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Howdy Rocket Networkers,
I've been running my sales through Claude for a while now. Some of the skill and automations are wild.
And it taught me the opposite of what you'd think.
The better the AI gets, the louder the noise gets. Every inbox is drowning in AI-written pitches now. Perfect grammar. Zero soul.
AI can prospect. AI can follow up. AI can pack your calendar with leads.
But it can't shake a hand. It can't read a room. It can't be the voice someone remembers on Monday morning.
So when I saw the first-ever Houston Sales Community Meetup... and the theme?
"The Noise vs. The Voice: Prospecting in the Age of AI and the Return of the Human Connection."
That's the whole game in one line. Let the bots handle the noise. The deals still close on the voice.
I'm going. If you sell for a living in H-Town, come find me there.
Let's go. 🚀
- 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
Monday, June 8
🚀How to Launch an AI-Powered Company With a Day Job, ft. Adeo Ressi — Online / Founder Institute Houston (1:00–2:00 PM)
Free online session with Adeo Ressi (founder of 11 startups, 14 VC funds, ~$2B in exits) on testing ideas, finding early customers, and building an AI startup in focused hours without quitting your day job.
Tuesday, June 9
Open-innovation kickoff celebrating the Go Make 2026 cohort focused on catalytic solutions for industrial decarbonization. Hear founder pitches and network with startups over food and drink.
Center for Houston's Future and UTMB summit positioning the region as a global leader in brain health, with leaders from the World Economic Forum, McKinsey Health Institute, Rice, MD Anderson and more. Ticketed.
Cup of JoeY | Puttery featuring the HRVCC — Puttery, 1818 Washington Ave (6:00–8:00 PM)
Special nighttime edition of Cup of Joey with the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce — coffee, drinks, and networking connecting the military and business communities.
🚀Houston Sales Community Meetup
Space for Houston Sales folks to connect, step away from the daily grind and share practical insights
MIT Club of South Texas forum on how innovation, government and policy are reshaping healthcare, featuring MIT alumni and Houston healthcare leaders from Texas A&M EnMed, Rice bioengineering, and Kelsey-Seybold.
Second day of the brain health and innovation summit (see Tuesday).
Cup of JoeY | Sugar Land — Houston Marriott Sugar Land, 16090 City Walk (8:30–10:30 AM)
Monthly second-Wednesday Sugar Land edition of Cup of Joey — a relaxed coffee meetup for founders, innovators, and career builders focused on purpose over pitches.
🤓💻GitLab Transcend
Thursday, June 11
⚡Goals & Gigawatts: Houston Energy & Climate Week “The Power of &” Kickoff Party — Houston (1:30–6:30 PM)
Energy-and-innovation kickoff for Houston Energy & Climate Week with food, drinks, a HECW showcase, the Mexico City FIFA opening match, plus a DJ and karaoke.
Casual monthly happy hour for upstream operators, engineers, founders, and digital leaders navigating digital change in oil and gas. No slides, no panels — just beer, pizza, and conversation.
Friday, June 12
🚀Ion Networking with Cup of Joey — The Ion (8:30–10:30 AM)
The weekly Friday open-networking coffee gathering for founders, builders, and the broader Houston innovation community.
Session facilitated by Ion Mentor in Residence Wade Pinder to help founders, investors, and community members navigate Houston's startup resources and players. Free.
Peer roundtable bringing together founders, teammates, and experts across Greater Houston to work through traction, funding stage, ICP, and bootstrapping.
How Shareable Short-Form Videos Build Trust and Sales
Saturday, June 13
🚀AI - The Next Wave Seminar
⚠️Hosting a tech meetup or startup event? Submit it via the RocketNetwork Event Submission Form to boost your visibility!
FEATURED EVENTS
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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