Welcome to “Mercury Fund Day at the Ion” – a program series hosted by the Ion and Mercury, where software founders can connect with mentorship at Houston’s HQ for innovation.

What is it: Mercury Fund Day, previously known as Software Day, is a monthly series driving the support, inspiration, and connections needed to help startups on their path to rapid, sustainable growth. Each month, Mercury Fund Day will include office hours (by application), a keynote session, and networking.

Each month will include a new speaker and topic covering the latest trends and breakthroughs in software technology and practical advice for founders. From AI to blockchain and guidance on fundraising, explore topics that are relevant for your company’s journey.

Afterward, join us for a networking happy hour at Second Draught, brought to you by Gunderson Dettmer, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and industry professionals, forging connections that could shape the future of your venture.

This month’s topic: Building the Future of Agentic Commerce. We are entering the next paradigm shift in commerce: agentic commerce, where software agents act as economic actors – discovering services, negotiating terms, and executing settlement with minimal human intervention, but anchored to an explicit human mandate. This isn’t a prettier checkout flow. It’s a structural change from synchronous “session-based” authorization to asynchronous, mandate-based delegation – and it’s arriving as protocols, payment rails, and merchant systems finally become machine-readable. Mercury believes the next generation of commerce winners will be built in the gap between what today’s rails can underwrite and what tomorrow’s agents will demand.

Prior to the fireside chat, a select group of early-stage software startups will participate in office hours. Over the course of 2-hours, first-time entrepreneurs looking for guidance or seasoned founders needing help tackling tough challenges will have access to a group of curated mentors from the Mercury network and gain insights and guidance tailored to their needs. Startups are invited to apply to participate here.

“Mercury Fund Day at the Ion” isn’t just an event – it’s a catalyst for growth and collaboration. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of Houston’s thriving tech ecosystem. Join us as we bring together leading mentors, promising startups, and like-minded Houstonians focused on transformative software innovations.