Startup founders from Rice and the University of Houston came together for the 12th annual Bayou Startup Showcase July 31 at the Ion, Houston’s innovation hub powered by Rice. For more than a decade, this joint demo day for Rice and UH entrepreneurs has celebrated Houston innovation.
OwlSpark, Rice’s startup and small business accelerator for Rice-affiliated ventures, brings together 11 companies in the program’s 13th year who represent a new wave of entrepreneurs tackling challenges across technology, consumer products, health care and more. Since 2013, the accelerator has supported 229 founders and launched 104 ventures with participants collectively raising more than $116 million in funding.
The annual Bayou Startup Showcase presented by Rice’s OwlSpark and the University of Houston’s RED Labs took place Aug. 1 at the Ion – Houston’s innovation hub powered by Rice.
The University of Houston and Rice University continue their 11-year collaboration to support Houston entrepreneurship by announcing the latest cohort of their respective startup and small business accelerators, RED Labs and OwlSpark. This summer the accelerators will host their ventures at the Ion, the heart of the Houston innovation corridor in Midtown.
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, a catalyst for innovation and new business, has announced the 17 ventures participating in its summer accelerators for Rice University students, faculty, recent alumni, and staff, the largest number of ventures in the 11-year history of these programs.
OwlSpark, Rice University’s high-growth tech startup accelerator, is celebrating 10 years of facilitating entrepreneurship and its 10th cohort, along with debuting the inaugural class of the small business accelerator BlueLaunch, which is focused on growing ventures of any industry.