Today we’d like to introduce you to Lawson Gow.
Lawson, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After attending Rice University and three years with an investment firm, Lawson left to start The Cannon, an entrepreneurial incubator that supports and helps grow innovative Houston-based startup companies.
Houston has historically lagged in terms of becoming a vibrant startup ecosystem, but Lawson’s vision is to dramatically transform the city into a global hub of entrepreneurial innovation. In only nine months, Lawson has grown The Cannon to hundreds of members and 75+ companies and is building out a 120,000 square foot startup workspace, the largest in the world.
Acting as a fearless leader, Lawson has set out to create a community that inspires innovation by encouraging collaboration and committed to taking Houston to a place it didn’t know it could go. He is the rallying force behind a movement emerging in the city to develop this kind of startup epicenter and is well on his way to bringing his vision to life.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think any startup can say you have had a smooth road. There are always unexpected bumps, but overall we’ve learned to really lean into any challenges that come up and be flexible, which is something that is key to managing the day to day ups and downs.
Sometimes we forget that while we are a home for startups and small businesses, we are a startup ourselves. So we’re going through the same challenges as the companies in our space. It gives us a unique ability to market to those companies and speak their language.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Cannon – what should we know?
We are a coworking space that is at the center of what will soon be the only campus dedicated to entrepreneurs in the world. We currently have 75 companies in our building and virtual community, and the majority of those occupy a 20K square foot temporary space we lovingly call The Waiting Room.
Next door, we’re building out a 120K square foot warehouse into a massive coworking and office space, featuring 129 offices and 300 seats and complete with a movie theater, library and game room. And then surrounding us will be 32 acres of everything an entrepreneur needs to succeed, including a gym, icehouse, apartments, hotels, coffee shops and much more, forming the Founders’ District.
We are definitely most proud of the community we’ve built so far in what is not considered a very state of the art office building in comparison with others that have been built in Houston. Despite that, we are sold out of offices and have consistently high traffic in our open seats as well.
That community is definitely what sets us apart. Advancements in technology mean that people can work anywhere in 2018. But they choose to work at The Cannon because of that community. They can share successes and challenges, network with other startups, and even find business and funding. We are much more than a coworking and office space and will always have that aspect as our key selling point.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
First and foremost, we’ve had a ton of support from our lead investment group, Work America Capital. Led by Mark Toon and Jeff Smith, WAC shares our vision of fixing the startup problem in Houston and has backed that up by investing in and supporting a number of Houston based startups currently working out of The Cannon.
And our community members are easily our best cheerleaders and salesmen. Our tour traffic has quickly shifted from external outreach to referrals and incoming interest, and we owe a lot of that to those members.
Pricing:
- $250 Month – Open Desk (24/7 Access)
- $350 Month – Dedicated Desk (24/7 Access and your own permanent desk area)
- Offices starting at $700/month
Contact Info:
- Address: 1336 Brittmoore Road
- Website: www.thecannonhouston.com
- Phone: (713) 489-8091
- Email: info@thecannonhouston.com
- Instagram: @thecannonhouston
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecannonhouston
- Twitter: @thecannonhouston
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
