Owl Have You Know
Where Big Ideas Take Flight feat. Dr. Paul Cherukuri
Published: 12 March 2025 at 09:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
It takes a lot to get a startup off the ground — having an entrepreneurial spirit and a great idea is just the beginning, the real challenge is, how do you grow?
Through Rice University’s Office of Innovation, Dr. Paul Cherukuri, Rice’s first vice president for innovation and chief innovation officer, has been working with academics and industry titans to remove roadblocks for budding entrepreneurs and turn Houston and Rice into a top hub for innovation.
Dr. Cherukuri joins Owl Have You Know Host Maya Pomroy ’22 to chat about how the Office of Innovation is paving the way for cutting-edge, world-changing ideas, Rice’s place in the entrepreneurial world, the university’s partnership with the Ion in the city of Houston, and Dr. Cherukuri’s own journey that led him to Rice and this exciting new position.
Episode Guide:
01:10 Dr. Cherukuri’s Journey to Rice
04:47 The Impact of Rice University
06:03 Building the Office of Innovation
08:33 Challenges and Opportunities in Innovation
12:52 Fostering Entrepreneurship at Rice
16:05 Exciting Student Projects
17:59 Small Business Innovation and Nexus Launch
18:50 The Ion: Houston's Innovation Hub
19:43 Building an Innovation Ecosystem
23:45 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
28:42 The Exciting and Future Prospects on Rice’s Horizon
Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.
Episode Quotes:
On empowering the entrepreneurial spirit and taking calculated risks
14:55:[Dr. Paul Cherukuri] There are some people who just naturally resonate with the idea of doing it, right? The entrepreneurial spirit is within them and it's active, right? Then there are some people who are sort of suppressed, repressed, who have always wanted to do it and weren't sure if that was allowed, right? Or if that was fostered for their career. And what we provide is the capability and also the inspiration that this is not only possible, it's welcomed. It's something that we actually want to promote, right?
The Ion represents Rice's ability to create a community for innovators
23:11: When you find your tribe, it's very, very different, and I think that The Ion represents that ability for us to concentrate people so they can meet each other. But then also provide resources, both with the corporates and the venture capitalists that are in the building.And then we're bringing in government and others to really kind of subsidize things and help us grow these companies, and then not only the companies, but grow the community. And that's what The Ion represents, right? So it is, I think, a magical place in many ways. If you go in there, there is an energy. There's a buzz that has happened now.
How Houston's lack of zoning laws fuels growth and connection
21:41: One of the beautiful things I think about Houston is we get dinged for not having zoning laws, but I actually think it's a great thing. And it has allowed us to economically grow, thrive, and expand the city. The problem with the expansion of the city is people density, right? So how do you get people to be right next to each other? Because that's when things start to magically happen, right? You got to get close to others.
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