funding. Those that receive funding are then placed into The Cannon Venture Studio program, where we surround the companies with the support they need to succeed. The studio acts as a hands-on, operational task force that works alongside the startups.

Throughout the country, cities are developing startup ecosystems – dense hubs of innovative entrepreneurial activity that become an increasingly strong magnet for investors, startups, talent, and other resources. This startup infrastructure is made up of entities across the entrepreneurial stack, including coworking spaces, incubators, accelerators, universities, angel investors, mentors, VCs, and other programs, and help to establish local startup ecosystems. These groups foster collaboration among mentors, entrepreneurs, institutional capital, universities, and more and they encourage, foster new business creations, improve success rates of startups, help create jobs, and improve the overall economic environment of the city.

Houston, however, has historically lagged in terms of developing a vibrant startup community. No significant epicenter of entrepreneurialism has been created, the city is lacking significantly in essential startup resources, causing many local entrepreneurs to relocate to cities equipped with superior startup infrastructure that encourage and enable entrepreneurs to successfully build and launch their companies.

Houston needs and is ripe for this kind of entrepreneurial organization. Cannon Ventures, coupled with The Cannon, will dramatically bolster the startup infrastructure in the city of Houston.