Editor's note:Let's roundup the most-read Houston innovation news from the week. Trending Houston tech and startup articles from InnovationMap and its daily newsletter included a few reports ranking Houston and its influential companies, new funding for a digital health care platform, and more.
Report ranks Houston as a top global city — with one thing holding it back
Houston could have ranked higher on a global report of top cities in the world if it had a bit more business diversification. Photo via Getty Images
A new analysis positions the Energy Capital of the World as an economic dynamo, albeit a flawed one.
The recently released Oxford Economics Global Cities Index, which assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the world’s 1,000 largest cities, puts Houston at No. 25.
Houston ranks well for economics (No. 15) and human capital (No. 18), but ranks poorly for governance (No. 184), environment (No. 271), and quality of life (No. 298). Continue reading.
Houston innovator raises pre-seed funding for health care staffing platform
Ayoade Joy Ademuyewo founded Lokum last year to create a solution to better connecting medical specialists with health care facilities nationwide. Photo courtesy of Lokum
A Houston health care innovator is celebrating an oversubscribed round of pre-seed funding to improve on her startup's unique staffing platform.
Ayoade Joy Ademuyewo founded Lokum last year to create a solution to better connecting medical specialists with health care facilities nationwide. The new platform, which cuts out the middleman and lowers staffing costs, raised $700,000 in pre-seed funding that will go toward further development of the technology.
"Healthcare organizations spend $26 billion annually to support a crippling dependence on third-party agencies for connecting with clinical staff," Ademuyewo says in a news release. "Technological solutions that are pointed precisely to streamline and strengthen the relationships between highly specialized clinicians and their future employers are vital to alleviating this detrimental dependance, and central to our mission. Continue reading.
Houston businesses score spots on prestigious list of most influential companies
Five companies with connections to Houston have made it on this year’s 100 most influential companies by Time magazine. Photo via Getty Images
Five companies with strong ties to Houston have been named among this year’s 100 most influential companies by Time magazine.
To come up with the fourth annual list, Time solicited nominations and polled in-house contributors and correspondents, along with external experts. Editors at Time then evaluated each company based on factors such as impact, innovation, ambition, and success.
“The result is a diverse group of 100 businesses helping chart an essential path forward,” the magazine says. Continue reading.
10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for June
10+ can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for JuneHere are over 10 can't-miss events for Houston innovators in June. Photo courtesy of Rice University
From networking meet-ups to expert speaker summits, June 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. Continue reading.
University of Houston lab report breakthrough in cancer-detecting technology
This uniquely Houston technology is an AI program that allows scientists to understand the functions of cells by evaluating cell activation, killing, and movement. Photo via Getty Images
T-cell immunotherapy is all the rage in the world of fighting cancer. A Houston company’s researchers have discovered a new subset of T cells that could be a game changer for patients.
CellChorus is a spinoff of Navin Varadarajan’s Single Cell Lab, part of the University of Houston’s Technology Bridge. The lab is the creator of TIMING, or Time-lapse Imaging Microscopy In Nanowell Grids. It’s a visual AI program that allows scientists to understand the functions of cells by evaluating cell activation, killing, and movement.
Last month, Nature Cancer published a paper co-authored by Varadarajan entitled, “Identification of a clinically efficacious CAR T cell subset in diffuse large B cell lymphoma by dynamic multidimensional single-cell profiling.” Continue reading.