Houston—Texas is synonymous with cars: wide roadways that extend into open spaces. The state hosts the Cadillac Ranch (a public art installation made up of the iconic automobile), and, course, the city of Houston is home to the global oil and gas industry.
Plenty of innovation in the transportation sector is also taking place in Texas. Nick Kennedy, co-founder and CEO of Rise in Dallas, and Joseph Kopser, who founded and sold Austin’s RideScout to a division of Mercedes-Benz two years ago, are among those pioneers.
They both are part of the lineup for Xconomy’s upcoming Texas Disruptors conference on October 27 at the Texas Medical Center’s TMCx accelerator in Houston. The daylong forum is featuring some of the most forward-thinking executives, founders, investors, and scientists who are leading innovation in Texas.
Disruptors 2016 will feature fireside chats and talks on innovation in transportation, space and arctic environments, big data and biotech, and artificial intelligence, among other topics.
Kennedy started Rise, an “all-you-can-fly” airline company, with the idea of creating time for his customers, typically road-warrior business executives. Since receiving FAA approval last year, the airline has added service beyond its founding Texas routes to neighboring states, and Kennedy says his aim is to use data and software to provide a private-jet style of service whenever his customers need it most.
Meanwhile, I first met Kopser three years ago at a local Houston startup pitch event just as he was beginning the geographic expansion of RideScout, a smartphone app that brought together bus routes, car-sharing companies, and other modes of getting from place A to B. By the time he sold the Austin-based RideScout in 2014, the app was in nearly 70 cities and Kopser himself had become somewhat of a transportation enthusiast and public policy advocate.
Both men are dynamic speakers. We hope you can join us on October 27 for this special event.
