Our region’s innovation provides reason to celebrate at Innovation Summit

The Texas Innovation Corridor is more than just an aspiration – it’s a reality, and one that should be both showcased and celebrated. The Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) will do both at the 2021 Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit, which will take place on Tuesday, August 10, at the San Marcos Conference Center.

Like Silicon Valley or the Research Triangle, our region has emerged as a magnet for innovative and disruptive businesses. Companies, including the record 11 companies that GSMP has helped locate or expand this fiscal year to Hays and Caldwell Counties, are choosing this region because they see the ingenuity taking place here and they want to be a part of it.

At the Innovation Summit, we will speak with executives from three new, disruptive companies. We’ll learn about the innovation spurring their growth and why they chose to do business in our region. Featured will be Brandon Alexander, CEO of Iron Ox; Sean Bauld, COO of Sempulse; and Marcus Ruark, president of goodblend Texas.

Of course, private enterprise is not the only driver of innovation in this region. As an emerging research institute, it’s no surprise that Texas State University plays a major catalyst role in the Texas Innovation Corridor.

Anchored by Texas State research, Hays and Caldwell Counties have filed more than 11 times the number of utility patents per capita than the entire state of Texas. On top of that, the region is filing more patents at a rate of nine times that of the U.S., according to the U.S. Patent & Trade Office and U.S. Census Bureau.

Our keynote speaker, Andres Carvallo, professor of innovation and co-director of CIEDAR at Texas State, will share exclusive insights on the newest developments at the university. He will focus on the area of applied research, such as living labs, networks, sensors, and data software. This work is not taking place at any other university in the world and promises to have a significant impact on research and development at the global scale. I greatly look forward to Carvallo’s presentation.

I also look forward to recognizing an innovative company in Hays or Caldwell County with the seventh annual edition of the Dick Burdick Award for Innovation. Named for the legendary San Marcos innovator Dick Burdick, a local company will be recognized for its ability to find creative solutions to complex problems through innovative methods, ideas, products, and practices. 

With a jam-packed agenda, the 2021 Greater San Marcos Innovation Summit is sure to be an incredible day of celebrating innovation in our region. This event is open to the public and tickets are available now. More information is available at greatersanmarcostx.com/innovation-summit.

If you would like to know more about the Texas Innovation Corridor and why businesses are choosing to take part in it, reach out to me via email at jasong@greatersanmarcostx.com or on Twitter @JasonGiulietti.