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- 🔥 What's hot in Houston's innovation scene this week?
Howdy Rocket Networkers,
There are two Giorgios you need to know in Houston.
The first is launching Lumino, a fintech startup on a mission to fix payment processing for business owners. The two-sentence version: Lumino bundles payments, software, and financial workflow tools into one operating system so businesses get better cash flow and actual control over their revenue. Their "Conscious Commerce" model gives every business its own dedicated merchant account… no hidden fees, no surprise fund seizures, no predatory fine print.
They're hosting a VIP reception -- if you're an investor or want smarter payment processing for your business, [apply to join here]. Or DM me and I'll make the introduction.
They're based in the Ion and planning plenty more events, so go follow them on LinkedIn.
The second Giorgio makes sure you don't walk into an investor meeting unprepared. Founders: he'll pressure-test your pitch before the people writing checks do. Investors: this is also a deal flow goldmine -- vetted founders, already pitch-ready.
Do you think you're ready to talk to investors?
Get a free VC readiness report before you're in the room. Takes minutes, costs nothing, and tells you exactly where investors will push back.
👉Run your free VC readiness report👈
One last thing...
🏅🔥Female Founders & Friends: Sports Edition is Tuesday, July 21, 9-11 AM at Sesh Collective. Houston is hosting the World Cup, so this month's meetup celebrates women building in sports, fitness, and entertainment. Real speakers, real conversation, no pitching.
[RSVP here]
- 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!
We are using emojis to guide subscribers in our event list 📅📍
🚀 - must attend
🔥🌶️ - something hot
🤓💻 - good for developers and other technical folks
🦄💰- venture capital and investing-related
⚡- energy-related
♻️- renewable energy and sustainability-related
🏥 - health care related
🎖️🪖 - veteran or military related
🏅 - sports tech related
₿ - web3 related
HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK
Tuesday, July 14
Why Networking Isn’t Turning Into Deals — And What To Do Instead
Plug and Play Sugar Land brings its morning innovation coffee to the Ion — founders, investors, and startup-curious folks over a casual cup.
Wednesday, July 15
Part two of GHP's AI series — how procurement and supply chain leaders scale AI responsibly, led by Cassye Cook Provost of RossGrigsby Consultancy.
Monthly space for entrepreneurs and changemakers; running as unstructured co-working time during the June–July summer pause.
Dr. Doug Franklin (DeckLaunch / Fresh Tech Solutionz) on building a pitch deck that lands.
Strategy At Scale: Integrating PESTLE Analysis & SAFe For Valuable Impact
Thursday, July 16
Houston XR Meetup
🤓💻Hack AI Turns Two: Tech Party
The Marketing Dept. Coffee Meetup
Hands-on build session — a 1-hour Perplexity Computer competition solving real Houston small-business problems. $100 in free Perplexity credits per attendee.
One of Houston's oldest Linux user groups — OS trends, software dev, and hands-on training.
Friday, July 17
The flagship Friday Cup of Joey — coffee, open networking, and the "what's your why" conversation.
Wade Pinder, the Ion's Mentor in Residence, walks through the resources, orgs, and people that make up HTX's startup ecosystem.
Biweekly office hours connecting Houston founders with NASA experts, tech-licensing opportunities, and JSC capabilities.
Saturday, July 18
3rd-Saturday monthly satellite inside POST Houston.
👀 Coming up next week
Unwind with Houston founders, funders, operators, and ecosystem builders. Zero pitching policy — come build relationships. RSVP early, it fills up.
⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!
FEATURED EVENTS
Startup Circle Houston EVERY FRIDAY AT THE ION
FEATURED JOBS
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That’s a wrap for now, RocketNetworkers,
Stay tuned, and keep grinding!
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.
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