If you've ever watched 'The Daily Show,' or other late night TV programs, then you've most likely seen the product of a small business born right here in Houston. SnapStream is a tech company that serves as a real-time news and media search engine. It's being used by national news, media and other organizations to quickly capture, search, create and share video clips. The small business has seen tremendous growth since it launched in 2000. In just the last four years, the SnapStream's revenue has grown about 40% every year.  On this episode of the Small Biz Insider podcast, we talk with SnapStream Founder and CEO Rakesh Agrawal about how 'The Daily Show' was an inflection point and how an internal focus on the business has driven growth and success. On 'The Daily Show' choosing SnapStream in 2010 Agrawal said the company's relationship with the late night TV program began a decade ago. 'The Daily Show' was upgrading to high definition and redoing the system they used to acquire clips. The program selected SnapStream over two other companies. Agrawal said it was a great inflection point for SnapStream. “Actually in a lot of ways, how [the Daily Show] used our product also shaped our product," said Agrawal. We built a lot of the capabilities and software for The Daily Show. They were an early customer." On SnapStream's "secret sauce" “I think the sort of ‘secret sauce’ of SnapStream is making it easy for organizations to find the key moments and then very quickly," said the SnapStream CEO. "Speed is a key element of what we deliver to our customers because in the news and media industry, you need to be able to turn things around quickly. You have to do more with less.” On what makes Houston a great place to live and build a business "There's so many things I love about Houston," said Agrawal. "I've chosen to live in Houston and be in this community. At a personal level, I love food in Houston and the restaurant scene. I'm a foodie and there's great, amazing creatives in Houston on the food scene." The SnapStream founder added Houston also has a lot of great resources for business owners. "You just have to go out and find them. You have to build the network.” Small Biz Insider is presented by:    Learn more about the Partnership’s Small Biz Matters business resource group and get information about how your organization can become a member today.  The Small Biz Insider podcast is part of our digital series highlighting entrepreneurs in the greater Houston region who are making a big impact in the small business community. Follow Small Biz Insider through these popular podcast players so you never miss a new episode:  Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Google Podcasts Listen on Spotify

Alongside an ongoing run for green energy and the Californian exodus, the esports industry has gradually gained momentum in Houston. Just this year, the global esports market was valued at nearly $1.1 billion, up roughly 50% from 2020, according to Statista. Houston, ranked as the No. 2 fastest growing tech hub by Axios, is seeing noticeable investments dedicated to this space, including the University of St. Thomas’ esports center and Vindex’s announcement to locate their first-in-the-U.S. esports center in Houston. While many competitive activities were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the online nature of the industry allowed consistent growth worldwide. Panelists at this year’s CES, the largest annual tech industry conference, noted the esports industry functioned with minimal interruptions and instead gained momentum during the pandemic, S&P Global Market Intelligence reported. Organizations in Houston took advantage of the all-online atmosphere and grew their esports areas. Justin Pelt, director of esports at St. Thomas, said the recent virtual technology growth sets the stage to show the world that Houston is empowering the esports scene. “The more Houston innovates and grows in the esports space and starts hosting big events, people around the world in the esports demographic will inevitably take notice and potentially create more interest in our city,” Pelt said.  St. Thomas, which recently unveiled an on-campus esports center only months after establishing an official esports club, sees the investments as an opportunity for students and the city to gain first-hand experience in the industry. “We are looking to play a big part in the future of esports and in shaping the digital landscape here in Houston,” said Jeff Olsen, vice president of marketing and university relations for St. Thomas. “In addition to our esports team and academic offerings, we have big names from the esports and gaming world like Mainline and SixFoot production studios officing right here on our Montrose campus, as well as ongoing collaborations with the Houston Outlaws.”  Meanwhile, Microsoft’s announcement that it will lease space in the Ion connects Houston to a tech-giant with billions invested in the gaming industry. Their latest purchase of interactive entertainment publisher ZeniMax for $7.5 billion earlier this year is an indication the tech giant expects continued growth in the gaming sector in the years ahead. While esports in Houston is still in its initial growth stages, it is clear there is a global stage set for success in one of the fastest growing tech  subsectors. Learn more about Houston's growing digital technology sector.