BM Testing Event
2023-04-28 08:00 - 2023-05-04 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Ion, 4201 Main street, Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Join us on Wednesdays at 10 AM on the Lower Level to learn about the art of pitching and get valuable feedback on your deck!
If you are a founder who will be raising or seeking clients in 2023, you are welcome to practice your pitch at Poptarts and Pitches, which meets Wednesday at 10 AM at the Ion. Bring a laptop and be prepared to present your pitch. Grab a cup of coffee from Common Bond and head on down to the Lower Level of the Ion. We will either be in the Flex Space or in Conference Room 034.
In every session, there are limited slots for pitching. Pitching in front of the audience is for founders raising or seeking clients. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PITCHING, UPLOAD YOUR DECK HERE 48 hours prior to Wednesday at 10 AM. After review of your deck, you will be notified by Monday at 5 PM if you will be pitching. Aim to arrive at 9:45 AM on Wednesday if you have been accepted to pitch.
General Housekeeping:
No solicitation of business, no dissemination of business or organization pamphlets or promotional materials (business cards are ok for networking purposes). Solicitors will be asked to leave.
Pitches are limited to 5 minutes and must be related to a startup or product/service offered by YOUR business. No pitching another company’s product or presenting unrelated material.
The expectation is that you are participating somehow. Even as an audience member, you can show up and listen respectfully without bringing other work to do during this time.
Poptarts & Pitches is open to individuals 18 years old and up.
Run of Show:
10-10:15: Introductions. If you are a founder, entrepreneur, investor, community member, or corporate innovator, this is your chance to introduce yourself.
10:15-10:45: The Main Event! This is a short lesson related to pitching or business development from a subject matter expert. Subject matter experts include Isaiah Studivent of Evron Digital; Sherhara Downing and Christa Clarke of SpeakHaus; Melissa Ambers, PMP, LSS, PR of Savvy Media Group, Inc.; and Ayo Kuyinuof AOK Consulting, and more.
10:45-11:00: Pitches. This is when founders can practice their pitch in front of the audience.
11:00-12:00: Small groups working on their pitch with mentors and others, gaining marketing, sales, pitching, storytelling, media, and business development advice and counsel you can apply when presenting to the funders and potential clients
Poptarts & Pitches is partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency.
Parking Instructions: Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the red parking lot, located across the street from the Ion building.

Ion Open Accelerator: Designing & Manufacturing A PCBA
2023-05-01 10:00 - 12:00
Join us to learn how to design and manufacture a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for hardware startups.

This workshop will provide an overview of the process of designing and manufacturing a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for hardware startups. The session will start by discussing the steps involved in bringing a hardware design from an idea to a final product, including overcoming restrictions in your in-house engineering resources, cost engineering, prototyping, and design for manufacturing (DFM) considerations.
The workshop will then cover the various options for purchasing and production, including working with a contract manufacturer or setting up in-house manufacturing. Throughout the session, there will be a focus on the unique challenges and opportunities facing early-stage startups in an accelerator environment.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have a better understanding of how hardware can create a massive competitive advantage and how they can confidently move in the hardware space.
A﻿bout the Speakers: Adrian Leal and Brian Laney

Parking Instructions: Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the red parking lot, located across the street from the Ion building.

Mingle Mondays: FinTech
2023-05-01 18:00 - 19:00
Join us on the first Monday of the month as we build Houston’s FinTech community the Ion!

Ion Prototyping Lab Office Hours
2023-05-02 13:00 - 17:00, 2023-05-05 10:00 - 14:00, 2023-05-09 13:00 - 17:00, 2023-05-12 10:00 - 14:00, 2023-05-16 13:00 - 17:00
Join us at the Ion Prototyping Lab Office Hours to discuss how to build your ideas!

Poptarts & Pitches
2023-05-03 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-05-10 10:00 - 12:00
Join us on Wednesdays at 10 AM on the Lower Level to learn about the art of pitching and get valuable feedback on your deck!

Ion Block Party
2023-05-04 16:00 - 19:00
Join us every first Thursday of the month on the plaza for live music and local brews provided by Second Draught.

Enjoy live music by The Slags on the plaza and local brews at Second Draught every first Thursday of the month from 4 – 7 PM. Every guest who registers and checks in will receive one free drink ticket that can be redeemed at Second Draught.

Parking Instructions
Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the red parking lot, located across the street from the Ion building.

Cup of Joey
2023-05-05 08:30 - 10:30, 2023-05-12 08:30 - 10:30
Cup of Joey is a coffee Happy Hour for Innovative Ideas.

Ion Office Hours
2023-05-05 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-05-12 10:00 - 11:30
Join us for our Office Hours at the Ion, where we will talk to you about how the Ion is here to help you as an entrepreneur.

Aramco Ventures Office Hours at the Ion
2023-05-05 10:30 - 12:00
Aramco Energy Ventures Office Hours are available every other Friday at the Ion!

Ion Open Accelerator: Project Management 101
2023-05-08 10:00 - 12:00
Join us for an informative workshop to learn the broadly applicable tools and concepts of project management.

Project management is about more than cost and schedules. Successful project managers: focus on the value that the project will create, think and plan ahead, create plans that are resilient to uncertainty and risk, and have a bias for action.
In this workshop, you will learn several concepts and tools from project management that you can use to be efficient and effective even if your job title is not “Project Manager”.
The target audience is people who want to know more about project management.
Speaker: Claudia Zettner, PhD

Parking Instructions
Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the red parking lot, located across the street from the Ion building.

Investor Studio Series Dream Big Ventures x Ion
2023-05-11 16:30 - 18:00
Hear from finance experts Staci Latoison, Founder, Dream Big Ventures; Linda Garcia, CEO, In Luz We Trust; & Nan Almodovar, CEO & Broker.

Investing can feel daunting. It’s intimidating to put your capital into something hoping for a return. And underrepresented minorities often don’t get the opportunity to see a payoff since they make up only 26% of American investors. We’re here to change that by empowering diverse Houstonians to invest in themselves.
During “Investing in Yourself – From the Stock Market to Venture Capital,” hear from a panel of finance experts, including Dream Big Ventures Founder Staci Latoison In Luz We Trust CEO Linda Garcia, and Nan and Company Properties CEO and Broker Nan Almodovar, as they discuss how to overcome the odds and the basics of investments. Linda will also be doing a signing of her newly released book ‘Wealth Warrior.’

Parking Instructions
Enter 4203 Fannin Street into your GPS for directions directly to the red parking lot, located across the street from the Ion building.

Ion Open Accelerator: Revenue Engineering for Growth Stage Startups Series
2023-05-15 10:00 - 12:00
Join us for a 3-class series on building revenue growth, creating demand as a pre-requisite to growth, & accelerating acquisition & revenue.

Mingle Mondays: Med & Health Tech
2023-05-15 18:00 - 19:00
Join us on the third Monday of the month as we build Houston’s Med & Health Tech community the Ion!

Engage VC
2023-05-17 09:00 - 10:00
HX Venture Fund, in partnership with the Ion, will host Alex Niehenke with Scale Ventures for an insightful morning discussion. Scale is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on intelligent business software with a Scaling Platform that has helped companies like Box, Bill.com, Hubspot, Docusign, JFrog, and WalkMe move from founder-led growth to a repeatable go-to-market machine. Alex Niehencke, a Partner since 2017, has focused on early investments in vertical software markets where incumbents have failed to invest in advanced technology offerings.

Corporate-Startup Partnerships: How to Build Them, Sustain Them, and How They're Key to Fast-Tracking Innovation and Growth
2023-05-17 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for a panel discussion with innovation experts from Halliburton Labs, Aramco, and TMCx, moderated by leading global technology law firm Baker Botts.
In a world of constant disruption and emerging technologies, companies can no longer rely solely on internal R&D to drive innovation. To stay competitive in today’s ever-changing landscape, corporations must rethink their innovation strategies to stay ahead of the curve and avoid being disrupted. Meanwhile, innovation and disruption are at the core of startup companies that thrive at challenging the status quo and developing new technologies. Hence why corporate-startup partnerships are vital to innovation. With insights from Founding Partner Baker Botts, innovation strategists from Halliburton Labs, TMCx, Aramco, also a Founding Partner, and their portfolio companies, we’ll dive deep into corporate-startup collaborations, including:
– How some of Houston’s and the world’s largest companies are developing open innovation strategies to go beyond their internal boundaries and explore new ventures.
– Different models for collaboration–from IP licensing to direct investment–and how early stage companies build successful collaborations with large enterprises.
– The benefits of corporate-startup collaborations, and the risks.
– How to measure success in partnerships beyond just financial indicators; and more!
Whether you’re a corporate innovator curious how to engage with startups more effectively, or a startup interested in working with a large enterprise to develop proof of concept or a pilot, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear from experts who have each built dozens of successful startup-enterprise partnerships from the ground up. After the panel you will have the opportunity to visit with several of Halliburton Labs, Aramco and TMCx’s portfolio companies to get their own unique perspective and advice.

ChatGPT Panel: Love It or Hate It: Exploring the Transformative Power of ChatGPT
2023-05-17 14:00 - 15:00
At one moment in time, AI was the domain of science fiction.
The HAL 9000 of Clarke’s 2001 was an über impressive thinking computer that unfortunately held a scary side. With the latest breakthrough in artificial intelligence, the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), societal interest in AI has reached new heights. This panel will explain what ChatGPT is, how it may be used, and what its pitfalls may be. Should we be excited or fear our emerging AI overlords? Join us to find out.

What's Next, Now: Ion District Showcase
2023-05-17 17:00 - 19:00
Join us Wednesday evening for a showcase like no other!
The Ion District Showcase will feature startups and corporations from Houston’s key industries, including healthcare, energy, finance, and technology, who will showcase their innovative solutions and products that are transforming the way we live and work. Guests will have the opportunity to engage with the founders and thought leaders who are driving these innovations and explore what’s next in their respective industries. You will learn about the latest trends and technologies shaping our future, and how these innovations are changing the world around us. Enjoy the showcase, network with other innovators, and learn more about Ion District and our partners.
Showcase participants include:

Aramco
Baker Botts L.L.P.
bp
ExxonMobil
GCC
Improving
Microsoft
Oxy
SLB INNOVATION FACTORI
Woodside Energy

Workforce Development with Per Scholas
2023-05-18 09:00 - 10:00
Join us and Per Scholas for an insightful innovation panel discussion on workforce development and training the future tech workforce.
This event will bring together industry leaders, experts, and innovators to explore the critical role of workforce development and training in building a robust tech industry.
The panel will cover a wide range of topics, including the latest trends and challenges in tech workforce development, the importance of upskilling and reskilling programs, and the best practices for creating a diverse and inclusive tech workforce. You will have the opportunity to learn from and interact with a diverse group of professionals who are leading the way in tech workforce development and training.
Whether you are an employer looking to build a talented and diverse tech workforce, a student interested in pursuing a career in tech, or an industry professional looking to stay on top of the latest trends, this panel discussion is for you! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to gain valuable insights, network with industry leaders, and explore the future of tech workforce development and training.

Entrepreneurship as a Business Style by Hap Klopp, Founder of The North Face
2023-05-18 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for a thought-provoking keynote speech with Founder and former CEO of The North Face, Hap Klopp on why he believes entrepreneurship is less of a stage of a business and more of a style of business, and a mindset that can and should be employed by all businesses to ensure their vitality. It is a mindset that can be applied to any business at any time.
Entrepreneurship involves innovation, risk-taking, urgency, passion, and a desire to create something new. It is what drives businesses to think outside the box and to come up with new and novel solutions. When it is utilized as part of an organization’s business strategy it stimulates innovation and drives economic growth. As history has shown, entrepreneurial thinking and tactics are what sets successful businesses apart.

Back to the Future of Innovation
2023-05-18 14:00 - 15:00
We are at a great turning point in the modern research university. At the center of this disruption is a drive to combine interdisciplinary, use-inspired research with an entrepreneurial focus in an effort to accelerate the invention and commercialization of breakthrough technologies that solve the world’s most pressing problems. Join us for a discussion on how the Office of Innovation at Rice University is creating game-changing tech startups at speed and scale through public-private partnerships between industry, government, and the broader academic community. The short presentation will be followed by a panel to discuss Innovation in Institutions of Higher Education from points of view including academia, startups and industry.

Innovation on Tap: EntrepreNeuro
2023-05-18 17:00 - 19:00
In partnership with Ion, and part of the InterfaceRice 2023 conference, EntrepreNeuro is a one-hour TEDx-style presentation that hosts three presenters who have careers spanning both academia and industry.
These presenters will discuss their personal experiences with a focus on what they have learned during periods of transition. Faculty are increasingly managing university labs while also wearing the hat of CEO/CSO for both startup and established companies in the neurotech and biomedical industry. Conversely, some industry professionals are moving to work more closely in the investment of academic research and forging stronger ties with universities as co-partners in various ventures. What can we learn from those engaging with this dynamic and what do they see the future holding for academic/industry relationships?
Presenters include Jacob Robinson who will discuss his transitions between academic labs and founding the startup, Motif Neurotech; Paul Cherukuri who will discuss his vision for Rice University in translational research as the newly appointed VP of Innovation at Rice University; and Erika Ross Ellison, who has worked at Mayo Clinic, Cali Health, Abbott Neuromodulation, and was recently hired at Vice President of Research and Development at ONWARD.
