Houston House returned to Austin for the South by Southwest Conference for its third year, bringing a new group of panelists and industry experts together to deliver a full day of thought-provoking content for over 750 attendees. Houston-based industry leaders and innovators discussed the startup journey, how they’re challenging the status quo in their respective industries to improve products or services, and more. If you were unable to join the Partnership at SXSW, check out our recap of the conversations below.    Demystifying the Startup Journey  Houston House kicked off its day of programming by dispelling the mystique surrounding the startup journey and answering questions about hiring, funding, and finding the right product-market fit. Panelists discussed in-depth how to find and attract the right talent, including cost-effective strategies and solutions for cash-strapped founders, and what they wished they had done differently during their various rounds of funding.  Panelists:  Ted Gutierrez, Co-Founder and CEO, SecurityGate.io  Gaurav Khandelwal, Founder and CEO, Velostics  Simone May, Co-Founder and CTO, Clutch  Moderator: Natalie Harms, Editor, Innovation Map    The Future is Female: Triumphs of Women in Tech  It’s no secret that female founders face a unique set of challenges compared to their male counterparts, especially when funding their next business venture. The panel discussed funding challenges, how they challenge stereotypes in male-dominated industries, and overcoming the feelings of guilt and inadequacy that plague women in business.  “The insecurity women feel that ‘we're not good enough' needs to go. Men don't experience that.” - Lydia Davies, Founder & CEO of TEAMATES  Panelists:  Lydia Davies, Founder and CEO, TEAMATES  Taci Pereira, CEO, Systemic Bio  Janice Tran, Co-Founder and CEO, Kanin Energy  Moderator: Carrie Colbert, Founding and General Partner, Curate Capital    Building a Tech Unicorn  Every tech startup hopes to become the next unicorn, but not everyone makes the cut. Featuring an in-depth conversation with Solugen’s co-founder and CEO, Gaurab Chakrabarti, the panel covered his background growing up in Houston, the surprising marketing campaign that put Solugen on the map, and the journey leading to it becoming a tech unicorn.  Gaurab Chakrabarti, Co-Founder and CEO, Solugen  Moderator: Payal Patel, Principal, Softeq Ventures and Director, Softeq Venture Studio    Click to expand People packed the room at Houston House to hear from Solugen CEO Gaurab Chakrabarti.   Unlocking the Power of AI: Insights & Innovations  Technology and innovation converged in this panel discussing recent developments in artificial intelligence and what the future of business will look like as it becomes more widespread and advanced, including the policies and legislation that may become necessary as AI becomes more intelligent. From song lyrics written in the style of Taylor Swift to how the health care industry is utilizing this technology to better serve its patients, it is clear that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of AI’s capabilities.  “The Ion [in Houston] is going to bring innovation, elevate clean tech energy, and push health care to the next level. That’s why we want to be involved and that’s why you should too.” - Murat Uralkan, Director of Innovation at Houston Methodist Panelists:  Sidd Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO, Nesh  Rob Meadows, Founder and CEO, AI Foundation  Murat Uralkan, Director of Innovation, Houston Methodist  Moderator: Dave Mathews, Principal Venture Capitalist and CTO Advisor, Softeq    Connecting Industries, Empowering Innovation  Ever wondered what it looks like when the brightest minds in different industries come together? The nexus of innovation and collaboration across industries in Houston took center stage in this discussion of how industry leaders can continue to break down traditional barriers and create advancements in everything from biotech to the energy transition.  Panelists:  Barbara Belvisi, Founder and CEO, Interstellar Lab  Moji Karimi, Co-Founder and CEO, Cemvita Factory  Nic Radford, Founder, President, and CEO, Nauticus Robotics  Moderator: Brad Rossacci, Creative Director, Accenture  The Houston House program at SXSW 2023 will be available to stream on-demand soon.  Learn more about Houston’s innovation ecosystem. 

Venture capitalists from across the nation will descend on Houston September 12 to explore the city’s startup and innovation ecosystem at Venture Houston 2022, a daylong forum hosted by HX Venture Fund at The Ion. HX Venture Fund, a fund investing in venture capital funds, was created in 2017 to serve as one of several catalysts  to transform the Houston region into a world-leading hub for innovation. The fund works to attracts risk capital of leading venture capital firms outside of Houston to the area. Click to expand Since 2017, Houston’s tech and innovation ecosystem has grown significantly. Houston is now considered the third-fastest growing tech ecosystem for early-stage companies in the country. Houston companies secured $2.02 billion in venture capital funding last year, a 420% increase over five years earlier.  We spoke with HX Venture Fund’s Managing Director Sandy Guitar to discuss why Venture Houston 2022 is critical to Houston’s continued success. Why is Venture Houston 2022 important to the region and what conversations should we anticipate?  Venture Houston is a conference that showcases future innovation in Houston. We bring to the stage venture capitalists whose investment strategy is in line with the kinds of investments we offer in Houston, together with corporate innovation leaders in Houston, alongside some of Houston’s premier Founders.  We will be hosting conversations along significant tech verticals that are pillars of strength in Houston: conversations that highlight best practices in enterprise and consumer-facing software, energy transition, life sciences, space and mobility and more. The data shows us there is clear momentum in Houston. Since 2017, VC investment has grown from $423 million to $2.02 billion in 2021, a near five-fold increase and unprecedented 47.4% growth rate per year. How is Houston positioned to continue to be a top market for investment?   We believe that innovative entrepreneurs are everywhere, and very much prevalent in Houston. Historically, we have been a flyover city for many sophisticated sources of venture capital. Today, experienced venture capitalists from the coasts are landing in Houston at our invitation and are excited about the investment opportunities here. We have entrepreneurs building category-changing companies that can disrupt some of the most potent areas for innovation in the world, and the venture capitalists are paying attention. What can the Houston ecosystem do better to support and foster its innovation ecosystem and help startups increase their access to capital? The venture capitalists with whom we partner see us as the “easy button” to investing in Houston. At HX Venture Fund, we are committed to bringing in the kind of capital that Houston needs to innovate. We commend the many ecosystem players that also have a role in making connections and add value in the private company process. Groups like the Cannon, Greentown Labs, Mass Challenge and many more are making a real difference as well.  Anything else that you’d like to add or that you’d like people to know about HXVF and/or Venture Houston 2022? We would like to thank the corporate innovators in Houston that help make all of this happen.  We could not do this work without the support of our Limited Partners, who are seeking to support innovation in their own global corporations by being customers, investors and acquirers of high growth, venture-backed tech companies, and who are great corporate neighbors supporting Houston.  Learn more about Houston's innovation ecosystem.