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.
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
Applications closing soon for Class 12.
RED Labs and OwlSpark are run jointly over the summer. In 2024, cohorts will run out of 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. To be eligible for the program, business must have at least one individual who is: (1) currently a University of Houston student, (2) a recent University of Houston alumni (Class of 2023 or 2024), or (3) or a University of Houston faculty member.
OwlSpark
Applications closing soon for Class 12.
RED Labs and OwlSpark are run jointly over the summer. In 2024, cohorts will run out of the Ion.
The OwlSpark Startup and Small Business Accelerator is a 12-week immersive experience that blends supportive founders, industry leaders, investors and mentors, an unrivaled entrepreneurial curriculum, and an invitation to Houston’s thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem.To be considered for Class 12, one application per venture must be completed by the Rice-affiliated founder.
ACCEL
ACCEL, a new accelerator 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.
MediaTech Ventures
MediaTech Ventures is designed to develop early-stage and growth-driven media technology startups in Houston through education and mentorship with MediaTech Ventures’ startup curriculum and platform.
Interested in exploring more entrepreneurship opportunities?
Meet the
Cohorts
- Aerospace
- Consumer
- Energy
- Industry Agnostic
- Logistics
- Media
- Medical
- Sports Tech
Apply to be a part of RED Labs Class 12 (Summer 2024), the University of Houston’s business accelerator program by submitting the application below. After an application is submitted, teams or individual will set up a time to be interviewed in early April. Acceptances will be sent out Friday, April 12th and the program will begin mid May.
We are looking for product-oriented and/or service-oriented small businesses looking to grow their ventures. Examples of a small business could include: creative services, consulting, apparel, beauty products, healthcare, e-commerce, etc.
We are looking for promising, scalable ventures that are beyond the idea stage, and have a researched understanding of the customer, market, and competition. Examples of a tech startup could include: a new type of software or application, new medical devices, or a new process/chemical used in a manufacturing process
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 2024. In-person programming will be hosted at the Ion, the center of Houston’s innovation corridor.
The Spring 2024 Sports Tech Accelerator is supported by underdog venture team, Women In Sports Tech (WIST), The Collectiv, and HTX Sports Tech. DivInc premier partners include Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Gunderson Dettmer, Brown Advisory, Ion, and Mercury.
Congratulations Cohort 13!
TRIBE is a mental health platform that connects individuals from the Black community with culturally competent therapists. TRIBE aims to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and empower individuals to embark on a transformative journey towards well-being.
Subler is a B2B marketplace that connects schools with local community groups. We make it easy for people to find and book school spaces.
Seed At The Table is a tech-enabled financial ecosystem committed to providing its community of diverse professionals and entrepreneurs with equitable access to capital, opportunity, and resources.
SALUBATA is a forward-thinking technology-driven company specializing in modular shoes repurposed from plastic waste, utilizing cutting-edge blockchain integration to ensure transparent, sustainable, and ethically sourced footwear solutions.
The Motherocity Health is a tracking app dedicated to bridging the gap between new mothers and postpartum parents by focusing on the essential component of mental health forecasting and monitoring.
Looks For Lease provides unique wardrobe rental offerings, embodying edginess, grassroots culture, and innovative technology. The L4L zero-waste ethos ensures that your style statement is not only distinct but also environmentally conscious.
Instant global blockchain payment rails for anyone, anywhere.
CultureLancer is an AI-powered career accelerator that bridges the divide between college education and real-world professional expectations. Emphasizing skill development, it equips students with practical experience while granting SMEs access to fresh, emerging talent.
Craftmerce is a B2B technology platform that connects African artisans to mainstream retail partners with distributed production, enterprise management, and financing tools.
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 is looking for companies that have demonstrated the feasibility of their technology/solution and are looking to scale or refine (TRL 3 to 7). Applications due March 29, 2024 for Class 4
Future cohort opportunities coming soon.
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
Efflorescence is an interactive installation fabricated by the talented Austin-based artist team of Ilya Pieper and Whiptail Designs (Nathan Kandus) 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, Efflorescence will remain a fixture at the Ion for a six-month duration, from March – September.
Meet the Artists
Kill Joy
Kill Joy’s family is originally from and partly based in the archipelago known as the Philippines and partly based in the desert known as Texas. Her work sits at the intersection where jungle meets desert. Kill Joy’s work is grounded in honoring the earth and seeking environmental and social justice. Her work is an interpretation of world mythology and a study of ancient symbols. She integrates story telling with calls to global, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual awareness and action.
Christopher Blay
Christopher Blay is an artist, writer, and curator. His exhibitions include Christopher Blay: The SpLaVCe Program at the Studios at Crowley Theater in Marfa, TX 2023, and Christopher Blay: SpLaVC Ship at Barry Whistler Gallery in Dallas, TX in 2022. He is a contributing writer for Art in America Magazine and has written catalog essays for Richard Prince and Letitia Huckaby, Nasher Sculpture Magazine and Gulf Coast journal (2023). Blay is a former art critic for Glasstire Magazine, and Chief Curator of the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
Inquire
Interested in learning more about our programming or how to get involved? Let’s chat!