Aerospace & Aviation
Houston House Spotlights Tech and Innovation at SXSW
3/17/22
The Greater Houston Partnership hosted Houston House at SXSW, a two-day activation program led by innovation leaders and startup founders, from March 13-14. With over 630 attendees over the two days of programming, Houston House delivered a diverse set of panels discussing venture capital funding, equitable energy transition, commercial aerospace and more! If you didnât get a chance to attend our panels, hereâs a glimpse of the conversations surrounding the advancements happening in Houston.
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Day 1: Sunday, March 13
Funding the Next Generation of Diverse Founders
Felix Chevalier., Co-Founder, Urban Capital Network
Denise Hamilton, Work Futurist and CEO, WatchHerWork
Jesse Martinez, Investment Partner/Venture Partner, Resolved/ VamosVentures
Houston Houseâs kickoff on March 13 offered a space for startups and technology to converge. The big question for startup founders is often âwhere do I begin?â The answer is funding. The panel discussed how founders can overcome challenges when it comes to securing funding.
âFor founders, you have to pack your bags and get out there, like SXSW. Walk around the street, go to free shows, or stand at the hotel lobby. The opportunity is out there to meet people to whatever your objective might be.â
âFelix Chevalier, Co-Founder of Urban Capital Network
âI am a solo founder and I remember I met with multiple technical co-founders, but I was told because âyouâre a black woman youâll never be able to raise the money.ââ
âDenise Hamilton, Work Futurist and CEO of WatchHerWork
Despite setbacks, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed startup businesses back on track. âAfter the pandemic, you eliminate the geographical boundaries. I can be in Miami, in Silicon Valley, but I choose Houston for its unlimited resources and talent.â
âJesse Martinez, Investment Partner, Resolved Ventures & Venture Partner, Vamos Ventures
Game Changers: The Rise of Sports Tech
David Gow, CEO, Gow Media & SportsMap Tech Acquisition Corp.
Chris Buckner, CEO, Mainline
Lori Burgess, Chief Operating Officer, Beasley Esports
Ashley DeWalt, Managing Director, DivInc
The booming technology market has expanded to new horizons, including collegiate esports and the advancement in wearable technology. The panel discussed the growth in collegiate esports investments by Houston-based universities like University of St. Thomas and University of Houston.
Historically, strong young gamers with elite teams have skipped college and gone directly to pro. âIn the next 3-5 years, schools will dive into esports to attract those top-tier students and match the full rides football players are given.â
âLori Burgess, COO, Beasley Esports
âHouston is a great home for entrepreneurial innovation. We have an opportunity to create a VC sports tech company that will follow up with all stages to capture and engage a sports tech capital hub.â
âDavid Gow, CEO, Gow Media
The Commercial Space Age is Here
Dr. Douglas Terrier, Associate Director of Vision & Strategy, NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
R. Matt Ondler, CTO, Axiom Space
Tim Crain, Chief Technology Officer, Intuitive Machines
Arturo Machuca, Director, Ellington Airport and Houston Spaceport (Houston Airport System)
With Houston Spaceportâs expansion and improvements, Houston will be the first major metropolitan area in the U.S. to create an environment available to private companies wishing to use a spaceport. The mission is to create a focal point for aerospace innovation with a collection of aerospace companies that will lead the U.S. to transition from government-driven to commercial-driven space programs.
âWhen I think about the Houston Spaceport and think about the summer of 2015 when we got our license, fast-forward a couple years and now weâre building the largest space station–I can just begin to imagine what Houston will bring to the table in the next 5 years.âÂ
-âDr. Douglas Terrier, Associate Director for Vision and Strategy at NASAâs Johnson Space Center
Medtech Transforming Healthcare Industry
Joanna Nathan, Manager, New Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Center for Device Innovation
James Reinstein, President & CEO, Saranas Inc.
Kevin Coker, President & CEO, Proxima Clinical Research, Inc.
As home to the largest medical city in the world, Houston is at the forefront of advancing life sciences. Innovation drives collaborations with medicine and cutting-edge technology leveraging resources of enterprises to develop life-saving solutions.Â
From microbiome engineering to antibiotic resistance, Kevin Coker, President and CEO at Proxima Clinical Research, Inc., commented that, âsynthetic biology is going to make a huge difference and cost will decrease in the upcoming years as medical device technology continues to advance. 3D Systems is looking to manufacture the first human organ in East Downtown Houston, so how much more exciting can it get than that?â
Accelerating Innovation in Biotech
Jason Bock, VP, Biologics Development, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Michael Curran, Associate Professor / Founder, MD Anderson Cancer Center / ImmunoGenesis, Inc.
Larry Hope, New Ventures and Business Development, MD Anderson Cancer Center
The MD Anderson Cancer Centerâs panel discussed next-generation cell engineering for tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) programs. Housing the largest comprehensive cancer center in the U.S., based in Houston, MD Anderson has extensive expertise in developing and manufacturing innovative cell therapies, including groundbreaking work with TILs and setting the proper foundation for biotechnological advancements.
âIt is my belief that TILs are poised for a significant impact in the field of cancer therapy, and engineering improved TILs is a vital part of advancing this modality.â
âJason Bock, VP, Biologics Development, MD Anderson Cancer Center
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Houston House Panelists. From left: Hossam Elbadawy, Grace Chan, Shawn Cumberland, Vidisha Prasad
Day 2: Monday, March 14
Funding the Global Energy Transition
Hossam Elbadawy, Managing Director & Technology Partner, SCF Partners
Shawn Cumberland, Managing Partner, EnCap Energy Transition
Grace Chan, Investment Associate, bp Ventures
Vidisha Prasad, Managing Partner, Adya Partners
Venture capital experts launched day two of Houston House. Climate change and energy 2.0 have become top priorities for companies with a focus on the hydrogen space. Experts on the panel examined how private and corporate investors continuously seek opportunities in clean technology.
âHouston has great resources, including talent, infrastructure, and money, which is what puts Houston at the forefront of the energy transition.â
âGrace Chan, Investment Associate at bp Ventures
Dream Team: Corporates & Startups in Climatech
Andrea Course, Venture Principal, Shell Ventures
Dale W., Managing Director, Halliburton Labs
Michael W., Senior Investment Manager, Equinor Ventures
Dawn James, Director, Global Industry Strategy – Energy & Sustainability, Microsoft
The panel explored the collaboration needed for success in the energy transition and voiced consensus that the foundation of corporations with the agility of startups is critical.
“Itâs true that itâs going to take everybody, this is the ultimate group project.â
âDawn James, Director of Global Industry Strategy – Energy & Sustainability at Microsoft
âParticularly in Houston, corporations have the experience, talent, expertise, connections, and facilities that are going to be important to commercialize the technologies of the future.â
âDale Winger, Managing Director, Halliburton Labs
Tech Powering the Global Energy Transition
Trevor Best, CEO, Syzygy Plasmonics
Moji Karimi, CEO, Cemvita Factory Inc.
Federico Marques, Founder & CEO, Moonflower Farms
Jane Stricker, SVP of Energy Transition and HETI Executive Director, Greater Houston Partnership
With the ongoing emergence of energy transition companies in Houston, startups are tackling climate change head on. Comprised of the founders of some of the most promising tech startups, the panel discussed their input in accelerating the global energy transition.
âIn Houston, weâve launched The Ion, Halliburton Labs, Greentown Labs, a pretty broad range of incubators creating an ecosystem of innovation just in the last two years that allow for this green energy transition.â
âJane Stricker, Executive Director at HETI
âIf youâre a climatetech VC and youâre not looking at Houston, Texas, then youâre about to miss out because things are happening in Houston.â
âTrevor Best, CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics
âIf I want Houston to become a bio-manufacturing hub, which I think it could be, the city has done a great amount in showing the vision and the will giving a new generation for companies to grow.â
âMoji Karimi, CEO, CemvitaFactory
Roadmap to an Equitable Energy Transition
John Hall, President and CEO, HARC | Houston Advanced Research Center
Dana Harmon, Executive Advisor, Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute
Jane Stricker, SVP of Energy Transition and HETI Executive Director, Greater Houston Partnership
The panel discussion allowed for an open dialogue on the disparity of the economic and human health outcomes related to climate change.Â
âClimate change has disproportionately affected low-to-moderate income communities the most, so how do we address the inequities? To remain the nationâs leader in energy, Texas must lean into its abundant renewable energy resources and lead the development and manufacturing of technologies that reduce and eliminate the climate and health pollution emitted by fossil fuels in commerce, industry, and vehicles.â
âJohn Hall, President and CEO, HARC | Houston Advanced Research Center
âIn some of our recent data, what weâve seen is people will, basically, self-meter energy consumption in Texas in July, August, September, and we do have evidence of heat exacerbated health effects caused by energy insecurity, so not being able to find cooling stations and things like that. There are important health implications associated with energy use, so we need to think about it holistically.â
âDana Harmon, Executive Advisor, Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute
The entire Houston House at SXSW program will be available on demand soon.
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