Houston innovation will make an appearance at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Austin. For the second year in a row, the Greater Houston Partnership’s Houston House is preparing to showcase Houston leaders and companies accelerating the city’s thriving innovation ecosystem. From record-breaking venture capital activity to the energy transition, the Houston House line up will feature investors, startup founders and industry MVPs.

The Thrilling Tech Ecosystem 

Home to the largest medical center in the world, Houston’s innovation in life-sciences is a global commitment. This year’s lineup will unite leaders to discuss medical device technologies and the breakthroughs in cell behavior and medicine. The panels MedTech Transforming Healthcare Industry and Accelerating Innovation in Biotech will feature some of the industry’s top talent, highlighting local advancements in biotech reaching the global community.

The Bayou City’s competitive tech ecosystem continues to empower the region’s innovation activity and grow the esports sector. The electronic sports phenomenon has earned a spot in this year’s conference with the panel Game Changers: The Rise of Sports Tech. Panelists will dive into the explosive growth of esports, including the opportunities for founders, investors and fans. 

HOU to the Moon

Dubbed Space City, it’s clear Houston’s space exploration activity remains unrivaled on the national stage. The Houston House panel The Commercial Space Age Is Here will unite distinguished scientists from NASA and private space startups for an insightful discussion on how this cooperation is enabling the next frontier of space exploration.

Sustainable, Climate Resilient Houston

Following the Partnership’s release of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, the region’s clean energy innovation has reached new limits and set higher goals. Houston’s ability to transition to clean energy while addressing climate change will continue to position it as a city of the future while remaining the Energy Capital of the World. 

This year’s lineup embraces Houston’s role in the global energy transition, powered by executives driving the solutions behind several of the world’s pressing issues. The panels Funding the Global Energy Transition, Dream Team: Corporates & Startups in ClimateTech, and Roadmap to an Equitable Energy Transition will bring together private and corporate investors to discuss the heightened importance of VC in the energy transition space, collaboration advancing low carbon solutions, regulatory deficiencies, and addressing economic inequities caused by climate change.

Innovation in energy transition will be the topic of discussion for the panel Tech Powering the Global Energy Transition. The Partnership’s own Senior Vice President of Energy Transition Jane Stricker will be joined by founders from some of the world's most promising energy tech startups to discuss their critical role in accelerating the global energy transition. 

Diversity in the Innovation Ecosystem

Despite being a critical force in the U.S. economy, diverse entrepreneurs represent a major funding gap. Access to funding remains a tightly guarded gateway to success and it breaks down to a trillion-dollar missed opportunity in the VC space. Houston House’s panel Funding the Next Generation of Diverse Founders will assemble leaders and investors to discuss the key challenges facing diverse entrepreneurs today and the necessary ingredients in building an inclusive innovation ecosystem.

Houston's participation at SXSW will culminate with a dynamic networking session hosted by HX Venture Fund Managing Director Sandy Guitar alongside Syzygy Plasmonics CEO Trevor Best. The networking event Meet Houston's Top Tech Founders will unite Houston's top founders, spotlighting innovation and discussing startup funding.

Houston House’s return to SXSW in person creates the ideal platform to promote Houston’s position as the most prominent emerging innovation hub in the country.

Learn more about Houston’s strengths and see our complete lineup online.