner at Deloitte — wants you to know, it's that now's the time to spread the word about what's happening in Houston.
"We just don't brag enough about how much the city has changed and its trajectory," she tells InnovationMap.
While Houston has long been innovative in the health, space, and energy industries, it has a perception problem. Recently, Chronis addressed some of these concerns in her address at the GHP's 2021 Annual Meeting. She joined InnovationMap for an interview to zero in on how the business community can work to change this perception problem and continue to grow its innovation and tech community. Click here to continue reading.
Overheard: Here's what experts say on the future of startup investment in Houston
Venture Houston brought together key innovators and investors focused on Houston — here's what they said. Photo via Getty Images
Last week, over 2,500 people registered to Venture Houston to talk about startups and venture capital in Houston for two full days.
The two-day conference, which was put on by HXVF, the Houston Angel Network, the Rice Alliance, and Houston Exponential, took place February 4th and 5th and brought together startups, investors, corporations, and anyone who cares to advance the Houston tech ecosystem.
Click here to see what companies won big in the event's startup pitch competition.
Throughout the various panels and keynote addresses, Houston innovation leaders sounded off on what the future of Houston looks like in terms of venture activity. Missed the discussion or just want a refresher on on the highlights? Here are some significant overheard moments from the virtual conference. Click here to continue reading.