Ion District

Ion Networking with Cup of Joey
2024-09-06 08:30 - 10:30 (America/Chicago) | Ion – Lobby, 4201 Main St., Houston, 77002, United States
What is the purpose of Cup of Joey? It is to create a connected culture of coffee shop-open networking across our region. Every Friday morning, you’ll have the opportunity to meet new and expand your current networks, talk about tech, inspire innovation, and create community.
So, what is the difference between a cup of joe and a Cup of Joe-Y? It is the WHY. It’s not what you do. It is why you do it!
At the Ion, these are questions that we want to explore with the tech and innovation community. So, show up, be friendly, and make new connections. Know your why, and we will get to the future together.
The future is only a cup away.
Register Here: https://www.cupofjoey.org/

Houston Hardware Meetup at the Ion Prototyping Lab
2024-09-05 18:00 - 21:00 | Ion Prototyping Lab, 4201 Main St., Suite 170, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Come join us for the inaugural Houston Hardware Meetup with some inspiring guest speakers lined up, as well refreshments provided by sponsors. There will be opportunities to make connections, see demos from the community, and trade expertise.
Houston Hardware Meetup is bringing professionals who build physical products together to foster ideas, enthusiasm, and solutions. They believe when related talent across unrelated fields collides, innovation is catalyzed and tough problems are solved faster.
Hosted by The Ion Prototyping Lab, a shared innovation and collaboration space with access to equipment, expertise, and technical training. It is located inside The Ion, the intersection of Houston’s culture, creativity, and innovation.
Hardware Meetups happen across over 30 cities around the world every month, helping bring together founders, engineers, and other hardware professionals to networks, share insights, and collaborate with one another.

Agenda
6:00-6:30pm Arrival, mingle, grab refreshments
6:30-6:35pm Welcome and introduction
6:35-7:30pm Guest talks + audience Q&A
7:30-8:00pm Community open mic +
8:00-9:00pm Mix + mingle, pints at Second Draught
9:00pm Depart
+ Anyone will have the chance for a 1 minute pitch to talk about what they are working on. Bring a demo and get double time!

Sponsors
informal is a freelance collective for the most talented independent professionals in the hardware ecosystem. With expertise in a diverse range of industries from consumer electronics to automotive, climate tech to medical devices, informal members work with clients at every stage to design, manufacture, and scale top-quality physical products. Whether you’re looking for a single contractor, a full-time employee, or an entire team of professionals to work on everything from product development to go-to-market strategy, the informal collective has the perfect collection of people for the job.
TheJigsApp provides made-to-measure electronic test jigs. With a fully parameterized system that fits into board designers existing workflow, TheJigsApp is the fastest and most efficient method to instrument your design with a bed-of-nails test fixture.
The Ion Prototyping Lab is where your ideas meet the designers, engineers, and fabricators that can make it a reality. Located at The Ion, our 6500 sqft site offers access to equipment, expertise, and technical training–a must for every inventor, innovator, and creator.
Interested in speaking at, hosting, or sponsoring a Hardware Meetup event? Fill out the involvement form.

ACCEL Year 2 Showcase at Greentown Labs
2024-09-05 16:30 - 19:30 | Greentown Labs, 4200 San Jacinto St, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Join Greentown Houston on Sept. 5 for an opportunity to celebrate the second year of ACCEL, an accelerator program for BIPOC-led startups from Greentown Labs and Browning the Green Space (BGS).
Greentown and BGS recognize that the climatetech industry must change the status quo to put founders of color in the position to lead technology-driven companies that address climate change, support the development of diverse workforces, and fiercely advocate for the deployment of clean technologies in underserved communities. The year-long ACCEL program combines acceleration with a curated curriculum led by VentureWell, incubation through a Greentown membership, and extensive mentorship from Greentown and BGS’s networks of industry experts.
Join the second ACCEL cohort for a showcase featuring their technologies, what they’ve accomplished in the first six months of the program, and where they’re headed next. At this event, you’ll also have the opportunity to network with industry leaders who are passionate about building an inclusive and sustainable future.
Register Here: https://greentownlabs.com/event/accel-year-2-showcase/

Opening Remarks
Timmeko Moore Love, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Greentown Labs
Taylor Brugh, Climate Innovation Fund and Business and Operations Lead, Microsoft
Tim Bartlett, US Ecosystems Lead, Equinor
Tiffany Heitkamp, Vice President DE&I Workforce, bp
Fireside Chat featuring Alumni from the Inaugural ACCEL Cohort
Moderated by Kerry Bowie, Co-founder, President, and Executive Director, Browning the Green Space

Jhana Porter, Founder and CEO, frakktal
Kristeen Reynolds, Co-founder, Drinkicks

ACCEL Year 2 Cohort Pitches

Axis Sky Renewables
Carbon Negative Solutions
​Aquasaic
​Cellsense
​Sankofa Dynamics
EcoForge
​AtmoSpark Technologies

Take this opportunity to network and build community around this incredible program!
Are you an investor or corporate leader planning to attend? We’re looking to connect our cohort of founders with resources essential to success.We welcome conversation around how you can support! Please reach out to ACCEL Program Manager, Rachel Cerato for more info.

Leading Successful Projects: Managing Risk and Uncertainty with New Technology Implementations
2024-09-05 16:00 - 17:30 | Ion – Conference Room 031, 4201 Main St., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Join RCEL at the Ion for an informative discussion on managing risk and uncertainty in new technology projects. Register to attend and enjoy refreshments, along with an opportunity for networking and discussion following this insightful seminar on navigating risks and uncertainties in new technology applications.
Projects that involve developing or applying new technology face unique risks that can jeopardize overall success. The uncertainty associated with these novel applications and emerging technologies makes it challenging to accurately predict timelines or even determine if the technology will function as expected. Experienced project managers enhance the likelihood of success by structuring their projects to be resilient against these uncertainties and risks. A key strategy is to separate standard project risks from those specific to new technology implementation.
During this seminar, Dr. Claudia Zettner will provide real-world examples of new technology implementations and how realized risks affected overall project outcomes. During the seminar, she will also guide the audience through a case study of risk analysis for an AI-based technology application project, discussing strategies and tools for identifying and managing these risks.
About the Speaker
Dr. Claudia Zettner, PMP, CPEM
Dr. Claudia Zettner is a Professor in the Practice with the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership. She developed and teaches Engineering Project Management as part of the Engineering Management and Leadership professional master’s program. She also directs the MEML Student Experience initiatives.
Prior to joining Rice University, Claudia spent 20 years with ExxonMobil and has deep and varied experience in project management throughout ExxonMobil’s global upstream businesses. As Well Integrity Principal, she was responsible for well integrity across all ExxonMobil operations.
She was a global consultant, managing and advising projects for ExxonMobil’s subsea, offshore and land assets and working with management and engineering to recognize, assess, and mitigate integrity risks through the life cycle of the well. She traveled extensively and worked in a dozen countries. Throughout her career, she held numerous roles in Research, Production, Planning, Wells and Projects. Favorite projects included wellwork, decommissioning and integrity projects, new technology qualification and field trials, and digitalization and data management.
Claudia holds a PhD and a master’s from Georgia Institute of Technology in mechanical engineering and a BS, also in mechanical engineering from Rice University where she was a first-generation college student. She is married and has two teenage sons.

IPL Maker Bootcamp: From Design to Fabrication
2024-09-03 17:30 - 20:30, 2024-08-27 17:30 - 20:30, 2024-08-20 17:30 - 20:30 | Ion, 4201 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Have you wanted to learn how to make your own 3D printed and/or laser cut designs, but thought it was too difficult? This 3 session program was designed for you! This hands-on program steps through all of the skills needed to design and build your own items, starting with CAD design and progressing into laser cutting and 3D printing. Each student will end up with a finished object of their own choosing.

This class has recommended software to use (including helper apps associated with the software), and will show you how to use the software, use the equipment and help you create and produce your first design. It will also recommend how to get ideas for new creative designs.

Class participants will be able to audit the class to reinforce / refresh their knowledge for 12 months after completing the class at no charge. In addition, they can come to Ion Prototype Lab during Office Hours for general assistance with their designs.

Ion Prototyping Lab Office Hours
2024-09-03 13:00 - 17:00, 2024-08-27 13:00 - 17:00, 2024-08-20 13:00 - 17:00 | Ion Prototyping Lab, 4201 Main St., Suite 170, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
What is the Ion Prototyping Lab (IPL)?
The Ion Prototyping Lab is where your ideas meet the designers, engineers, and fabricators that can make them a reality. Located at The Ion, the intersection of Houston’s culture, creativity, and innovation. Our 6,500-square-foot site offers access to equipment, engineers, and technical training–a must for every inventor, innovator, and creator.
The Ion Prototyping Lab Office Hours offer entrepreneurs a chance to engage an expert one-on-one and explore options for building or producing their devices. Everyone from seasoned entrepreneurs to educators or “just a person with an idea” is welcome. Walk-ins are served on a first-come, first-served basis.
The initial discussion is free, but subsequent meetings may require a consultation fee.
For more information about the IPL – be sure to check out their website and sign up for their newsletter to stay connected! The IPL offers various classes/workshops throughout the month – be sure to check out their calendar to register.
Interested in signing up for a membership? Click here

Houston Robotics Group at Ion Prototyping Lab
2024-08-31 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-08-24 14:00 - 17:00, 2024-08-17 14:00 - 17:00 | Ion Prototyping Lab, 4201 Main St., Suite 170, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Innovate, Collaborate, and Learn: Weekly Meetings at Ion Prototyping Lab!
Join the Houston Robotics Group for an exciting exploration of a diverse range of projects! Whether you’re interested in software development, AI/Deep Learning, electronics, mechanics, drones, or automation, our group offers a welcoming and supportive community to pursue your passions.
Should you require assistance with your projects, fear not! The Houston Robotics Group is composed of highly skilled experts in various domains, including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, motor controls, 3D printing & design, coding, electronics, board assembly, and debugging.
Additionally, we’re well-versed in Jetson Nano, Deep Learning, and various cutting-edge technologies. Our passion for robotics and related fields drives us to continuously push boundaries and explore new possibilities together.
Join the Houston Robotics Group today and immerse yourself in a community of like-minded individuals dedicated to the world of robotics and beyond!

Sewn Goods Office Hours at Ion Prototyping Lab
2024-08-30 11:00 - 13:00 | Ion Prototyping Lab, 4201 Main St., Suite 170, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Do you have a new product idea you want to bring to life but don’t know where to start?
IPL+HTX Sewn Goods Office Hours are here to help!
Ion Prototyping Lab is partnering with HTX Sewn Goods team to turn your idea into a tangible prototype. During office hours, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss cutting, sourcing, material, construction, and production options. Plus, you’ll leave with a clear understanding of the prototyping process and the next steps you need to take to bring your product to market.

Ion Prototyping Lab Office Hours
2024-08-30 10:00 - 14:00, 2024-08-23 10:00 - 14:00, 2024-08-16 10:00 - 14:00 | Ion Prototyping Lab, 4201 Main St., Suite 170, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
What is the Ion Prototyping Lab (IPL)?
The Ion Prototyping Lab is where your ideas meet the designers, engineers, and fabricators that can make them a reality. Located at The Ion, the intersection of Houston’s culture, creativity, and innovation. Our 6,500-square-foot site offers access to equipment, engineers, and technical training–a must for every inventor, innovator, and creator.
The Ion Prototyping Lab Office Hours offer entrepreneurs a chance to engage an expert one-on-one and explore options for building or producing their devices. Everyone from seasoned entrepreneurs to educators or “just a person with an idea” is welcome. Walk-ins are served on a first-come, first-served basis.
The initial discussion is at no cost, but subsequent meetings may require a consultation fee.
For more information about the IPL – be sure to check out their website and sign up for their newsletter to stay connected! The IPL offers various classes/workshops throughout the month – be sure to check out their calendar to register.
Interested in signing up for a membership? Click here

SCORE Office Hours
2024-08-30 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-23 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-08-16 10:00 - 11:30 | Ion – Academic Flex Space, 4201 Main St., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
SCORE is the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors. Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs start, grow, or successfully exit a business. SCORE’s 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources, and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories.
Office Hours with SCORE take place each Friday morning. Additional partners will be on-site the second Friday of each month (excluding holidays)

Ion Networking with Cup of Joey
2024-08-30 08:30 - 10:30, 2024-08-23 08:30 - 10:30, 2024-08-16 08:30 - 10:30 | Ion – Forum Stairs, 4201 Main St., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
What is the purpose of Cup of Joey? It is to create a connected culture of coffee shop-open networking across our region. Every Friday morning, you’ll have the opportunity to meet new and expand your current networks, talk about tech, inspire innovation, and create community.
So, what is the difference between a cup of joe and a Cup of Joe-Y? It is the WHY. It’s not what you do. It is why you do it!
At the Ion, these are questions that we want to explore with the tech and innovation community. So, show up, be friendly, and make new connections. Know your why, and we will get to the future together.
The future is only a cup away.

SaaStock Local - Scalability in the Age of AI: Building for Growth in SaaS
2024-08-29 17:30 - 20:00 | Ion – Forum Stairs, 4201 Main St., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
This edition focuses on one Scalability in the Age of AI: Building for Growth in SaaS.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with cloud computing is reshaping the way organizations scale their operations. This subject delves into the critical aspects of building scalable infrastructures that can accommodate the exponential growth of AI applications. Attendees will explore innovative strategies and cutting-edge technologies designed to enhance scalability, ensuring that cloud computing environments remain robust, flexible, and capable of supporting dynamic and complex AI workloads. The session will cover best practices for optimizing resource allocation, managing data efficiently, and maintaining high performance as demand increases.
Speakers include leading experts in Cybersecurity, DevOps, SecOps, MLOps, and Observability. These technical leaders bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from the forefront of their fields, offering invaluable insights into the challenges and solutions associated with scalability in the age of AI. Their expertise will provide a comprehensive understanding of how to build and manage scalable, secure, and efficient cloud infrastructures, with a focus on advanced observability and operational practices to ensure seamless performance and security.
Register Here: https://ti.to/saastock/local-houston-cloud-computing
Speakers

Ben Ghazi, Co-founder, Codiac
Joe Alapat, Founder, Liongard
Alicia Moniz, Data and AI Specialist, Microsoft
Sid Seethepalli, CTO & Founder, Vellum Oleg Lysiak, City Leader, SaaStock

Ion Bike Club
2024-08-28 18:00 - 19:00 | Ion Plaza, 4201 Main St., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Join us for a 45-minute guided cruise led by BikeHouston around the expanding Ion District and Midtown neighborhoods.
We’ll meet up on the Ion Plaza just outside of Second Draught. Following the ride, participants are eligible for a 15% discount on beverages at Second Draught!

EV Club at Second Draught
2024-08-28 16:30 - 20:30 | Second Draught, 4201 Main St. Suite 130, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Come join the Ion EV Club for a fun-filled event all about electric vehicles at Second Draught. Whether you’re a seasoned EV enthusiast or just curious about the future of transportation, this event is for you!
Connect with fellow EV owners, learn about the latest technology, and discover the benefits of going electric. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to be a part of the EV revolution! First beer is on Chris George with Octopus EV.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ion-ev-club-tickets-998464122067.

Breakfast and Panel Discussion: Managing Organizational Challenges in Energy Transition
2024-08-28 08:30 - 10:00 | Ion, 4201 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Join Rice Business Executive Education for a discussion with business leaders in energy transition moderated by Dr. Anthea Zhang. Dr. Zhang is a professor and the Fayez Sarofim Vanguard Chair of Strategic Management at the Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University.
The panelists will share their expertise on stakeholder pressure, challenges in implementation, strategic changes, alignment between employee incentives, and firm energy transition strategy.
This event is complimentary and open to the public. Register here.

Investor Education Workshop: Impact Investing
2024-08-27 17:00 - 18:30 | Greentown Labs, 4200 San Jacinto St, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
This insightful panel discussion will delve into impact investing, exploring how both seasoned and aspiring early-stage venture investors in Houston can define impact. We’ll examine various approaches to measuring impact, explore impact investing beyond climate initiatives, and chart how you can put everything covered in this year’s investor activation program workshops into action!
The Houston Ion District Investor Activation Program is helping to build an equitable startup ecosystem capable of rapid deployment by addressing a fundamental challenge: the region’s lack of funding for early-stage climatetech startups, especially for those led by underrepresented founders.
This program from Greentown Labs and The Ion brings early-stage investors from Greater Houston—a region playing a pivotal role in the energy transition—into the fold, offering education on climatetech investing, channeling a pool of capital to young startups, and catalyzing a thriving startup investment ecosystem that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Join the program here!
Register here: https://greentownlabs.com/event/investor-education-workshop-impact-investing/.
Speakers:

Nisha Desai, CEO, Intention
Todd Litton, Houston Chapter Lead and Board Member, SWAN Impact Network
Kent Lucas, Founding Partner, non sibi ventures
Diana Murakhovskaya, General Partner and Co-founder, The Artemis Fund
Moderated by Grace Rodriguez, CEO and Executive Director, Impact Hub Houston

NASA Tech Talks: Robotics in the New Space Economy
2024-08-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Ion – Forum Stairs, 4201 Main St., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
We want HOU! Join us to discover NASA’s toughest tech challenges and apply your skills and expertise to solve them.
This month’s topic is: Robotics in the New Space Economy
Brice Howard will be speaking on the roll robotics will play in building the new space economy and how Novium is helping to pave the way. Join us after the talk for drinks and networking at Second Draught!
In these presentations, occurring on the fourth Thursday of the month, Mr. Montgomery Goforth, Assistant Director, Strategic Pursuits & Partnerships – Engineering Directorate, NASA JSC,and other aerospace subject matter experts will discuss the technology development challenges faced by NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the surrounding Aerospace community in our ongoing efforts as the hub of human spaceflight. Presentations will focus on how these challenges, and the associated opportunities, can be leveraged by Houston’s innovation community.
About the Speakers:
Brice Howard is co-founder and President of Novium since its founding in 2021. He brings a wealth of engineering and leadership experience to Novium and is guiding the company through its pivot from primarily a successful partner in engineering services for mainly larger, established and leading new enterprises to a broader platform that will provide advanced robotics systems to help its current and new clients fulfill their ambitions in space. He has over 17 years of experience and excels in deploying complex novel hardware and software technologies. His technical skills as a mechanical engineer include deploying complex digital systems, digitization of manufacturing technologies (Industry 4.0), and, of course, robotics. Complementing his technical skills, he has developed an inclusive, driven management style setting large expectations and timelines to move quickly. NASA and Intuitive Machines, where collectively he spent nine years, have entrusted Brice and the Novium team with vital engineering services. Brice holds advanced degrees from the University of Houston and Texas A&M University.

Montgomery B. Goforth has more than 40 years of experience as both Engineer and Manager in a variety of highly technical space and defense-related efforts. After working for a small defense contractor specializing in anti-submarine warfare, he joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1990. He has held leadership positions in multiple JSC Directorates and Program Offices. In his current role as Assistant Director of the JSC Engineering Directorate, he has established a framework to better focus Engineering’s efforts towards Human Spaceflight technology and systems development consistent with JSC and Agency goals for exploration. He has used this framework to guide Engineering’s internal investments and external partnerships supporting Lunar and Mars Exploration. Mr. Goforth was born in East Texas, raised in Southern California and Arizona, and graduated from Rice University (BSME 1982, MSME 1987).

NASA Tech Talks topics include dual-use (space/terrestrial) technologies and focus areas in:

Avionics / Communication / Sensors
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for ultra-long-lived wireless sensors
Power Storage and Distribution
Autonomous & Robotics Systems
Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) Systems
Virtual/Augmented Reality in Human Spaceflight Training & Execution
Human Health & Performance / Human Systems Research
NASA Intellectual Property suitable for commercialization by small/start-up companies
Orion’s parachutes and risk identification and mitigation strategies
Leveraging Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for ultra-long-lived wireless sensors
Featured speakers from Intuitive Machines and Orbital Mining Corporation

Greentown Labs August Transition on Tap
2024-08-22 17:30 - 19:30 | Greentown Labs, 4200 San Jacinto St, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
​Please join Greentown Labs on Thursday, August 22 for the summer Transition On Tap networking event!
​Transition On Tap is Greentown Labs’ monthly networking event devoted to fostering conversations and connections among the climate and energy transition ecosystem in Houston and beyond. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and friends of climatetech are invited to attend, meet colleagues, discuss solutions, and engage with our growing community. If you’re looking for a job in climatetech or energy, trying to expand your network, or perhaps thinking about starting your own energy-related company, this is the event for you!
​Questions? Please reach out to Greentown Labs Events Manager, Benita Mahanta (bmahanta@greentownlabs.com).
​​Please note: By registering for this event, you consent to your name, title, and company/organization being shared with other event attendees. You consent to your image or likeness being used in content associated with the event. You release Greentown Labs and all partners from any and all liability stemming from any event-related incident.
Register Here: https://greentownlabs.com/event/august-transition-on-tap-3/https://lu.ma/q1k3zfth
