In November at the Rice Alliance IT and Web Venture Forum, Emily Keeton and I announced we were launching Station Houston, a new coworking organization that will bring together key players in Houston’s startup community to launch software startups.
Why this is necessary?
Over the past five years, Mercury Fund has watched this model work in other cities throughout the middle of the country. We’ve seen the impact that Capital Factory (Austin), 1871 (Chicago), T-Rex (St. Louis), Galvanize (Denver) and many others have had on their respective entrepreneurial communities. These organizations provide a focal point of entrepreneurial density for startups and investors alike whether they are local or visiting from out of town. Station Houston adds another layer to the Houston startup scene and support network that includes student and professional accelerators, a tech incubator, co-working spaces, angel and corporate investors, and industry experts.
Who is involved?
Emily Keeton, co-founder of Station Houston, has extensive experience in corporate development and has successfully launched and exited a food-focused software startup. She is an advisor to Mercury Fund.
John Reale is an active angel investor in Houston and is an active mentor and advisor to other startup development organizations, such as SURGE, the Rice Alliance, and TiE Houston.
Grace Rodriguez is tech/creative class community organizer, of the people responsible for launching TEDx Houston, and a mentor to TMCx Accelerator companies, advising on visual strategy and storytelling. She also co-owns Dean’s, a bar in downtown Houston.
Chris Root has recently relocated to Houston from NYC, where he held a variety of investment banking and corporate finance roles.
In addition to the core team, well-known names like Keith Kreuer (Red House Associates), Yael Hochberg (Rice University) and Rakesh Agrawal (SnapStream Media) have rallied to support the opening of Station Houston as mentors.
#houtech
At the beginning of the year, Emily wrote a piece, “#houtech”, that outlines what she believes needs to happen for the Houston startup community to thrive. She called on supporters of this movement to use the hashtag #houtech. We also encourage you to use this as you share relevant content on your social channels.
While we are completing the buildout of our permanent space, Station Houston members will begin working at The SURGE Shack starting March 1st. Click here to read the announcement.
To become a Station Houston member, apply here. We look forward to welcoming you to our growing community!
