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Under [[Houston Entrepreneurship]] umbrella.

=Institutions=

In order for an entity to be considered an institution for this project, it needed to be located in Houston, provide some kind of "program" for enrollment by start-ups and entrepreneurs, and had to have an easily accessible and published list of all companies which have participated in this "program." All data was collected from institution websites, thus the type of institution, services provided, skill level of directors, and list of cohort companies which have been through a "program" are all self-reported. Data was then aggregated across the board.

==Houston Accelerators==

An accelerator is a “fixed-term, cohort-based program including mentorship and educational components, that culminates in a public pitch event, often referred to as ‘demo-day’” (Cohen and Hochberg, 2014). The mission of an accelerator, often a non-profit entity, is to provide early stage start-ups with resources, mentorship, and networking needed to gain access to venture capital funding. On average, cohorts stay with an accelerator for 3 months cumulating with a pitch to several venture capital investors. (Fehder and Hochberg, 2014)

Accelerators targeting the youngest of companies and guide them through mentorship and education to a position where they may successfully appeal for venture capital funding. These services are critical for getting start-ups off the ground and accelerating their growth towards success. Within Houston there are three major accelerator programs to be examined.

Focused on healthcare IT and medical devices start-ups, Houston Health Ventures’, or HHV’s, NextHIT accelerator program is an “intensive” eight-week program designed to guide nascent start-ups in these fields to success. Founded in 2014, HHV’s NextHIT for-profit program advertises a wide array of services, including direct funding, access to industry experts, educational programs, mentorship, and office space at the University of Houston. While HHV’s NextHIT is a relatively new program, it has so far underperformed in its role as an accelerator. Of the seven companies which have enrolled in the NextHIT program, not a single one has received venture capital from an outside firm, been acquired, or exited in an IPO.

While the program has yet to prove it can attract investment to its companies, its directory board and market niche show promise. Of the NextHIT program's five directors, two have direct entrepreneurship experience as founders of successful companies and one director has peripheral experience as a repeat start-up investor. This relatively robust directory board, combined with HHV’s position as a healthcare institution in a healthcare hub suggest that with the right support the NextHIT program could become a major player in the Houston entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Founded in 2011 but closed down in 2016, SURGE Ventures was located in the fourth ward neighborhood of Houston just west of Downtown. Positing itself to invest in energy start-ups, SURGE Ventures’ for-profit program advertised services in direct funding, access to industry experts, educational programs and mentorship. The program had only a single director, but one who was well-versed in entrepreneurship, having founded multiple tech start-ups throughout their career.

During its short lifespan the SURGE accelerator program was relatively successful, with 32 startups enrolling in its program and four of these startups receiving venture capital investments from outside firms. Three of these investments came from top 100 venture capital firms, implying that the companies enrolled in the SURGE program were very promising and graduating at a high caliber. One of the four companies enrolled was acquired.

====Texas Medical Center Accelerator====

===Houston University Accelerators===

University accelerators, like standard accelerators combine mentorship and education in a fixed-term cohort program. Rather than being run by a purely entrepreneurship-focused entity, university accelerators are powered and run through universities. Generally the advising is provided by entrepreneurship and business academics. While entrance costs and expectations are comparatively low, enrollment is generally restricted to those affiliated with the university.

====OwlSpark====

OwlSpark has five directors, all of whom are academics in the broad fields of economics and business, but none of whom have much experience as either entrepreneurs or investors of start-ups. Of the 33 companies which have enrolled in the OwlSpark program, none have received venture capital funding, been acquired or exited in an IPO.

The second university accelerator in Houston, RED Labs, was founded in 2013 and is housed at the University of Houston in the Greater Third Ward neighborhood. With a mission to promote entrepreneurship within both the University of Houston and greater Houston communities, RED Labs advertises access to industry and academic experts, office space at the University of Houston and mentorship.

The accelerator has one director, who has direct experience as the founder of a successful company. Across its four years of existence, only 18 companies have enrolled in the RED Labs program, none of which have received venture capital investments from an outside firm, been acquired, or exited in an IPO.

===Houston Incubators===