Rice Management Co. announced Dec. 17 that Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) will lease space on the fifth floor of The Ion, a 288,000-square-foot facility being developed at 4201 Main St. Terms of the lease were not disclosed in the announcement.
Microsoft will occupy about 25,000 square feet, but the company does not disclose headcount by location, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed."

Howard recalls that there was a real lack of these resources for technologists in the Bayou City when he arrived in 1983. But he's encouraged by the strides Houston has made in growing its founder ecosystem in recent years, including the development of Station Houston, Houston Exponential, The Ion, The Cannon and more. Howard also sees the innovation lab as a way for Softeq, a provider of custom software engineering services, to expand its business with new projects."

​Houston-based blockchain network Data Gumbo plans to hire locally and expand its international footprint after raising a new round of growth funding."

HOUSTON (CW39) Downtown Houston is constantly evolving. Today is certainly no different! Thursday morning, Central Houston, Inc. (CHI) and the Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA) announced the official opening of Downtown Launchpad, a 17,000-square-foot innovation hub located on the 10th floor of Amegy on Main (1801 Main Street). As Austin continues to outgrow itself, the top tier of tech professionals are migrating to Houston to start up the best of innovation along the Gulf Coast."

The Ion, which Rice Management Co. is developing as Houston's future innovation hub, has received a $1.5 million grant from the Economic Development Administration to fund its accelerator programs. ​"

After announcing its Houston expansion plans in June, Somerville, Massachusetts-based Greentown Labs has selected its Bayou City home.
Touted as North America’s largest climatetech incubator, Greentown Labs will open its Houston location in spring 2021 at 4200 San Jacinto St., according to a Sept. 22 press release. That's the site of the former Fiesta grocery store in Midtown, which closed in July amid declining sales and increasing competition."

Chicago-based Novel Coworking has tapped Dallas-based Stream Realty Partners to handle leasing at the historic 405 Main St. office in downtown Houston.
Matthew Asvestas and Adam Ross, both senior associates with Stream’s Houston office, will oversee leasing at the building."

Despite a slowdown in venture capital during the pandemic, Houston startups increased their funding by 7 percent in the first seven months of 2020, according to Houston Exponential, the nonprofit charged with coordinating the local tech sector’s startup development organizations"

The redevelopment of the former Sears department store in Midtown into a center for innovation is set to open by the end of March 2021, possibly with a full tenant roster, a developer of the project said in a recent interview."