The Partnership sends updates for the most important economic indicators each month. If you would like to opt-in to receive these updates, please click here. To receive quarterly economic development updates, click here.

For the latest data, click here.

Even as the COVID-19 slowdown hampers deal flow, Houston tech startups are on pace to surpass last year’s record-setting funding volume. Houston companies raised $100.6 million in Venture Capital (VC) investment in Q2/20, bringing the year-to-date total to $370.3 million, up 4.2 percent from the first half of last year, according to a Partnership analysis of PitchBook data. Looking at the rolling 12-month volume, VC investments in Houston totaled $625.6 million, a 24.8 percent increase from the same period last year. 

While volumes are up from last year, deal counts have dropped off considerably.  Startups closed 46 VC deals in the first half of ’20, down from 55 deals during the same period last year. 

Q2/20 YTD deals broken out by industry sector: 

•    Information technology,  10 deals worth $178.9 million, 
•    Health Care, 17 deals worth $61.7 million, 
•    Consumer Products (B2C), 6 deals worth $20.7 million, 
•    Energy, 2 deals worth $10.6 million. 
•    Business Products (B2B),  6 deals worth $5.0 million 
 

Among the notable Q2/20 deals: LionGard, a cybersecurity firm, raised $17 million in Series B funding; the document search software company ThoughtTrace raised $10 million in Series B funding; and the cognitive health platform Braincheck raised $7.4 million in Series A funding. 

Prepared by Greater Houston Partnership Research

Josh Pherigo
Director, Data Analytics
713-844-3617
jpherigo@houston.org