Editor's note: As The Houston Innovation Summit comes to a close this weekend, so does a busy week of Houston innovation. Trending stories on InnovationMap included campus robots, innovators to know, venture capital advice, and more.
3 Houston innovators to know this week
This week's Houston innovators come from industries across the spectrum. Courtesy photos
This week in Houston is chock full of events from The Houston Innovation Summit, but before you get too swept away, check out these three innovators to know this week. We have a life-long innovator whose passion has taken him from industry to industry, a construction specialist joining a growing Houston startup, and a man who let his personal struggles motivate him to find solutions. Continue reading.
University of Houston rolls out food delivery robots
The University of Houston campus has 30 new members — self-driving, food-delivering robots. Photo courtesy of UH
For a small delivery fee of $1.99, students, faculty, and staff across the University of Houston campus can now get their lunch delivered by self-driving robots.
Thirty of San Francisco-based Starship Technologies' autonomous delivery robots now roam the campus thanks to a partnership with New York-based Chartwells Higher Education. The Houston campus is the first to roll out robotic food deliveries. Continue reading.
City council approves $24M for East End hub, TMCx opens apps, and more Houston innovation news
The East End Maker Hub receives a huge grant, Chevron commits to two tech companies, and more in this Houston innovation news roundup. Courtesy of The East End Maker Hub
Houston is busting at the seams with innovation news as the ecosystem prepares to wrap up its year of growth. From grants and M&A activity to expansions and awards, there's a lot of news you may have missed. In this latest news roundup, millions of federal funds are doled out, a female networking app commits to Houston, an accelerator launches applications, and more. Continue reading.
3 reasons venture capitalists say no, according to University of Houston research
Most venture capital rejection is because of one or more of these three reasons. Miguel Tovar/University of Houston
One of the most common questions that pops up in startup circles is, "Why did they turn me down?" There are myriad reasons why a venture capitalist might turn down pitches and decline funding. Here, I'll present the three most common. Continue reading.
Houston entrepreneur plans to revolutionize the construction industry using a tech-enabled material
Ody De La Paz's company, Sensytec, started as a class project and turned into a growing startup. Courtesy of Sensytec
Ody De La Paz wasn't sure if his class project could be turned into a company, but he decided to test the waters through a series of pitch competitions. He and his cofounder, Anudeep Maddi, competed in eight across the world, and took hope first place prizes in five.
"That kind of gave us the hint that this should be a company, and we need to make it happen as quick as possible," De La Paz, CEO of Sensytec says on this week's Houston Innovators Podcast. Continue reading and stream online.