Turner highlights Houston innovation, entrepreneurship power

From oil and gas and space exploration to the largest medical center in the world, Houston has long been a capital for innovation. Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business April 17 about his vision for the city as one of the leading centers of innovation and entrepreneurship, driving economic development and jobs over the next decade.

In 2017, Turner assembled the Houston Technology and Innovation Task Force, a coalition of companies, academic institutions and community partners that developed a strategic plan to boost the city’s innovation and entrepreneurship community. The study recognized the opportunity for Houston to create an innovation district running from the Texas Medical Center through Midtown to downtown and beyond, which is now being developed with Rice’s The Ion as the centerpiece.

In a conversation with Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Turner shared the progress that has been made since the task force was created and his efforts to foster an integrated ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in the city.

Turner was introduced by Peter Rodriguez, dean of the Jones School.

(Photos courtesy of Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business)