The
Houston
Innovation
Commons

Houston, Tx

What we are

Houston Innovation Commons is a cross-sector working community for people building, supporting, funding, designing, deploying, and questioning innovation in Houston.

We are a commons: a shared space for surfacing ecosystem friction, framing better questions, and bringing the right people together to understand what is really getting in the way.

[About]

A working commons for Houston’s innovation ecosystem.

Houston has no shortage of founders, operators, technologists, researchers, designers, corporate experts, and civic builders.

But too often, those people are working in separate rooms.

Houston Innovation Commons exists to bring them into the same room around the problems that shape whether innovation in Houston actually moves — not just ideas, but talent, pilots, partnerships, adoption, and real-world deployment.

person discussing while standing in front of a large screen in front of people inside dim-lighted room

Why this exists

Houston Innovation Commons exists to help Houston’s innovation ecosystem tackle the problems that matter — and build a growing body of work that helps move innovation efforts forward.

Why this exists

Houston Innovation Commons exists to help Houston’s innovation ecosystem tackle the problems that matter — and build a growing body of work that helps move innovation efforts forward.

Find the right problems

Surface the underlying barriers, tensions, and missed opportunities shaping Houston’s innovation ecosystem — not just the symptoms everyone already talks about.

Connect people across sectors

Bring together founders, corporate operators, technologists, researchers, designers, investors, and civic leaders who often see different parts of the same problem.

Turn friction into shared work

Use structured working sessions to move from vague frustration to sharper framing, practical opportunities, and future collaborations, pilots, programs, or ecosystem action.

Create ecosystem intelligence

Turn each session into useful ecosystem knowledge — insights, questions, patterns, briefs, and working frameworks that help Houston see its innovation challenges more clearly.

Create ecosystem intelligence

Turn each session into useful ecosystem knowledge — insights, questions, patterns, briefs, and working frameworks that help Houston see its innovation challenges more clearly.

Turn friction into shared work

Use structured working sessions to move from vague frustration to sharper framing, practical opportunities, and future collaborations, pilots, programs, or ecosystem action.

The Hosts

Ukeme Daniel

HIC Co-founder & Innovation Designer

Howdy! I’m Ukeme, Co-founder of the Houston Innovation Commons.

I am also medical doctor, innovation strategist, and founder of The Beta Collective, and F7L.

My work sits at the intersection of human-centered design, public health, and the energy transition—helping teams move from abstract strategy to real-world experiments and solutions.

Howdy! I’m Ukeme, Co-founder of the Houston Innovation Commons.

I am also medical doctor, innovation strategist, and founder of Lumen37 Studio.

My work sits at the intersection of human-centered design, public health, and the energy transition—helping teams move from abstract strategy to real-world experiments and solutions.

Ukeme's Linkedin

Andrew Baines

HIC Co-founder & IP Tech Treansfer Specialist

Hey y’all — my name is Andrew Baines, and I’m co-founder of the Houston Innovation Commons. I produce podcasts, support technology commercialization, and connect talent with companies.

I also built No Experience Jobs to help early-career candidates find roles that don’t require years of experience.

Andrew's Linkedin

yeah that’s us