Houston Innovators Podcast

Episode 74 - Tech-enabled recruitment and beyond - Sid Upadhyay of WizeHire

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Houston tech innovator Sid Upadhyay joins the show to discuss how the pandemic affected his recruitment software company, its recent $7.5 million seri...

Episode 73 - It's time for more women with check-writing abilities - Samantha Lewis of Mercury Fund

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joining the podcast at the start of Women's History Month, Samantha Lewis says now more than ever there is a need for more female representation at ve...

Episode 72 - Houston as a hub for resilience innovation - Richard Seline of the Resilience Innovation Hub

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In light of last week's winter storm that wrecked havoc on Houston and Texas as a whole, Richard Seline joins the show to discuss the call for innovat...

Episode 71 - Accelerating resiliency, diversity, and more - Christine Galib and Courtney Cogdill of The Ion

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Houston is no stranger to picking itself up by the bootstraps, and both non-Houston natives Christine Galib and Courtney Cogdill of The Ion have seen ...

Episode 70 - Innovation is impossible without diversity - Ashley Small of Medley Inc.

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For Black History Month, Ashley Small is making sure her team at her Houston-based PR and branding company is aware of Black innovators and the roads ...

Episode 69 - 2020's effect on the Energy Transition - Deanna Zhang of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Deanna Zhang focuses on energy technology business at Houston-based financial adviser Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., and last year, she saw the energy ...

Episode 68 - Saving lives with AI and data - Jim Havelka of InformAI

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Houston-based InformAI is creating technology that taps into hospital data to better predict and diagnose medical issues, and CEO and Founder Jim Have...

Episode 67 - Finding venture capital's "blue ocean" - Heath Butler of Mercury Fund

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mercury Fund was founded to find and fund the underrepresented entrepreneurs, and now Heath Butler, newly named network partner, is hoping to continue...

Episode 66 - Funding Houston startups to take center stage - Guillermo Borda and Sandy Guitar of HX Venture Fund

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The HX Venture Fund is working with several Houston organizations to host a February summit that will shine a national spotlight on Houston startups a...

Episode 65 - Why this energy tech startup is doubling down on ESG and Houston - Nicole Rogers of Validere

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Companies across industries are looking to increase transparency and sustainability — and Validere's technology can do just that. The Canadian energ...

Episode 64 - Focusing on seed funding in Houston - Blair Garrou of Mercury Fund

30 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Blair Garrou says he's never been busier, and while venture capital deals have been on a rollercoaster this year, he's looking forward to 2021. On thi...

Episode 63 - Prioritizing diversity and inclusion for Houston entrepreneurs - Joy M. Hutton of Joy Consulting

23 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joy M. Hutton wears a lot of hats. The entrepreneur and consultant has also just joined Houston's Grow with Google Digital Coach program as the local ...

Episode 62 - 2020's effect on modern medicine - Adam Kuspa of The Welch Institute

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the COVID-19 vaccine begins being distributed to frontline workers this week, Adam Kuspa, president of Houston-based nonprofit, The Welch Foundatio...

Episode 61 - Cultivating diversity in innovation - Deanea LeFlore of The Ion

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Deanea LeFlore joins the show to discuss the future of The Ion — opening in just a few months — and how she’s striving to make sure it represent...

Episode 60 - The future of fireproofing - Mike Francis of Nanotech Inc

02 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh off of its seed round, NanoTech’s co-founder Mike Francis joins the show to discuss fireproofing California, why Houston is the place to be an...

Episode 59 - The future of patient care is early testing - Jani Tuomi of imaware

25 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jani Tuomi, co-founder of Imaware, a Houston-based digital testing and screening provider, and his team quickly released on of the first at-home COVID...

Episode 58 - A Look Back on Two Years of InnovationMap with Editor Natalie Harms

18 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of InnovationMap’s second birthday, we’ve decided to turn the tables for this episode. Earlier this week, InnovationMap's editor, Natalie...

Episode 57 - The importance of inclusion in health innovation - Fiona Mack of JLABS @ TMC

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The newest member to Houston's bustling life sciences arena is Fiona Mack, recently named head of JLABS at TMC. Fiona joined the Houston incubator a f...

Episode 56 - Investing in Social Impact - Durg Kumar and Allen Bryant of Knightsgate Ventures

04 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When starting a business, driving social impact and profits aren't mutually exclusive anymore. Durg Kumar realized that and founded Knightsgate Ventur...

Episode 55 - Calling All Houston Innovators - Harvin Moore and Serafina Lalany of Houston Exponential

28 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing The Listies — a new awards program from HX and InnovationMap. Harvin Moore and Serafina Lalany of HX join the show to discuss nomination...

Episode 54 - How women are holding the power in health care - Ayse McCracken of Ignite HealthCare Network

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ayse McCracken founded the Ignite Healthcare Network to shine a spotlight on female entrepreneurs in the medical world. Join her and 35 startups for a...

Episode 53 - The future of tech employment - Marcelo Cordini of December Labs

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marcelo Cordini, co-founder of December Labs, joins the show to talk about his company — a full-service design and development company with offices ...

Episode 52 - Nanotech vs. the pandemic - Shay Curran of Curran Biotech

07 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Seamus Curran, a physics professor at the University of Houston and CEO and founder of Integricote and Curran Biotech, joins the show to discuss his n...

Episode 51 - The future of 3D printing and sustainability - Samantha Snabes and Charlotte Craff of Re:3D

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Re:3D was founded to accomplish two goals: grow access to larger-scale 3D printing and seek sustainable options for manufacturing new items. Now, that...

Episode 50 - The role of university innovation in Houston - Kyle Judah of Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

23 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

New to his role of executive director of Rice University’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Kyle Judah joins the show to discuss ...

Episode 49 - The possibilities of digital first coworking - Jon Lambert of The Cannon

16 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's not a secret that the pandemic has had a great effect on coworking companies. However, The Cannon, which exists to help startups in more ways tha...

Episode 48 - What are Houston's tech niches? - Josh Pherigo of Greater Houston Partnership

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Based on research from the Greater Houston Partnership, Josh Pherigo has identified Houston's tech niches — and some of them might surprise you.

Episode 47 - Fostering inclusion in Houston VC - Lenny Saizan Jr. of Urban Capital Network

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lenny Saizan and his team at Urban Capital Network launched their organization to foster inclusion among Houston's venture capital scene.

Episode 46 - Female Venture Capitalists Unite! - Sandy Guitar of HX Venture Fund

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sandy Guitar, who serves as managing director of the HX Venture Fund, wanted to create an organization for women in venture capital in Houston. So, sh...

Episode 45 - From space to deep sea: Houston's role in robotics - Nicolaus Radford of Houston Mechatronics

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A former NASA specialist in robotics, Nicolaus Radford founded Houston Mechatronics to focus on developing cloud robotics that can operate underwater....

Episode 44 - Introducing HTX TechList - Serafina Lalany of Houston Exponential

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Serafina Lalany has been working toward launching the HTX TechList — a one-stop shop for Houston innovation connections and data — for over a ye...

Episode 43 - Houston's role as a hub for insuratech - Richard Seline of ResilientH2O Partners

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The innovations and Houston startups that came out of Hurricane Harvey are no coincidence. Richard Seline of ResilientH2O Partners joins the show to e...

Episode 42 - The future of autonomous vehicles in Houston - Sola Lawal of Nuro

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is Houston on track to be a hub for autonomous vehicles? Sola Lawal of Nuro thinks so. The artificial intelligence and robotics company is focused on ...

Episode 41 - The increasing challenge of connecting medical devices - Chris DuPont of Galen Data

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Most medical devices aren't connected to the internet, and Chris DuPont of Galen Data is creating a turn-key solution for the emerging medical device ...

Episode 40 - Starting a biotech company during a pandemic - Rebecca Vaught of Van Heron Labs

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Vaught started her biotech company just ahead of COVID-19, but she shares on the Houston Innovators Podcast that it's meant more opportunities...

Episode 39 - Is your company a #BLM ally? - Denise Hamilton of WatchHerWork

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Denise Hamilton's life work is helping women navigate their careers and now is writing the book on how to be an ally amid #BlackLivesMatter — or ra...

Episode 38 - Focusing on diversity in startup acceleration - Juliana Garaizar of Greentown Labs Houston

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Juliana Garaizar was recently named to the team for Greentown Labs' Houston launch. She joins the show to discuss her focus on diversity and inclusion...

Episode 37 - PR during a pandemic - Aimee Woodall of The Black Sheep Agency

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the pandemic hit, most entrepreneurs had only their own company to focus on keeping afloat. Aimee Woodall had her own creative agency — The Black...

Episode 36 - Getting oil out of the paper world - Travis Parigi of LiquidFrameworks

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Travis Parigi isn't afraid of an oil downturn, but he couldn't have foreseen the effect COVID-19 would have on demand. He join the show to discuss how...

Episode 35 - COVID-19's opportunity for esports - Chris Buckner of Mainline

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Buckner, co-founder and CEO of Mainline, a Houston-based esports software startup, shares how the pandemic has afforded his company both opportu...

Episode 34 - Virtually accelerating early stage startups - Eléonore Cluzel of gBETA Houston

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Eléonore Cluzel, director of gBETA Houston, joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to share how the cohort has been going — and to introduce each mem...

Episode 33 - Summer camp during a pandemic - Tudor Palaghita of Camppedia

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Camppedia — which Tudor Palaghita founded with his sister, Ana, in late 2018 — is an online marketplace that acts as a one-stop shop for parents l...

Episode 32 - Joe Alapat - CEO of Liongard

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh off a $17 million series B fundraising round for his SaaS startup, Liongard, Joe Alapat joins the show to discuss raising money during a pandemi...

Episode 31 - Paul A. Pavlou - Dean of the Bauer College of Business

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dean Paul Pavlou of Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston shares how the school quickly pivoted to online classes and services amid t...

Episode 30 - Megan Eddings and Amanda Cotler of Accel Lifestyle

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Similar to other startups across town that have made pivots amid the COVID-19 crisis, Accel Lifestyle, a Houston-based athletic wear company, has quic...

Episode 29 - Amanda Ducach - Founder and CEO of SocialMama

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Ducach has been juggling leading her startup, entertaining her toddler, and caring for the rest of her family — and she is not alone. Social...

Episode 28 - Lawson Gow - Founder of The Cannon

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's not the best time to be in the coworking business, and Lawson Gow, founder of The Cannon, which has three locations in Houston, has seen better d...

Episode 27 - Josh Feinberg - Co-Founder of Tenavox and Otso

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 forced closed the majority of small businesses' physical space, which takes away from their ability to generate revenue. But, rent is still d...

Episode 26 - Sean Guerre - Managing Director at InnovateEnergy

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sean Guerre of Innovate Energy joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to share how energy startups are especially challenged in the current climate — ...

Episode 25 - Kim Raath - Founder and CEO of Topl

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Raath has transitioned to CEO of the startup she co-founded. She takes the helm of the blockchain-as-a-service company just as a global pandemic a...

Episode 24 - Lance Black - Associate Director of TMCx

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lance Black leads the Texas Medical Center's startup accelerator program, TMCx, and he joins the show to explain how COVID-19 has affected the program...

Episode 23 - Brittany Barreto - Venture Associate at Capital Factory

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Former startup founder Brittany Barreto discusses her passion for making Houston a hub for femtech innovation as well as expert info for founders on p...

Episode 22 - Adam Gilles and Lance Richardson - Co-Founders of Hitched Inc.

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh off a $5.5 million raise, Hitched Inc. is growing full speed ahead. Co-Founders Adam Gilles and Lance Richardson join the show to discuss what m...

Episode 21 - Reda Hicks - Founder of GotSpot

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Reda Hicks has been to Austin's annual SXSW interactive festival and felt underrepresented as a female founder. Now, she's changing the game with Texa...

Episode 20 - Harvin Moore - President of Houston Exponential

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Harvin Moore, president of HX, joins the show to discuss the upcoming Houston Tech Rodeo. The week full of innovation-focused events takes place March...

Episode 19 - Alex Robart - CEO of Ambyint

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh off a $15 million series B raise, Alex Robart, a Houston-based entrepreneur, joins the podcast to discuss the future of artificial intelligence ...

Episode 18 - Gabriella Rowe - Executive Director of The Ion

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Gabriella Rowe has been busy — to say the least. The former CEO of Station Houston has transitioned into her role as executive director of The Ion, ...

Episode 17 - Marc Nathan - Vice President of Client Strategy at Egan Nelson

05 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Texas startup scene should be familiar with Marc Nathan's name — whether it's from his time at the Houston Technology Center, his work with sta...

Episode 16 - Spencer Randall - Principal & Co-Founder of CryptoEQ

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Getting involved with cryptocurrency might seem riskier than traditional investment platforms simply because it's a new and, to a lot of people, confu...

Episode 15 - John Berger - CEO of Sunnova

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Berger, CEO and founder of Sunnova, discusses how he scaled his residential solar energy startup all the way to IPO last year.

Episode 14 - Dorit Donoviel - Director of the Translational Research Institute for Space Health

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Translational Research Institute for Space Health, or TRISH, is a NASA-backed, Houston-based organization that focuses on research within space he...

Episode 13 - Sandy Guitar Wallis - Managing Director of HX Venture Fund

08 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As managing director of the HX Venture Fund, Sandy Guitar Wallis oversees the portfolio for the fund of funds. With her 20-year career in venture capi...

Episode 12 - Matthew Costello - CEO & Co-founder of Voyager

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With any maritime shipment, thousands of emails are exchanged between all the various companies involved in the shipping process. That, to Matthew Cos...

Episode 11 - Roberta Schwartz - Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer of Houston Methodist Hospital

11 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Roberta Schwartz is cultivating new avenues of innovation within health care at Houston Methodist — from wearable technology and virtual reality to ...

Episode 10 - Emily Reiser - Senior Manager of Innovation Community Engagement at the Texas Medical Center

04 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Texas Medical Center just celebrated five years of helping to drive health tech and innovation, but the TMC Innovation Institute isn't resting on ...

Episode 9 - Andrew Bruce - CEO of Data Gumbo

27 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Andrew Bruce was laid off during the energy downturn, he took that as a sign to start a company of his own — a blockchain-as-a-service startup...

Episode 8 - Ody De La Paz - CEO of Sensytec

20 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ody De La Paz describes himself as a serial entrepreneur, and he turned his class project into a growing startup. Sensytec uses smart technology in ce...

Episode 7 - Brad Rossacci - Creative Director of Accenture's Houston Innovation Hub

13 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Rossacci gets out of bed every day to explore the unexpected and simplify how humanity lives, works, and plays. As creative director of Accenture...

Episode 6 - Grace Rodriguez - CEO/Executive Director of Impact Hub Houston

06 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Grace Rodriguez has had a winding career that's led her in and out of entrepreneurship in Houston. She discusses Impact Hub and the role it plays in H...

Episode 5 - Live from The Cannon Grand Opening

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast, we're mixing things up. InnovationMap Editor Natalie Harms reports live from The Cannon Hou...

Episode 4 - Patrick Lewis - Co-Founder and Managing Partner of BBL Ventures

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The energy industry is at an inflection point. With various challenges being hurdled at oil and gas companies, energy execs are looking for ways to in...

Episode 3 - Rakesh Agrawal - Founder and CEO of SnapStream

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rakesh Agrawal knows the ins and outs of Houston innovation. As the founder of SnapStream and an active investor, he's been on both sides of the table...

Episode 2 - Samantha Lewis - Director of the GOOSE Society

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A key factor in growing an innovation ecosystem is having the funds to fuel startup growth. Samantha Lewis, director for The GOOSE Society of Texas —...

Episode 1 - Jon Nordby - Managing Director of MassChallenge Houston

02 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the first episode of the new Houston Innovators Podcast, InnovationMap editor Natalie Harms sits down with Jon Nordby, managing director of MassCha...

Coming soon: Houston Innovators Podcast!

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas