X CON 2019 – Healthtech

Houston-One of the challenges in establishing a credible technology center in Houston is the perceived lack of talent available to join startups.

“People say they don’t know where to start when it comes to seeing jobs in Houston, and businesses say,’ I don’t know where to find talent, ‘” says Eric Ibarra, founder and CEO of Ordrs, a healthcare it startup in Houston. “There is an overlap there.”

Ybarra says he, too, has felt frustrated at finding engineers, programmers and other employees since the launch of Ordrs last year. This led him to dive more deeply into the efforts to build the Houston startup scene through talent and funding. Notably, he is a member of the talent Committee for Houston Exponential, an organization founded in October 2017 that seeks to enhance the city’s innovation ecosystem.

One result of this work is the launch of HTX Talent Monday, a website that is supported in part by Houston Exponentially and aims to connect employers in the city with the technical talent they are looking for. “It’s clear from the Committee discussions that we have talent here in Houston, but that it’s not very visible,” Ibarra says. “It highlights that talent and how we have a lot of companies hiring for these roles.”

Ybarra says he looked at Steve Case’s “Revolt of leisure” effort for inspiration, which began work highlighting positions in its “leisure” markets earlier this year. Rise of the Rest focuses on stimulating start-up communities off the coast, and part of that mission is to make it easier for those in Silicon valley, Boston or new York who want to maybe return to their hometowns or States to find tech jobs there.

One of the challenges entrepreneurs face when looking for employees is that in Houston, many of these potential recruits are working stable, high-paying jobs in large businesses in energy, health care or other fields. “There have not been enough people with these skills who are interested in startups,” says Shion Deisarkar, founder and CEO of Datafiniti.

Given that difficulty, Deyarkar says He decided to move the company from Houston, where he founded the startup, to Austin six years ago. “At the time, we were using a small product team in Austin, and I thought, well, I need to hire more data people in Austin,” he says. “So I decided we should just move the company.”

Luring talent from larger, more established companies is part of the mission of the new Houston branch of the Founders Institute, says James Phelan, one of its co-founders.

“We want to capture entrepreneurs or those employees who are considering making the leap from employee to entrepreneur,” he says.

The founder of the Institute, which has branches in more than 200 cities around the world, resumed in Houston earlier this month (an attempt to host a virtual accelerator nine years ago fizzled out). The local Chapter is headed by Phelan, Houston investor Neil murty, and Tabby Saenz, who helps lead the entrepreneur communications program at BakerRipley.

The program, which costs between $ 800 and $ 1,000 for a 14-week set of classes, focuses on nurturing” pre-seed ” entrepreneurs, those who may have had an idea but have done nothing to continue building businesses around it.

Going through the Founder’s Bootcamp Institute can help potential entrepreneurs assess whether startup life is for them, Phelan says. “It’s intense and tough,” he says. “If you can’t take 14 weeks and cut it, how on earth can you succeed in a multi-year business?”

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