Where Houston’s founders are meeting this week

10/5/26 - 10/11/26

Howdy Rocket Crew,

Last week was awesome.

We had to cancel the bike ride part of Biketoberfest... and the fest happened anyway. Turns out you can take the bikes out of Biketoberfest and Houston still shows up to make an impact! Thank you!

Check out the video - here!

Again,

HUGE THANK YOU! to our sponsors and supporters: Beezi AI, Lumino, Polsinelli, Alesco Data, Berkeley International, Zentavos, Scan Ninja Inc, Interface, NEXENTRA, Eigen Control Inc., Device Solutions Inc, Allenix, Ayedu, Cool Edge Bits, Claritycastle, Inc, Universal Toll Tag, Unytag, Second Draught,

AND shoutout to all co-organizers: Ion District, RocketNetwork, BikeHouston, Hermann Park Conservancy!

_____

Texas Venture Fest: The AI Edition was great too! Here’s a shot from the panel where we discussed the state of AI.

This week I'm thinking about swinging by Leap Innovation 2026 at UH on Wednesday. Nicolaus Radford, Sassie Duggleby, and Dr. Sangtae Kim on biotech, aerospace, robotics, and AI. Doors at 5:30.

And Friday? I'll be around the Ion for sure. Come say hi.
_____

What 10,373 sales conversations showed about next steps - LINK

cheers,
- oleg 👊

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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.

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HERE ARE OUR PICKS FOR HTX THIS WEEK

Monday, October 5

Impact Hub Houston names this year's hackathon winners. 45 minutes on Zoom to see what Houston's civic hackers built.

You are the speakers. Bring a laptop and show what you're working on, finished or broken.

Tuesday, October 6

The far west side gets its own founder coffee. Share your why, meet the room.

The hydrogen crowd moves to Houston this year, with carbon capture sessions built into the program. Two days of developers, suppliers, and policy people.

Wednesday, October 7

Midweek coffee with founders and friendly strangers. No pitch deck required.

Getting to orbit is a rocket problem. Staying there is a culture problem. Three talks with space authors and Rice's Space Humanities team, plus free breakfast.

Nicolaus Radford, Sassie Duggleby, and Dr. Sangtae Kim on what Houston builds next in biotech, aerospace, robotics, and AI. Open to everyone. Parking is paid.

Tech talks, lightning presentations, and pizza. Get there before 7 because the door locks.

Thirty years of helping Houston run Linux. Bring your questions or your broken install.

Thursday, October 8

Two days of talks on agents, LLMs, and distributed learning. Research-heavy, and worth it if you build AI systems.

A free three-week course on how patents work, taught by a U.S. patent attorney. Sponsored by Qualcomm, and you leave with a certificate.

Cold drinks with medtech founders and the people building devices at TMC.

Meet the local life science startups featured in the BioConnect series. A good room for founders and researchers.

No stage, no slides, no panels. Upstream operators and builders trading field stories over beer and pizza.

Houston's monthly home for people building something on the side. Come see what your neighbors ship after hours.

Post-its, dot voting, and five minutes per topic. Scrum, kanban, and everything between, with pizza and beer.

Northwestern and Kellogg alumni on what AI changes about leading a team. Panel moderated by Chin Wu.

The LGBTQ+ tech community's second-Thursday hangout. Allies welcome.

Friday, October 9

The Friday flagship. Two hours of coffee and founders that can fill your calendar for a month.

Weekly builders' circle on putting AI to work. Networking, then one practical topic.

Small-group founder talk right after Cup of Joey. Traction, ICP, runway. Bring your real problems.

Saturday, October 10

Bring the kids. Hands-on STEAM workshops and a look at the careers behind them.

A full day on how great product managers think, listen, and decide. Part one of two. Ticketed.

Sunday, October 11

Houston Crypto, Houston Blockchain Alliance, and BitAngels under one roof. Live Q&A, free parking, free entry.

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

MONEY ON THE TABLE

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Miller Center Global Impact Accelerator Six months of free, one-on-one executive mentorship for social enterprises fighting poverty through women’s economic power or climate resilience. You need a year of operations, $50,000+ in earned income, and three full-time staff. Mostly virtual, cohort starts January. Closes October 16 - APPLY

Galaxy Grants $2,250 to a US woman or minority-owned business, from the nonprofits Galaxy of Stars and Hidden Star. Bonus: refer a founder, and if they win, you win too. Closes October 31 - APPLY

Capital One Catapult Six months of free coaching from Capital One’s team, a dedicated advisor, and a closing pitch competition at HQ. Two of the in-person sessions are in Plano. You need a diverse-owned business certification, three years in business, and $1M to $15M in revenue. Closes November 2 - APPLY

Horowitz Andreessen Academy Know a young builder who’d rather ship than sit in lectures? a16z’s new tuition-free fellowship in San Francisco comes with $50,000+ in compute credits and a $5,000 project budget. Built for recent high school grads who already have something to show. Early deadline November 5 - APPLY

Equalize A pitch competition and symposium for women academic founders in therapeutics, medtech, research tools and the physical sciences. Mentorship and training lead up to a final pitch. Info session October 5. Closes November 13 - APPLY

SXSW Pitch 2027 A shot at pitching 40 investor judges in Austin next March. Past participants have raised $22.5 billion combined. Your product must have launched after January 1, 2024, and you need to be under $10 million raised. Heads up, there’s a $225 entry fee. Closes November 13 - APPLY

Techstars Spring 2027 $220,000 and three months inside a Techstars accelerator, including the fully remote Anywhere program. This one takes equity, so read the terms. Closes November 18 - APPLY

Entreprenista Evolve Grant $5,000 for a woman founder ready for the next step, from Entreprenista and IT Cosmetics. US business, at least a year old, doing $100,000+ in revenue. Closes November 30 - APPLY

Verizon Digital Ready Grant $10,000 grants every month through the end of 2026. Finish two free Digital Ready courses, apply once, and you stay in the running all year. Open to US for-profit small businesses. Monthly picks through December - APPLY

Braze Tech for an Equitable Future Twelve months of the Braze customer engagement platform for free, plus support to get it running. Built for underrepresented founders with under $30 million raised and fewer than 100 employees. Closes January 15 - APPLY

The Amber Grant $10,000 to a woman-owned business every month, plus a startup track if you’re still pre-revenue and a $50,000 prize at year end. One application covers it all, with a $15 fee. October’s category grant goes to creative arts. Monthly - APPLY

Warrior Rising Up to $20,000 in non-dilutive funding for veterans and military spouses building a business. The path is free: start at Warrior Academy, and founders with real traction get invited to pitch. Rolling - APPLY

America’s Seed Fund (NSF) Up to $2 million for deep tech, and the NSF takes no equity and no IP. AI, energy, medtech, robotics, semiconductors. Project pitches are open year round, so there’s no deadline to miss. Rolling - APPLY

Claude for Startups Up to $100,000 in Claude API credits with zero equity. Best fit: founded in the last four years, backed by an institutional investor, with Claude at the core of the product. Apply from your company email. Rolling - APPLY

NVIDIA Inception Free cloud credits, technical training, hardware discounts and VC intros for AI startups. No fees, no equity, no cohort. You need to be incorporated, under 10 years old, with a working site and at least one developer. Rolling - APPLY

FEATURED EVENTS

Masquerade Tech Soiree, October 16 at The Esperson Speakeasy


Masquerade Tech Soiree — Friday 10/16, The Esperson Speakeasy, 6:00–9:00 PM
Black tie and cocktail attire, masks encouraged. Patrick Jones and Jesse Martinez host Houston's private evening for tech leaders and connectors. RSVP required.

Startup Circle Houston EVERY FRIDAY AT THE ION

Leap Innovation 2026

Join a lively conversation about the future of biotechnology, aerospace, robotics, and artificial intelligence. The event kicks off with networking and resource tables featuring UH innovation programs and partners, including RED Labs, Tech Bridge, and the Innov8 Hub. The networking portion is a chance for you to take a step in your own innovation journey by getting involved! A dynamic panel discussion will follow, highlighting insights from leading Houston innovators working at the forefront of emerging technology.

Leap Innovation 2026 — 10/7, UH Student Center South Theater, NU Club of Houston: The New Leadership Equation, Leading with AI
Northwestern and Kellogg alumni clubs of Houston on what AI actually changes about leading a team. Check the page for date and venue.

 FEATURED JOBS
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👉The AI Trust & Safety Job Board - LINK

👉The Biggest Free Remote Job Board in North America - LINK

That’s a wrap for now, RocketNetworkers,

Stay tuned, and keep grinding!

❤️ - ROCKET NETWORK TEAM

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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