If you are interested in following the growth of the Houston tech economy and conducting vital research to influence policy programs and initiatives to accelerate the growth of the ecosystem, then keep reading.

THE ROLE YOU'LL PLAY:

As an MBA intern at HX you will be given the opportunity to produce  actionable insights into the emerging technologies and the market trends of tomorrow. In this role you will help influence city-wide programming, policy, and initiatives to accelerate the growth of our ecosystem.

Encouraged to apply: Candidates with startup experience or those who exhibit a hunger to learn and grow their domain knowledge. Brownie points for candidates with experience (tangentially or otherwise) in Venture Capital.

ABOUT THE TEAM:

Working on Product and Research efforts at Houston Exponential is like having a front row seat to the future of Houston. There is no team quite like ours anywhere, inside or outside of tech. It's a unique opportunity to both work at an agile, exciting startup and spend your day analyzing the technologies, startups, funding data and market trends of tomorrow in the local Houston landscape. To do so, you will have full access to millions of data points across multiple platforms and put in front of the entrepreneurs driving the economy forward. You will be surrounded by some of the most curious and driven people you will ever meet and held up to the highest standards every day. Our team members come from backgrounds as diverse as VC, consulting, economic development, product management, and medical research. Each member of the team has a voice in the development of strategic initiatives and are encouraged to do so!

Houston Exponential works with strategic committees of academic, corporate, startup, and government leaders to promote innovation in Houston. HX is looking for a data-driven self-starter to perform fundamental research that will power these strategic committees and initiatives. An ideal candidate works well in ambiguity, asks the right questions, and is comfortable with conducting both primary research as well as gathering and synthesizing data across various sources. Your findings and recommendations will prioritize initiatives and direct ecosystem level change in the Houston startup community.

Examples of what we've been able to accomplish in the last couple years: https://houstonexponential.org/committees/

YOUR MAIN TASKS:

Project 1: Startup Genome Analysis:

• Conduct original quantitate and qualitative research to asses founder needs, subsector trends, and market conditions.
•  Interview founders 1:1 and conduct analysis on ecosystem-wide challenges and opportunities 
• Write data-driven research and reports that combine our proprietary data with outside data sets to identify key trends and analyze the momentum of startups, large enterprises, investors, and startup development organizations
• Understand and develop forward-looking analyses and insights for top industrial areas.
• Develop and give presentations to discuss trends and needs
• Must be passionate and knowledgeable about technology and related disciplines such as venture capital and M&A

Project 2: HX Committee Research 

• Develop a deep understanding of the Houston startup ecosystem including its key stakeholders, challenges, and opportunities
• Build quantitative and qualitative insights to guide strategic committees' course of action
• Conduct research to test hypotheses on feasibility and impact of committee proposals
• Effectively capture metrics to measure success of ongoing initiatives, and assess areas for improvement

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE:

• You consider yourself to have high EQ, are intrinsically curious, and are not afraid to challenge data points in order to drive to the right answers.
• Must be a startup / tech geek passionate about all things tech
• Ability to synthesize data and develop meaningful conclusions and predictive insights
• Strong communication/presentation skills and leadership abilities. You should feel comfortable speaking to stakeholders as an authority on the business and the category
• Ability to multi-task and manage the details while keeping an eye on the big picture
• Strong MS Excel and Powerpoint skills
• Experience with relational databases and dashboarding technologies such as Chart.io or Power BI

WHAT HOUSTON EXPONENTIAL IS ALL ABOUT:

Houston is at an inflection point – emerging as one of the nation's key technology innovation hubs. Houston Exponential (“HX”) plays a pivotal role in that success. HX is an independent 501c3 nonprofit that works to accelerate the growth of Houston's rapidly expanding technology innovation ecosystem.

WE KNOW THAT DIVERSITY MAKES FOR THE BEST PROBLEM-SOLVING AND CREATIVE THINKING. WE ARE DEDICATED TO ADDING NEW PERSPECTIVES TO THE TEAM AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO APPLY IF YOUR EXPERIENCE IS CLOSE TO WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: HX is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.