Join us for the last Quantifiable Impact series event of the year

This event will encourage conversation amongst social entrepreneurs about the importance of quantifying impact. As this ever-changing space begins to take shape, stakeholders and donors are looking for transparency across operations and projects to ensure their money is acquiring the highest social ROI. The ability to understand and quantify impact is trending to become one of the cornerstones of sustaining longevity of any social venture. Come join us to hear from leaders in this space regarding the opportunities as well as introduce challenges in running social organizations in a data driven world.

5:30 PM Sign-in/Registration/Networking

6:00 PM Key Note and Workshop

7:00 PM Q&A

7:30 PM Networking

Speaker Info:

Ivonne Cruz – Ivonne Cruz is a consultant for GAA and the Puentes Consortium administrator at Rice University.

Ivonne Cruz, Ph.D., holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in sustainable human development and social public policy from the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña. Her primary interest focuses on the human dimensions of global environmental change, corporate social responsibility, human rights issues, and sustainability reporting. Ivonne has been an independent consultant for over 15 years and has served in a variety of roles and institutions including academia, international agencies, and public sector entities. She has worked for the Environmental Defense Fund, the United Nations Environmental Program, the United Nations Industrial Program, the Global Environmental Facility, NOAA, the Mexican and Cuban Environmental Protection agencies, and other local governments in Europe. She has lived in several countries and has published several papers and book chapters on social policy issues, sustainable development strategies and has participated in the elaboration of sustainability reports for private and public sectors.

*Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Thanks to our Co Hosts Global Affairs Associates, LLC and Impact Hub Houston

Houston consistently ranks as one of the top cities for economic growth potential, one of the best startup ecosystems, and one of the best places in the country for women and minority entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. So how is Houston’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and startup development community evolving to help our city reach that potential? How will we support the next generation of startups in ways that also build more inclusive, equitable and sustainable paths to economic development and generational wealth creation?

Join several of Houston’s entrepreneur ecosystem leaders at THIS: The Houston Innovation Summit during this session to learn how local organizations are rising to meet the needs of our future entrepreneurs. We’ll touch on:

• How local organizations are helping the next generation of entrepreneurs — from Zillennials to second-act seniors, and from newcomers to Houston to those new to startup culture;
• What trends and opportunities they’re seeing; and,
• What they’re most excited about for Houston’s economic future.

SPEAKERS:

• Estella Gonzalez, MPA, Director of Education and Economic Opportunity at BakerRipley
• Eric M. Goodie, Area Vice President, Growth and Sustainability at Houston Area Urban League (HAUL)
• Tim Jeffcoat, District Director Houston, SBA
• Tiffany Williams, Co-founder and Managing Director for Diversity Fund Houston
• Ravi Brahmbhatt, Charter Member and Board Member of TiE Houston

Many thanks to Houston Community College (HCC) Southeast for hosting and providing food and beverages for this event at the Felix Fraga Academic Campus in the East End!

Houston consistently ranks as one of the top cities for economic growth potential, one of the best startup ecosystems, and THE city with the best food scene in the country!

But while much attention has been given to the local startup ecosystem, our local agricultural and food entrepreneurs are often overlooked. So how do we help local food- and agriculture-based innovators connect around shared goals, collaborate effectively, and access resources and guidance to help them grow their own paths to success? How do we cultivate the next agricultural automation startup, or the next Ritual or UberEats and the businesses that help those apps thrive?

Join some of Houston’s local food leaders to explore and address these challenges!

SPEAKERS 

• Ecky Prabanto: Co-Founder, Greenway Coffee/Tropicales/Susu Kopi and Boba
• Kaitlin O’Brien: Roaster/Co-Founder, XELA Coffee Roasters
• Jimmy Tay Trinh: Chef/Founder/CEO, Naughty Noah’s Vietnamese Superfoods platform
• Daniel Garcia-Prats: Co-Founder/Director of Operations, Small Places LLC
• Moderator: Carlos Estrada, Manager, WeWork Labs

Many thanks to WeWork Downtown for hosting and providing food and beverages for this event!