Lodgeur Guide to Houston’s Startup Ecosystem

The Houston Innovation District

Houston’s startup ecosystem is primed for liftoff. With accelerators, incubators, funding sources and flexible workspaces launching across the city, entrepreneurs have all the resources they need to get their ventures off the ground. Anchoring this growth is the Ion Innovation District in the Midtown neighborhood, a hub of innovation centering around the renovated historic Sears building.

Just five blocks from the Ion and directly on the light rail, Lodgeur offers furnished living spaces tailor-made for entrepreneurs chasing their dreams in Houston. As the largest provider of flexible housing in Midtown, Lodgeur gives residents easy access to the district’s networking events, programs, investors and more.

This guide will cover the launchpads fuelling Houston’s startup growth across every stage, from ideation to scaling. Whether you’re looking to secure funding, make industry connections or find flexible workspaces, we’ll map out the ecosystem so you can hit the ground running. Houston has enormous potential, and this blog post will ensure you make the most of it.

Heart of it All: The Ion and Greentown Labs

lobby and reception at the Ion building in Midtown
stairs at the Ion building in Midtown
Second Draught at the Ion building in Midtown
Common Bond coffee shop at the Ion building in Midtown
Lymbar restaurant at the Ion building in Midtown

The Ion is the center of gravity for startups in Houston. This former 1939 Sears department store building has been reimagined through a joint venture between Rice University and the City of Houston, transforming the historic Midtown property into a colossal 250,000 square foot collision hub for innovation. Backed by academic and corporate titans like Rice University, Microsoft and Chevron, the Ion building offers everything entrepreneurs need to spark and scale ideas: accelerators, coworking spaces, labs and much more.

On Earth Day 2021, Greentown Labs opened its massive Houston incubator focused on climatetech startups. At over 40,000 square feet, it’s the largest climatetech incubator in North America, providing lab space, prototyping tools, office space, a maker space, and community events. A wet lab is currently under development. With partners like the Ion, Chevron, Shell and more, Greentown Houston fosters the next generation of climatechangers.

Houston-Based Accelerators & General Ecosystem Support

Houston’s startup ecosystem has several accelerator programs centered around a few key themes:

Biotech and Health Tech

Climate Tech

Industry-Agnostic

Underrepresented Founders

Midtown Coworking Spaces

The Ion District has a handful of co-working spaces focused on startups:

Funding Your Journey

According to VC Neal Dikeman’s column in Innovation Map, you are about as likely to meet a Fortune 500 CEO or a mayor in the greater Houston region as you are to meet a VC. Here is the current list of angel and venture capital resources in Houston:

Houston Angels

While VC firms play a crucial role in Houston’s startup scene, the journey doesn’t begin and end there. Two other vital pillars in the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem deserve recognition: the Houston Angel Network (HAN) and the Houston Women in VC (HWVC).

Industry-Agnostic VCs

Sector-Specific VCs

Emerging Voices

Major Startup Events in Houston

Ongoing Meetups in the Ion District

Staying connected and inspired is crucial for any founder, and Houston offers a vibrant calendar of recurring events just for you! Here are some highlights:

For Female Founders

Morning Boosters

Product-Focused

More Resources for Houston’s Founders

Every successful journey needs the right starting point, and Houston offers an abundance of resources to equip your entrepreneurial adventure. Here are some key players to fuel your Houston dream:

Your Actual Launchpad

Fully furnished studio apartment at Mid Main Lofts in Midtown
Fully-equipped kitchen at Lodgeur at Mid Main Lofts
Pool and sun loungers at Lodgeur at Mid Main Lofts
Desk with plant, speaker, lamp and art
Bedroom of a Lodgeur short-term furnished rental apartment in Houston, Texas.
Laundry room Lodgeur at Mid Main Lofts

Stay in the Know:

Talent Acquisition Made Easy:

Houston’s Unicorns

Houston’s skyline isn’t just about fossil fuels and hospitals – it’s a constellation of innovation, with several companies reaching unicorn status. If other founders can build unicorns in Houston, you can, too.

Sustainable Alchemy: Solugen crafts green magic, turning corn syrup into eco-friendly chemicals. (https://solugen.com)

Reaching for the Stars: Axiom Space is building a future in orbit, with their own commercial space station for research and weightlessness-powered manufacturing. (https://www.axiomspace.com)

Tech Savvy Solutions: Recode Solutions offers B2B IT solutions for the AI era. (https://www.recodesolutions.com)

Selling it All: Cart provides end-to-end e-commerce solutions to more than 6,000 brands. (https://cart.com)

Did we miss anyone?

Drop us a line at marketing @lodgeur.com if we’ve missed anyone or anywhere.

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