About
About Startup Houston: Startup Houston exists to promote the business of technology startups in the greater Houston area and to provide access to resources that enable them to be more successful. Startup Houston focuses on those technologies which have the greatest levels of support within the Houston business and investment communities, such as:
- Information and Web 2.0 technologies
- Nanotechnology
- Biotechnology
- Energy technology
- Aerospace technology
It is also hoped that Startup Houston will enhance the communication and coordination between startup and small companies, business leaders, as well as investment firms, and become the rallying point for discussion and promotion of the great work that is occurring within Houston’s technology communities.
About the Founders:
Kurt Stoll – Kurt Stoll has been involved in technology companies and technology startups in the Houston area for over 15 years, starting as VP of Sales for Spectrum Dynamics, a startup providing Virtual Reality hardware and software to the AeroSpace industry. Kurt also has a strong background in Marketing and Product Management in previous roles as Sr. Product Marketing Manager for NetIQ, Product Manager for Schlumberger Information Security Solutions, and Director of Operations for eCommLink PrePaid Debit Solutions. Kurt is currently the Director of Marketing and Sales for VisionMonitor Software, where he helps energy companies to better manage their environmental risk through the use of industry leading technology.
Kurt can be reached at: kurt(at)startuphouston.com
Josh Tabin – Josh Tabin is the Strategic Financial Practice Leader and CFO of OptimizedNow, the first consulting firm to provide a proven end-to-end solution, from strategy to execution, designed to drive measurable results through clear product positioning. Josh is former Vice President of Finance at Rackspace Managed Hosting, where he was responsible for overseeing the financial activities of the entire company — helping to grow the company from $30 million to over $500 million in annual revenues. Josh started his career at SBC (now AT&T), where he worked in several operational, sales, and financial roles at SBC’s corporate and subsidiary business units. Later, Josh became Chief Financial Officer for RigNet, a Houston startup that was recognized as a Houston Fast Tech 50 and a Fast 500 company. Prior to joining OptimizedNow, Josh led his own strategic financial advisory firm, Mosaic CFO, where he acted as a virtual-CFO, advising startups and mature companies on their financial strategy, corporate strategy, and assisting in raising seed and growth capital for business leaders.
Josh can be reached at: josh.tabin(at)optimizednow.com
About the Contributors:
Marc Nathan – Marc is the Director of Development for Information Technology at the Houston Technology Center (http://www.houstontech.org). Prior to HTC, he founded Bulldog Financial (http://www.bulldogfinancial.com), a professional angel investment and venture consulting firm. Marc focuses on assisting technology-oriented start up and early stage companies in diverse market sectors such as consumer electronics, enterprise software and Web 2.0/New Media internet-based businesses. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Marc enjoys spending time with his wife, daughters and their English bulldog.
Marc is also an active member of several investment and community organizations:
- Houston Angel Network (http://www.houstonangelnetwork.org)
- Rice Technology and Entrepreneurs Alliance (http://www.alliance.rice.edu)
- OpenCoffee Club Houston (http://groups.to/opencoffeeclubhouston)
- RefreshHouston (http://www.refreshhouston.org)
- Capital Factory (http://www.capitalfactory.com)
- Emerging Technology Council (http://www.houstontech.org/en/cms/?1698)
- Katy Dock (http://www.katydock.com)
- NetSquared (http://netsquaredhouston.wordpress.com)
- BarCamp (http://www.barcamp.org)
- Houston Inventors Association (http://www.inventors.org)
Marc can be reached at: Marc.Nathan(at)houstontech.org
Graham Randall – Graham Randall is a Ph.D. candidate in molecular biophysics at Baylor College of Medicine where he was a fellow of the W.M. Keck Center for Computational Biology and a recipient of the prestigious John J. Trentin Scholarship Award. His research focuses on the effects of DNA topology on protein-DNA interactions. Prior to graduate school, Graham spent eight years in Silicon Valley as a software architect working for several startup companies, including Tellme Networks. He has an MBA from Rice University and a B.A. in applied mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley. Graham also writes two other blogs: Driving While Texan and Two Randalls.
Graham can be reached at grandall(at)grandall.org
Dr. Howard K. Schmidt – Howard Schmidt is a native Texan, a long-time Houston resident and a serial entrepreneur. He grew up San Antonio and moved to Houston to attend Rice University, where he got a BS in electrical engineering in 1980, and then a Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1986.  Since then he has been involved in four technology start-ups, including SI Diamond Technology, an early nanomaterials company that he took public in 1993. In 2003, Dr. Schmidt joined Rick Smalley‘s research team as the Executive Director of the Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory.  Schmidt is now a Research Fellow in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at Rice, mainly focused on developing energy-related applications of single-wall carbon nanotubes. He also serves as Senior Nanotechnology Advisor to the Advanced Energy Consortium, and is on the board of Axion Power International.
Howard can be reached at: hks(at)rice.edu
William Thurmond – William Thurmond is the President and founder of Emerging Markets Online, a global energy and biofuels intelligence boutique consulting firm started in 1997. Will is also the author of Biodiesel 2020: A Global Market Survey, and the forthcoming study Biodiesel 2020: The Next Generation. Emerging Markets Online has received Forbes magazine’s distinguished “Best of The Web” award seven years in a row 1999-2007. Will speaks regularly at industry conferences, and has contributed original articles, data and interviews cited in the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Business 2.0, Auto Focus Asia, The Futurist, Biofuels International, Swiss Derivates Review, Biodiesel Producer Magazine, Renewable Energy Access; has been featured in television interviews with Reuters TV, CNN and BBC News, including interviews with Al Gore; and was recently titled “Mr Biodiesel” by Fox News Radio’s “Energy Week.” Will is a member of The International Association for Energy Economics, the Association of Professional Futurists, the Houston World Affairs Council, and the Society for Professional Competitive Intelligence. Will holds an M.S., Studies of The Future, from the University of Houston; a B.A, International Relations and Economics from Rollins College, and in 2006 started a Ph.D. in Alternative Futures, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Will can be reached at willthurmond(at)gmail.com
