Ion entrepreneurial programs train founders, researchers, innovators, and corporate leaders to drive positive, disruptive societal change by building scalable enterprises. These programs teach skills, business development, startup skills—and more. Our newest program for software entrepreneurs is Software Day at the Ion. Learn more and apply for office hours.
Get
Involved
Innovation is an invitation to build the world you want to see.
Ion supports businesses at all stages of the innovation lifecycle and provides resources for those seeking to engage in the innovation ecosystem. We invite you to join our network and become a part of Houston’s HQ for innovation.
Entrepreneurship
Current
Accelerators
RED Labs Class 13
RED Labs and OwlSpark are run jointly over the summer at the Ion. RED Labs Summer Accelerator Program is a 12-week program designed to help UH students, faculty and recent alumni accelerate their business or business idea. The RED Labs and OwlSpark program begins May 2025. RED Labs Class 13 coming soon!
OwlSpark Class 13
RED Labs and OwlSpark are run jointly over the summer at the Ion. OwlSpark, Rice’s startup and small business accelerator supporting students, faculty and alumni, has supported 104 ventures which have raised nearly $116 million in funding. The RED Labs and OwlSpark program begins May 2025. Learn more about OwlSpark Class 13 below!
ACCEL
Now in its third year, ACCEL from Greentown Labs and Browning the Green Space (BGS), is bolstering BIPOC-led startups as they develop critical climatetech solutions by offering access to funding, networking connections, resources, and opportunities that structural inequities put out of reach.
DivInc
DivInc’s 12-week tech startup development programs accelerate your business growth. They connect you to a network of industry-specific mentors and investors and provide the critical resources you need to turn your idea into a thriving company.
Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator
The Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator supports the success of emerging, tech-enabled ventures who are advancing decarbonization solutions and efficiency strategies that accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. The Clean Energy Accelerator – Class 5 will begin their 2025 program in July at the Ion.
Interested in exploring more entrepreneurship opportunities?
Meet the
Cohorts
- Aerospace
- AI
- Consumer
- Energy
- Food
- Industry Agnostic
- Logistics
- Media
- Medical
- Software
- Sports Tech
VentriTech
An ultrasound-based ablation system to treat ventricular arrhythmias.
UCoreAlly
Provides fractional business support for biotech startups in marketing, business development, customer support, HR, and accounting.
Right Design
A platform connecting creatives with vetted employers, mentors, and projects via job matching and commissions
PeriShield
A catheter-integrated sensor device that detects early infection in peritoneal dialysis patients.
NextStep
An AI-powered multilingual assistant helping underserved communities navigate healthcare resources.
Lizzy’s Gourmet Gains
High-protein, flavor-forward dips and dressings with health benefits.
Klix
Automates early-stage clinical trial management, from document screening to AI-driven patient outreach and eligibility checks.
JustKindHumility
Customized, faith-based travel journals.
Johnnie
A lightweight, AI-powered records management software for rural and mid-size first responder agencies.
Diagnos
A wearable-integrated wellness platform to monitor health and prevent injuries in collegiate athletes.
EasilyBEE
A web and mobile platform that boosts family and community engagement in K–12 schools.
ACCEL is an accelerator that bolsters BIPOC-led startups as they develop critical climatetech solutions by offering access to funding, networking connections, resources, and opportunities that structural inequities put out of reach.
DivInc’s Sports Tech Accelerator supports startups using technology to drive innovation across human performance, fan experience, future of media, NIL (name, image, and likeness). 10 startups will take part in the 12-week hybrid program which will run from April through July 2025. In-person programming will be hosted at the Ion, the center of Houston’s innovation corridor.
Check back soon to see Cohort 15!
The Clean Energy Accelerator helps startups from around the world developing clean energy solutions achieve technical and commercial milestones that accelerate development, establish market adoption, and expand their reach. The accelerator works with companies that have demonstrated the feasibility of their technology/solution and are looking to scale or refine (TRL 3 to 7). Check back soon to see the Class 5 participating companies!
Ion Prototyping Lab
Ion Prototyping Lab is where your ideas meet the designers, engineers, and fabricators that can make your vision a reality. Located at the Ion, the intersection of Houston’s culture, creativity, and innovation, our 6,500 SF lab has the equipment, engineers, and access to technical training—all of the must-haves for every inventor, innovator, and creator.
Ion Investor Studio
Ion Investor Studio is a unique, private gathering space for investors to land. It is a studio that can be scheduled/reserved where investors can interact and meet with founders, entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, and other investors. The pipeline of deals in Houston is growing, and through connections and a convenient space to facilitate meetings, we will help find the next big investments.
Partners
Ion creates pathways for corporate innovators to collaborate, create, grow, learn, and lead. Together we explore opportunities to strengthen Houston’s economic resiliency and competitiveness by investing in the region’s industries. Join us as we take Houston’s talent and sprawl and connecting it all—catalyzing the development of better products and technologies, workforces and businesses.
Student Ambassador
As an Ion Student Ambassador, you’ll work side-by-side with fellow students from institutions in the Ion Academic Network and members of the Ion team to create, strengthen, promote, and amplify the programs and amenities of Ion and Ion District. Ion Student Ambassadors will develop a broad and deep understanding of the Ion, Ion District, its stakeholders, its partners, and its ambitious goals for Houston as a prophetic city and urban environment.
Artist Residency
Ion District’s developing Art Program is committed to creating opportunities for local and regional artists by creating long-term platforms to create, innovate, and collaborate. As the center for Houston’s innovation ecosystem, Ion recognizes the importance of cross-disciplinary connections creating and fostering innovation. Creative expression and ideation are an essential part of Ion’s bigger picture and mission.
Current
Programs
Eye On Art
Eye on Art pays homage to the original department window store displays of the beloved Sears building on which Ion was built by engaging local artists to create site-specific art installations. The display windows are a unique opportunity to reimagine Sears’ store windows and build on the collective memory of the space’s past, present, and future. Ion is committed to creating opportunities for Houston-based artists by providing long-term platforms to create, innovate, and collaborate.
Ion Plaza
Waves is an interactive installation fabricated by the talented by Hyperlocal, the team of Zhicheng Xu and Moon, that is designed to instill the Ion Plaza with an immediate dose of vitality as visitors enter and exit the building. Now on display as Houston enters one of its most pleasant stretches of the year, Waves will remain a fixture at the Ion for a six-month duration, from May – November.
Meet the Artists
Hyperlocal
Hyperlocal’s practice thrives at the intersection of public art, architecture, and landscape, engaging with the rich tapestry of the local environment. Managed by Zhicheng Xu and Mengqi Moon He, Hyperlocal’s mission is dedicated to unearthing concealed narratives and knowledge ingrained in the historical, cultural, material, and construction nuances specific to the land. By illuminating these hidden elements, they cultivate a deeper understanding of our environment and its diverse layers. Through their designs, they seamlessly integrate diverse perspectives into the discourse of art and architecture, fostering a holistic and harmonious relationship among people, cultures, and the environment.
Hillerbrand + Magsamen
Hillerbrand + Magsamen are a collaborative husband-wife team making work that explores the relationships between their home (house and family), histories, memories, and the mise-en-scène of daily lifestyle and consumerism. They have a long history of working together and literally tearing down and rebuilding our physical environments to playfully critique our lives. In their practice nothing is precious, everything is game, and they want our art to be accessible to all audiences through the use of humor.
Pavlina Vagioni
Pavlina Vagioni is a Greek multidisciplinary artist with a kaleidoscopic practice spanning sculpture, painting, sound, and digital art. She adopts a site-specific approach to making work with installations presented at a range of sizes, embracing abstract and figurative elements. Central to her practice is the exploration of archetypal symbolism as a means of re-enchantment and metamorphosis within classical mythological themes. Pavlina’s creative approach is anchored in a rigorous study of literary texts, with a particular emphasis on etymological analyses before the realization of each artwork she creates.
Inquire
Interested in learning more about our programming or how to get involved? Let’s chat!
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