Proposing Houston’s New Startup Corridor

I think you have an interesting point, but what you have to keep in mind is that although commercial rent may be cheap in that area, housing is not. Many companies in start up mode whose founders have school age children may still prefer the burbs and commuting to that area of town for us non inner loopers is pretty miserable. I have to admit that I consider the location of the Houston Technology Center to be more of a detriment than an asset for the same reasons stated above not to mention parking. Don’t underestimate the toll of lost time due to long commutes and parking issues on a fledgling company desperately trying to attract talent.

Nice post, Kurt. Great location.

Caroline is really excited to be located in the Museum District and glad to be included in the map for the proposed Houston Technology Corridor. Honestly, Ned and I aren’t/weren’t interested in starting Caroline anywhere else. The Museum district / Montrose / Midtown is the ONLY place that we would want this thing to happen based on the characteristics of the area that allow us to carve out a lifestyle similar to in Chicago and New York with close proximity to shopping, nightlife, culture, security, and public transportation. It’s also one of the only areas in Houston where you can live a life in line with your rather extreme views against the development of Houston based on automobiles and highways.

While a goal of locating the corridor in one location is a good idea I wonder what response this will get from people who have centered themselves in locations that are economically and financially viable for them and their businesses who may not have such extreme views concerning transportation or suburbs. These hubs usually form organically as a result of the economic conditions of an area: Artists move into spots that provide less security but are inexpensive, these early adopters are harbingers for gentrification and rising rent but also security and validation of an area.

I don’t know the history of Silicon Valley but I assume that it formed under parallel premises mediated by finances and economy, not because everyone got together and decided to stick a flag in the ground. Any ideas how we can foster this pilgrimage?

I think the location is perfect. I personally lived in the very center of the corridor at Bagby @ Elgin/Westheimer and could feel the energy. When I move back to Houston this summer you better believe this is where I am going to setup shop.
The housing is affordable if you don’t insist on having a yard, and two of HISD’s best High Schools, HSPVA and Debakey, are within a few minutes.
GREAT SUGGESTION

This http://maps.google.com/?mid=1206820413 is a Google map of the current IT clients of the HTC I put together a few months ago. It might give you a clearer picture of where the startup companies in Houston have offices. You can see that there are more than a few that are outside the corridor.

The concept of a Startup corridor is terrific, though I agree that this type of thing is usually an organic process. Access to talent (near top universities), and capital resources (both VCs and Angels) are the most important factors in a startup hub. Other things to consider when picking a place to start a company is inexpensive office space, a favorable tax environment, and proximity to city-to-city travel (in Houston’s case, our airports and driving distance to other Texas cities). So the 3M area (Midtown, Museum, Montrose) makes sense, since capital is clustered near the Galleria and Greenway and that’s close to U of H Downtown, Rice and St. Thomas.

I like it, although I would consider changing it from a “corridor” to a district” and extending it west to Kirby, including the Rice Village. Some startups like the walkable Village environment, and I know a couple small tech companies in the Kirby corridor.