Reply to everything. Edit nothing.

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Wispr Flow turns your voice into clean, professional text you can send the moment you stop talking. Speak like you would to a colleague — tangents and all — and get polished output. Emails, Slack, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, whatever's open.

89% of messages sent with zero edits. Used by teams at OpenAI, Vercel, and Clay. Works on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.

Try Wispr Flow free

Howdy folks,

How about some news and things I’m excited about?!

Houston just got its big exit.

Fervo Energy hit Nasdaq last week under $FRVO and popped 33% on debut, pushing its valuation past $10 billion. For a Houston-based geothermal startup selling 24/7 carbon-free power to Google data centers -- that's a statement. TechCrunch

Taylor Chapman put it well: investors and operators have been saying for years that what Houston's startup ecosystem needed most was a big exit. Well, now it has one. The real question is what happens next -- does this capital find its way back into the ecosystem, or does it leave town?

That's the part worth watching. Full TechCrunch breakdown here.

Houston's education ecosystem just got its own home base.

My friend Naeem Vehvaria is launching the very first InnovatED Monthly Meet-Up -- a recurring gathering for educators, EdTech founders, and leaders who are done waiting for someone else to fix learning. First events set the tone for everything that follows. Be in the room when this one starts.

Register - LINK

- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Founder Institute Houston 2026 Graduation + Demo Day

Startup Circle Houston 

Texas Venture Gala & Forum 2026

Bayou City Startups May Happy Hour

HOUSTON EDUCATION INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM MAY MEET-UP

Houston AITX Community Monthly Meetup: TBD

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

The Hustle: Claude Hacks For Marketers

Some people use Claude to write emails. Others use it to basically run their entire business while they play Wordle.

This isn't just ChatGPT's cooler cousin. It's the AI that's quietly revolutionizing how smart people work – writing entire business plans, planning marketing campaigns, and basically becoming the intern you never have to pay.

The Hustle's new guide shows you exactly how the AI-literate are leaving everyone else behind. Subscribe for instant access.

Get our Claude playbook

Howdy folks,

Hope you're all crushing it!

If you're up for playing soccer with tech folks, reply to this email and I'll add you to the WhatsApp group. I know most of us haven't played in a long time and/or are out of shape — that's not the point. It's about having fun with the community before the World Cup starts and getting excited for the beautiful game. We're collaborating with Sphere and will be running a small tournament.

- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Founder Institute Houston 2026 Graduation + Demo Day

Startup Circle Houston 

Texas Venture Gala & Forum 2026

Techstars Pitch Series

Female Founders & Friends

Bayou City Startups May Happy Hour

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Your clients can't tell you dictated that.

That polished proposal? Dictated in two minutes. The detailed follow-up email? Spoken between meetings. The Slack update with clean formatting and exact numbers? Voice.

Wispr Flow turns everything you say into professional, send-ready text. Speak naturally — go on tangents, change your mind, circle back — and get output that reads like you spent twenty minutes writing it.

89% of messages sent with zero edits. Millions of professionals use Flow daily. Works in every app on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.

Start flowing free

Howdy!

Five years ago, a group of Houston builders led by Dr. Sunny Shuoyang Zhang decided the world didn't need another networking happy hour.

They wanted something wilder. Community without borders. Founders who didn't wait for permission to go global…

That bet paid off.

Born Global turns five this week — and they're celebrating at The Ion with the people who made it happen. New leadership steps up. Big announcements drop. And year six gets its first breath of air.

This is what makes Houston different. Engineers, operators, founders, and investors from every corner of the world — all under one roof, all serious about what's next.

No panels….Just builders reconnecting, new faces plugging in, and real conversations about where this thing is going.

📍 The Ion | Following Cup of Joey

If you've been part of the journey — show up. If you're new to the Houston scene, this is your handshake with a community that actually moves.

REGISTER!

- oleg 👊

Born Global Houston 5-Year Anniversary 🌎🌍🌏

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

Instagram post

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, May 4

⚡OTC - Day 1

Techstars Pitch Series

Innovation Norway OTC Tech Night

How to Get Your First 10 Customers Without a Marketing Team or Budget - Online

🤓💻AI Today, AI Tomorrow: Tools, Limits, and Direction

---

Tuesday, May 5

National Small Business Week Virtual Summit - Online

2026 Inc. Small Business Week Series - Online

⚡OTC - Day 2

EOS Workshop: Get a Grip on Your Business (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | The Ion, 4201 Main St)

Entrepreneurship Roundtable with OPEN (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM | The Ion, Conference Room 032)

AI Tinkerers Houston — May Meetup: Agentic Workflows (5:30–8:00 PM | Address revealed on RSVP)

Building with AI: From Idea to Production — Viva la IA! (5:00–7:00 PM | The Ion, 4201 Main St)

---

Wednesday, May 6

⚡OTC 2026 — Digital Startup Showcase (12:15–1:45 PM | NRG Center, Room 300)

⚡OTC - Day 3

Global Energy Network OTC Drinks Reception

---

Thursday, May 7

⚡OTC - Day 4

UHID Capstone Project Jury (1:00–4:30 PM | The Ion)

🚀🔥Ion Block Party + 4th Annual Crawfish Cookoff (4:00–7:00 PM | Ion Plaza, 4201 Main St)

🚀Houston AI Club — May Monthly Meetup (6:00–8:00 PM | 801 Travis St, Downtown)

🚀Side Project Society

---

Friday, May 8

🚀Cup of Joey | Ion (8:30–10:30 AM | Ion Houston, 4201 Main St)

🚀🔥Born Global Houston 5-Year Anniversary 🌎🌍🌏

🚀Startup Circle Houston (10:30–11:30 AM | The Ion, Lobby)

SCORE Office Hours @ The Ion (10:00–11:30 AM | The Ion, 4201 Main St)

NASA Office Hours @ The Ion (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | The Ion, 4201 Main St)

🤓Beyond Prototypes: Deploying Scalable AI Agents with AWS Bedrock AgentCore

---

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Startup Circle Houston 

Texas Venture Gala & Forum 2026

Techstars Pitch Series

Female Founders & Friends

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey friends!

You all, with friends at the Ion and Cup of Joey showed up for us — and it worked.

Beezi.ai hit #4 on Product Hunt on Friday, and we should be getting the Product of the Day badge. If you voted, thank you. Genuinely!

Now — watch this video from Alex Borja. I don't know what he's putting in his coffee, but whatever it is, Houston needs more of it. More of him. This city deserves creators who show up like this and host like Adrianne from Bayou City Startups… [LINK]

Also... I have a confession.

I didn't type a single word of this message. Not one. I spoke it — and WhisperFlow caught every syllable like a golden retriever fetching a tennis ball. Not Siri. Not Alexa. Something else entirely. Something that actually works.

If you've been sleeping on WhisperFlow, my friend, the alarm just went off. They also supported this newsletter. Please go check them out…

Investor updates. Board recaps. Done before your coffee gets cold.

High-stakes communications need precision and speed. Wispr Flow turns your spoken thinking into polished investor notes, board recaps, and executive summaries. It strips filler, formats numbers and lists, and preserves your tone — so what you paste is what you'd have spent an hour editing.

Use voice snippets for recurring formats: weekly updates, quarterly reports, stakeholder briefings. Consistent, professional, fast.

89% of messages sent with zero edits. Used by teams at OpenAI, Vercel, and Clay. Works on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.

Try Wispr Flow free

- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

🔥🌶️Latino Founders Forum – Houston Launch

Startup Circle Houston 

Houston AITX Community Monthly Meetup: Building Software (and Video Games) with Agents Friday, May 1

Techstars Pitch Series

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey friends,

I almost never hit your inbox except for my usual Sunday email, so when I do, I mean it.

Today's the day: Beezi AI is live on Product Hunt. 🚀

Beezi helps engineering teams build with AI in a way that's structured, secure, and cost-efficient and we've been heads-down building it here in Houston.

All I'm asking for is 30 seconds of your time. An upvote goes a long way for a small startup on launch day.

👉 https://www.producthunt.com/products/beezi-ai?launch=beezi-ai

And if you're local, come celebrate with us this morning at the Ion during Cup of Joey (9 AM to 11 AM).

Thank you for being part of this journey. Genuinely means a lot.

- oleg 👊

Hey all,

I’ve got a small ask.

We’re launching Beezi on Product Hunt, and I’d love your support.

First—join the waitlist:
https://www.producthunt.com/products/beezi-ai?launch=beezi-ai

Then, if you’re around, come hang with us in person as we hit “go.”

Beezi Product Hunt Launch

📅 Friday, April 24
🕘 9:00 AM
📍 The Ion (downstairs) ☕ Cup of Joey

It’s always more fun with friends in the room.

And when the page goes live, a vote from you would mean a lot. Every single one helps us push toward Product of the Day.

If you’ve been following what we’re building with Beezi, this is the moment.

Appreciate you.

- oleg 👊

Turn AI into Your Income Engine

Ready to transform artificial intelligence from a buzzword into your personal revenue generator?

HubSpot’s groundbreaking guide "200+ AI-Powered Income Ideas" is your gateway to financial innovation in the digital age.

Inside you'll discover:

• A curated collection of 200+ profitable opportunities spanning content creation, e-commerce, gaming, and emerging digital markets—each vetted for real-world potential

• Step-by-step implementation guides designed for beginners, making AI accessible regardless of your technical background

• Cutting-edge strategies aligned with current market trends, ensuring your ventures stay ahead of the curve

Download your guide today and unlock a future where artificial intelligence powers your success. Your next income stream is waiting.

Get Your Guide

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

AI 2026 and Beyond

Startup Circle Houston 

Houston AITX Community Monthly Meetup: Building Software (and Video Games) with Agents Friday, May 1

The Innovation Hub presents: Inaugural AI + Cybersecurity Conversation

devs Linkedin be like…

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey all,

Make sure to check out the new opportunities waiting for you in the MONEY ON THE TABLE section.

Can you use Perplexity Computer to build a billion-dollar company? Prove it. Compete for up to $1M in seed investment and $1M in Computer Credits.*

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, April 13

How Multiple Pivots positioned Checkbox as the 'Legal Front Door' for Corporations - Online

---

Tuesday, April 14


🚀AI Experience (AIXP): Houston - Day 1

Cup of JoeY | Puttery featuring the HRVCC

AI Tinkerers Houston: • 5:30PM to 8PM (CDT)April Meetu

🚀Mercury Fund Day at the Ion — Agentic Commerce (3:30–7:00 PM | The Ion, 4201 Main St)

RAVA AI Summit at Greentown Labs — Founders, Operators & Investors Building AI in Production (5:00–7:00 PM)

AI Tinkerers Houston — April Meetup, Live Code Demos (time TBD | Register at houston.aitinkerers.org)

🚀Rice AI Venture Accelerator Summit

You’re invited: Houzz AI and 3D Tech Happy Hour!5 PM - 7 PM

How to Onboard Users to Web3 Without Saying Blockchain 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

---

The ones showing up in LLMs convert 3× better than Google

They optimized for LLMs, not just Google.

FAQs. Comparison pages. Transparent pricing. LinkedIn presence. These aren't vanity plays. They're what gets you cited in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude when your buyers are researching, your investors are looking, and your future hires are deciding where to work.

Download the free AEO Playbook for Startups from HubSpot and get the exact checklist. Five minutes to read.

Unlock the playbook

Wednesday, April 15


🚀AI Experience (AIXP): Houston - Day 2
 
Cup of JoeY | Bay Area Houston 

Houston AI: Law & AI 4:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Perfecting Your Pitch 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm CDT

VDW 10 | Legal Leg Up: Startup Structure, Incorporation & Beyond 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

---

Thursday, April 16


🚀AI Experience (AIXP): Houston - Day 3

Happy Hour at Saint Arnold Brewery - Powered by & Motorola Solutions 12 PM - 5 PM

🚀GitHub Copilot Dev Days x Houston AI Club — AI-Assisted Coding Workshop (5:30–8:00 PM | 801 Travis St, 17th Floor)

North Houston .NET User Group (NHDNUG) — Monthly Meetup, 3rd Thursday (time TBD)

Houston Startup Speedrun

Cybersecurity for All: A Career Evolution

Immersive Audio - The Missing Half of XR Presence 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM CDT

🦄💰⚡Energytech Cypher Fundraising Workshop 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM


🚀Community. Connection By Impact Hub Houston 12:00 - 13:00 CT

---

Friday, April 17

🔥ENRG HTX - April 2026 8:30 AM - 10 AM

⚡Power, Molecules, and Capital: Shaping the Next Energy and Low-Carbon Cycle


🚀Cup of Joey — Weekly Open Networking at The Ion (8:30–10:30 AM | The Ion, 4201 Main St)

Creator Collective Launch

---

Saturday, April 18

Wade Pinder's Houston Startup Speedrun at Improving

---

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

AI 2026 and Beyond

ENRG HTX - April 2026

Startup Circle Houston 

Mercury Fund Day at the Ion: Building the Future of Agentic Commerce

Jokes aside, it can be helpful. Check out this article - “I Used Claude Code to File My Taxes. Here’s Exactly How I Did It (And Got a $6,500 Refund).” by leopardracer


FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Replace your first 4 hires with AI. Free workshop on April 8th.

Most early-stage founders can't afford their first four hires. Sales, marketing, dev, and support alone can run hundreds of thousands in salaries.

On April 8th, AI thought leader Heather Murray shows pre-seed and seed founders how to build all four functions using AI tools. Live, with demos, for free.

Register today and get a free AI tech stack worth $5K+ including Claude, AWS credits, Make, and 90% off HubSpot.

Save my free seat

HAPPY EASTER Y’ALL!

- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

AI in Oil & Gas Conference

AI 2026 and Beyond

ENRG HTX - April 2026

Startup Circle Houston 

Mercury Fund Day at the Ion: Building the Future of Agentic Commerce

Upstream: Digital Tech Meetup – Monthly Social 🍻

Waitlist

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

The ops hire that onboards in 30 seconds.

Viktor is an AI coworker that lives in Slack, right where your team already works.

Message Viktor like a teammate: "pull last quarter's revenue by channel," or "build a dashboard for our board meeting."

Viktor connects to your tools, does the work, and delivers the actual report, spreadsheet, or dashboard. Not a summary. The real thing.

There’s no new software to adopt and no one to train.

Most teams start with one task. Within a week, Viktor is handling half of their ops.

Add Viktor to Slack for free.

H-Town Roundup is officialy here!!!

Starts tomorrow. March 30 – April 3.

H-Town Roundup 2026 is Houston Exponential's flagship week — founders, investors, and tech talent, all under one roof. Core programming is free.

Register, show up early, stay late. The keynotes are great, but the real magic is in the margins — the hallway handshake, the parking lot conversation you almost skipped.

Schedule and speakers are live. Don't sleep on this.

REGISTER!

REGISTER

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

HTR 2026

Startup Circle Houston 

Houston AI Club April Meetup (April 2nd - 801 Travis St)

CHECK THIS OUT (Slap your MacBook. It screams back. That's it. =) - LINK 

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

How can AI power your income?

Ready to transform artificial intelligence from a buzzword into your personal revenue generator

HubSpot’s groundbreaking guide "200+ AI-Powered Income Ideas" is your gateway to financial innovation in the digital age.

Inside you'll discover:

• A curated collection of 200+ profitable opportunities spanning content creation, e-commerce, gaming, and emerging digital markets—each vetted for real-world potential

• Step-by-step implementation guides designed for beginners, making AI accessible regardless of your technical background

• Cutting-edge strategies aligned with current market trends, ensuring your ventures stay ahead of the curve

Download your guide today and unlock a future where artificial intelligence powers your success. Your next income stream is waiting.

Get Your Guide

Hola amigos,


1) H-Town Roundup is almost here,so Block Your Calendar!!!

March 30 – April 3. One week. Houston's entire innovation ecosystem under one roof.

H-Town Roundup 2026 is Houston Exponential's flagship week of programming, and it brings together the founders, investors, and tech talent that are quietly making this city one of the most exciting startup scenes in the country. The best part? Core programming is free.

NYC has their tech week. Miami has theirs. But HTR isn't trying to be any of those. It's the H-Town version: less posturing, more substance. Less velvet rope, more open door.

Here's what I'd tell any founder, operator, or curious tech person in Houston right now: register, show up early, and stay late. The keynotes are great, but the real magic happens in the margins — the 15 minutes before a session starts, the hallway handshake after a panel, the parking lot conversation you almost skipped.

The schedule and speaker lineup are already live. Don't sleep on this one.

REGISTER!

REGISTER

2) I’m speaking at AITX Community Houston next Thursday here’s the deal: I went to NVIDIA GTC and bringing back some takeaways… then we’re building GTM strategy together! every person in the room will walk out with a Claude skill built for their GTM. the actual thing. working. for your business and I’ll also show how Beezi AI plugs orchestration straight into your software development workflows see comments for the registration link Register!

3) A small group of CIOs, CTOs and senior technology leaders will come together for a closed door discussion on how AI is shifting from something you use to something that operates around you. The conversation will be led by Microsoft’s Preston Peine and Unified Communications Chief Strategist Ryan Herbst.

All accompanied by a private dinner and guided bourbon tasting at one of Houston’s most iconic restaurants.

When? - March 24th, 5:30 – 8:30 P.M. at Rainbow Lodge, Houston TX

Must be registered. LINK 👈

4) Don’t miss Cup of Capital (CERAWeek Edition) 

​Get introduced to other energy focused entrepreneurs and investors in Houston and attending CERAWeek.

• ​Meet members of the Capital Factory, Greentown Labs and Mercury Fund community.

• ​Drink some great coffee!
  
  Cheers,
  - oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

HTR 2026

Cup of Capital (CERAWeek Edition)

Startup Circle Houston 

CERAWeek Networking at Greentown Houston

Houston AI Club April Meetup (April 2nd - 801 Travis St)

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

AI Agents Are Reading Your Docs. Are You Ready?

Last month, 48% of visitors to documentation sites across Mintlify were AI agents—not humans.

Claude Code, Cursor, and other coding agents are becoming the actual customers reading your docs. And they read everything.

This changes what good documentation means. Humans skim and forgive gaps. Agents methodically check every endpoint, read every guide, and compare you against alternatives with zero fatigue.

Your docs aren't just helping users anymore—they're your product's first interview with the machines deciding whether to recommend you.

That means:
→ Clear schema markup so agents can parse your content
→ Real benchmarks, not marketing fluff
→ Open endpoints agents can actually test
→ Honest comparisons that emphasize strengths without hype

In the agentic world, documentation becomes 10x more important. Companies that make their products machine-understandable will win distribution through AI.

Make Your Docs Agent-Ready

Hey folks,

I’m traveling to NVIDIA GTC, so let's keep this one brief…

Few takaways from SXSW:

• we are in the EARLY early innings of AI.

• less than 10% global adoption (let that sink in)

• on-device AI is the next frontier. you do NOT want a big provider to flip a switch and kill your business overnight.

check out my LinkedIn post about SXSW here: [LINK]

nobody knows where AI is going… but you have to experiment. you have to be at the forefront. you have to create a vision for your startup even when the ground is shifting underneath you.

the new agility is coherence.

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

HTR 2026

Cup of Capital (CERAWeek Edition)

CERAWeek Networking at Greentown Houston

Born Global AI Forum

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey folks,

🚨 LAST DAY TO APPLY!!!

Win $500k of investment for your startup!

The SaaStock USA Pitch Competition is one of the biggest investment prizes in the United States.

If you're a SaaS founder and you're not throwing your hat in the ring, what are you doing?

This is the kind of opportunity most founders never even hear about. Now you've heard about it.

Today is the deadline. It closes tonight.

👉 [APPLY HERE]

P.S. — If you're in Houston, join us on Wednesday for SaaStack Local Houston. The topic: "Is AI Killing SaaS?"

Free drinks. Networking before and after. And the kind of conversation that usually only happens behind closed doors.

Come learn how to get discounted tickets to the full SaaStock USA conference.

REGISTER HERE 👉 [LINK] Use promo code "rocketnetwork" for 50% OFF

March 10th: The Panel Houston's SaaS Scene Needs Right Now

SaaStock Local Houston | Is AI killing SaaS: A panel on what’s actually changing - USE PROMOCODE - “rocketnetwork” for 50% OFF

Karen Gutierrez — CIO, HCA Healthcare 22 years in HealthTech. Board member at Latinas in Tech. Advisor at the Texas Medical Center Innovation HealthTech Accelerator. This is someone who's been making enterprise technology decisions at one of the largest healthcare companies on the planet — not tweeting about it. When she talks about what AI is actually changing in SaaS buying behavior, she's pulling from real procurement decisions that affect thousands of clinicians. That's the perspective you can't get from a podcast.

Vivek Dixit — Investor, Entrepreneur, C-Suite Leader 25+ years of global tech leadership. CTO, CIO, SVP of Products — he's held the roles at Oracle, Gartner, and Cognizant. Sits on multiple boards. Works directly with startup founders. The thing that makes Vivek dangerous on a panel like this? He's seen it from every angle — building large-scale systems AND guiding investment thesis. So when the question is "Is AI killing SaaS?" — he's the guy who can tell you what's actually happening to software economics AND what the money is doing about it.

Mark Scott — Founder & CTO, Sozala.ai Co-founded multiple venture-backed startups. Helped raise over $15M from angel through Series A+. Built and scaled SaaS platforms for enterprise clients across North America, Europe, and Asia. Led products from concept to production serving thousands of users in logistics, supply chain, and financial services. Now at Sozala.ai, he's leading real-world Agentic SDLC adoption — reshaping how software products are designed, built, and delivered. This isn't theory. This is someone who's been in the code AND the cap table.

David Williamson — SVP Engineering, Quorum Software 17 years at Quorum. Let that sink in. From consultant to SVP of Engineering — leading multiple product engineering teams, scaling globally (including building new teams in India), driving SRE and DevOps initiatives, and running acquisition integrations. He founded their annual global hackathon. When you hear "scaling SaaS platforms, teams, and execution" — David's not reading that off a slide. He's lived every painful, unglamorous moment of making enterprise SaaS actually work at scale.

See you there!

GOING TO SXSW? Check this out:

1) VIP Insider's Guide by Marc Nathan : LINK

2) HOUSTON SXSW Whats’s up group: LINK

3) LUMA SXSW: LINK

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Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

HTR 2026

GOING TO SXSW? DON’T MISS THIS ONE

Cup of Capital (CERAWeek Edition)

CERAWeek Networking at Greentown Houston

Born Global AI Forum

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

HOWDY Y’ALL!🤠

The Rodeo season is officially here, but here is what I’m excited about…

March 10th: The Panel Houston's SaaS Scene Needs Right Now

Real talk — most tech panels are just four people saying "AI is transformative" for an hour while the audience checks Slack.

This one's different.

SaaStock Local Houston is running "Is AI Killing SaaS?" on March 10 at Invincible (801 Travis St, 6PM), and the speaker lineup is kind of absurd. Let me break down why:

SaaStock Local Houston | Is AI killing SaaS: A panel on what’s actually changing - USE PROMOCODE - “rocketnetwork” for 50% OFF

Karen Gutierrez — CIO, HCA Healthcare 22 years in HealthTech. Board member at Latinas in Tech. Advisor at the Texas Medical Center Innovation HealthTech Accelerator. This is someone who's been making enterprise technology decisions at one of the largest healthcare companies on the planet — not tweeting about it. When she talks about what AI is actually changing in SaaS buying behavior, she's pulling from real procurement decisions that affect thousands of clinicians. That's the perspective you can't get from a podcast.

Vivek Dixit — Investor, Entrepreneur, C-Suite Leader 25+ years of global tech leadership. CTO, CIO, SVP of Products — he's held the roles at Oracle, Gartner, and Cognizant. Sits on multiple boards. Works directly with startup founders. The thing that makes Vivek dangerous on a panel like this? He's seen it from every angle — building large-scale systems AND guiding investment thesis. So when the question is "Is AI killing SaaS?" — he's the guy who can tell you what's actually happening to software economics AND what the money is doing about it.

Mark Scott — Founder & CTO, Sozala.ai Co-founded multiple venture-backed startups. Helped raise over $15M from angel through Series A+. Built and scaled SaaS platforms for enterprise clients across North America, Europe, and Asia. Led products from concept to production serving thousands of users in logistics, supply chain, and financial services. Now at Sozala.ai, he's leading real-world Agentic SDLC adoption — reshaping how software products are designed, built, and delivered. This isn't theory. This is someone who's been in the code AND the cap table.

David Williamson — SVP Engineering, Quorum Software 17 years at Quorum. Let that sink in. From consultant to SVP of Engineering — leading multiple product engineering teams, scaling globally (including building new teams in India), driving SRE and DevOps initiatives, and running acquisition integrations. He founded their annual global hackathon. When you hear "scaling SaaS platforms, teams, and execution" — David's not reading that off a slide. He's lived every painful, unglamorous moment of making enterprise SaaS actually work at scale.

Why this panel matters:

You've got a healthcare CIO, a multi-board investor-operator, a serial CTO who's shipping agentic AI right now, and an engineering leader who's been scaling the same platform for nearly two decades.

That's not a panel. That's a war room.

Free drinks. Networking before and after. And the kind of conversation that usually only happens behind closed doors.

REGISTER (USE PROMOCODE - “rocketnetwork” for 50% OFF)

See you there.

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My friend Adriane is hosting something cool!

March 8th. 2–5 PM. Eden Plant Co. in Houston.

It's a local SheBuilds event on Lovable.

The idea is simple:

Bring that app idea that's been sitting in your head (or your notes app). And actually build it. That day.

No tech background needed. No coding required.

Step-by-step support in plain language. Other curious people in Houston building alongside you.

This isn't a lecture. You'll be at a table, on your laptop, trying things out at your own pace with people around if you get stuck.

By the end — you'll have a simple app you made yourself.

All you need: a laptop, an idea (even a messy one), and a little curiosity.

Everyone's invited. Women especially encouraged to join.

Most days, ideas stay in your notes app. Let’s change that.
This International Women’s Day is a building day

My startup buddy Rishi is hosting a live demo at the ION.

Posture and spinal alignment screening.

No radiation. 30 seconds. Using a standard camera.

Most people have never seen this done this way.

Now they can.

Whether you're a founder, investor, or operator in healthtech — this is a rare chance to see early-stage medtech in action and meet the team building it.

Come for the future of clinical screening. Stay for the conversation.

REGISTER

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

HTR 2026

GOING TO SXSW? DON’T MISS THIS ONE

The Tech Soiree Cocktail Party

Cup of Capital (CERAWeek Edition)

Born Global AI Forum

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Happy ☀️Sunny Sunday Rocket Networkers,

This week is absolutely stacked. AI in energy. AI in healthcare. Founders pitching. Funders listening. Bootstrappers bootstrapping. NASA talking space. Someone's definitely getting a term sheet signed somewhere between Tuesday and Thursday.

Houston is buzzing right now -- you just have to show up.

Pick two or three events that make sense for where you are in your journey. Find your people. Whether that's a co-founder, a client, an investor, or just someone who gets what you're building -- they're out there this week, at one of these events, waiting for that awkward 15-minute conversation before the keynote starts.

The Oil Industry Has a Secret Nobody's Talking About

An entire generation of oilworkers is retiring.

And they're taking 40 years of hard-won knowledge with them. The kind of knowledge you can't Google. The kind that tells you something's wrong before the instruments do.

Here's the wild part. The industry only captures 2% of the data it generates. Engineers spend 80% of their time searching for information and writing reports. And we leave 95% of the oil in every shale reservoir sitting in the ground.

That's a knowledge problem. And AI might be the only thing that can fix it in time.

Collin McLelland, who's been on the rig floor, covered in drilling mud, watching this industry evolve from the inside, just got featured on a16z News, breaking down exactly why this moment matters. It's one of the best reads you'll find this week.

Go check it out: The Great Crew Change

In energy or energy tech? The people solving this are already gathering. Register for the Collide community and get in the room: LINK

Is AI Killing SaaS? Houston’s founders are about to find out.

REGISTER

SaaS is dead" is the hot take everyone's throwing around right now.

But the founders and CTOs who are actually building companies? Do they have a very different answer? And on March 10th, they're sharing it -- live, unfiltered, and in the same room as you.

SaaStock Local Houston is bringing together a panel of seriously badass SaaS CTOs, founders, and operators to have the conversation the industry keeps dancing around. No demos. No sales pitches. Just real talk from people who've been in the trenches.

The questions on the table are the ones keeping founders up at night -- what happens to your moat when execution gets cheaper? How do you price, grow, and compete when AI is your new co-founder? What does a winning SaaS company actually look like in 2026?

If you're building in this market, you need to be in this room.

Early bird tickets are still available -- grab one before they're gone.

And if you're an early-stage founder trying to save every dollar for ramen, message me directly. I'll hook you up with a free or discounted ticket. No founder should miss this one…

SaaStock Local Houston March 10th | 6--8:30pm The Invincible, 801 Travis St

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO APPLY -

MEET YOUR NEXT INVESTOR

Complete your application by February 23 to meet with pre-matched investors at Onward FX on April 21.

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, February 23


🏥HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP SERIES WITH RICHARD GREENHILL - AI Consulting In Healthcare - Online

ProductTank Houston - The MVE

 Mentoring Monday 2026

---

Tuesday, February 24

⚡2026 Energy HPC & AI Conference - Day 1

🏥Happy Hour at Therapeutic Labs @ TMC


🚀Cup of JoeY | The Innovation Hub

Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship career fair

🚀Design Dialogue: Explainability as Design - ExplainableAI at the Interface level

W.E. Build Houston Roadshow powered by Build In Tulsa

---

The Lithium Boom is Heating Up

Thanks to growing demand, lithium stock prices grew 2X+ from June 2025 to January 2026. $ALB climbed as high as 227%. $LAC hit 151%. $SQM, 159%.

But the real winner may be a stock not listed on public exchanges, EnergyX.

This $1B unicorn’s patented technology can recover 3X more lithium than traditional methods. That’s earned investment from leaders like General Motors.

Now they’re preparing for commercial production just as experts project 5X demand growth by 2040. They’ve announced what could be one of the US’ largest lithium production facilities and have rights to approximately 150,000 lithium-rich acres across North and South America.

Unlike public stocks, you can buy private EnergyX shares alongside 40,000+ other investors. Invest for $11/share by the 2/26 deadline.

Invest in EnergyX Today

_{This is a paid advertisement for EnergyX Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.energyx.com. Under Regulation A, a company may change its share price by up to 20% without requalifying the offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission.}

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Wednesday, February 25


🚀Cup of JoeY | The Woodlands

🚀Innovation and AI Summit

Space City Bootstrappers Monthly Hang

⚡2026 Energy HPC & AI Conference - Day 2

🏥Science Cafe: Synthesizing A Healthier You

VDW 8 | Pitching Bootcamp w/ Kyle

🚀💰🦄Founders and Funders Fusion (ETN)

🚀CPG Houston Happy Hour – Feb 25

🏅T.E.A.M Houston - Soccer Summit #3 - Prepare For Soccer Business 2026

---

Thursday, February 26

🚀💰🦄Founders & Funders Happy Hour | Houston (ROCKET NETWORK + TiE)


⚡2026 Energy HPC & AI Conference - Day 3

⚡♻️February Transition on Tap

Escaping the Cloud Complexity Tax with Software Ideas from the 1970s - Online

NASA Tech Talks: Technology Development Opportunities for Human Space Exploration

🚀Houston Innovation Commons: February Session

🚀Diaspora Africa Conference - Day 1

🚀Fuckup Nights Houston — VOL. 4: “The Fuckups We Don’t Put on LinkedIn”

---

Friday, February 27


🚀Cup of JoeY | Ion

🚀Diaspora Africa Conference - Day 2

🚀Startup Circle Houston 💫

🏥Lone Star HealthTech AI Summit 2026

₿Houston Crypto Meetup #26 (Houston Heights Crypto Bar Crawl)

🏥Healthy Brain Aging Conference w/ McGovern Medical School UTHealth Houston

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

post of the day 😅

Instagram post

FEATURED EVENTS

Founders & Funders Happy Hour | Houston

HTR 2026

February Transition On Tap

GOING TO SXSW? DON’T MISS THIS ONE

Innovation and AI Summit

The Tech Soiree Cocktail Party

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey Rocket Networkers,

Do you OpenClaw? If not, you gotta watch this - VIDEO (Credit to This Week in Startups)

Yes, there are safe ways to set it up….

OpenClaw connects LLM agents to real tools (email, databases, GitHub, Slack, etc.) to automate multi-step workflows across your tech stack.

Key Examples in the video:

• Presh built "Eywa" - an AI agent that manages customer outreach, compiles user data, writes documentation, researches wellness topics, and suggests/creates bug fixes autonomously. Claims he can now run multiple iOS apps with a tiny team instead of the traditional 10-person, $1-3M/year setup.

• Vishnu is simplifying OpenClaw's setup to make agentic automation accessible to non-technical teams, focusing on companies with complex operations and heavy SaaS tool usage.

• Sean connected Meta Ray-Ban glasses to Gemini Live + OpenClaw, enabling voice-activated agents with vision (e.g., look at a product, speak a command, agent adds it to your Amazon cart).

Bottom Line (per Jason): Agentic systems enable solo founders or tiny teams to build profitable niche apps that previously required 10+ employees. This means more apps, smaller teams, less VC dependency, and founders keeping more equity—fundamentally changing startup economics.

Houston-based cybersecurity startup Scan Ninja Inc has been selected as a Top 64 company in Startup Mania 2026

Startup Grind’s national, March Madness–style pitch competition featuring leading seed and Series A startups from across the country. The event takes place March 11 in Austin, where Scan Ninja Inc CEO Gary Martin will represent Houston on stage, competing head‑to‑head in front of venture investors and operators. The selection places Scan Ninja Inc among a highly competitive cohort chosen for traction, execution, and growth potential.

POST ON LINKEDIN

DialySafe just took 1st Place at the Rice Business Plan Competition Qualifier and is now headed to the RBPC Global Finals

DialySafe is building a patient-centered solution to make peritoneal dialysis smarter, simpler, and safer — especially for pediatric patients and their families. Their low-cost, capacitance-based sensor enables real-time infection detection at home, removing the guesswork and manual errors that make dialysis so stressful.

This is the kind of tech that brings clinical-grade safety into the living room — and real peace of mind to parents.

Founded at Rice and now part of Rice Nexus at The Ion.

Serious team. Serious mission.

They will be representing Rice University and Houston this April.

LINKEDEIN POST

GOING TO SXSW? Don’t miss this one

An exclusive one-day matchmaking event connecting founders with investors…

LINK

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, February 16

---

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From small wins to full-on ventures, this guide helps you turn AI skills into real results, without the overwhelm.

Get Your Free Guide

Tuesday, February 17

🚀Red Bull Basement

🦄💰Female Founders & Friends

Virtual VDW | Resilient Raises: Raising Money in a Tight Funding Environment

🤓💻Quantitative Trading: A First Look with QuantConnect and Python

🤓💻Turning Data into Trusted AI-Ready Assets

🤓💻MythBlazor: The journey to an experimental MythTV frontend using Blazor

---

Wednesday, February 18

Game Dev Showcase 

How to Start a Startup: Closing Corporate Contracts

How to get a NASA internship – OSTEM summer opportunities

2026 International Cancer Neuroscience Symposium

🏥 TMC AI Summit 2026 - Day 1

⚡NAPE EXPO - Day 1

🚀⚡NAPE Happy Hour

---

Thursday, February 19

Houston Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Mixer

🏥 TMC AI Summit 2026 - Day 2

🚀Cup of Joey at Space Center Houston

🏥Cappuccino Connections

⚡🦄💰ETN Fundraising Office Hours

⚡NAPE EXPO - Day 2

Software 2.0: It's Not Vibe Coding, But It's Not Business as Usual Either

---

Friday, February 20


🏥TMC AI Summit 2026 - Day 3

⚡NAPE EXPO - Day 3

 🚀Ion Networking with Cup of Joey

Mapping Houston’s Innovation Ecosystem

🚀Startup Circle Houston

🏥Houston Methodist Office Hours

---

Saturday, February 21
🚀TrueLeap Pop Up Library x Born Global Next Gen

February 2026 Houston Salesforce Saturday

---

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Founders & Funders Happy Hour | Houston

If you’re a founder working toward landing corporate and enterprise clients, you don’t want to miss this one.

Turning Data into Trusted AI-Ready Assets

HTR 2026

February Transition On Tap

GOING TO SXSW? DON’T MISS THIS ONE

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey Rocket Networkers,

The Business Journal covers the mega-rounds. The Fortune 500 CEOs. The safe bets…

Rocket Network? We cover whatever I'm discovering and excited about.

Could be a Houston-based plumber tool startup nobody's talking about yet. A group travel company quietly solving a problem you didn't know you had. The monthly tech event I get pumped for every single time (and I'm picky).

Oh, and a taco spot serving cactus tacos that'll make you rethink lunch.

We don't discriminate by company size. If it's cool, if it's moving, if it matters - it's in here.

This is where you meet professionals in tech before everyone knows their name. Learn about under-the-radar businesses before they blow up. Find the people and companies that need your help and your shoutouts.

Because the best deals, the best hires, and the best ideas? They're not on the cover of a glossy magazine.

They're right here.

I Took a Subscriber to Lunch. You Should Meet Her Too.

Monica beat everyone to win my "Best Taco in Houston" bracket. Her pick? Not Torchy's (sorry, everyone). Sarita's Taqueria -- this build-your-own spot tucked away that feels like Chipotle had a kid with your abuela's kitchen.

We met there this week. Tacos were insane. One of the interesting ones I got was the Nopales a la Mexicana - cactus with jalapeño, tomato, and onion. Sounds weird. Tastes legendary. 100% recommend the spot. 200% recommend connecting with Monica.

Because here's the thing: Monica is obviously good at finding delicious tacos, but she is also:

Born-and-raised Houstonian who lives at the intersection of cloud, DevOps, AI, Bolivia, and volunteer work. She works for a tech startup and is organizing a golf event in April to inspire the next generation of technologists. She's looking for panelists. She's plugged in. She's the exact kind of person you want in your network.

I asked her for an exclusive quote for Rocket Network. Here it is:

Her links:

• GHC 26 conference: ghc.anitab.org

• Upcoming events: membership.anitab.org/page/memberevents

• Speaker form: Google Form

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/monicahaaksma

Reach out to her on LinkedIn. Or DM me and I'll connect you if you want in on her conference or events.

Why I'm Doing This

I want to know my subscribers. Help them grow. Connect them. That's the goal. Also? I get to try hidden gems in Houston without eating lunch alone.

Next time: Favorite BBQ spot. Get your recommendations ready.

Patent-Pending Plumbing Tool? Yeah, We Got That.

Patent-Pending Plumbing Tool? Yeah, We Got That.

If your Super Bowl party gets out of hand…too many cactus tacos, pipes acting up…you know the drill.

Jokes aside: Master plumber Sebastian Merrell and startup veteran Kieran Skelly built a faster, cleaner way to apply plumbing primer. Patent pending. Already selling through a distributor with rave reviews.

Wild part? They're eyeing an exit in two years.

Right now, they're hunting for a strategic partner to scale injection molding and expand national distribution. If that's you — or you know someone who builds stuff that goes into Home Depot - hit them up.

Contact: primer-wand-web-app.vercel.app
Kieran's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ACoAAA2Z6fABuZzg8BVR-nu1mZnrdt9sdX9KNs0

Because the best businesses don't always look sexy. Sometimes they just solve a real problem plumbers deal with every single day.

My Favorite Software Event in Houston

Рouston is uniquely weird. All energy and healthcare. People complain it's not Austin for software founders.

They're wrong.

My favorite software event in Houston used to be called Software Day at the Ion. Now it's "Mercury Fund Day at the Ion"—and it's still the best monthly spot for software founders to connect with real mentorship.

This month's topic: The New FDE Model: How to Deploy with Scale in Legacy Industries

Moderated by Alex Gras of Mercury Fund. Panelists:

• John Kalfayan – Collide

• Hunter Honnessy – Unlimited AI

All three are great Houston builders with fresh perspectives you won't hear anywhere else.

If you do anything related to software, AI, or startups, you need to be there.

REGISTER

Meet the Founder Behind JetQuest

Jonathon Lewis isn't your typical travel founder.

He's the true embodiment of Houston hustle. Shows up to every event. Works out. Always grinding to grow himself as a founder.

JetQuest is a group travel community using AI to connect hosts with people who want the right travel crew. Real experiences. Real community. That's the currency now.

The challenges of running a travel club got messy, so they built their own platform.

He tried living in Bali for three months. Amazing place. Terrible time zones for his US team. So he moved to Medellín, Colombia instead. Affordable. Better food. Better views. Better energy. And his team can actually reach him.

Jonathon might be hiring devs for equity or a CTO. Hit him up.

Watch his full story here: LINK
Connect: linkedin.com/in/jonathon-lewis-9b697768

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

Crypto disaster sends $44 billion in bitcoins to random users — exchange accidentally makes funds vanish thanks to a typo 📀 NEW K-POP ALBUM TO BE ANNOUNCED =)

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, February 9

How to Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset - Online

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Tuesday, February 10

🔥🌶️Mercury Fund Day

AI-Ready Small Business Lab

Houston Expo & Tech Forum

Measuring an Economy in Transition With William Beach

---

Wednesday, February 11

In-Space Physical AI Workshop

Whiteboards N Whiskey

🚀Plugged In - Coffee Meet Up

🚀Cup of Joey Sugar Land

Opsin + Al Lindseth

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Get the free report today.

---

Thursday, February 12

🦄💰Angel Investing 101

🏥Pints & Prototypes

Fundraising Workshop + Office Hours

🤓💻Building an Offline, End-to-End Voice Assistant with .NET & MAUI

🤓💻Bring Your Own Code: Debug, Refactor & Improve

Out in Tech Houston | Monthly Mixer

⚡🚀Upstream: Digital Tech Meetup Feb 12

🦄💰TechCon SouthWest 2026 - Austin Day 1

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Friday, February 13

🚀Cup of Joey

⚡🚀Determined to Lead Lunch Series: Dichotomy of Doing More With Less with Collide

Startup Circle Houston

🚀Innov8 Hub - Startup Resources - From Research to Enterprise: Immigration & Innovation

SCORE + NASA Office Hours

🦄💰TechCon SouthWest 2026 - Austin Day 2

Saturday, February 14

🚀Backend Horizons - Online

February 2026 Houston Salesforce Saturday

---

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Founders & Funders Happy Hour | Houston

TechCon SouthWest 2026

Turning Data into Trusted AI-Ready Assets

HTR 2026

February Transition On Tap

The AI in Business Pitch Competition gives undergraduate and graduate student teams the chance to present AI-powered startup ventures that address real-world challenges, with the opportunity to win up to $250,000 in cash prizes. The AI Dissertation Proposal Competition recognizes outstanding doctoral research examining how artificial intelligence is transforming business and society, with $10,000 awards. Learn more in the links below about how you can submit today!
AI in Business Pitch Competition Submission Form

Looking to launch a startup in the Houston area or SE Texas? the Final Application Deadline for the Houston Spring 2026 Founder Institute accelerator is on Sunday (Jan 25, 2026).

🚀 I'm proud to support the Houston Founder Institute, a program designed to provide structure, feedback, and supportive networks for the next generation of entrepreneurs. The Houston Spring 2026 program is accepting applications and kicks off in February 2026. You can apply using my referral link for priority access with the global admissions office: https://fi.co/apply/houston/mentor-2511431

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey Rocket Networkers,

How about some stories from H-town you actually need to know about?

Houston's TrueLeap just closed an oversubscribed $3.3M seed.

They're building last-mile AI infrastructure in places everyone else ignores.

Led by Joe Swinbank Family Limited Partnership, with participation from additional strategic partners that think in decades, not quarters.

Here's what matters: TrueLeap makes enterprise knowledge actually work at the last mile. Where everything usually falls apart.

Co-founders are Dr. Sunny Zhang and Dr. Sandip Bordolo.

Sunny also founded Born Global, backing early-stage tech startups led by immigrant and foreign-born founders. Born Global combines three pieces: a VC fund, a venture builder studio, and a global network. They provide capital, connections, and the kind of support that matters when you're building from scratch in a new country.

She only backs cockroach founders. The ones who don't fold when it gets ugly.

Sunny connects Houston to the world and knows survival isn't optional.

Dr. Bordolo brings the technical depth to turn vision into working systems.

Together they're building infrastructure that lasts. Pipes, not pitch decks.

We are lucky to have them here in Texas!

Exclusive for Rocket Network subscribers:

“Our work at TrueLeap Inc. has always been about people. This round allows us to build last-mile AI and knowledge infrastructure that meets communities where they are — and grows with them.” - Dr. Sunny Shuoyang Zhang 

Read the full story: LINK

FluxWorks just raised $5 million seed to bring Celestial Gear to market.

FLUXWORKS LINKEDIN ANNOUNCEMENT

Scout Ventures led the round.

Here's why this matters: FluxWorks is solving real hardware bottlenecks in robotics and automation. Not incremental fixes. Ground-up reimagining.

They've got backing from the Office of Strategic Capital and Michigan Capital Network. That tells you something about what they're building.

Not only do they make better gears, but they are also rebuilding critical pieces of US industrial infrastructure.

Shoutouts to Bryton Praslicka, PhD and the entire FluxWorks team.

I met Bryton in 2023. He was grinding through prep for the Rice Business Plan competition.

Super smart guy. Also, he is a RocketNetwork subscriber. Lives in the neighborhood.

Now he just closed $5M seed for FluxWorks.

This is how it works. You put in the work when nobody's watching. You don't quit…Then you win.

Exclusive for Rocket Network subscribers:

“This raise is about launching our products commercially. We are excited to turn our pilots to stories that set a precedent for our impact in robotics and automation.” - Bryton Praslicka, PhD

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

But seriously, AI agents now have their own Reddit-style social network, and it’s getting weird fast…

Read more here - LINK

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, February 2


Entrepreneurship Roundtable

🤓💻AI Tools & Real-World Comparisons

🚀SOLIDWORKS HARD-TECH MEETUP

---

Tuesday, February 3

🚀Tech+Tequila Talk

SheMeansBusiness

₿Token Talk: Houston - Tokenizing Real World Assets

VDW 7 | Solutions to Storytelling: Marketing Yourself and Your Venture

🦄💰ACCAP Monthly Investor Networking

---

Wednesday, February 4

AI Demo Day Q1 - Online

Want to get the most out of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a superpower if you know how to use it correctly.

Discover how HubSpot's guide to AI can elevate both your productivity and creativity to get more things done.

Learn to automate tasks, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation with the power of AI.

Download the free guide

---

Thursday, February 5

🚀Ion Block Party

invincible Cafecito Open House

🚀Houston AI Club February Meetup (February 5th - 801 Travis St)

Side Project Society - February Meetup

---

Friday, February 6

🚀Cup of Joey

Welcome to the Ion

🚀Startup Circle

---

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

👉ROCKET NETWORK DEALS👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Houston SMTA Expo & Tech Forum

TechCon SouthWest 2026

SWAN Q1 2026 Pitch Event - Feb 5

HTR 2026

Houston AI Club February Meetup (February 5th - 801 Travis St)

In-Space Physical AI Workshop

APPLY

The AI in Business Pitch Competition gives undergraduate and graduate student teams the chance to present AI-powered startup ventures that address real-world challenges, with the opportunity to win up to $250,000 in cash prizes. The AI Dissertation Proposal Competition recognizes outstanding doctoral research examining how artificial intelligence is transforming business and society, with $10,000 awards. Learn more in the links below about how you can submit today!
AI in Business Pitch Competition Submission Form

Looking to launch a startup in the Houston area or SE Texas? the Final Application Deadline for the Houston Spring 2026 Founder Institute accelerator is on Sunday (Jan 25, 2026).

🚀 I'm proud to support the Houston Founder Institute, a program designed to provide structure, feedback, and supportive networks for the next generation of entrepreneurs. The Houston Spring 2026 program is accepting applications and kicks off in February 2026. You can apply using my referral link for priority access with the global admissions office: https://fi.co/apply/houston/mentor-2511431

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey Rocket Networkers,

How about some stories from H-town you actually need to know about?

Houston-Based - PraxisPro Closes $6M to Fix Life Sciences' Data Nightmare

Life Sciences sales teams operate in the dark… Their customer data? Fragmented. Incomplete. Sometimes it doesn't exist at all. Yet they're expected to make critical commercial decisions that determine whether breakthrough therapies reach patients or gather dust in warehouses.

That's the problem Cameron Badger, Dr. Benjamin A., and Bhrugu G. set out to solve with PraxisPro.

Their pitch is simple: better-prepared salespeople get more treatments into doctors' hands, which means more patients get help. The Techstars 2024 alum just closed an oversubscribed $6M seed round to make that happen.

"If we can give commercial teams the ability to prepare, practice, and engage at a higher level, consistently and responsibly, then we're not just improving commercial operations—we're helping ensure that innovative therapies reach the patients who need them most," says Badger.

Translation? They're rebuilding the broken infrastructure that keeps life-saving drugs from reaching the people who need them.

This team is closing the gap between innovation and impact in one of the most regulated, highest-stakes industries in the world.

Read the full story: TechCrunch

Credit - Techstars

Screen Skinz Lands Shark Tank Deal with Alexis Ohanian and Mr. Wonderful

Wayne Pfeffer, Clay Canning, and Houston-based RaShaun Brown walked into the Tank with a wild idea: screen protectors that turn your phone into art when it's off and disappear when it's on.

They asked for $300K at a 7.5% stake.

They walked out with a deal from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Kevin O'Leary.

Screen Skinz is making something boring (screen protectors) unexpectedly cool. The kind of product people show their friends. The kind of product that spreads.

That's the genius of it. They took a commoditized product category and added personality.

Now they've got two investors who understand platform thinking, virality, and how to scale consumer brands. This could get interesting fast.

Credit - ABC

Watch the pitch: Unofficial YouTube clip
Order one yourself: Screen Skinz on Instagram

Brad Burke's Retirement Marks the End of an Era (and the Start of a New One)

After 25 years at Rice, Brad Burke is stepping down this summer.

If you're in Houston's startup ecosystem, you know his work: the Rice Alliance, the Rice Business Plan Competition (now the world's largest student startup competition), and the Ion — a hub that's become essential infrastructure for founders, investors, and operators.

But here's what matters more than the titles: Brad showed up.

Biketoberfest 2024

He even rode with us during Biketoberfest. He supported entrepreneurs in real, tangible ways. Brad was able to build trust, culture, and a platform that founders rely on.

That's rare. Leadership that sticks around. Leadership that gives a damn.

The good news? JR's stepping in, and the foundation is solid. Burke's legacy is built to last.

Read the full story by Innovation Map - LINK

---

Don’t miss Founders & Funders Happy Hour | Houston

on THURSDAY!

Cheers,
- oleg 👊

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, January 26

Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback

---

Tuesday, January 27

Texas Business Expo

🚀Founder Hotseat: Pitch Your Startup to Houston Investors & Advisors

Hiring in 8 countries shouldn't require 8 different processes

This guide from Deel breaks down how to build one global hiring system. You’ll learn about assessment frameworks that scale, how to do headcount planning across regions, and even intake processes that work everywhere. As HR pros know, hiring in one country is hard enough. So let this free global hiring guide give you the tools you need to avoid global hiring headaches.

Download the free guide today

---

Wednesday, January 28


Buying and Selling Businesses

ETN Lunch and Learn: Featuring Sunipro

🚀Plug and Play Sugar Land - Innovation Town Hall

🚀CPG Houston Happy Hour – Jan 28

🚀Space City Bootstrappers Monthly Hang

2026 CHF Annual Meeting RSVP

---

Thursday, January 29

🏥Health Policy Symposium

🦄💰ETN Fundraising Office Hours

Ignition Hub Startup Career Fair

🏥Happy Hour @ CDI

₿Vibe Coding in Web3

₿Inside Cryptography: Keys, Trust and Signatures

🦄💰🚀Founders & Funders Happy Hour | Houston

---

Friday, January 30

 🚀Ion Networking with Cup of Joey

Cybersecurity Circle

🚀Startup Circle (10.30AM)

SCORE + NASA Office Hours

🏥Houston Methodist Office Hours

---

Some of you won’t even know this band. Spotted in the wild Linkedin meme…

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Founders & Funders Happy Hour | Houston

Founder Hotseat: Pitch Your Startup to Houston Investors & Advisors

Houston SMTA Expo & Tech Forum

Vibe Coding in Web3

TechCon SouthWest 2026

SWAN Q1 2026 Pitch Event - Feb 5

HTR 2026

Economic Forecast 2026

Entrepreneur Insights: From Idea to Impact

Houston AI Club February Meetup (February 5th - 801 Travis St)

APPLY

APPLY

The AI in Business Pitch Competition gives undergraduate and graduate student teams the chance to present AI-powered startup ventures that address real-world challenges, with the opportunity to win up to $250,000 in cash prizes. The AI Dissertation Proposal Competition recognizes outstanding doctoral research examining how artificial intelligence is transforming business and society, with $10,000 awards. Learn more in the links below about how you can submit today!
AI in Business Pitch Competition Submission Form

Looking to launch a startup in the Houston area or SE Texas? the Final Application Deadline for the Houston Spring 2026 Founder Institute accelerator is on Sunday (Jan 25, 2026).

🚀 I'm proud to support the Houston Founder Institute, a program designed to provide structure, feedback, and supportive networks for the next generation of entrepreneurs. The Houston Spring 2026 program is accepting applications and kicks off in February 2026. You can apply using my referral link for priority access with the global admissions office: https://fi.co/apply/houston/mentor-2511431

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey Rocket Networkers,

First things first…

Last week I asked about your taco choices. Torchy's won with 27.3%. I randomly picked Monica G as our Taco Hang winner. Her favorite spot: Sarita's at 10305 Bauman Rd. Can't wait to try it.

Now let's talk about some in-person magic.

It’s January, but things are heating up if we talk about tech and startup events…

I’m pumped for the first Bayou City Startups January Happy Hour meetup it’s 🔥🌶️ and 🚀

SO YOU MUST ATTEND TO CONNECT with folks in the HTX startup community…who are building right now!

What else?

Based on the chart below, Texas is crushing it in Energy. No surprise…But we need to step up our AI capital raises to improve the overall picture.

Credit - Peter Walker

How do we improve this picture?

Welp, how about we start with connecting founders with resources?!

Be sure to check out Houston-based AI clubs - https://www.houstonaiclub.com/ and https://luma.com/AITX

and of course, we are co-hosting monthly Founders & Funders Happy Hour… - LINK
Also find some good insights here - What’s Ahead in 2026 and A Year-in-Overview by
Ion–Rice Alliance

Here's the thing about networking in 2026: It's not about collecting LinkedIn connections. For me personally, it’s about helping each other win.

You know someone raising capital? Introduce them to an investor.

You know someone stuck on a technical problem? Connect them with an engineer who solved it.

You hear about a grant opportunity? Share it.

Your network grows when you help others grow theirs. Not before. So show up to these events. Meet people. Ask what they're working on. Ask what they need. Then figure out how you help!

That's how you build something real and LET’S GO TEXANS!!!!!!!!!!

- oleg

P.S. Know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, January 19

---

Tuesday, January 20

Greater Houston Business Procurement Breakfast

🏥G-Rex Grant Tour Houston

it’s 🔥🌶️ and 🚀 Bayou City Startups January Happy Hour

🦄💰Angel Investing 101

🦄💰Female Founders & Friends

Moshe Vardi: World Logic Day Lecture


🤓💻AI K-Pop Demon Hunters: Building Solarpunk Software Teams

Introducing the first AI-native CRM

Connect your email, and you’ll instantly get a CRM with enriched customer insights and a platform that grows with your business.

With AI at the core, Attio lets you:

• Prospect and route leads with research agents

• Get real-time insights during customer calls

• Build powerful automations for your complex workflows

Join industry leaders like Granola, Taskrabbit, Flatfile and more.

👉 Try Attio Pro for free

---

Wednesday, January 21


Perfecting Your Pitch

🚀⚡Real-Time Monitoring & AI for Offshore Safety Operations

🤓💻Code4Y’all: AI Tools & Real-World Workflows

⚡Town Hall by Energytech Nexus

🤓💻AI-Assisted Development with GitHub Copilot - hands on!

---

Thursday, January 22

NASA Tech Talks: Rice Space Institute and the UK Consulate

HEAD AND HEART: Leading Technology with Humanity While Everything Changes

🤓💻AWS's AI Bet: What re:Invent 2025 Actually Means

---

Friday, January 23

🚀Ion Networking with Cup of Joey

🚀Startup Circle (10.30AM)

Cybersecurity Circle

SCORE + NASA Office Hours

Houston Get Capital Ready Small Business Hackathon

---

Saturday January 24

MADabolic x Ion District

Houston Robotics Group@TXRX Labs

---

Sunday, January 25

🤓💻Houston Code & Coffee

---

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Founders & Funders Happy Hour | Houston

Founder Hotseat: Pitch Your Startup to Houston Investors & Advisors

Houston AITX Monthly Meetup: Claude Code Workshop

Houston SMTA Expo & Tech Forum

Vibe Coding in Web3

HealthStack Virtual Summit | Blavity, Inc. | Fri, Jan 23, 2026

TechCon SouthWest 2026

SWAN Q1 2026 Pitch Event

HTR 2026

Economic Forecast 2026

Entrepreneur Insights: From Idea to Impact

APPLY

APPLY

The AI in Business Pitch Competition gives undergraduate and graduate student teams the chance to present AI-powered startup ventures that address real-world challenges, with the opportunity to win up to $250,000 in cash prizes. The AI Dissertation Proposal Competition recognizes outstanding doctoral research examining how artificial intelligence is transforming business and society, with $10,000 awards. Learn more in the links below about how you can submit today!
AI in Business Pitch Competition Submission Form

Looking to launch a startup in the Houston area or SE Texas? the Final Application Deadline for the Houston Spring 2026 Founder Institute accelerator is on Sunday (Jan 25, 2026).

🚀 I'm proud to support the Houston Founder Institute, a program designed to provide structure, feedback, and supportive networks for the next generation of entrepreneurs. The Houston Spring 2026 program is accepting applications and kicks off in February 2026. You can apply using my referral link for priority access with the global admissions office: https://fi.co/apply/houston/mentor-2511431

Credit - LINK

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.

Hey Rocket Networkers,

Last week, I asked what you wanted to see more of.

Two things crushed it: deeper Houston & Texas Tech news and curated events worth your time.

So I spent the week digging into what Texas companies did at CES. Full disclosure: I didn't go…But I tracked down what our state brought to Vegas, and we showed up…

The big picture:

CES 2026 was about physical AI. Humanoid robots. Industrial operating systems. Boston Dynamics showed off a production-ready Atlas heading to Hyundai factory floors by 2028. Siemens and NVIDIA announced an industrial AI OS.

Cool stuff. But here's what got my attention: Texas companies brought solutions that work today.

Texas Instruments: The Quiet Giant

TI showcased automotive semiconductors for autonomous driving up to SAE Level 3. They unveiled the TDA5 chip family delivering 10 to 1,200 TOPS of edge AI compute. They partnered with BLUETTI on the Apex 300 home battery backup hitting 20W AC idle power consumption. Best in the industry.

This is boring innovation that prints money.

Dell: Back in the Game

Dell (Round Rock) announced its return to consumer products. New XPS laptops with best battery life in class. Expanded Alienware gaming lineup. World's first 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitor.

Not bad for a company everyone wrote off.

Saltgator: The $299 Disruptor

This Dickinson, Texas startup (founded in 2025 with Hong Kong operations) unveiled the world's first desktop soft gel injection molding machine for $299. Smaller than a coffeemaker. Takes 10 minutes to produce rubbery, flexible items. Works with 3D-printed molds.

RobotLAB: Texas’s Robotics Play

RobotLAB (based in Southlake) opened in Houston July 2024 under U.S. Army vet Keith Edwards. Eight food delivery robots across four Houston locations. Run from their Westchase office.

Why they matter: Only franchised robotics integrator in the U.S. They don't sell robots. They make them work. Custom programming. Integration. Training. Support.

Thousands of robots deployed. Restaurants. Hotels. Hospitals. Schools. They partner with two-thirds of school districts teaching robotics and AI.

Top 3 Franchise Brand for 2025 (up from Top 10).

The genius: They integrate robots, not build them. The hard part nobody wants to do. And they've franchised it.

Check them out: linkedin.com/company/robotlabinc/about/

Starling Medical: Houston's Dark Horse

Starling Medical is a Houston-based company building medical devices that solve problems, not pitch decks full of buzzwords.

I'm hoping to dig into their story at one of our future newsletters. If you're in healthtech, follow them now: linkedin.com/company/starling-medical

More Texas tech deep-dives coming. More founder stories. More events worth your time.

Keep the feedback coming. I'll buy you tacos.

Seriously…

Here are the top 5 taco 🌮 spots in Houston (according to GPT and me). Which one is your favorite? Vote for one of these or reply with your own pick. I'll randomly select one subscriber and we'll grab tacos together (or I'll send you a gift card).

- Oleg👊

P.S. P.S. know a Texas company doing something insane? hit reply.
Got a founder friend who needs to hear this? forward them this email. let's raise Houston's tech game together.

At Rocket Network, we do the dirty work for you, curating Houston's tech scene so you spend less time scrolling and more time building. Want to be featured or sponsor? Hit reply.

I told the AI that’s not where Houston is… then gave up after prompt #3

LET'S ROCKET NETWORK!

HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, January 12

🤓💻Show Us Your IT Project / Website

Business Strategy on a Budget: Avoid Costly Mistakes Early - Online

---

Tuesday, January 13

🏅Tech+Tequila Talk: How AI-Based Audience Intelligence Gives Full Insight Into Soccer Fans

⚡Financing the Future: Bringing Enhanced Geothermal Systems to Scale

Your Path to the Boardroom: An Evening with Dr. Keith Dorsey

🎖️Cup of Joey FT HRVCC

🏥9th Annual Texas Medical Center Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Conference (Pre-meeting workshop)

🚀₿Token Talk: Houston - Open Mic Night 2026

Introducing the first AI-native CRM

Connect your email, and you’ll instantly get a CRM with enriched customer insights and a platform that grows with your business.

With AI at the core, Attio lets you:

• Prospect and route leads with research agents

• Get real-time insights during customer calls

• Build powerful automations for your complex workflows

Join industry leaders like Granola, Taskrabbit, Flatfile and more.

👉 Try Attio Pro for free

---

Wednesday, January 14

VDW 6 | People Power: Igniting Connections for Startup Success

A Conversation with Dr. Wayne J. Riley on Leading Through Healthcare Transformation

🏥9th Annual Texas Medical Center Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Conference - Day 1

---

Thursday, January 15

10 Guiding Principles for a Winning Marketing Strategy

🏥9th Annual Texas Medical Center Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship Conference - Day 2

⚡ETN Fundraising Office Hours

🤓💻Simplifying Data Fetching in React: A Crash Course on RTK Query

---

Friday, January 16

Ion Networking with Cup of Joey

Cybersecurity Circle

Mapping Houston’s Ecosystem

Startup Circle Houston (10:30 AM, Check this post - LINK)

Coffee & Company: Founder Fridays

DTL Women's Lunch Series: Building a Business with Anne Schaeddel

---

👉📅ROCKET NETWORK HTX CALENDAR 📅👈

⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!

FEATURED EVENTS

Token Talk: Houston - January Meeting

HealthStack Virtual Summit | Blavity, Inc. | Fri, Jan 23, 2026

TechCon SouthWest 2026

SWAN Q1 2026 Pitch Event

Growth by Design 

HTR 2026

Economic Forecast 2026

Entrepreneur Insights: From Idea to Impact

APPLY

Looking to launch a startup in the Houston area or SE Texas? the Final Application Deadline for the Houston Spring 2026 Founder Institute accelerator is on Sunday (Jan 25, 2026).

🚀 I'm proud to support the Houston Founder Institute, a program designed to provide structure, feedback, and supportive networks for the next generation of entrepreneurs. The Houston Spring 2026 program is accepting applications and kicks off in February 2026. You can apply using my referral link for priority access with the global admissions office: https://fi.co/apply/houston/mentor-2511431

FEATURED JOBS
__________________________________________

_{Disclaimer: The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by any sponsors. All opinions and information are those of the author and not of the sponsors or affiliated organizations}.