Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news from around Texas.
—The biggest news this past week was learning that Houston’s Surge Ventures has canceled its accelerator program indefinitely. Founder Kirk Coburn told me how and why he came to that decision.
—Cutting edge research and a talented management team are key to bringing innovative products to market. At the recent MEST conference in Houston, another factor was touted: Diversity.
—Vinli, a Dallas-based connected car device maker, introduced a tablet-style dashboard product which will be offered in new cars.
—The Dallas Entrepreneur Center, along with AT&T, IBM, and Microsoft, and others have formed Dallas Innovation Alliance, an effort to use technological innovation to promote sustainable economic growth while improving quality of life for residents. The initiative is part of a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy effort.
—The inaugural class at TMCx, the Texas Medical Center’s startup accelerator, made its debut at a demo day featuring 21 medical device startups from Texas and around the world.
—Comfy, an Austin, TX-based app, initially designed to help college students find housing, raised $1.25 million in seed funding to launch a bill-paying service that allows roommates to split bills and living expenses.
—Dallas’s Motive Accelerator debuted its first batch of real estate-focused technology companies.
—Falling oil prices means Austin’s Omni Water Solutions changes tack and returns to its roots in water conservation, while still keeping a hand in energy.
—Innovation at the front lines, that’s the focus of the Dallas-based Emerge accelerator, which had its demo day recently. The program came about through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
