The Ion, Houston’s innovation hub, announces ExxonMobil has joined as a Founding Partner to curate programming to advance the energy transition and create Houston’s workforce of tomorrow. The collaboration is effective immediately and was celebrated at the kick-off of the Ion’s Activation Festival.

“ExxonMobil has been a leader in energy technology for over a century. Collaboration is essential to both augment our capabilities and accelerate the development of scalable solutions,” said Linda DuCharme, president of ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company. “Our partnership with The Ion will enable us to tap into the extraordinary talent in Houston.”

ExxonMobil is working with the Ion to share best innovation and research practices to support the Ion’s mission as a global technology hub and further empower local entrepreneurs and Houston’s workforce. ExxonMobil plans to leverage the Ion’s innovation ecosystem, partner, and academic network, which has relationships with ten-plus local schools and universities, to help develop solutions for the world’s emerging energy issues. Long-term, this work will contribute to the overall growth of emerging technologies and innovation in Houston.

“To have one of the strongest brands in oil and gas globally join us is a testament to the Ion’s momentum and mission,” said Jan E. Odegard, executive director, Ion. “We’re thrilled to welcome ExxonMobil’s thought leaders and this caliber of mindshare to the Ion family. As the Ion expands its programming and footprint, we are confident in the impact we’ll create together.”

The Ion is the anchor of the 16-acre transformational, mixed-use development in Houston’s Ion District. The Ion’s other Founding Partners are Aramco, Chevron Technology Ventures, Baker Botts, and Microsoft and Affiliate Partners bp and Intel.

About the Ion

Ion: Where ideas go to grow. Located in Ion District, the namesake building is the transformative centerpiece of Houston’s innovation corridor. Designed to bring our city’s entrepreneurial, corporate, and academic communities into collaborative spaces and programs, the sunlit structure of steel and glass is a home for advancing diverse knowledge, teams, technologies, and products that propel our world forward. From Fortune 500s seeking flexible office space to first-time startups looking for the funding to design a prototype, the Ion provides wide-reaching space and support to connect every What if with What now?—welcoming individuals and teams of all kinds to a place to build a better way.