Ion District

Poptarts & Pitches
2023-06-14 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-06-07 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-05-31 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-05-24 10:00 - 12:00 (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!

Investor Studio Series: VC Due Diligence Best Practices
2023-06-13 16:00 - 18:00
Join us to learn about how VCs approach investing and conduct due diligence and why this matters for you as a founder.

During this event, Golden Section, a venture capital fund and founders studio obsessed with B2B SaaS product development, will discuss how VCs approach investing and conduct due diligence, and why this matters for founders. The presentation will cover:

Market changes that effect how VCs approach investing
What founders need to prepare for this new environment
How Golden Section approaches due diligence

If you are a VC fund, investor, or founder, this event is for you!
About the host: Golden Section is a Houston-based VC that invests in early-stage B2B SaaS companies. We invest in founders who have domain expertise in the industry they are looking to build a solution for.

Ion Prototyping Lab Office Hours
2023-06-13 13:00 - 17:00, 2023-06-09 10:00 - 14:00, 2023-06-06 13:00 - 17:00, 2023-06-02 10:00 - 14:00, 2023-05-30 13:00 - 17:00, 2023-05-26 10:00 - 14:00, 2023-05-23 13:00 - 17:00
Join us at the Ion Prototyping Lab Office Hours to discuss how to build your ideas!

Ion Open Accelerator: Digital Media Kits
2023-06-12 10:00 - 12:00
Join us to learn what a digital media kit is and why it is essential for your startup or business!

In this workshop, learn what a Digital Media Kit is and why it is the way of the future. When emails are sent out for media opportunities, information, promotion, or a slew of other things, it is easy for key information to get lost in the back-and-forth of email communication. Even with a one-pager, conveying information about your startup or business can be difficult.
A digital media kit is easy to update and has everything about you and/or your business. Having a Link Tree is another option a lot of businesses use and enables the receiver to have the option to go deeper into learning more about your company.
Don’t miss out on opportunities because you only sent the bare minimum information. Attend this workshop to learn more about digital media kits.
About the Speaker – Melissa Ambers PMP, LSS, PR

Ion Family STEAM Day: What is Blood?
2023-06-10 10:00 - 13:00
Join us for a hands-on learning experience about health and our blood and gain insight into the professional skills and concepts needed to excel in a medical career. Students will learn what blood is made of and the vital role it plays in our health and then make a sample of blood using familiar products with the STEAM on Demand platform!
This event will be tailored for 9-14-year-olds for a fun STEM experience! We look forward to building and learning with you!
*Additionally, we will have a special workshop geared towards 2 – 5-year-olds! So, please bring the whole family!

Ion Office Hours
2023-06-09 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-06-02 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-05-26 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.

Cup of Joey
2023-06-09 08:30 - 10:30, 2023-06-02 08:30 - 10:30, 2023-05-26 08:30 - 10:30
Cup of Joey is a coffee Happy Hour for Innovative Ideas.

Mingle Mondays: FinTech
2023-06-05 18:00 - 19:00
Join us on the first Monday of the month as we build Houston’s FinTech community at the Ion!
Fintech describes various financial activities, including money transfers, depositing a check with your smartphone, bypassing a bank branch to apply for credit, raising money for a business startup, personal finance, and more!
This community is for all who are interested in FinTech, including FinTech entrepreneurs, thought leaders interested in FinTech innovation, vendors and funders seeking to work with financial services and technology sector startups, FinTech investors, compliance and legal professionals wanting to share their FinTech knowledge, and more!
To join the Ion’s Funded Founder Community, apply HERE. To pitch at Poptarts and Pitches, upload your pitch deck HERE.
About the Speakers
June Speaker: Mahesh Sashital is the co-founder and CTO of Lucrisma, a cutting-edge Web3 company that offers financial data privacy and portability solutions to users.
Mahesh’s passion for the blockchain industry led him to found the Houston Blockchain Alliance in 2018. He has advocated for and spoken about blockchain with organizations in Houston, including the City, University of Houston, Rice University, startups, and Fortune 500 companies.
Mahesh has over 20 years of experience in software engineering, enterprise architecture, and product management. He has held various positions at companies like J.P. Morgan, Ford, and Chrysler. He has also co-founded multiple startups and served as the CTO for each of them.
Mahesh is originally from Mumbai, India, but has been a Houstonian for 17 years. He earned his Bachelor’s in Engineering from India and his MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas – Austin.
May 2023 Speaker: Robert M Franklin III, Venture Partner at the Sybilla Mastersfund and Lecturer at Rice University Jones School of Business
April 2023 Speakers: Manolo Sánchez, Director, Fannie Mae, Adjunct Professor, Jones Graduate School of Business; Vincent Bradley Castellanos, CEO of Claimkey and Eddie Arroyo, CFO of Claimkey
March 2023 Speaker: Bobby Bryant, Founder/CEO DOSS
February 2023 Speakers: Isaiah Studivent, CEO/Head of Growth, Evron; Chalique Seabron, COO, Evron
About the hosts
Norman Pappous has degrees in Economics (BS) and Financial Markets & Trading (MSc.). He has worked in the UK and USA for various financial services firms, including ABN Amro, UBS, Close Bros. Merchant Bank, Rydex Series Trust, and Merrill Lynch. He has also consulted hedge funds and corporate treasury operations. In 2022 Norman authored the book Wall Street’s Grand Deception. Norman is Quora.com’s “Most viewed writer” for asset management, financial advisors, and passive/index investing. The Structured Products Association of America gave Norman the “Leading Edge Advisor” award for his work in derivatives pricing. He’s been featured in The New York Post, Forbes, Investment News, Registered Rep, TheStreet.com, and Frontline on PBS. Norman also founded a FinTech start-up that raised seed and angel funding close to $1 million.
Kiley Summers is the Founder of Spendebt. Shortly after college graduation, Kiley and TyLisha found themselves in over $100,000 of consumer debt. Growing up, finances weren’t discussed in their households. No one told them that only making minimum payments on their debt would likely have them in debt for the rest of their lives. The couple decided to hire a financial advisor to help them improve their financial situation. After becoming debt free, they began sharing their story with family and friends, realizing there were so many people caught in the never-ending debt spiral without a plan to get out, and SpenDebt was born.
Phillip Yates is the co-founder of Equiliberty, a technology company designed to help build diversity in property ownership and support minority businesses and neighborhoods by linking people to information, capital, and markets, with a mission to transition the wealth of talent and genius in underserved communities into a treasure of communal wealth, anchored by communal ownership.

Aramco Ventures Office Hours at the Ion
2023-06-02 10:30 - 12:00
Aramco Energy Ventures Office Hours are available every other Friday at the Ion!

Ion Block Party
2023-06-01 16:00 - 19:00
Join us every first Thursday of the month from 4 – 7 PM on the plaza for live music and local brews provided by Second Draught. This month, enjoy live music by Adrian Michael Band, and make sure to register and check in at the event for a complimentary beer or cider on us from Second Draught!

Innovation on Tap: Jacob Robinson, Rice University
2023-06-01 16:00 - 17:00
Featured Speaker: Jacob T. Robinson, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Associate Professor, Bioengineering, Rice University. Co-founder and CEO, Motif Neurotech
My research group explores how nanotechnology can enhance our ability to interact with the brain. Our goal is to advance basic neuroscience and neurological disorders’ treatment.
Jacob Robinson received a B.S. in Physics from UCLA in 2003 and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Cornell University in 2008 under advisor Dr. Michal Lipson. After completing his Ph.D.studying silicon nanophotonics he began postdoctoral research in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. While at Harvard, Jacob developed silicon nanowire devices to probe the electrical and chemical activity of living cells. In the summer of 2012, he joined the ECE and BioE departments at Rice. He is currently interested in developing nanofabricated devices to study the structural and functional dynamics of living neural circuits.
We invite attendees to join the featured speaker and event attendees for networking at Second Draught after the talk.
About Innovation on Tap: Disruptive Technology Talks with Houston’s Leading Researchers
Industrial innovation is in the DNA of Houston (energy, health, space, and transportation), and the Ion is at the forefront of moving the city to become a technology destination, a central place where we support bold moves that embrace the innovation economy at an industrial scale. The Ion is a place where we accelerate disruption by connecting people and ideas to create a future that will not only change Houston but change the world.
Ion Innovation on Tap lecture series is focused on bridging world-leading academic research to the broader innovation ecosystem, creating connections and partnerships that will not only accelerate translation and commercialization but form relationships that will drive future fundamental advances needed to address fundamental problems like decarbonization, personalized health care, and create resilient and sustainable livable communities.
Examples of disruptive technology include but are not limited to AI and machine learning, robotics, synthetic biology, neuro-engineering, nano-materials, cyber security, imaging, blockchain, and quantum computing.
The lecture series will feature leading researchers spanning engineering, science, and design, showcasing advanced technology and innovation from academic research labs and programs. Largely inaccessible and buried in journals and conference proceedings, technology will be presented in an accessible TED-style lecture format with ample networking opportunities. The disruptive technology lecture series will serve as a magnifying glass connecting fundamental technology to people and organizations that can benefit and help activate technology through commercialization. More than that, the lecture series will serve as a front door for collaboration between researchers and industry partners and/or the formation of new technology startups that will help establish Ion and Houston as a global hub for innovation.

Ion Bike Club
2023-05-31 18:30 - 19:30
Join us for a 45-minute guided cruise led by Bike Houston around the expanding Ion District and Midtown neighborhoods. We’ll meet up on the Ion Plaza just outside of Second Draught. The ride is suitable for all ages; Limited BCycle bikes are available onsite for rental.
Following the ride, participants are eligible for a 10% discount on beverages at Second Draught!

Sewn Goods Office Hours at Ion Prototyping Lab
2023-05-26 11:00 - 13:00
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!

NASA Tech Talks
2023-05-25 18:00 - 19:30
We want HOU! Join us to discover NASA’s toughest tech challenges–and apply your skills and expertise to solve them.In these presentations, occurring the fourth Thursdays of the month, Mr. Montgomery Goforth and other aerospace subject matter experts will discuss the technology development challenges faced by NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the surrounding Aerospace community in our ongoing efforts as the hub of human spaceflight. Presentations will focus on the ways in which these challenges, and the associated opportunities, can be leveraged by Houston’s innovation community.During the Thursday May 25th presentation, Chris Gerty will present. Chris began his career as a NASA intern in the 1990s, dedicating himself to human-centered technology and open collaboration. From training crews and serving as a flight controller for the International Space Station’s Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), to participating in NASA’s NEEMO-13 mission living underwater for two weeks, Chris has always prioritized how technology can serve people in extreme environments.
A strong advocate for open source principles, Chris champions the collective strength of shared data, software, and hardware for problem-solving. His entrepreneurial spirit, combined with a commitment to open collaboration, continually drives his innovative approach to space exploration.
Most recently, as the Informatics Subsystem Lead for NASA’s next-generation spacesuit, the xEMU, Chris has focused on adapting Earth-based advancements—such as advanced lighting, heads-up displays, and high-speed data—for space exploration. His vision is a future where space-based technology is not only high-performing but also intuitive and human-centered, mirroring the technological conveniences we enjoy every day on Earth.
A Clarkson University alumnus, Chris enjoys nature through camping and hiking, coaches and plays ice hockey, and actively engages with the 3D printing community.
Join us after the talk for drinks and networking at Second Draught!
Past NASA Tech Talks have included: Montgomery B. Goforth discussing NASA Intellectual Property suitable for commercialization by small/start-up companies; Jared Daum discussing Orion’s parachutes and risk identification and mitigation that are showstoppers for the spaceflight parachute industry; Kevin Kobylka discussing current Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) capabilities and needs; and Nick Skytland, Chief Technologist at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Director of the Business Development and Technology Integration Office. Future NASA Tech Talks will include: dual-use (space/terrestrial) technologies in the areas of:

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

About the Speakers
Nick Skytland is the Chief Technologist at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Director of the Business Development and Technology Integration Office where he is helping NASA return to the Moon by partnering with industry and academia to advance the future of human spaceflight and propel the space economy. Throughout his career, he has trained astronauts for spacewalks, conducted research in human physiology, led ground-breaking open innovation programs, established the agency’s social media presence on platforms such as Twitter, launched the largest hackathon in history, authored the Future of Work strategy, instituted the agency’s first data science office, and led numerous transformation and modernization initiatives. He is currently focused on ushering in NASA’s next chapter in human space exploration and his work spans strategic partnerships, technology development, open innovation and technology transfer.
He is an avid adventurer, experienced diver, and a dedicated triathlete who has completed 23 Ironman races.
Montgomery B. Goforth serves as the Assistant Director, Strategic Pursuits & Partnerships – Engineering Directorate, NASA JSC.
Mr. Goforth has more than 30 years of experience as both Engineer and Manager in a variety of highly technical space and defense-related efforts. He joined NASA in 1990 as part of the Mission Operations Directorate, working on planning systems and automated procedure execution tools for the International Space Station (ISS). He became Deputy Project Manager for the Portable Computer System, the laptop used for command and control of the ISS, in 1996, and ultimately became Chief of the Branch responsible for all laptops onboard ISS and the Space Shuttle.
In 2002 he moved to the ISS Avionics and Software Office as Manager of the Flight Software Development Office and later served as Chief Engineer. During 2005 he spent several months at NASA Headquarters working in the Robotics Lunar Exploration Program. In 2006 he joined the Constellation Program as Chief of Avionics and Software Test and Verification and became Chief of the Software and Avionics Integration Office in 2007. In this role he was responsible for leading a large nation-wide Systems Engineering & Integration (SE&I) organization which provided program-level coordination, oversight, integration and management of the system-of-systems avionics and software, including the coordination of integrated modeling and simulation and test activities across the Constellation program and the technical integration of Constellation’s Command, Control, Communications, and Information (C3I) architecture.
In 2011, he joined the Avionic Systems Division to support their Strategic Planning and Partnership efforts. In 2015, he moved onto Engineering Directorate Staff to support Strategic Pursuits and Partnerships. In this role, he put together a framework to better focus Engineering’s efforts towards Human Spaceflight technology and systems development consistent with JSC and Agency goals for exploration. This framework guides 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). Prior to coming to Johnson Space Center, he was employed by a small defense contractor specializing in anti-submarine warfare.

Houston Startup Showcase
2023-05-24 18:00 - 19:30
Welcome to Houston Startup Showcase, a half-year-long series of monthly pitch competitions. Founders will pitch live at the Ion and compete for the grand prize package. Watch the startups pitch their company and see who the judges will name the champion of the Houston Startup Showcase 2023.
Whether you’re a serial entrepreneur or just looking to get more involved in the startup community, this event is for you.
Presenting Companies:

Trainr
Rekfix
Criterion Energy Partners
Abloom

Judges: TBD
Agenda:

5:30 | Networking at the Ion
6:00 | Welcome & Introductions
6:15 | Pitches
7:15 | Judge Deliberation
7:30 | Closing Remarks

Pitch Format:

5 Minute Pitch and Slide Presentation
Judge Feedback

Investor Studio Series: B2B SaaS Founders & Their Capital Raising Strategy
2023-05-23 16:00 - 18:00
Join us to learn about how B2B SaaS founders should be thinking about their capital raising strategy

During this event, Golden Section, a venture capital fund and founders studio obsessed with B2B SaaS product development, will discuss sensible and practical growth, venture investing, and their perspective on VC investing in B2B SaaS. The presentation will cover:

What they look for when considering investing in a new portfolio company
How B2B SaaS founders should be thinking about their capital raising strategy

If you are a VC fund, investor, or founder, this event is for you!
About the host: Golden Section is a Houston-based VC that invests in early-stage B2B SaaS companies. We invest in founders who have domain expertise in the industry they are looking to build a solution.

Ion Block Party: Innovation on DisPLAY
2023-05-19 17:00 - 20:00
Activation Festival 2023 culminates for the second year in a row with a community-wide block party on the Ion Plaza. A special iteration of the Ion’s ongoing monthly event series, Ion Block Party: Innovation on DisPLAY will feature a number of local entrepreneurial businesses displaying their products and technologies with hands-on opportunities for guests.
The community is invited to this free event, which will include food trucks and a special “battle of the bands” competition between popular acts The Slags and The Outsiders. The bands will alternate genres and musical styles, and the crowd will ultimately decide which band shone the brightest. Guests will want to stick around for the reveal of the winning band, which will feature a spectacular visual component.
