Texchange Background

Jack Plunkett, Marco Rimassa, Mike Goodwin, Bill Keough, and Kyle Pope founded the Technology Entrepreneurs' eXchange (“Texchange”) in early 2000 in response to what they saw as a lack of coordinated Houston-based and statewide support for emerging technology entrepreneurs.

Rimassa and Plunkett met through an entrepreneurs’ event in San Francisco in September 1999, sponsored by the venture catalyst firm Garage.com. Along with long-time friend Kyle Pope, the two felt there was a vital need for a collaborative, networking organization in Texas that would be focused on emerging technology entrepreneurs, similar to extremely successful groups currently existing in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay areas.

In early 2000, Rimassa and Plunkett met Goodwin and Keough, who were also looking to create a technology-focused networking group in Houston. The four decided to merge their efforts, and the Technology Entrepreneurs' eXchange was born.

The group was initially very impressed with the well-known Round Zero organization in Silicon Valley because of its monthly dinner meetings and unusual format of pre-selected discussion topics at small round tables. The founders of Texchange saw that such a format offers unique opportunities and advantages not found at other types of meetings. By using this type of discussion format, Texchange founders believe that the organization’s members will have a chance to truly get to know each other and benefit from each others’ experiences. As opposed to “mixers” or meetings focused on listening to a speaker, the discussion format enables members to interact with each other in a very personal and focused way, affording them the opportunity to learn from other views and to develop lasting friendships and business relationships.

Texchange intends to create a lasting and highly effective organization that will fulfill its goals in fostering success among Texas-based entrepreneurs in technology fields of a wide variety. We are committed to building and maintaining an active membership of the highest possible quality, and we hope you will join us and support us in this effort.